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Post Info TOPIC: Moving


Head Chef

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Moving


We're moving in the near future. Our lease is up and we get to find a new place. The problem is I haven't found a house in the ward we're currently in. Our 13 year old son really loves the ward. We all really love the ward, but at that age friends and familiarity are really important to you. Frankly, he's upset with me right now that I might be taking him away from his friends.
How do you help kids adjust to that sort of change? We'd be moving close enough that I could probably take him to visit friends in the old ward at least once a week. The house I'm thinking we might be moving to at this point is larger and has more land. But it's also rural. Maybe invite his friends over for campouts?
On the plus side, for him, is that we'd have satellite TV again. The landlord lives nearby, subscribes, and as part of rent we'd help pay for the subscription. If we pay for it, we might as well watch it (under strict guidelines, of course).
Maybe build a horse corral and get a horse? Coco, how hard would it be to build the bare minimum necessary to keep a horse, if we did it ourselves? There's already a barn there where the landlord keeps her dogs, but she's said that we could use it to house horses in extreme weather.

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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
- Samuel Adams


Profuse Pontificator

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If you are a horse person, if the blood of the thoroughbred runs in your veins, if something cruicial and huge has been missing from your non-horse life, if you can't think of anything you'd rather be doing than shoveling a mountain of horse crap - then by all means, get a horse.

But if you're just thinking a horse might be a way to ease your kid through a painful change, I REALLY suggest you just go visit a riding center weekly or monthly or whatever. I am a non-horse person who married a horse person. Now, almost 3 years into owning horses, I'm still very much not a horse person. They're fine and all, they have numerous things going for them, and my wife is very happy. But horses are a lifestyle change, and a very demanding and expensive one.

We spend around five or six grand on our two horses every year (that includes taxes on the horse trailer, lower MPG because we need a truck to haul the trailer, etc.) Last year, our kids rode their pony a big freakin' whooping three times. That's almost two grand per riding session. With that kind of money, you can afford weekly riding lessons with someone else's horse.

Choose carefully!
LM

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And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Ohhh....
If I were a rich man...


Head Chef

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That's good info.

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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
- Samuel Adams


Keeper of the Holy Grail

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Don't listen to LM. He's clearly got the I'mJealousOfHorses Syndrome that MrCoco exhibits now and then. He doesn't understand the spiritual bonding and Tao of Equus.

Okay, so maybe he has a point. Let me start off by saying that the horse market right now is in the toilet. Do NOT purchase a horse with the idea that you can re-sell in a few months if it doesn't work out. Do NOT purchase a horse unless you have a for sure hay source and know you can fork out the money. I have an advantage in that I grow my own hay. I split it with a guy that does all the work. thumbsup.gif

If you are not too experienced with horses, you might look into making friends with people with horses first and kind of get your feet wet. Generally, horse people know other horse people and you might be able to "board" a horse for them (they pay you) and you can work out a deal where you can handle it and exercise it for them (translate: you ride for free) -- people are into working deals nowadays because the market is so bad. (Goes back to the no-slaughter fiasco)

You can put up some electric fencing which is pretty cheap - not sure how much exactly. If the horses are in a pasture/field setting, the poop scooping should be minimal. Mine are on 1 to 3.5 acres depending on how I turn them out (I have two) and they have access to a shelter. I spend about an hour a month scooping out the shelter.

But in this market, you shouldn't really be paying for a horse. Work a deal and then go from there. You might even try to lease a horse from someone just for the summer ... there's a lot of horses out there only being ridden 3 x's a year, as crazy as that sounds. wink.gif Those folks might be amenable to having a few months' break from the hay bills.

If you're looking into "panels" for a horse enclosure, the cheap ones are around $90 each and that's about 12 feet long. These do tend to keep their value, though, if you move again. The smaller the enclosure, the more poop scooping you'll have.

I'd make sure the whole family learns about basic safety around horses... not to discourage you, but my neighbor just had their 3yo die this year from a horse accidentally stepping on him. And it could be the gentlest animal in the world. You just have to be alert.

Question, though-- Why aren't you buying a place instead of renting?

