# Leaving the city behind ... and freaking out a tad



## Golden Horse

BWA hahaha on the Lent thing, I don't think you are meant to substitute!

Good for you for moving out to the country, it's a great life, if somewhat challenging at times.


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## Cacowgirl

There will be quite the learning curve. Do you have a barn? Arena? Paddocks? Chicken Coop?Perimeter fencing? Or do you have to build all that? Ask your questions-there is much knowledge here about all these things.


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## DancingArabian

Consider where your new house is and the setup. You might be able to make a little building and make a new Pilates studio in it!

I'm very jealous! Good luck!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## demonwolfmoon

THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!! CONGRATS!
I'm nowhere near at that stage in my life, and I'm already looking forward to leaving half of it behind...and I'm city raised. Heck, I'm already ready to leave half the country part behind too and just immerse myself in running my own property, growing my own food, and having Amazon ship me anything else. 

THAT IS SO GREAT! I'm actually moving soon, going to be renting a property with some land so I can stop boarding my horses...though I'm still going to have to figure out school and employment. I'm hoping it has enough land that I can have a couple of chickens and grow some veggies. =)

PS...cable is easy to get over after the weirdness goes away. We got rid of it more than four years ago, and now if there's something we want to see, it's either on Netflix, or already on the internet somewhere.


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## Skyseternalangel

Wow what an amazing adventure! I am beyond jealous that you are giving your daughter this opportunity and are being so supportive  My parents wouldn't do what you're doing.

Have fun and no worries about asking questions. Everyone here is very helpful!


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## PilatesGal

Well, here's what we have: an insulated quonset with 3 great stalls already with mats and a tack room, a round pen, two paddocks with shelters and three pastures (one of which has an auto waterer and the other two have a bit of wetlands at the back so I guess that is the water source for those pastures). The barn doesn't have water, so we're going to have to get someone to put the water line in for us. Not sure how we'll warm the barn - wondering about solar panels to a water heater? 

The fencing is rock solid - I'll try to attach a pic 'cause I think it's good enough for mini donks, but not positive. No chicken coop or anything yet - we've been looking at plans and the hope is to build a moveable coop-shelter combination. I'm only going to start with 3 ... fewer to beg my hubby to pluck if I completely fail as a hen caretaker ;-)

We back on to crown land, so as long as I can figure out how to avoid the cougars, bears and wolves, we'll have a ball trail riding :-0

I'm trying to source out hay right now. We move at the beginning of April, but I think we'll leave the horses boarded until the end of April, just to give me time to get everything organized. 

Have to check if my farrier will come out that far, but it's closer for the vet - yay!

What am I forgetting? There's got to be tonnes ...


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## Speed Racer

Welcome to the land of satellite TV and internet. If you're that far out, the only choices you'll have for internet will be dial-up or satellite. Dial-up ain't pretty!

You'll also want to have a landline phone, because you may not get a good signal with your fancy Smartphones. 

I live out among the cattle and crops and love it. But yes, no more 'quick trips' to the grocery store. If I don't have it, it has to wait until my bi-monthly trip. You'll find you become very good at knowing what you have, what you need, and how long it will last.

As far as having _more_ time once you have horses at home? Baahaahaahaaa! :rofl:


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## PilatesGal

Yeah, well, ignorance is bliss ;-) 

Good point about the landline. I never did graduate to a smart phone, but we will have to spring for satellite internet. I don't mind losing tv, but if I lose internet life will get awfully ugly, awfully fast!

We're also going to build an outdoor arena. I wanted an indoor, and then I started pricing them - whoa Nellie! Who has an extra quarter million lying around??!! But thankfully there are a few indoor arenas within a couple of minutes and we'll see if perhaps we can make friends with those neighbours ;-) Gets kinda cold here in the winter ...


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## Chevaux

Good luck with the venture. There's so much to say about living in the country that people right books about it all the time - speaking of which, you might want to check out your local library to see what they've got sitting on the shelves that may be helpful.


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## Speed Racer

You Canucks have my respect when it comes to living through winter, that's for sure!

I live in south central Virginia, and suffer when the temps dip below 30 F. I can't imagine living with MINUS temps for about 9 months out of the year. Our winters last from December to _maybe_ mid-March.


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## demonwolfmoon

Speed Racer said:


> *As far as having more time once you have horses at home? *Baahaahaahaaa! :rofl:


:shock:
STOP RUINING MY DREAM!

...
...
You're are kidding, right? xD


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## Speed Racer

demonwolfmoon said:


> You're are kidding, right? xD


Sorry, no..... 

