Property Updates

Until December, the main thing happening with regards to the property (which I am considering calling Armadillo Acres because that was the first critter I saw here) was an automatic weekly transfer of money from my bank account to a specially ear-marked savings account. 

As far as real progress, we had the electric on for a few months. This let us see that the well pump was kinda sorta working, but with a leak somewhere that wouldn't let the tank hold pressure. To save funds, we then shut the electric back off. I also mowed three or four times, mostly in an attempt to knock back the poison ivy. That did seem successful in the main area around the mobile home. And DH took advantage of enough land of our own and did some hunting during deer season. There is truly nothing better than fresh venison. It was a BUSY week of processing meat from several deer. But now the freezer is stocked with meat from an animal that NEEDS population control since we eliminated almost all natural predators rather than something factory farmed using up lots of fossil fuels and water to produce. 

My general order of operations: 

- Remove mobile home and trusses, somehow

- Contract someone to clear the pasture areas and future house area as well as grade towards the pond (sounds like $$$$)

- Seed pastures

- Get water + electric

- Put up fencing

- Order carport for storage and for our temporary living quarters to be under

- Move down (fifth wheel? tiny home?)

- Build house

I had posted the trusses that are laying on the property FREE online. And oooohhhhh boy. I've had great interactions selling various horse things, including saddles, on Facebook marketplace. But you post FREE on something and all kinds of folks come out of the weeds. Mostly, in this case, folks with eyes bigger than their stomachs. The trusses were dropped here by crane or some sort of heavy equipment. And the longest is 60', meaning you need a 50'+ flat bed to load them on. Everyone wanted to claim they would BE THERE FIR SHUR TOMORRIW MORNIN and then never showed. Or reappeared two weeks later wanting to DEFINITELY PICK THEM UP TODAY WHY HAD I NOT HELD THEM, THEY SAID THEY WERE COMING!?!?!?!. Someone did come get the smaller stack in August, but then vanished. We eventually identified a kind gentleman who wanted scrap lumber and took several trailer loads of that after chain sawing some of the trusses. We also identified someone who I wished didn't have the address after DH met him there one Saturday morning and he declared he "didn't have all day to wait around, he had beer to drink and women to chase". Fortunately it looked like 99% of women would be able to run faster than him, so his chase wouldn't be too effective. 

Anyways. I also got quotes to demolish the mobile home. And we were looking at minimum $5K. Ouch. So DH set to work.

Where we started

Midway - power pole on the right hand side, which is why we shut the power back off before starting the demo

Getting there. We're probably going to just burn the trusses that the other guy doesn't want for scrap. Then we'll rent a dumpster, shovel in everything that is left, and be done with that phase.  There will be a lot of pick up of debris for a while after in this area, fun. 

In the mean time, I've been sketching again. The latest plans. Going with "layout 2" as our general plan for the location of the pastures on the south parcel and the house + carport on the north. The spot for the house + carport have shifted slightly though. 

Property is oriented with north to the top, as it is IRL. Road runs on west and north side of the property. The drawing below is just the northern of the two parcels. The idea with the layout is it puts the permanent structures on the northeast corner of the property, the driest area. The property to the east of us is higher still, vacant, and the same sort of wooded as ours. I have vague dreams of buying it. But in case it does get built, the carport acts as a buffer between us and a cleared lot with a house. 

Carport: 

What I can't sort out is how parking cars would work in the carport and in regards to the house. I *think*that the hay storage side of the carport should be closes to the driveway loop, so the inner part of that loop could be cleared of trees and the hay storage could be accessed easily. But then the truck/trailer parking side would need to be approachable as well and in a way that doesn't angle the trailer into the side of the carport as I pull in. If the car parking was at the north end then to get out of the carport you could back into the western part of the loop and more "driveway" areas wouldn't be created. But clearing the inside of the loop of the driveway of trees also means you can see directly from the house to the carport, not exactly picturesque. 

The exact curvature of the driveway is also somewhat of a mystery to me. I can find a large, vacant area and have DH mark the turning radius of the current truck and trailer on the pavement, but... what if the truck/trailer change? I don't think I'll ever have 3+ horses, but stranger things have happened, so what if the trailer is larger? What if the truck is larger? I don't want to clear more than I need to because I am starting to really love the little woods we have there, nevermind the money it costs LOL. But at the same time, we need a reasonable treeless buffer around the house and do need enough space to get a good limerock driveway down. 

What's Next? The Requisite 2026 Post

I was entered to show at WEC the first week in January. Then I scratched. And I felt a profound sense of relief. This relief was multifactorial- current state of the competition world, finances, and the constant ebb and flow of how well the pony is going. 

There's a LOT of talk about social license to operate when it comes to equestrian sports. Mostly prompted by the behavior of the upper echelons of our sport we have both seen in video form and been told of by multiple witnesses. Others, Matt and Cecily Brown and Amanda Chance, have summed things up much more eloquently, so I'm not going to go on at length. But the current events have caused me to reflect. Are these organizations that I want to support with a not insignificant part of my income? Do these organizations truly stand for what I believe when it comes to horse and human welfare? Have my own decisions and actions been shaped in a less than horse friendly way due to the pressure of competition? 

