COMMENTARY

Horse cents
Couple capitalizes on a niche market, provides a valuable service to man and beast alike, and finances a potentially expensive hobby.

Posted December 9, 2004

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Dear New Farm,

About eight years ago my wife and I bought our first farm of 7 acres to keep a horse she talked me into buying. As time went by, we bought another horse, had a child, bought another horse, bought a new farm, bought another horse—well... you see the pattern. We quickly learned a couple of valuable lessons about the cost of keeping horses: first, it is very expensive; second, that expense provides a niche market for quality horses that find themselves in unfortunate circumstances.

Since then, we have helped about a dozen farmers, sold a dozen quality horses, and have made a dozen new riders very happy with their new mounts. Although we do not feed ourselves with this endeavor, coupled with raising Australian Shepherds we are able to pay for the upkeep on our own riding horses, upgrade our barn, and build an arena in which to ride. We also provide web sites and computer buying assistance to boot (no pun intended). Living in the country is a coordinated community and finding out how you can best contribute is often the key to your success. Thanks for the chance to share our story.

Ed Clark
Missouri
www.thehobbyfarmer.com