All that time you used to have to ride? Now goes to fixing fence, cleaning stalls, mowing grass, getting and stacking hay/feed, and a thousand and one other chores you never had to think about when you were boarding.

I honestly wouldn't have it any other way, but all those things really do cut into any free time.


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## Corporal

I made MY city to country move in stages--first, grew up in "Chicagoland", then to two smaller cities, then to the country, after driving out to the country to care for my horses for 14 years.
Congratulations!! You will love the quiet, and the sunsets, and the freedoms. THIS spring, you will want to prepare for next winter. Winter has more animal keeping work than the summer. That means have your hay in the barn by November--all of the bedding, too, if you can afford it. Buy grain cans. Keep them full if you have bad weather coming bc you won't be able to run out to the local feed store and buy a bag any ole winter day.
You have BIG plans--living off of the land, (I still haven't got that one mastered, even though I've double dug (30" deep, 3' x 12' raised beds for vegetables), maintained old fencing until we bought new, this year we are re-roofing the house&garage&barn.
Don't be hard on yourself if it takes some time to accomplish your goals.
Smart to keep boarding until April.
If you or DH are still driving to work, there will be some snow days where you HAVE to stay home.
Enjoy the boarding stable, and the times that they fed for you. YOU will do that now. I have fed horses for 27 winters now. I recommend a good pair of Cartharts and the bib overalls. These are my basic winter outerwear. My overalls don't get a lot of use, but the jacket does.
In the summer I often wear flip-flops and old clothes.
You will really want a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but you don't need to buy a truck or tractor this year.
You will need a good wheelbarrow. A muck bucket with a wheeled dolley doesn't get the muck to your manure pile. I also like those big grain shovels to clean with. Many people prefer to use an apple-picker, too, and/or a rake.
Surprising, there is garbage pickup in the country. After 12 years, I've learned to recycle so much stuff that I often put out only 1-2 bags/week. The rest goes to the garden, the horses, or the chickens.
If you get chickens, start SMALL. You only need 3-4 hens to supply your needs. I'm considering giving away 3 of my young layers. I have 15 of them, and I now nave 4 1/2 dozen eggs in my kitchen and fridge. They lay 8-13 eggs/day. Even giving some away, I'm still eating a lot and feeding them to my two dogs and 5 cats.
Speaking of cats, you will WANT them. Get them fixed, get them rabies shots, and replace them when the wildlife make them into a meal. I know of one horse owner who killed mice and rats with Warfin and also poisoned her peacocks with it. NON-chemical pest control is the best. I feed my cats the cheapest, dry cat food and trigger their desire to kill. Everybody is fat, and I get to see the mice and voles that they killed for sport.
On the other hand, I can look out my house windows and drink coffee while I watch my horses grazing and playing. So...yeah, it's worth it.


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## PilatesGal

Awesome advice, Corporal ... I'm copying it and printing off and putting it in my reference file (which I actually do frequently look at)  Thanks!


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## PaintHorseMares

Enjoy. If you love peace, quiet, and your horses, you'll never regret it and after awhile you won't miss "city things".
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JeepnGirl

Corporal said:


> Speaking of cats, you will WANT them. Get them fixed, get them rabies shots, and replace them when the wildlife make them into a meal. I know of one horse owner who killed mice and rats with Warfin and also poisoned her peacocks with it. NON-chemical pest control is the best. I feed my cats the cheapest, dry cat food and trigger their desire to kill. Everybody is fat, and I get to see the mice and voles that they killed for sport.


But on the other hand, if you love your cats, don't toss them outside. Specially if they have been indoors or used to little neighborhood yards and streets. My cats are not allowed to roam free - they have an enclosed cat yard and house to keep them safe.

For rodent control we use the repeating catch live traps. Or sticky glue traps. Either work great. And my Muscovy ducks love to eat the mice we've caught. They will catch them themselves if they can.

As for water for the barn, I am seriously looking into spending the money for a heated hose just for the barn. I don't always get all the water out of the hose at night and find it frozen in the morning.
Make sure to also mark out where it'll get muddy during the rainy times and put down hog fuel or gravel (which ever you can afford).
Make sure the water drains away from the barn area. It'll help a ton with keep mud to a minimum.

Danielle


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## PilatesGal

Oooh - good idea, Danielle, about marking out the muddy parts. We'll be in just before the rains start, so I'll be able to deal with those spots over the summer.

