Hi, I’m Eric, I’m a farrier/horse teamster/actor/musician/hay farmer from Ithaca, New York. I own six horses and keep them on about 50 acres of pasture land that I rent from my friend and neighbor Debby Halpern. When I’m not shoeing horses for my clients or involved with a performance in town, I like to take my friends and members of my community out in my horse-drawn wagon or on trail rides horseback. Over the past several years, I’ve been developing this passion of mine into a profitable side business. I’ve made significant strides toward obtaining all the tools and equipment to offer a top-notch horse experience to my customers. From the time I first applied for a Kiva loan in early spring of 2014, I have obtained a powerful and very functional pickup, a five-horse trailer, made improvements to my wagon and horse equipment, and generally outfitted my business to meet the standards of the profession. It does take a lot of gear! You’re hearing from me again because I have one more hurdle between where I am now and how I want to operate. I’m planning to buy a tractor to help me with all of the hay production, equipment and material moving, snow plowing, pasture mowing and tree work that go along with operating a horse farm that for me has always been self-serve. A cash loan of $10,000 will give me a lot of buying power to purchase a 40-60 hp tractor with front-end loader and a brush mower to take care of all of the jobs I have to do.