Second, HITS ended up costing about double what a USEA event costs. For one warm up day and four classes. Eek. And while this was likely knowable information, the sneaky way of just adding and dropping classes online and then settling up at the end of the show caught me a bit off guard with that dollar amount. Now that we have the property, I'm especially cognizant that every dollar spent on shows is a dollar not put towards the property. And see above about my thoughts about the governing bodies and supporting them. These days what I'm wanting more than anything is to look out my window and see Butterball chilling in a field (property update post also something that is kinda sorta in the works). 

Showing off his freshly clipped ears

The final piece of the feeling of relief: HITS didn't go as well as I had hoped. As Emma wisely shared, "every experience is just more data". But the data I got from HITS doesn't really make me want to toss a lot more money at a rated show again. Especially not since this is the winter season in Ocala and there are jumper schooling shows every Tuesday and Wednesday with legit courses in lovely arenas for $40 per round. And Butterball is (mostly) the same at shows as he is at home, so we can practice the things we need to practice in a lesson setting (lesson recaps need to be written too, especially since I've got lots of media). 

As far as concrete things, my 2026 resolution, the first one I've made in a while, is to be mindful and present in everything I do. Since this is primarily a horse blog, what is my identity with horses? If I want to be mindful in my interactions with my horse and my long term goals and plans, that means focusing on what is best for him** regardless of external and internal pressures. 

**there is a degree of acceptance here that trailering and even riding are inherently unnatural behaviors and likely things that he would not choose himself if asked. He is a piglet pony, answer would probably be getting petted/groomed/scritched and eating treats in a field with his friends with an occasional mosey out into the neighborhood to visit the cows and mini mule. But also he lives a cushy, spoiled life where his 4 F's (friends, forage, freedom, and function) are met, so accepting hauling places and working is a trade off for that. But I'd like to make it as "Butterball friendly" as possible.  

 

I keep rolling around what my BFF equine vet friend told me when I shared about his bit clanking damaging his roots. She said that equine professionals like his dentist don't like to tell people they can't ride their horse for a while, but since he was my forever pony and his welfare is my primary concern, if I couldn't find something that he couldn't clank I shouldn't put a bit in his mouth for several months. That lesson, that idea of patience for his long term health, stuck with me. 

While we seem to have gotten the bit thing sorted (and I need to write about that too), that was a wake up call to the choices I've made that affect Butterball's health. So next up is his feet. To go out and compete and do all the things we did in 2025, he needed shoes. But what if I'm willing to step back, try out hoof boots, and give him time to adapt. Could he be barefoot with the aid of hoof boots? Is that best for his long term health? Ben's hoof trimmer still does two horses at Ms. GY's, so I asked her if she could add on Butterball. She readily agreed. January 12th begins that experiment. I realize that I may be looking back in May or June at a failed experiment. But unless he ends up so body sore other things hurt, then what do we have to lose? 

As long as he isn't too sore in the arena, I plan to continue lessons, both dressage and jumping, and hacking out, with hoof boots, throughout his transition. I know we'll need to back the jumps down in height while doing this, but that's fine. 

He's also getting scoped for ulcers at some point in the next 1-2 months so we can make sure that the plan we've been using for gut health is working. He's never acted particularly ulcery, but we all know how that goes: the ones you suspect will be crazy ulcery scope just fine and those who seem A-okay comfort, weight, and spookiness wise have significant ulcers. I'll also be pulling and submitting another insulin level to make sure he's still at healthy levels with the spike that occurs in January. This is especially pertinent after his acupuncture vet mentioned his overall light muscling with some pockets of fat and suggested testing him again. 

So mindfulness. In everything I do. I'm off social media but back on the internet. Long form blog posts actually mesh way better with focus and actual attention as compared to social media. Which these days amounts to scrolling past a few pictures from a few of my IRL friends interspersed with ads, AI written provocative posts, and "suggested posts".  Being off social media should also motivate real connections - reach out to a friend to get together or even text the pictures that would have been posted. I'm far from the only one who feels that way: What you pay attention to -- expands

In addition to mindfulness, I am working on my strength, flexibility, and imbalances to be the best partner I can be for Butterball. I am also working on my own sugar addiction. Seriously, addiction in the appropriate word, the first few days without sugar I felt like a complete addict, staring in the pantry and trying to backwards rationalize the hershey kisses that are there. This interview goes into how to brainwash yourself. The take away is that you must make your goals visual so the lower part of your brain understands and that discipline wanes, so to change your habits, to change yourself, you have to change your identity. 

Property Planning - The Fun Part - Layout

So I alternate between so excited about the idea of having the pony at home and then horrified at the costs of things. But planning the layout is proving to be pretty fun. We're waiting to make final decisions on layout until hurricane season is over. While I know you can bring in dirt, raise things, etc. in my experience it is easier to not fight with the natural low spots on the property. Plus it pisses off the neighbors less... Which we seem to be doing left and right with one making a nasty face and grumbling about "scaring all the game away" when I said "clear a bit to build" was in our plans. And another eyeing my husband, but fortunately missing the deer stand behind us to ask "YOU'RE not hunters, are you?" 

