Kim (Equinebhaviorist)is getting some ideas.... (Getting Started)

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I went browsing today for property ideas. I think part of our problem is that we are so unaware of what all is out there. I mean what kind of location options we have, what kind of finacial strategies we can develope to make the dream reality. I found some areas that I want to research as far as income possiblities are concerned so that we can find an area to get Dave and I working enough to make the bills and have some to work with.

I have a pretty busy business right now myself here, but not owning my own facility makes it so much less profitable, and so few people are willing to pay for the help they really need with there horses. It is a tough business to be in, and I really can't take working for people 7 days a week. For myself, caring for my animals and my family 7 days a week is a treat, but for people, I just burn out too fast.

Dave's skills are varied, but he is so lacking in confidence in himself that he has a hard time advertising himself as worthy of someone's money, let alone time. He is a strong young man, and is very spatially (sp?) talented, and is a great problem solver. He learns quickly and loves things like building, working on vehicles, making improvements, and helping me develope projects such as my garden area in the spring, or a new shelter I need built for the horses. He did landscaping for a couple of years, home care taking, he was an emt and volunteer firefighter.

So anyway, wanted to ask if any of you are located around the Southeastern Missouri area? What is it like there? Weather (climate, growing seasons), people, work, etc. Would really like to hear about this area.

Also, if anyone needs help or ideas about horses, let me know. I love to help and have plenty to share.

Thanks again,

Kim

-- Kim Smith (Equinebehaviorist@excite.com), November 14, 2001

Answers

Response to Kim (Equinebhaviorist)is getting some ideas....

Kim, have you thoguht about looking down around Chehalis or Centralia? I saw some pretty interesting deals a while back. I know there has to be something around there...

-- Laura (LauramLeek@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.

I am somewhat familiar with south central Missouri. In the winter, it is COLD, icy, and did I mention cold??

Summers are HOT.

Autumn is beautiful to visit, but the rest of the year outweighs the beauty.

Only one growing season... summer.

I prefer south Texas. We grow veggies year round.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), November 15, 2001.


Kim, You might want to consider the areas of South Western Virginia or West Virginia. Land and homes are cheap (especially in SW Virginia and W. Virginia), climate is mild, summers you can live without air conditioning, and utilities are cheap too! Particularly around SW Virginia there are lots and lots of horse people and you see ads all the time for trainers. Check out the Wytheville area in Virginia. You are near things like Walmart, hospitals, etc. but still very rural. In that area you have your choice of several towns in which to work. The recession really has not hurt that area yet. Folks are VERY friendly! Remember, with things cheaper you won't need as much income.

The hardest part of starting to homestead is to just making the commitment and doing it! Look at it this way....kind of like having kids...you can't ever REALLY afford them, the timing is never REAL perfect, it is scary, it is going to take a lot of work and time...but somehow you manage and, although you are never really sure where it came from, the finances are always there to provide for them, and you can't imagine life without them!

Homesteading is the same way. At some point you just have to say "what the heck"! What is the worst that could happen??? You would have to go back to the city or your husband into the army. Anyway, it would be an experience you gained!

One way would be to rent with an option to buy. Keep in mind that by homesteading you won't need the same amount of money you did before. That's why we all love it so much....it is great fun figuring out how to beat the high cost of things by doing it yourself. You will also creat your own hedge against inflation and have some sort of control on your own destiny. Homesteading gives you options -- city life does not.

Just remember to start out slow. You won't have the funds for all the bells and whistles in the beginning.

Best of luck and just do it! An awful lot of folks here will tell you that they would never go back....I have yet to hear one that did so willingly! Must be something to all this homesteading stuff...LOL.

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), November 15, 2001.


We live in NorthEastern Missouri. Yes the winters are cold, but that's only three/four months of the year. By the way, its 70 today, a week before Thanksgiving......THANKS! Spring and Fall a wonderful seasons here. Land, what you would call homestead quality (meaning not row crop) is between $700 and $900 per acre, depending on variables such as ponds, proximity to cities, etc. There are towns of 10, 15 thousand spaced every 25 or 30 miles. Good, not great, but good employment opportunities. Big cities like Columbia, Hannibal offer more. (I commute 50 miles for a good paying technology job in Columbia)

There are pieces of land from 10 to 30 acres available. On gravel roads to minimize traffic. Look for properites in the Paris, Perry, Shelbina, Centrailia, Vandailia, Bethel, Shelbyville areas. Socially, there are lots of horse clubs around.