I agree about the heated barn - we're having the water line put out there, and I'm seriously considering putting radiant heat in the floor and just pouring more concrete over the existing floor to do so. Will have to get a professional in to see. When we did our inspection the lovely smooth concrete floor was so slippery with frost that we all nearly went head over heals. Definitely could not risk a horse on that (we do have mats to put down, but not sure if there are enough). Will have to decide on some way to heat the barn, though. We've been spoiled where we are boarding and I don't think we could handle frozen fingers 

Where we currently live (Calgary) cats are not allowed outside, so our cats are definitely indoor cats. But, there is a barn cat that was part of the sale agreement (seller's request) so we'll have a hunter out in the barn. Phew! But ducks eat mice?? Who knew??


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## egrogan

I'm excited to hear about your adventures. My husband and I are in our 30s, and after finishing PhDs, had to decide how to target our job search- were we going to move anywhere that had a faculty position, were we only willing to go to a city, target one part of the country, etc.? After a lot of soul searching, we decided it had to be one extreme or the other- either in the middle of a very large urban center, or out in the country. We now live in rural New Hampshire, and while we only have 5.5 acres, it truly feels like a world away from the in-between small city/exurb living we did while in grad school (and HATED that environment).

My horse is still boarded since we don't yet have a proper barn set up, but we do have chickens (there are a lot of fun chicken threads on here to explore!), two dogs, and a cat. Hope to get the horse home in the next 5 years or so.

One piece of advice: some people- both on these forums and in real life- will be suspicious, and even rude, about people moving from the city to a more rural setting and trying out this whole "hobby farming" thing. Like with most things in life, I think the reaction you get is based largely on how you present yourself and interact with others. Just expect that, at the very least, there will be a different pace of life and a different way of doing things than you might be used to, and be open to learning new things from people who have a lot more experience. Asking questions is good- acting like you have all the answers, maybe not so good. I'm not saying any of this in reaction to the way you worded your original post (your enthusiasm was exciting!!  ) but I've just noticed that when you are an outsider to a place, you have to work a little harder to prove yourself to people, you know?


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## Joe4d

Just dont tell all you neighbors how it was done in the City, or begin every conversation with what people or the local governemnt should do,


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## Speed Racer

Joe4d said:


> Just dont tell all you neighbors how it was done in the City, or begin every conversation with what people or the local governemnt should do,


Yep. You'll have to learn _their_ way of doing things, not try to 'improve' them. :wink:


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## JeepnGirl

PilatesGal said:


> Oooh - good idea, Danielle, about marking out the muddy parts. We'll be in just before the rains start, so I'll be able to deal with those spots over the summer.
> 
> I agree about the heated barn - we're having the water line put out there, and I'm seriously considering putting radiant heat in the floor and just pouring more concrete over the existing floor to do so. Will have to get a professional in to see. When we did our inspection the lovely smooth concrete floor was so slippery with frost that we all nearly went head over heals. Definitely could not risk a horse on that (we do have mats to put down, but not sure if there are enough). Will have to decide on some way to heat the barn, though. We've been spoiled where we are boarding and I don't think we could handle frozen fingers
> 
> Where we currently live (Calgary) cats are not allowed outside, so our cats are definitely indoor cats. But, there is a barn cat that was part of the sale agreement (seller's request) so we'll have a hunter out in the barn. Phew! But ducks eat mice?? Who knew??


Oooh! A heated barn.... ahhh that would be wonderful. We'd never be able to afford that though. 

Awww. Barn Cat. He's like the first hand that doesn't want to leave when the farm sells. Just keep his food and water where his other people had it. And unlike most people think, you do have to feed the barn kitties if you want to them to be great mousers. Feeding them give them the energy to spend on hunting, and allow them to still have plenty of energy after those unsuccessful hunts. 
Your indoor kitties could still enjoy some fresh air outside unsupervised if you have a little area that would be good for making a Catio. You'd totally enclose an area outside window or put a pet door in the wall. Or if you have a front or back porch that has a roof, you could screen it in, and they would love it. We haven't gotten a Cat-Patio put on our house yet, but the kitty house's enclosed yard is a huge hit with them. That way they can get out, but still be safe, seeing as they have no idea about the great outdoors.

Egrogan is right about the currently in place people. I have to say I am one of those people that are skeptical about the people that are moving in right across from us. They bought the 20 acres where there is no house. It had been for sale for a very long time from what we'd been told. We aren't being rude, but we *are* watching what they are doing. As I am sure others tried to watch us when we moved in 2 years ago. But our place has trees all around - so I bet it was harder for them to do! 
I am hoping we don't find their yappy terrier running our sheep or alpacas. 