Anyways, old timer neighbors aside (which I get their feelings and we had plenty of nice conversation with those two as well, just a few interesting moments). The property is 9.6 acres, two approximately 4.8 acre parcels together. I'm not sure on the logistics of combining the two lots vs. leaving them separate. If we sold down the road then separate would probably get more money, but combining them would allow us to homestead both and lower taxes. I'm not even sure the county would let us combine them. The nice part of not having money is I have plenty of time to answer these questions. 

Anyways... You can't build buildings within 25' of the property boundaries since it is zoned A1. Right now there is a neighbor to the south with a house. Their house is pretty much in the middle west of their property. The lots to the east are unoccupied, but might not always stay that way. I would like to have as much privacy as possible for the house. 

Equine residents would be one to two horses and one mini-donkey or mini for a companion.

My plan would be to put a two-sided lean to spanning the pasture fences to provide shade. Ideally this would have electric so that an outdoor rated fan could run during the hot afternoons. And potentially this would be set up to be able to be closed so I could confine if needed. Water trough that spans both pastures would also be ideal. I'm going to ride in the pastures for a very long time to come, but eventually a space to put an arena would be great. 

There are no super special trees on the property other than one live oak to the west of the pond. That will certainly stay, but otherwise I'll probably leave trees along the property lines and perhaps a clump in the center of the larger pasture for some shade as well. 

Picture is oriented with north to the top. The blue fingers are the county demarcated possible flood zones. There is an actual "pond" (dry during dry seasons, muddy to holding water during rainy season) in the northwest of the property, the dark area on the picture in the possible flood zone. Ignore the large red border, I can't seem to get that to go away in the picture. 

The small blue area on the right hand side (east) is where we noticed signs of water running during heavy rains; house is dark green square; barn (for equipment, feed, tack, and hay) is light grey border; garden is lime green; red dot is current well (TBD if that is functional still); thick black line is future driveway. You can kind of see the current driveway and mobile home. Mobile home maaaayyyyy be leaving this week with the kindness of strangers. 

Layout 1: 

Layout 2:

Layout 3: 

My vision for the pole barn is something like this....

With truck/trailer parking along the left in the "lean-to". The truck/trailer parking would be closest to the driveway in all of the above sketches. Then tractor/other tool storage under the main part of the building. Eventually part of the building would be enclosed, probably 10x14' area, with window AC unit, to be feed, tack, and tools that need climate control storage. While we are living in a 5th wheel the building would also house an outdoor, detached catio. So that my husband and the cats all live through the experience. 

Anyways, stream of consciousness. It will (hopefully) be fun to document all the planning and building stages here, so I'm content doing just that. But also this is an open invite for suggestions, thoughts, pros/cons, and even "are you an idiot, obviously _______". The amount of $$ this is going to be, I'd rather have people point out every possible consideration before we start putting sweat and $ into this. 

Butterball Gets His Own Farm

We closed on close to 10 acres outside of Williston a few days ago. It is essentially vacant - there is a dilapidated mobile home that we will have removed. And there are a bunch of trusses that we will also have removed. 

Trusses do make a nice vantage point to sit on and contemplate life 

But other than that, it is vacant. It is moderately heavily treed- none of the trees are that impressive, I'm guessing it was clear cut 50-60 years ago when the neighborhood was established. It is on a COUNTY MAINTAINED dirt road that dead ends with a loop around several properties, including our new one. I am so excited to be somewhere quiet. The farms where I've boarded the ponies have all been quiet, but I live off a main road and it is NOT quiet and is only going to get more and more trafficky as the area continues to grow and expand. So a county maintained dirt road is PERFECT. We will take so many hacks. There are also several groomed arenas within hacking distance... I'm definitely going to try to befriend those folks and ask about bartering or paying to come school in their arenas sometimes... 

The plan is to get to know the property over the next year or two. 

Hello friend! 

Then we will start clearing small parts to build an enclosed outbuilding to store equipment and various other stuffs, maybe including feed/hay and tack; then fence 2-3 pastures; then build a house. My thought is to do 2 x 2-3 acre pastures and then maybe a 1 acre sacrifice type area. I think I want to just do lean-tos spanning the pasture fences that could have gates closed if need be to stall. I don't want to clean stalls. And my lovely husband certainly won't be cleaning stalls when I go out of town. But being able to close in if need be would be nice. 

So those of you with horses at home or horses that you take care of 24/7, what are your tips/tricks to make things as low maintenance as possible? I'm thinking electric for the interior fence lines and some carefully planned lime rock in the high traffic areas around feed tubs and gates. Also, definitely planning to acquire a hay hut or something similar for supplementing hay from a round bale in the winter months. Then having some sort of fans in the shelter area would be perfect. I would like to minimize hoses, so carefully planning plumbing and electric is also on the agenda. 

Someone asked if I had looked at house plans. No, but I've definitely been sketching out pasture layouts...