Meet the Owners

Tina

I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and started horseback riding lessons at the age of six. I could never get enough of horses. For the vast majority of my life it was all I thought about. In 2004 I was hired by a Rocky Mountain Horse breeding farm to exercise horses. Shortly afterwards I started my own business and began teaching lessons and training horses. Then, in 2005 I bought my first horse. Horses #2 and 3 followed shortly thereafter. Over the years I’ve fallen in love with many horses and now have a herd of 8, if you count the two miniature donkeys (or wee hee-honkers as I affectionately call them.)

Finally, my lifelong dream of owning a horse farm came true. My husband and I bought The Astral Plains in 2012. We wrestled with naming the farm for several months. But, we decided on “The Astral Plains” to emphasize our shared love of science fiction and fantasy genres. When we’re not working on the farm we can be found performing weekends at the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg, Ohio during September and October.

In 2014 I hope to venture into the world of horse shows. My passion is dressage, and I hope to show some of my horses in gaited dressage this year. But, I also hope to get out to many different types of horse shows to see what I like the most. Also on my list of things to do this year is to try competitive trail riding as well as more non-competitive trail riding.

First and foremost, the horses and farm come first though. We are planning on fencing two additional fields this year as well as putting our other two fields into hay, and cutting trails all along the perimeter of the property. Work on the farm is never done!

Wayland

I grew up in Marietta, Ohio and started programming computers at the age of six. I could never get enough of them. For the majority of my life it was all I thought about. In 1991, I won a computer programming contest hosted by Marietta College. Shortly afterwards, I enrolled at Mount Vernon Nazarene College and began my studies in Computer Science. Then, in 1996, I was accepted into the Graduate Program at The Ohio State University. Degree #3 followed shortly thereafter. Over the years I've taken to many technologies and languages and now have developed a multitude of sites and systems, if you count this one.

As you can tell, I am not a horse person. The first time I rode was when Tina put me on Smokey when she boarded him in Hamilton, Ohio back in 2007. And although I can count on my fingers and toes the number of times I've been on horseback since then, I have learned more about the ins and outs of horsemanship and equine ownership than any near-sighted, egg-headed, techno-geek like myself has a right to know. All of this is a result of my wife's extensive love and knowledge of the horse and her eagerness to share it with anyone who is willing to learn. She has taught me a great deal, which is a testament to her patience and skill as an instructor. If she can instruct me, think what she can do for you.