Danielle


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## PilatesGal

So I should probably not go traipsing across the neighbours pasture, accidently leave the gate open, and tell them that not only am I from Calgary, but that I'm originally from evil Toronto??? Ha, that would go over well! Thankfully, I'm well aware of how much I have to learn and am definitely hoping to be able to learn alot from my neighbours. I'm curious though ... where we currently live is one of those "estate" areas where people pull in to their garage and never show themselves outside. So although we have close neighbours, we really don't know them well at all. Now that our neighbours will be a few acres away, I wonder if I'll see more or less of them? 

Ah this city-girl-who-never-really-fit-in-with-city-folk is still going to be SUCH a fish out of water. As long as I can keep laughing, I'll be good


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## egrogan

PilatesGal said:


> So I should probably not go traipsing across the neighbours pasture, accidently leave the gate open, and tell them that not only am I from Calgary, but that I'm originally from evil Toronto??? Ha, that would go over well! Thankfully, I'm well aware of how much I have to learn and am definitely hoping to be able to learn alot from my neighbours. I'm curious though ... where we currently live is one of those "estate" areas where people pull in to their garage and never show themselves outside. So although we have close neighbours, we really don't know them well at all. Now that our neighbours will be a few acres away, I wonder if I'll see more or less of them?
> 
> Ah this city-girl-who-never-really-fit-in-with-city-folk is still going to be SUCH a fish out of water. As long as I can keep laughing, I'll be good


As long as you make sure to leave open the gates that will let all their livestock out to trample through their freshly planted fields, I think you'll be the talk of the town! :wink:

Seriously though, I found that in the first few weeks we moved in, people stopped by out of curiosity. I think some of it had to do with our age (we're much younger than everyone else here), but also because our house was owned by the same 90-year old woman for the past 35 years, and it going to someone outside her family was pretty big news (her family was lovely though, none of her children wanted it and were happy to see how we fell in love with it). Everyone was friendly, and interested to see the projects we took on- and everyone that stopped by was gracious in offering the use of borrowed tools and equipment, plus plenty of advice! 

We never quite got organized last year because of when we moved in, but this summer we definitely intend to have a cookout and invite all the families up and down the street to come by. I find that food is a pretty good way to make new friends.


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## JeepnGirl

I was thinking the same thing. We never really talked to people when we had to live in the city. 
The place we bought, I found out, was known as the party house. Some of the people that show up are not what I want coming around. So I have to put on a "I am tough and know it" air... or they don't get the hint.

I would love to have a house warming party. Invite the neighbors. So we can all get a look at each other. See what's what, and everything.

Danielle


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## PaintHorseMares

PilatesGal said:


> Thankfully, I'm well aware of how much I have to learn and am definitely hoping to be able to learn alot from my neighbours. I'm curious though ... where we currently live is one of those "estate" areas where people pull in to their garage and never show themselves outside. So although we have close neighbours, we really don't know them well at all. Now that our neighbours will be a few acres away, I wonder if I'll see more or less of them?


We rarely see our neighbors and only see the farmer that grows corn around us 3-4 times a year. In my experience, the old farmers and ranchers are more than willing to talk to you for an hour, though, to give you all sorts of tips. I think they're just happy to pass along their experience.

You do have to learn the "country wave". Since you only see your neighbors from 1/4 mile or more and it's too far to yell, the wave means "hello", "goodbye", "how are you", "well, thanks", "say hello to the family", and a whole host of other things.


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## Delfina

Speed Racer said:


> You'll also want to have a landline phone, because you may not get a good signal with your fancy Smartphones


That depends on where you are and if the phone company consists of Joe, Jim, Billy Bob and a ditz to answer their phone and mail out bills. 

We have a landline and it's AWFUL, one has to scream over the static. :shock: Only reason we have it is because it's cheaper to buy their "bundle" of Internet and Phone than just internet and the landline is perfectly functional for a fax machine. 

Our Smartphones however... never a problem with them. Great reception and I have unlimited data on mine as our internet likes to go out around 6pm right after the 3 stooges over at the phone company went home for the night and "after hours help" is some dude halfway across the country who can only help you with things like a forgotten password.

We took the plunge and moved to the middle of nowhere 2 years ago.... wouldn't ever move back. Get to know your neighbors, they are invaluable. We do everything from carpools for kids, town visits to caring for each other's animals when on vacation.


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## Shropshirerosie

Hello Pilatesgal, we moved last August from a village in the UK to an acreage in Alberta. I could talk aaaall day about it! But I have a blog on here if you want to bore yourself silly with that 

My initial thoughts for you:

We now own a tractor with snow plough - indispensable. An old creaky job, but works fine.

A six wheeled Gator. Indispensable for me as I take the horses hay out twice a day, move wood, haul water to the trough in winter when the hoses are frozen, and move STUFF with it.

