Grand Adventures Ranch

Educational Center

This fall will see the opening of the Educational Center in the Stallion Barn.  The 40' x 40' training room has 2 close watch stalls and will be the perfect spot for "Hands On" training.  We have our work cut out before classes start however.  Plans for renovating this area include:

*  new, soft flooring - mats or rubber pavers
*  a long white board that doubles as a screen
*  better access to bathroom facilites
*  wi-fi internet access for the 2 internal stalls

I would love feedback on what classes we should hold first.  Maybe that will be our next poll. Here are some of the candidates:
*  Holistic Animal Nutrition
*  Introduction to Energetic Testing (kinesiology)
*  Acupressure for horses and/or dogs
*  BioScan light therapy
*  Amazon Herbs for Animals

Let me know what you think. 

Move in Date

We are getting closer!  Our new move furniture in date is July 10 - 15th!  Anyone feel like hefting heavy boxes in Arizona in July?

Manifesting a dream

After over a year of dreaming we have some pretty clear ideas about what we would like to see the ranch evolve into.  We will start with the basics that are ready to go:  the bed and breakfast along with horse boarding.  But not standard, shove them in a 10' x 15' pen with alfalfa hay, boarding.

Our vision is for a holistic boarding facility:  The large 100' to 200' horse runs. daily or weekly turnout on pasture,  good bermuda grass hay, organic grain mix and free choice minerals.  We will filter the water going into the waterers and set out salt controlled minerals for the full-time pasture animals.   No chemical fly control  will be used.  Instead we will use fly parasites from Arbico, consistent manure spreading on the unoccupied pasture along with non-toxic fly traps.

I see so many miserable horses that are left in pens for weeks, months or years at a time.  We no longer feed them in any way resembling how they ate in nature:  concentrated pellets, high-protien legumes (alfalfa), and junk quality grains no fit for human consumption that are covered with animal fat and preserved with ethoxyquin (agent orange). YUCK!

Here, horses will eat like horses and enjoy romps in large pastures with their friends!

The Waiting Game

Now we come to the hardest part of the program.  Waiting. 

Waiting for the appraisal.  Waiting for the final lender approval.  Waiting for the right buyers for our house to come by (buy?).  Waiting for funding to come through and the sale to make it through escrow.  You get the idea.  I have called for insurance quotes, am pricing a tractor, have started new brochures and website changes, not to mention the advertizing layout.  But, if this all comes to naught - I don't want to have committed to any of these financial outlays until we are certain. 

But we can't wait too long.  Don't want the advertizing to come in too long after we open - we will need boarders quickly.   Have to make appointments for photo spreads for the brochures - which means starting to clean up the barns and mow down the weeds.

So if you have any suggestions on how to WAIT with patience let me know:-)

Kay

How to spend 1.4 Million Dollars - The Long Way!

Well, we did it. It only took a year and a half, 5 bankers, reams of paperwork, a 70 page business plan and very thick skin - but we finally found a way to purchase what is to become the new home of Grand Adventures Ranch. (And it turns out we didn't need the business plan - but thats later in the story.)

In November of 2003, Melissa Shandley was sitting in my office and chatting while picking up some Dynamite vitamins for her horses. Melissa teaches Equine Assisted Psycotherapy clinics for people with emotional or communication issues. She was relating her discomfort with booking the ranch where these clinic are held because it was for sale and she wasn't if the new owners would still be willing to rent out the facilities. As Jeff and I had been on the lookout for property for our long term dream of a therapeutic boarding ranch I was curious about the property and, after seeing some pictures, went to look at it.