English Prairie Farms

07/04/2024

EPF in Spring Groves has stalls available!

06/16/2024

Sure, that is the best time 😂
credits: Pinterest

05/02/2024

Wanted to share… If your shavings shopping, I have been buying bulk (loose) shavings by the truck from Jayson at Rainbow Farms for 3ish years. He is amazing!

03/29/2024

Horse Boarding…let’s talk about it.

I see a lot of people looking for “cheap board” these days. They want matted stalls, indoor, outdoor, ample turnout and private tack..for around $500-$600 a month. Let me break that down for you.

Whether you rent or own, each dry stall is going to cost your farm owner/operator $150-$250 a month. ON AVERAGE. Quality hay, grain and bedding will run ON AVERAGE $300-$400 (or more) per horse. So right there your dollars are spent. This does not include maintenance, footing, staff, utilities, insurance or incidentals. At $500-$600 a month, your barn owner is breaking even or operating at a loss.

Now let’s talk about staff. Working students are becoming unicorns. GOOD ones are almost impossible to find and stall cleaners are demanding $20 an hour and then not showing up. Most trainers I know can’t find reliable help and are either burning themselves out or operating at an even bigger financial loss.

Inflation? That’s been a blast. ALL of our costs are rising…which means our small margins are smaller…or gone.

Client expectations? High. Everyone wants perfect footing, a lounge, top quality everything AND access to their barn owner at all hours. Want to know what time I hear from clients? 24/7. FB and texts…11pm….6am…and everything in between. Think there is a stipend to be on call for non-emergencies 24/7? Of course not.

Want to know what your barn owner is making? Likely less than $5 an hour. I worked 231 hours in August…I personally drew less than $800 in take home. That’s with an education, decades of experience and great show results. Many farm managers are making even less.

What does this mean for the future? I don’t know. My gut tells me that in the next 10-20 years the middle class barn owner will vanish and barns will be owned and managed by those who don’t need your money…and who will price their services accordingly. I fear that by the time my kids are grown, only the wealthy will have horses.

So…that’s my thoughts on that…

03/16/2024

PSA: Shared in several Northern Illinois Horse groups. Be alert and stay safe.

03/16/2024

EPF will have 2 12x12 stalls available the first week of April.

03/14/2024

Boys 💕

10/14/2023

💕

10/14/2023

Wow wow wow!!!!

For my fellow barn owners out there!

Lessons learned long and hard in the horse business as a professional..

1. It's easy to fall in love with your customers. They become a family who you spend a lot of time with. However, in the end they will do what's best for themselves. And, for you and them, those paths may not be the same. Prepare to get your heart broken. Keep business and personal relationships separate.

2. People will not always trust in your experience and will second guess you. They will think they know better because they read it in a book, or saw it online. Don't try to be all things to all people. Do what you are good at. Run your barn in a way that you can sleep at night knowing that you did right in your mind by them and their horses. The clients opinion of that may be different than your beliefs, but you have to live with choices that leave you at peace. That may mean confrontation, hard conversations and even asking people to move on for your own peace.

3. Horses are easy 99% of the time. It's the people who come with them that make things complicated.

4. Remember that horses need to be horses.

5. People will always judge you, and have opinions. The better you are, the more haters will have opinions.

6. Success isn't measured by ribbons and show placings. It's measured in happy animals and the quality of their lives.

7. There is always an exception or quirk that doesn't " follow the rules" in horse care. Do what works, not what the books say works.

8. When you get annoyed by seeing somebody's car pull in to the barn, it's time to let that person move on. Your barn should be a happy place. It literally only takes one bad sour apple to ruin the whole atmosphere and dynamic in a barn.

9. Let it go.... if someone moves on don't be upset by it. Ignore what they say. Don't take it personally. Every barn is not a good fit for every person.

10. This is a business. If a person or horse isn't working for you, or the compensation isn't offsetting your cost, it's time for them to go. The exception to this is your retired horses, see #11.

11. Horses only have so many jumps, so many runs, so many rides. Don’t waste your horses. Teach your students they aren’t machines. You owe it to your retired horses to have a safe, comfortable and dignified end. Your schoolies worked for you. When the time comes they can no longer do that, either give them a pleasant retirement, or put them in the ground where you know they are safe. Do not dump them at auctions or onto other people where you are not 100% sure that they will be cared for.

12. There is no shame in euthanasia for a horse owner. Always better a week too early then a second too late. Do not judge anyone for their reasons for doing this.