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), November 15, 2001.


Kim, I live in south central missouri very close to the arkansas border and find although it gets hot during july and august it isn't to bad the rest of the year. land is about as cheap as anywhere here and if you look hard maybe even cheaper. jobs are not real plentyful and not high paying but the cost of living such as taxes is much lower here then say NY where moved from. i have 3 acres and i pay just under 400.00 per year for property taxes. we have a lot of farms and cattle someone even thought a cow was a deer last week-end. my husband is an emt and volunteer fireman and really enjoys the work. he is retired and doesn't have to worry about a job, just old age creeping up on him. i teach school and really love the kids here much lower key then in the ny schools everyone up there is always in a rush i'm getting to old to do much rushing. although we don't have horses here we did in ny and loved them so i know where your coming from.

my advice is first you will need to get a few $$$$ ahead to go to the area that might be someplace you would want to live and check it out no one else can make that decision for you (and who would want them to), it might take some time to find your dream but you are young and as long as your moving forward with your dream then your doin' ok. now i sound like i'm talking to my kids, your dream will take shape give it time if you want it enough it will come. wishing you enough.

Blessings, Sally

-- (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), November 15, 2001.



Hi ! My dad has 40 acres for sale in southwestern Utah, its 50 miles north of Saint George and 35 miles West of Cedar city. There are lots of horses breeders out there and there's a good market for them because Las Vegas is close by. The summer temperatures are in the 80 in the summer with about 10.5 inches of rain ann. and the winters are mild with only 4-6 inches of snow ann. Lots of good skiing and fishing! St.George has 45,400 people and Cedar City has 17811 people so job finding should be fairly easy. Gorgeous land.(SEE Utah Land For Sale thread)

-- Chandler (Providencefarms2001@yahoo.com), November 15, 2001.

Hi Kim, Have you considered Oklahoma, more particularly the central or eastern part? Land is cheap and pretty abundant. If you work with horses, we have a huge amount--I think we are number two in the nation in states with the most horses. There is a HUGE barrel racer population in this area and the barrel racers LOVE new ideas to help them be more competitive with their horses--even the horse psychics are becoming popular with them. Believe me, they will spend their money, too,if they think it will help them shave tenths of seconds off their time--and most of them have the money to spend. They are an open minded bunch in horse care and treatment. I know, I am one. Please e-mail me with any questions.

-- Shauna Rowan (shamelesscowgirl2001@yahoo.com), November 16, 2001.

I'm not familiar with Missouri but I relocated to south/central Kentucky three years ago from Montana. I'm mature, nearly senior citizen age, and have been involved in horses/horse breeding most of my adult life. I worked with vets, had vets refer other horse breeders to me for "breeders services" ... i.e. training stallions to collect, shipping semen, etc. ... no problem.

I get to Kentucky and can just barely get the local horse breeders ... 90% or more male ... to talk to me, let alone discuss "breeders services". I'm not sure if it is this specific location ... I know that there are high-tech horse operations in some areas, particularly with some of the other breeds (this is Tennessee Walker country and not much else) ... but I haven't met up with this kind of resistence to women in the horse industry since I was in my 20s back in Montana.

If you are going to relocate to a southern area and are looking at a business involving providing a "new" service to local horse owners and breeders ... I'd look at how many of the local farm vets are female, if there are any female farriers working, etc ...

-- Sharon (sportpony@yahoo.com), November 16, 2001.


Boy is this something I can relate to! I currently am trying to breed & sell horses and am really hindered by the high cost of land in Colorado. My parents had 8 acres & a nice barn, but when I married I had to sell most of my horses and we lived in an apartment for a couple years unitl we could afford the home we have now. I have sold every foal I have produced for good prices, but I've only got 1.3 acres and just can't do much on this small amount of land. And I am totally maxed out. I'm allowed 4 horses and currently have 3 broodmares, a stallion, & a weanling filly I really want to keep. They all have big corrals w/ run in sheds & I clean several times per week. I am praying nobody complains or I'll have to sell some. We are looking to move & have considered several areas. Oklahoma, Nevada, other areas in Colorado, Texas. But all our family is here and I cannot take places with too cold weather (asthma), and my hubby has a good job here. It is hard to leave everything just so i can have my ponies!

-- ellie (elnorams@aol.com), November 16, 2001.

Check out the mariposa area in california, land is fairly cheap[ for calif] and weather is nice.We hope to buy land there soon.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), November 17, 2001.


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