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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid.  -John Wayne



Senior Member

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some time ago, someone on a local email list was advertising a free horse-- the horse had some kind of problem and it was free to someone who could demo the ability to care for the horse,etc.

anyway maybe in your area you can find someone giving away such a horse.

If you have places that do hippotherapy (therapy on horses for those w/certain disabilitities), perhaps your son could volunteer to help. Then he'd be doing a good thing but also learning horse basics.

Is there the possibility of doing some kind of barter: As I recall, the moderator on your sister forum receives horse riding lessons for her child w/someone in exchange for some other service. You seem good at computers, etc..ie maybe you could teach computer stuff/help w/computer maintenance to someone in exchange for the person sharing their horse w/you and your family.

Good luck moving!

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Senior Member

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Coco obviously has $$$, because you can't have a horse without $$$.

Feed is expensive and continues to get more expensive.

Horse manure is a fair fertilizer but cows and chickens give better fertilizer for gardens.

Horses take a lot of work. They cannot be ignored. They need to be loved and they need to be exercised or have a place big enough to run around in.

there's my .50 worth

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duhbul dee


Keeper of the Holy Grail

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Coco does not have $$$. Coco does have a bit of land, which is granted a real advantage. I have no out of pocket feed expenses except a little grain and vitamins.

Another opinion... don't get no lame horses! Pretty soon you'll be the Golden Acres retirement home for every lame, limping, blind, toothless horse that comes along. Lame horses take more $$ than healthy horses. Remember that.

I might look into a goat. biggrin.gif Actually, you'd better make that two goats, cuz one will just yell it's head off. Maybe a Nubian. That's the only goat mentioned in the Bible. Have nice fresh milk when TSHTF. yumm..... They make great companions, too - very people-oriented. And easier to hide in the basement when the hooligan gangs come looting... thumbsup.gif

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Keeper of the Holy Grail

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Oh, and for the record... I'm pretty sure LM has way more money than Coco, considering what he spends on his horses. Cha-ching! Hopefully not in Wachovia, though...

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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid.  -John Wayne



Senior Member

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what's up w/ Wachovia? I was there today, heard them talking about a possible merger?? (one of my banks is wachovia). Gone to Google. ETA: found answer, thanks to Google.

-- Edited by nitasmile at 10:49, 2008-09-27

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Keeper of the Holy Grail

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Something like this guy, in my opinion, would be a good deal for someone...

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=4379620&cat=106&lpid=

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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid.  -John Wayne



Profuse Pontificator

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Yes, I have very little land. Our 5.5 acres will not support any animal, so we buy a dozen 850 lb bales of alfalfa hay every year.

Built in to my yearly estimate is some of the initial investments of getting horses. Fencing, saddles, bridles, girdles, muffles, buffles, buffers, tpost caps, a friggin fence wire stretcher for when the horse decides to go heading off through your 4-strand fence to visit the neighbor horses, etc.

I must go. Our computer is in the living room, and my wife might wander by and glance over at the word 'goat' and start up again.

LM

__________________
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Ohhh....
If I were a rich man...


Keeper of the Holy Grail

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LM - You should listen to the wise words of your wife. Goats are practically as holy as horses. She clearly has a special bond with the animal kingdom, like unto Noah (aka angel Gabriel), which is something which should be honored and cultivated. And goats give milk and don't even need fencing... just a leash for staking out. I'm really feeling the Spirit on this one - you should get a couple GOATS.
 
GOATS ROCK!!!

Ole' LM had a farm... e i e i o ... cowboy.gif



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Profuse Pontificator

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We have had to uproot our kids 4 times, twice from one country and language to another, and it was always tough to leave friends behind.  And we worried about their making friends in a new ward or branch.  In these cases we had to explain to our kids as best we could in terms they understood the reasons for the move.  And a bit of bribery was involved, like a dog my wife and I never wanted, and short trips and entertainment, etc.  And we found ward realignments could be just as hard, and we still note the effects on one of our kids of a realignment over 10 years ago.

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Keeper of the Holy Grail

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lundie- But what about the GOATS ?

