🐾 Tails from the Farm: Our Beautiful, Chaotic Beginning

Emily Phillips
Jul 17
2 min read

This was taken roughly 2 years ago, at the start of our "lets put wood fence up ourselves around the whole property" era. It's gonna be a long era...

They say no farm is ever really finished—and whoever "they" are, they’ve clearly been to our farm.

What started as a place for a few reptiles and a dream back in 2014 has now grown into a whirlwind of Great Dane puppy zoomies, pregnant mares with strong opinions, and one slightly judgmental bearded dragon who insists her water dish be centered just so. We’re building it all ourselves—sometimes with blueprints, sometimes with blind optimism—and most days it feels like the work will never end. But honestly? We wouldn’t trade this kind of chaos for anything.

🛠️ DIY or Die (Trying)

The unofficial motto of Phantasm Farm might be “Why buy it when we can probably build it…eventually?” Our fencing is custom-ish, our barn/riding arena is a continuous project that lives in my dreams for now, and the tool bucket doubles as a dog bowl more often than we’d like to admit.

From laying stall mats while a curious filly insists on helping, to assembling puppy pens that instantly become Dane agility courses, there’s always something to do—and always something not quite level. But that’s the charm, right? Crooked with love.

🐶🐴🐍 One Farm, Many Tails

Life here doesn’t fall into neat categories. One moment we’re helping a skittish puppy build confidence with rally tricks, and the next we’re in the round pen with a dressage-bred mare who's absolutely certain the mounting block is edible. And while the Danes bark at their own reflections, the ball pythons watch from their enclosures, unimpressed but warm.

Raising animals from all walks (and slithers) of life teaches patience, presence, and that every creature—furred or scaled—has a story worth telling. This blog is where we’ll tell some of them.

🌾 What’s Next?

Well… finishing the fencing. Figuring out where to put all the hay. Re-leveling the round pen footing. Oh—and a Great Dane litter due soon, plus a foal expected this spring, and probably another load of sand that was definitely not in the budget but somehow always shows up anyway.

So no, the work never ends—but every muddy boot print and midnight feeding makes it worth it. Because this little farm of ours, built with calloused hands and a stubborn kind of love, is slowly becoming something beautiful. One tail at a time.