A ride-on mower. Great for the summer of course. I WISH I had got one with a rototiller attachment to do the outdoor arena and veg patch.

I have a pasture, a hay field, and a wooded paddock. A small barn with one stable that I will only use for medical emergencies (none so far touch wood). The barn isn't heated, and doesn't need to be for my needs.

I have an outdoor arena yah! and a round pen. I need a rototiller for both, I have a small chain harrow for both.

Luckily, the local farmer was already set up to cut my hay field for me. He takes the first cut and I keep the second cut.

I have learnt to catch moles - pesky pasture-destroying critters.

Ummmm we have lovely friendly neighbours that we introduced ourselves to when we moved in. We're too far to see each other from the house, but near enough to drive to theirs for dinner on the Gator.

Satellite TV - check
Poor but works satellite Internet - check
Great mobile phone reception - check
Monthly trip to the transfer station - check

Happy dogs, happy me, happy husband, happy son (playstation and netflix work here) happy horses and donkey 

Good luck with your move.


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## clippityclop

I didn't read every post so don't know if this was mentioned, but save room for a garden! Time to grow your own veggies and learn to can. Spend some money on a decent pressure cooker and build a chicken coop. Chickens are fun! Fresh chicken and fresh veggies are GREAT!

You are going to have a GREAT time - you might miss pilates at first, but lifting sacks of feed, moving bending and stooping and climbing in and out of tall tractors are great for toning the body. LOL!

Your life will never be the same and you will love it!


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## PilatesGal

I definitely want to have a garden, but have been told I pretty much need to put an 8-foot high fence all around it to keep the deer out. I'll need to, as I'm transferring some of my heritage raspberry plants and they HAVE to survive  Hubby is planning out a moveable chicken coop in his spare time - yay!

Shropshirerosie ... I'd love to read your blog - where can I find it?

Now to figure out how to have a new washer/dryer delivered to a place without a postal code. Hmmmm ...


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## clippityclop

LOL - that's when giving directions sounds like:

Now when you get to the black barking dog, turn left - he'll chase you a bit but he never goes past the third driveway - which, by the way, is when you need to start looking for a run down barn and an old tree - when you see them, make another left. Go one more mile just past the old man sitting on the porch, and our house is first on the right. LOL! that was real directions given to me by a friend who lives in a little community out in the middle of nowhere here in TX....haha!


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## Shropshirerosie

PilatesGal said:


> I definitely want to have a garden, but have been told I pretty much need to put an 8-foot high fence all around it to keep the deer out. I'll need to, as I'm transferring some of my heritage raspberry plants and they HAVE to survive  Hubby is planning out a moveable chicken coop in his spare time - yay!
> 
> Shropshirerosie ... I'd love to read your blog - where can I find it?
> ...


The deer don't come near our raspberry plants (or anything else for that matter) because of our two big deer-chasing dogs. I was worried that the dogs would run off chasing the deer, but actually they never leave our perimeter. Once they'd been 'shown' where is ours, and where the boundary is the dogs never stray out and the deer never venture in.

http://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/canada-bound-family-dogs-horses-128663/
Ummm follow this link I think :? . It's in Members Journals


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## PilatesGal

Found it - thanks! Guess what I'll be doing for a chunk of tomorrow  I am a reading fiend.


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## FlyGap

Congrats PG! You won't regret it!

I Lol'ed at giving directions! Mine are "Go 7 miles south after you turn at the fork in the road, watch for a clearing with a pond and a red gate, after that there is a steep hill and to your right there's a shot up stop sign laying crooked across the ditch, turn there and..." :lol:!!

Why we moved...
8 years ago we lived in a booming city, brand spankin new custom 2,500 sq ft home with a heated three car garage, 5 mins from the grocery stores and new restaurants, and had promising careers. I did have a 5 acre pasture for my horses, but all the land around us was being turned into sub divisions and the once quiet roads I grew up on turned into a cruise strip for the bikers visiting the new Harley dealership built down the road. One night when I was pregnant a drunk driver hit our house going 45 mph, right beside my bed.
That sealed the deal, we were out of there!!! I have family that grew up out in the country, I'm a hillbilly at heart, but had no _real_ knowledge of how to farm or live out in the wilderness... 

So we moved to the middle of nowhere surrounded by the National Forest, about an hour and a half from any city.
First turned an old well house into a 1 room 400 sq ft cabin. It was down on the river and a little piece of paradise... Until we flooded several times and had several AM visitors come up from the river trying to "borrow" our cars, etc... 
We had added on, built HUGE gardens, nice fences, patios, etc but I couldn't handle living in a flood plain where we had 6 100 year floods within a span of 2 years!