13. Most clients fall Into two categories. Those who are "high maintenance", open in their opinions and will confront situations head on. The second is the quiet type who will not say a word and will not openly talk with you about their expectations or issues. You have no idea they have a problem until it's too late. The people in between these two are the clients you want. They will be long term and make life easy.

14. Know your worth. KNOW YOUR WORTH. Your time and experience has a monetary value. Don't do things for free, even if you like the person. Every bit of time or effort you give to clients has value. So when you don't value your effort, neither will a client. They will come to expect "freebies", which always leads to resentment from someone.

15. Be honest. It's not always easy. But in this business it takes forever to build reputation and seconds to destroy it.

16. Remember horses are dangerous. Always use your best judgment and air on the side of caution when working with horses and students. Their lives and your own life can change in an instant.

17. Get paid up front. Keep good records. People don't go to the grocery store and ask for food they will pay for next week. Good business practices keep everyone honest and sets boundaries for clients.

18. Normalize passing on price increases. Service industries, especially ones like ours always "feel guilty " when raising prices. You are not there to subsidize someone else's horse habit. Prices have been going up on costs, so should your fees.

19. The buck stops with you. Your employees mistakes fall back to your responsibility. Always verify and check on important care aspects of daily activities.

20. Make time for family and rest. Too many of us get burnt out from the stress of expectations in this industry. In the end, boarders and students come and go. Your family is who you will have left.

Thanks for reading my thoughts. I hope it can help support some of you feeling burnt out, and maybe help some people who are starting out in their journey into this industry.

Written by Rhea Distefano

10/12/2023

🍂🦝🍂

09/22/2023

So true hahaha :D
credits: Pinterest

09/17/2023

The 3 Amigos❤️.

09/07/2023

I DID NOT KNOW... by Alissa Kelly

I did not know a horse could bring people into your life that end up meaning the most to you.
I did not know a horse could make the hardest days of your life bearable.
I did not know a horse could teach you to put others first.
I did not know a horse could remind you time and time again that your gut is always right.
I did not know a horse could break your heart.
I did not know a horse could pick you up when you have fallen apart.
I did not know a horse could teach you to dream again, after you thought it was not possible.
I did not know a horse could make you believe in yourself.
I did not know a horse could teach responsibility, work ethic, and dedication.
I did not know a horse could make you believe in something when no one else does.
I did not know a horse could make you learn to forgive and forget.
I did not know a horse could humble you faster than you can say humble.
I did not know a horse could make you a winner.
I did not know a horse could also teach you how to lose gracefully.
I did not know a horse could instill patience in you.
I did not know a horse could make you listen better.
I did not know a horse could give you their heart.
I did not know a horse could change your life.
I did not know a horse could do all these things...
but now I know. ❤️❤️

Image - Charlie Mackesy

08/31/2023

🤣🤣🤣

08/31/2023

Welcome to the equestrian world 😂
credits: Pinterest

08/31/2023

That's SO true 😅
credits: Horse Named Pilot

08/30/2023

🌹💀🌹

08/27/2023

08/23/2023

08/23/2023

It’s that time again! English & Wester tack. Halters, leadropes, blankets, sheets etc. Show and barn clothing for riders of all ages.

08/18/2023

01/07/2023

Welcome to the equestrian lifestyle 😂
credits: Pinterest

01/06/2023

Please yallllll 😂😂😂

01/06/2023

Who can relate 😄 ?
credits: Stephen Hayes Dressage

01/06/2023

Boarding available @ English Prairie Farms, Spring Grove Illinois. Currently (3)12x12 and (2) 10x10 openings. Small group turnout 7 days, 180x120 indoor, hay 3x’s daily. Drama free, owner lives on property.

12/09/2022

Rip sure know how to say it…. .

11/25/2022

🥰🥰

11/24/2022

With the numerous inquiries regarding board, this is the reality. Monthly board is 650$, which is $21.66 daily! This includes 20lbs hay/$5 daily, premium feed $3-5daily, shavings 6$per bag daily,
Plus:
•liability Insurance
•electricity bills
•Full time barn staff
•heated water buckets
•Heated water troughs
•Newly renovated indoor arena
•small group turnout
•newly renovated fencing
•riding trail around perimeter of farm
•hay in haybags supplemented daily in pastures
•owner lives on premises
•nightly barn check
•snow removal in parking lots and sidewalks
Confidence knowing your horse is being cared for by extremely knowledgeable and caring owners.

11/18/2022

Beach views 😂🤣