Online, the TripleE is a gorgeous site, and it was LOCAL! Well I'm all about checking out local spaces and sharing them with you. Even better, I needed stall ideas, and after a quick email to the owners I was generously invited out to see the space in person. Yesterday morning, bundled up like I was headed on a trip to the Antarctic in July, I drove across the country to visit the Triple E Equine Ranch and Horse Hotel and Deluxe Bunkhouse.
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| Yes, that's a HIghland on the left. |
It was a chilling 10'F as I pulled up to the meticulously kept farmstead. Only a couple of large dents in the grain bins betray the history that lead to the creation of this beautiful space. On Mother's Day, May 11th, 2014 an EF-3 tornado torn through Beaver Crossing, Nebraska and surrounding farmsteads. What would normally be the end of the story for many families, or at least a return to the status quo, was actually the nucleus for the for the Eberspacher household. Climbing out of their tornado shelter, they were with damage and destruction and the daunting task of rebuilding.
The family, who had been active in horse shows and riding had a training and riding arena, along with all the support building and stalls that are found on an active farmstead. Digging in and deciding to rebuild, the family designed not only an area for themselves, but one that could be utilized and enjoyed by others. During the design process, their oldest daughter, Emily, was enrolled in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program and was charged with an assignment that would fill an under utilized niche in the agricultural community. What she came up with not only impressed her professor, but set the family in a new direction with their rebuilding. The three young ladies, Emily, Hanah, and Sarah put their heads together and brought the paper plan to life, became equal co-owners of their own LLC. Living only a mile and a half south of the interstate, the ladies, supported by their parents, decided on building a Bunkhouse stop for for those traveling with their equine best friends. Their motto is "A place to rest your boots and hooves" is well reflected in every aspect of the project.
I'm sure the project required several family meetings around the dinner table. After all, years of traveling with their own animals had given them great insight to what worked and what didn't work when it came to lodging and traveling with Equine companions. After all, you can't just pull up to an Embassy Suite and walk in with Buttercup for the night. So as long as they were rebuilding anyway, they decided to do it right. As long as the contractors are there, what's tacking on a small set of living quarters at the same time? Actually, anyone that has gone through a construction project knows it's exactly the right time.
The frigid 10' morning was quickly tempered by the warm outstretched handshake and sunny smile of my hostess for the morning, mom, Angie. She is gracious, welcoming, and oh so generous to spend time on a Saturday morning to show me around the farmyard and all of her new buildings. I was there to see how she arranged and built her stalls, flooring, and managed her barn. I figured someone that has been doing this their whole adult life and has made this into a business would certainly know what they are doing. Boy was I right!
The immense riding arena is attached to a large center isle concrete floor stable with 8 12x12 foot stalls that have multi-layer floors with bounce but are also non-slip.
There is a large hot water wash stall, a tack room, and areas for feed and bedding, and a vibrating therapy pad area with large bay doors for easy access.
The stable, in turn, is attached to what the family calls the Bunkhouse. Don't let the term Bunkhouse fool you.
Bunkhouse implies a shelter with the very basics. When I hear bunkhouse, I envision dusty floors, an old cast iron stove, chipped mismatched dishes, an encrusted cast iron skillet, and a duct taped old rocker with crocheted granny square afghan tossed on a tired old sofa.
This place is SO, SO far from that! It's a fully furnished,top of the line, luxury 2 bedroom guest house. The family supported the local Habitat For Humanity in its rebuilding, all while providing top of the line furnishings for those that come across this gem on their travels. The fully furnished kitchen has cherry cabinets, granite counter tops, a slate back splash, access to the large laundry room, and a large viewing window to the riding area.
Not only did I get to meet three of the five Eberspacher clan (dad is a full time farmer and Emily is off being a grown-up- having graduated and is now working away from home as a Veterinary Assistant), but I was given a tour of the other areas of the farm as well. I met Earl, the family's house pig, who is JUST A RIOT, two of the farm's cats, but also the small herd of miniature longhorn cattle, the horses, the llamas, the blank Angus, and a herd of miniature horses, plus a white mules and some seriously adorable mini donkeys.
Speaking of which, meet The Bugs - Lady and June. My new reasons to work faster on getting the barn walls and stalls up faster!
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| photo by TripleEEquine |
A Giant Thank you to Angie, Hanah, and Sarah for the great morning!
