Hi, I’m Lindsey.

FAQs

How do you run a mini-farm?

With lots of help, of course! The big farms require much more work, but even a small acreage requires a fair share of maintenance and upkeep. I live on just under 3 acres with my husband, Janusz and our daughter, Tallulah. We have two horses, two Australian Shepherds, and a barn cat. We’re also planning to add chickens and a vegetable garden this year!

My husband typically handles morning chores while I take care of the evening ones. We work on larger tasks together, such as putting up a load of hay for the horses or building raised beds for our vegetable garden. We also have a great caretaker for when we are traveling. Team work makes the dream work!

What is a mini-farm?

A mini-farm is what you get when one half of a couple is a city boy and the other half is country loving girl with farm animals but both love to travel and want to live close to an international airport.

My husband, Janusz, was born and raised in Szczecin, Poland. I grew up in a small town north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We met when I was going to college in Daytona Beach and we worked at the same hotel one summer when he was visiting the country on a student work visa.

After getting married and both of us finishing our undergraduate degrees, we moved to Rapid City, South Dakota (where I was actually born) for me to attend graduate school and to be closer to family and get a feel for the wild, wild west.

After finishing grad school, Janusz wanted us to move back to Florida but I insisted we live somewhere with seasons. Charlotte, North Carolina was where we chose and we couldn’t be happier here.

It was a challenge finding a small acreage 15 minutes from uptown and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, but it’s perfect for us.

What’s your go-to travel tip?

Be flexible! Make a list of all the destinations you’d like to visit or be completely open to any location. Once the price is right, buy that plane ticket and get to planning. 

I’ve been a member of Next Vacay (nextvacay.com) for a few years now. You tell them your location and they’ll send you great deals on flights from your airport and some airports within a reasonable driving distance. They’ll tell you the destination and the time frame that the rate is available (for example, Charlotte to London for $400 from mid September to early November). While the deals are usually well into the future and it’s not like you have to hop on a plane tomorrow, you do have to select your dates and buy the ticket within 24-48 hours. 

What type of riding do you do?

My mom jokes that I was riding before I was born because she rode the entire time she was pregnant with me.

The truth is, it’s in my blood. My grandfather, my mom’s dad, was a doctor and a rancher in South Dakota. I always thought it was so cool how he could be delivering babies and taking care of cattle all in the same day. My mom has been riding her whole life and had me getting lessons when I was 6. I remember wearing my riding breeches to school and going straight for lessons afterward.

I grew up riding and competing in 4-H and doing open shows and hunter shows throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Fun fact: I was a two time State Champion in Pennsylvania.

After taking a few years off of horse ownership during college, I got back into it when I bought my OTTB (off the track thoroughbred), Reckless Capote, during grad school in South Dakota. I got him only a few weeks after his last race and we were competing at our first show 4 weeks later. We did everything from polo clinics to western pleasure, and dressage to hunter shows. I sadly lost him to colic after being together for 6 years.

I asked a friend to search for a gelding by the same sire, Empire Maker, and through an amazing series of events I was gifted Atticus (Jockey Club name: Trackman) from an upper level eventer. He is my current mount, and while he has had some time off during my pregnancy I look forward to getting back in the show ring with him.

I also have a Haflinger/Fjord pony named Porky. His main job is to make me laugh and be a companion to Atticus, but he loves to jump and is a blast to ride.

What’s it like being a mom and an equestrian?

I love every second of it, but it’s hard work. Being an equestrian is one thing, but I have my horses at my own place to take care of along with my daughter. It’s a huge blessing that I was able to leave my corporate job and am now a full time stay at home wife and mother who can also pursue my equestrian dreams. It also helps to have a husband who is supportive of my passion and helps in every way possible.

In the horse world, being a mom while also riding regularly seems so uncommon. Many give it up while raising children and get back into it once the kids are older, but you definitely don’t have to. It’s a personal choice, of course, but you can have both. I love that my daughter is being raised with horses.

It’s all about balance. I’m still figuring out how to get in the riding time I desire, but I’m just thankful to spend time with my horses at all, even if it’s just grooming them or sitting outside watching them graze. Of course, I have goals I want to achieve and that means giving things up to make time for what’s important. I don’t watch much TV and I wake up early and some nights go to bed late. It’s all about priorities.

How do you juggle it all?

Am I juggling it all? I’m certainly trying! Some days I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of being a mom + wife + equestrian + world traveler, but then I’ll have a truly chaotic day to make me realize the control I thought I had was all an illusion.

Really though, I just focus on finishing one task at a time and keep my priorities in order. Making sure my family and animals are taken care of and focusing on my friendships and professional relationships are really important to me. I don’t stress if I didn’t get to vacuum or mop the dog hair covered floors and had to make peanut butter and jelly for lunch and honestly don’t remember the last time I dusted the base boards. 

I just do my best every day, and sometimes doing my best means making sure everyone is fed and happy, including myself. I’ll take riding my horses and spending time outside over housekeeping any day.