So we found a small mountain farm, elevation 2,500 ft! (even further from civilization!) No more floods for us!
Took us a year to rehab our house that hadn't been lived in in 10 years, are still working on the grounds and the barns... We're getting there! It was started in 1900 by two brothers who raised tomatoes. So we have some great historical coos like hand dug wells, rock fences, native stone fireplaces, and a great old horse barn. Only 20ish acres of pasture but 60 other acres of forest with miles of trails winding around them and two waterfalls at the bottom. Lots of wildlife, I've seen bear, turkey and their tiny chicks, deer, you name it! I love love love this place!

Some of the pros... 

Gardens!!! Oh I love raising my own food, still have so much to learn!
No neighbors. Closest people are over 4 miles away.
Fresh air! Which can be a con because all I want to do is sit on the balcony drinking tea/wine and read books!
Not worrying about visiting friends/relatives, LOL!! They call days in advance now! I used to get so frustrated with people popping in at random times.
Chickens! I've always had chickens but could never free range, or have a rooster, so now I have 19 and am expanding into Turkeys and hoping to get some guineas soon. Lots of fresh eggs!
(GREAT idea for the chicken tractor! I had one and loved it.)
Hunting, you may not like game... But we really enjoy putting up fresh venison, so healthy!
The people out here are great! Mostly people like us now that have gotten out of town. Some moved out here in the 70's, others more recently from as far as Great Britain and California... We have the best parties! I've become great friends with the "old timers", they pop in and have coffee or we meet down at the gas station/snack shack (18 miles away) and swap stories! I've learned so much from them, one even gave me a colt.

Cons... I hate to complain, really these aren't bad but you should know.

If you're exhausted you still have to cook! No running to grab a quick dinner!
You have to plan. I only go to the big city once every two weeks for groceries. There are a few essentials at the gas station and in the small town 30 miles away, but the prices are astronomical and poor quality.
Schools... Our daughter is only 7. She goes to private in the small town. Thankfully DH has a brother with a kid so we car pool. Takes an hour and a half to get there and back.
Gas... Funny having to drive 18 miles to fill up your car! But only a little bit because it's super high so we get enough to get to town where it's slightly lower.
Purchasing and maintaining equipment. For us it was a struggle because it wasn't like we could call Joe Schmoe to come out and brush hog. Appliance stores won't come out this far to deliver or pick up broken appliances/equipment for repair.

Tips! What for me is necessary for living way out.

Big Dogs. I love the feeling of security, and they have done a great job protecting me on multiple occasions.
Get a mid sized SUV! Must have an SUV with 4 wheel drive that gets decent gas mileage. We had a big new diesel but with gas so high, and having to haul groceries/feed/stuff in the rain, even with a bed cover an SUV has been so much better for us!
Get Vonage! Or whatever satellite phone service you have up there. A regular land line with only 100 minuets of long distance (ummm every call is long distance out here, LOL!!) ran around $120 a month! Way more when of course I went over! We do have spotty random cell service up high.
Wood fireplaces for heat. You can't count on electric.
Are you on a well? Get it checked, test it for production and put in water storage tanks. If it goes out you could wait quite a while for a repairman.
Love our Ranger, we use it for something almost every day.
Look for Air Evac services in your area. We pay $150 a year for helicopter first response/medical. It could be hours for a Ambulance to get to us.
Be prepared. Have as much first aid on hand as possible.

I'll think of more... Can't wait to hear about your adventures!
My friends think I'm absolutely mad for living out here, but I think they're crazy for staying in town! I really hope you enjoy it!


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## Saddlebag

An acreage.......welcome to the land of never ending work. If it doesn't need building it needs fixing and if it doesn't need fixing it needs paint. And there will be days when the weather prevents all of the above so that's when you catch up on everything that was neglected in the house. The old expression "make hay while the sun shines" applies to everything on a farm, not just hay. If you don't have a hay shed, build one as tarping hay promotes rapid mold growth. Make it bigger than you think you will need as the space is never wasted. That is a priority if you are bringing your horses home. BTW, always secure your hay source a month before haying starts. Farmers like to know in advance if the crop will be sold. You might even want one who will bring in 200 bales at a time. Your hay supplier is your best ally.


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## littrella

Congrats to you! We're trying so hard to get where you are. I was raised on a farm & moved to town when I got married. It only took me a few years to stop going to the window & looking every time I heard a car! LOL


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## PilatesGal

Had a hoot of a day shopping (and I HATE shopping) today. Muck buckets, blanket racks, bridle hooks, salt blocks ... I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can remember for now. Yesterday was spent arranging to have a murphy bed built (seriously - who makes a bedroom 7'x9'???) and buying countless organizational/storage units. Next week I start sourcing out hay and trying to find a donkey.

