Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Carlough.
Hi Carla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We are often asked how we came up with the name, “Dead Broke Farm”, so we’d like to share that with you. The name is a pun on the cost of owning horses and horses’ temperments. The financial implication of our name is fairly evident to most people, but the expression of the horses’ dispositions isn’t perhaps as obvious if you’re not in the horse industry. You see, when a horse is started under saddle, it is often referred to as “breaking a horse to ride”. So it stands to reason, when a horse is very well trained (broke), gentle, responsive to beginners, and anyone can ride it regardless of ability, it is considered in the horse industry to be “dead broke”. At Dead Broke Farm, we have horses ranging from “dead broke” all the way up to very spirited for the more advanced riders.
Dead Broke Farm has been offering horseback riding to the public since July 2004 on our family owned and operated farm. We’re passionate about our horses, and we want to share our passion with you.
Not everyone has the time, commitment, or financial resources available to them to allow them to own their own horse, so we take care of all that so you can enjoy horses and riding without the fuss and expense. We work tirelessly 365 days a year in all kinds of weather so that you can enjoy our horses when the weather conditions are more suitable for riding. Our horses are gentle yet still maintain their own unique personalities and spirit. We don’t run a hack-line where the horses ride nose-to-tail. You get to do some real riding where control and balance are exercised and nurtured.
Over the years we have purchased a good number of horses to rescue them from horrible conditions of neglect, abuse, and even slaughter. Most of them have intriguing backgrounds that we’ll be happy to share with you when you visit our farm. But they all have one thing in common… they give pleasure to many people and in return they live a useful and productive life where they receive adequate feed, exercise, hoof care, dental care, general veterinarian care, and unconditional love and affection.
Eventually, all of our horses are offered for sale after having spent months or years taking the public out on our trails. So when we sell a horse, we aren’t just conjecturing that a 6-year-old child could ride it, they have right here on our farm! Our camp kids and trail riding customers are predominantly novice riders, so if they can ride my horses for sale, so can you.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
1. The cost of purchasing land in the Raleigh/Durham area is a significant commitment on the buyer’s part.
2. Finding qualified stable hands and trail guides is becoming more and more difficult as we move further and further away from an agricultural society.
3. As more and more of the hay fields are sold to developers, the cost of hay and grain continues to rise exponentially – more than the average inflation rate.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own and operate a horse farm where we allow the public to come ride our horses. We offer guided trail rides, riding lessons, pony rides, summer camp, birthday parties, horses for weddings, horse boarding, and horses for sale.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The industry is definitely shrinking as land becomes more unattainable in large plots of land suitable for horses. Many horse farms are unscrupulously put out of business by gold diggers filing frivolous lawsuits to try to cash in on trumped up charges of alleged negligence and liability. It’s really sad.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://deadbrokefarm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deadbrokefarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dead.broke.farm
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deadbrokehorsefarm
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dead-broke-farm-raleigh?osq=Dead+Broke+Farm
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@deadbrokefarm