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Profuse Pontificator

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In regards to moving at 13, I have concerns based on my experiences. My parents moved when I was 12 and we continued at the same school for more than another semester, which was a small Catholic school. The next school year when I was 13 and in 8th grade, I switched to a much larger Catholic school. I became very withdrawn. I do not think I had the social skills to make new friends though I did not find myself painfully shy at my previous school. I did become very shy and this continued with me through my high school years though I did come out of my shell some at times. I can still be shy. It is hard to know for sure if it was all in the move as my mom became at a period of her youth and did not have the same experience. I did continue to play sports and that was very important. Although I was often very quiet, the interaction with others was vital. I know there were others who moved in 8th grade and high school and seem to do just fine. And I feel grateful in many ways for the experience as it helped me learn what it is to be an outsider. Though people were inclusive of me, that is how I felt among students who seemed to have been together for years. I do think if I had simple conversational skills it would have helped. It is not like I never talked at my other school but this was a new situation with new people. However, I was so shy that it was like pulling teeth to get me to talk even when the other more mature students were asking questions. I am not sure if this move requires switching schools as well. I know children move all the time and do fine. I just wanted to share my concern. It is good that you have plans to keep in contact with friends from the old ward on a weekly basis if possible. My brother-in-law did not have friends when he went to middle school as I think he had gone to school before at his aunts neighborhood who babysat him. I don't think he talked at school at all. He had a cousin his age and I would think that they continued to socialize. I know that he is very close to this cousin and also the other friends in his cousin's neighborhood that he played with as a child to this day.

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Head Chef

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He's homeschooled, and the additional classes we take will be at the same place, so that's not a concern.

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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
- Samuel Adams


Future Queen in Zion

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Yeah, homeschooling does help with transition issues, so that's a good thing.

I went to 3 elementary schools, 1 junior high, and 6 high schools. I survived. It wasn't fun lots of times, but it built character as they say. :P

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"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton

Jen


Senior Bucketkeeper

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I hate moving. That's all I have to say about that.

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Keeper of the Holy Grail

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Okay, so the guy we borrowed a few goats from a few years back... he goes to the Utah State Fair with his pack goat business... maybe you've seen him. Anyhoo, he's taking another herd of goats in because someone is retiring. MrCoco said if he had a couple extra that were maybe too old to pack, we'd take them for pets and to give them a good home. I don't think MrCoco thought he'd really do it. WELL... he just called. "Your goats are ready!" giggle.gif

We'll put them down with the horses... good thing a couple people have stalled buying hay from me, cuz I'm going to have to keep more for ourselves now. Only thing I'm worried about is that much of our fence is that big drill pipe... four of them high. I'm wondering if the goats can climb between them. They weigh about 180, he said. Two neutered males. The rest of the place is field fence, which is no problem. We might be fencing this weekend... modifying something as cheaply as possible.

BAAAAAAAA!

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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid.  -John Wayne



Head Chef

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I think you should have written that post in nice, big letters for the benefit of LM's wife.
Are you going to get goat milk, or are they boy goats?

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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
- Samuel Adams


Keeper of the Holy Grail

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You didn't read my post, did you? They got no milk. They got no sperm. Pets and pack animals.

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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid.  -John Wayne



Profuse Pontificator

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Some folks are dumb enough to try and milk a boy goat, but I'm sure Coco ain't one of them.

__________________
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Ohhh....
If I were a rich man...


Keeper of the Holy Grail

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What do you take me for, LM, some kinda' hick?!? evileye  Milking a boy goat...bleh

We did have a boy goat (real boy) that would give himself blowjobs.  You think I'm joking?  He was in with a stallion we had and one day the stallion got fed up and picked him up by the back and shook him like a dog shakes a cat.  Broke his back and he had to be put down.

So here's the bottom line:

Hay for two goats until June 30... 70 bales... $490.
600' of cheapest chicken wire to make fence goat-proof... $160

Not looking so good.  Plus I just found a free registered Arabian mare I might look into... biggrin.gif

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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid.  -John Wayne

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