I told our barn owner yesterday - she was very supportive. Yay!

Yes, I'm spinning a little. And on top of all of this my 104-yr old grandmother has taken a turn for the worse so I'm making daily trips to see her as well. I'm going to get pretty good at organizing my time, that's for sure!

Thanks for all the fantastic support and advice. I can't get over how much I'm learning! Can't wait to actually move in


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## LValentina

PilatesGal, good luck on your move!

I feel like I know you! I too live in Calgary, My mother runs triathlons (Ironman), and your display photo looks very much like a team of horses we had at the ranch camp I worked at... haha, which also backed on to wonderful crown land near Cochrane.

Anyways, I am so, so jealous that you get to experience the "country-life", I bet within a couple months (and perhaps after surviving your first winter), you'll see yourself as a country-girl!


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## PaintedMare

When u start looking for a donkey be conscious about if its a jack or jenny. Jacks can be more aggressive. A lot of people will put a donkey with their cattle to protect the babies but I have heard of jacks attacking and sometimes killing those babies. (This is not true for all jacks. some are just as sweet and each individual animals personality varies) Jennys tend to be easier to handle. At least from what I have seen. A Jenny will also help with some wildlife around here they keep the coyotes away.  good luck, congrats, and sorry about your granny getting sick


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## Skyseternalangel

Updates??


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## Saddlebag

Muck buckets are too much work. A wheel barrow is what you will need. You can always fill that and it's easy to move and lightweight. Is the murphy bed for you or you and someone else? Ever try sleeping in a mayan hammock without spreader bars? They take a little getting used to. Hang both ends on one hook and the space is freed up for other things. Weren't those 7x9s meant for a crib? I toured a new trailer last week, an attack of nosiness, and it too had a dinky little room.


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## PilatesGal

Back online! It's been a whirlwind 3 weeks and so much has happened. It's been awesome, but still not at the point where I have time to sit down at the computer for any length of time. I just decided "to heck with it" and thought I'd log on to post an update. One of these days I'll actually read more posts - I need to!

Anyhoo, the move was pretty darn smooth. After that we had 2 weeks of cold temperatures and lots of snow. Guess what - we're in a snow belt! Little surprises all over the place  

Had issues at our boarding facility, so ended up bringing the horses home early this week (was supposed to be at the end of the month) so that entailed two days of feverishly checking each and every fence post and board to make sure there were no stray nails, screws, etc. The place is in pretty good condition. One pasture is completely fine ... the other two have just a small portion where it never got boarded - just high-tensile wire that needs to be fixed. Hubby went to UFA today and got all the necessary tools and will be doing that this afternoon (after he finishes putting up cabinets in the office). He's proving to be pretty good at all this farm stuff!

Biggest challenge? Fitting "stuff" from a large house into a small house. I didn't toss nearly enough stuff!

Physical challenge? Hay! Took forever to find someone to deliver small bales (lots of round bales around here, but now square bales ... why do they call them square? they are rectangles!). Finally found someone, but had to take 160 bales. Okay, we'd need it anyway. But the driveway is going to be dug up next week so I had to move those 160 bales into the hay shed ALL BY MYSELF. Yup, pretty darn proud. And yes, I did the math - 160 bales at 65lbs each ... I am woman, hear me roar. Even got the bales stacked 5 high. Woot woot!

So we brought the horses home, and the next day went out to a friend's place to get an old retired ranch horse as a companion to my stressed-out guy. Ha! We came home with an unbroke 4-year old with the sweetest temperment I've ever seen. Crazy, I know, but the heart was loud and clear on this one.

Oldest daughter has been here a week for her post-surgery recovery (she had a hip re-surfaced) so it's been challenging fitting an extra body into an already small house ... and of course, the accompanying boyfriend - lol!

Now we're waiting for the temperatures to warm up, the wind to die down and life to get into some semblance of a routine. Youngest daughter is loving it here, and doing well with the homeschooling (didn't want to switch her for the last 3 months of school) but looking forward to next year and having contact with kids again. She's awesome with the horses.

Heaters are installed in the barn, and we're just waiting for things to dry out a little before they start tearing up our yard and driveway to get the water and gas out there. We're also waiting on a quote for an outdoor arena. We've got a long driveway that works great, but it will be nice to get an arena set up. Hopefully it'll be possible 

So it's crazy. Never a moment to sit down and rest, but that will come. I'm LOVING it. It's dead quiet (aside from the howling wind at the moment) and peaceful beyond belief. Lots of deer, geese and apparently moose (but I haven't seen them yet). Even the dog is having the time of his life and isn't running away - yet. In time we'll get the chicken coop built, and a garden set out. I've managed to get out for a number of runs, and even have been able to tuck in with a running group in town. The town pool is nice, and I love having my bike trainer set up where I can watch the horses in the pasture. Heaven!

