Our Rustic Horse Barn
Horses... Need I say more? If you know, you know, right? Each with a different personality but loyal beyond belief. It’s a special bond that one only knows once they have obtained it. Something that I didn’t figure out till the last five years, so it’s never too late to become a horse person.
I grew up in suburbia in a quiet smaller town close to cities. My other half, The Lumberjack, was born and raised country. Something I learned fast dating him wasn’t going away. So rural country life is where we have been pretty much our entire 15 years of marriage. I can honestly say having adjusted very well to it, I wouldn’t want it any other way. When we go to the city for groceries or doctor appointments, I can’t wait to get back to my quiet little farm haven. If you live rurally, you know what I’m talking about.
In the first decade of our marriage, we just had dogs and a cat. Then after having our daughters and they got older, they took a genuine interest in horses. I give credit to the show Heartland for that. I had never been around horses in my life at that time, but The lumberjack agreed we could get a horse for the girls. Not long after that, we met Behr, a black and white Paint, a 500 dollar craigslist special. He was hungry and pretty underweight when his kind eyes met mine, and with one look, I was sunk. His owners were getting a divorce, and hay had run out. We knew we couldn’t leave him there, and we could see in the owner’s face it was dire she found him a new home, so he became our first horse.
It’s funny how one turns into six, and suddenly you’re a horse farm. We aren’t anything fancy, basically; if the horse has a health issue or is getting geriatric, they come here to live out the rest of their days.
When we knew we were getting a set of older Draft horses that were also pregnant, we knew our little lean-to wouldn’t work anymore. The Lumberjack, with his mad sawyer skills, decided he was going to saw up a majority of this monitor-style beauty you see in the picture above. He sawed everything but the rafters and built this all with the help of family and friends.
Again we went against the current trend of white barns and decided it would match our big barn and living quarters. We went rustic natural with a pop of red-burgundy ( color is Red Madder Do it Best), and we don’t regret it one bit as every time we pull up, it’s exactly as we imagined, a rustic beauty. Maybe The Lumberjack and I are a little old-fashioned, but this barn is timeless to us. That’s all that matters. Design something you love. Even if it goes against the "current” trends, you won’t regret it. Be you!
There is no doubt our horses bring healing to our farm. We love caring for them, and they constantly bring smiles to our faces with their different personalities. You can be having the crappiest day go out to the barn, and those faces can turn it all around. The barn is also healing when you see something you designed and love each day. It warms the soul.
This was barn before landscape and adding more red to the doors.
It needed that extra red, and it just pops now! Don’t you think?
A look in the inside…
Winter on the farm!
