Our Story...
My husband Frank has always been a romantic. While courting, he brought me flowers a lot. He even had my engagement ring designed as a flower. What can I tell you, I am a lucky woman. So when anniversaries came around we never let them go by without a romantic outing that included a stay at a bed and breakfast. Most of these, by the way, have been locations we drove to – Lorain, Peninsula, Millersburg, Mohican State Park, and our favorite of all, Hocking Hills.
I guess it was these wonderful private outings and the opportunity to reconnect as a couple, and the beauty that surrounded these B&B's that really sparked the desire for our own sacred space. We put up a bulletin board about the size of a refrigerator and started posting pictures of anything we or our kids came across in magazines, online or in brochures that we thought looked like the perfect site. To us that meant trees, pasture for our horses, streams, ponds, and privacy. Slowly those images helped us narrow in on what we thought the most important elements for our sacred space would be. We passed on the list of essential elements, which now included a location no further than 20 minutes from downtown Canton and the area’s major amish attractions, to a dear friend and industrious realtor.
Now this guy is the kind of guy that will just knock on your door and say, "hey, ever think of selling?"– so he did just that to the former owner of the future Wild Horses, a cantankerous but loving fella by the name of Juddy. It took us a year and a half to convince Juddy that our intentions were honorable. He was obsessed with preserving the natural beauty of the land and was convinced that we would do that. Now you should know that although he had this wonderful dedication to the land, he and his loving wife had taken ill in their later years and the farm had fallen into considerable disrepair.
Upon purchasing the land, Frank and I knew we would have some serious work ahead of us. Fencing and utilities needed to be laid, a barn restored, estimates on the old farm house renovation had to be obtained, our guest cabins planned, and then a contractor secured. First thing we needed was a farm dog - Blue. Blue is the most adorable Blue Healer you will ever find, and she knows how to get rid of groundhogs, a horse owner's dream!
Things moved rather slowly, but it was worth it. We found a small contractor in Carroll County who milled his own lumber and knew just about everything there is to know for laying out a farm and future B&B. Meticulously, our new builders, John and Gary, designed our residence and then guest cabins on our 120 acres of paradise.
To our dismay, the condition of the original farm house made it too costly to repair, but everything from the slate roof to the antique screen door and walnut cabinetry were salvaged. We built another log home on the foundation which later became home to John, our residential manager, his wife, Michelle, and their two year old daughter, Connor.
With the fencing and housing completed in 1999, we brought in our two daughters still living at home, Mariah and Emily; our Quarter horses, Amigo, Merlin, Ivy, and JoJo; and our dogs, Blue, Kodie, and Henry. We also adopted a bunny named Phyllis; 2 goats, Ozzy and Lillian; and 3 cats, Morris, Spanky, and Willis. We found a bentwillow furniture designer, selected horse-inspired folk art, positioned our favorite antiques and opened for business.
Our guests have always enjoyed the setting, cozy accommodations, and of course, all the animals. We've made a tremendous amount of friends and hope to continue sharing the joy that we've found at Wild Horses for years to come!