Once the world stops spinning, I'll post more. Can't wait to get active on this forum again ... I've got a tonne of questions!


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## Chevaux

Good update - don't you love it when a plan comes together? I think I speak for a number of forum members when I say photos would complete the story.


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## PilatesGal

For the record, I'm going to attempt to post some pictures. Keeping my fingers crossed ...

Hopefully there are three pictures attached. Let's see if I did it right


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## PilatesGal

The pictures worked! I just *had* to post a picture of all the hay I moved. It's now neatly in the shed, with the exception of about 20 bales that are tarped outside 'cause there was no way I was attempting to put a sixth level in - can you say broken back?? The snow is nearly all gone, and thus far things seem to be working out. The young horse we just got as a companion for my boy has attached himself to my daughter's horse. Yes, my horse is jealous and not handling it well. Sigh. But that's another post. Hope you enjoy the pictures - the place looks nicer (and bigger!) in the pictures than it really is.


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## Chevaux

Good pics - you've got an absolutely lovely view (both of landscape and bale stack).


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## Cacowgirl

I always loved seeing hay stacked in the barn-a real feeling of security. Great pictures-the horses look quite content. How do you like it?


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## PilatesGal

I absolutely love it here. It's so peaceful! I managed to get out for a run this morning, and during 8k on the paved "main" road, I only saw 3 vehicles ... and two were contractors going to our farm! There's a big moat around our place right now as they run water and gas lines from the house to the barn. Water lines here have to be 8 feet deep - it's quite the massive trench! 

It will be nice when the massive work is done and we can settle into a routine, but in the meantime I am enjoying each and every moment.


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## Corporal

Lovely place!! ***hugs***
You'll get used to running hay. Here is how I do it, in short, truck to loft.



Buy a 2-wheeled wheelbarrow, like mine. It saves steps. Also, ANY farm helping vehicle like a Bobcat is VERY helpful. Dreaming of my small tractor...


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## Shropshirerosie

Congratulations Pilatesgal!

I had been wondering how you were getting on, and missed these recent posts. It brings it all back to me from when we moved in last August. Oh, I so love it here! Peace, space and horses at home 

I have a barn for round bales which is what I fed off all winter (I used a gator to take hay out every day), and I have a hay loft with a hay elevator for getting it up there.


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## Saddlebag

What part of Alberta? I'm an ex Leth and ex Calgarian.


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## PilatesGal

Hi Saddlebag - I'm originally from Ontario  But now we're NW of Cochrane. It's gorgeous country. Have to admit, though, even after 20 years I still miss the water in Ontario. My apartment was just outside of Toronto on Lake Ontario, our cottage was on Lake Huron, and then I moved to T.Bay and lived very close to Lake Superior. Here in the Calgary area ... well, the only lakes are the fake man-made ones. Just not the same.

That being said, the spring melt from the mountains hasn't hit yet, so our wetlands may end up being rather lake-like after all


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## nikina

Congratulations on your adventure. sounds like u moved to an awesome place  we made the same step last September and after a long long winter we are now starting to get everything set up. we have two horses and some chickens...lots of fencing needs to be done. its an adventure for sure...lots of learning and often frustrations...but I wouldn't trade this in for nothing !!!


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## PilatesGal

Well, we've passed the one-month mark and nothing horrendous has happened so far. Yay! Water is in the barn, heat is almost done and now I'm just trying to keep the trenches (which haven't been backfilled yet) from flooding the barn now that we are in to day 3 of non-stop rain.

Felt so sorry for the horses yesterday that we brought all three into the stalls and let them spend the night indoors. They are back outside now - and quite happy about it if all the bucking was any indication. Daughter and I have a horsemanship clinic tomorrow so we might bring them in again simply so that we have dry horses to load in the trailer tomorrow.

Tonnes of wildlife here. There's a great grey owl nesting on our property and yesterday I saw a momma moose and her little baby. Birds galore and the barn cat has even shown himself finally. The snow is gone and when it's not windy or pouring rain, it's paradise. Actually, it's paradise no matter what. Wonder when that feeling will disappear?

I'll try to post pictures of the owl and the moose ... they're pretty cool.


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## Cacowgirl

Glad to hear that you ar settling in nicely. Great pics. Hope your weather gets better for you.


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