La’verne: The Barn Owner who is Always Saddled with Work!

La’verne has dedicated her life to her animals. “It’s not difficult, it’s just time consuming.” She understands what needs to be done in order to keep a barn running, and keep the animals alive. “You have to really love these creatures and they give it back to you a hundred percent.”

During a conversation in her barn, La’verne discussed everything that goes into owning a horse barn. The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How difficult would you say it is to keep up with everything? How do you handle it?

I don't think about it, I just do it, that is the way I handle it. I have never sat there and gone, “Oh man, I need to get this done, I need to get that done.” I have always said, “Okay, this is a problem, and we need to fix it; let's do it.” You just can not worry about it. Parts of it are really difficult, like when something goes wrong and I need somebody to help. I do not have the strength in my hands to turn something, and other similar things. It is time consuming; I need to be out in the barn at seven o’clock in the morning, and seven o’clock at night, with a minimum of two more times throughout the day. I am in the barn an average of six times daily to make sure the horses get the exercise they need. Some days you do not want to get out of bed or it is too cold, but you have to because the animals are depending on you. There is just a lot of work to do trying to keep up with the horses and watching them so they do not start fighting. 

How do you suggest people who would like to own their own horse farm start?

Learn all you can. What I did was go around to different farms and get ideas on how to build a barn. Take into consideration who is going to work for you, and what kind of horses you are going to have on the farm. Think about what kind of obstacles could arise along the journey. Figure out how you are going to prevent the horses from running away. You have to do your research, your homework, and learn math. You have to learn bookkeeping, and the aspect of that side of things. You have to know husbandry if you are going to breed, and you have to understand the obstacles that come with breeding. You have to have land, the resources, and the money. You need to find people to put electricity in the barn, install fencing, and enclose pastures.

Any other advice for people who would want to start their own farm?

You need to have a passion for it, but one main requirement is money. Also, make sure that you are young enough, strong enough, and have the right mindset to do it. You have to work with people as well as the animals. You want to be friends with the stall cleaners and the people boarding their horses because they are important and they matter just as much as the animals.