Hi there!
I'm so glad to be here. I've been following videos and doing a lot of dreaming and planning, and finally I joined the forums (did not know there was one! I used to be on forums constantly when I was a teenager and I thought that style of communicating had kind of faded away, and I'm thrilled to see that is NOT the case because I am quite comfortable with the format!).
I'm a 30 year old female (no kids, ever) who lives in NYC currently in a small apartment with a roommate, and after moving nearly 15 times in 12 years between 4 different states since I was 18 due to college (I have an illustration degree from SVA), job and financial reasons, I've come to realize that the stationary lifestyle is not for me. Finally, I got more settled than I had been previously with a job that was my passion and actually made enough to cover my expenses: commercial carriage driving. I am absolutely incurable for horses and I have my own small horse who I board here in Queens. Not only do I love the animal itself, but I love the history of transportation and the migratory nature of them, and how they are so deeply tied with human culture. I think in a past life, I must have been a Gypsy Traveler. Or perhaps a Mongolian horse nomad. I love to share horses and history with the public and commercial carriage driving is such a great way to do so. Plus, it allows me to own a horse because they generate their money to offset some of their expenses. Owning a horse is expensive (it probably costs a little less than having a child), but a sacrifice I'm very willing to make. I would MUCH rather have a horse than a house!
So, I've been making that work for 7 years so far, at some stages bartering, working at farms in exchange for living quarters and board for my small horse. THAT was a wild ride with some of the personalities I encountered and to whom I was at mercy. At one point, I packed up the carriage I own with my belongings and drove my little horse and carriage from my old job/living situation, which I had quit, to my new one which was fairly local.
Now I am back in the city and had a stable (no pun intended) job, to the point that I was able to comfortably cover my expenses, but I began to dream and wonder what life would be like without having to pay rent, and I deeply desired to have a space of my own, which was mobile and had everything I needed with me. I also had been working myself very hard, 6 days a week for 12 hours a day all said and done, and I hardly had time to spend with my own horse (I am not able to drive my own horse in the park because I work for a company and they only use their horses). I was also SO exhausted at the end of the day that I was absolutely miserable, despite actually loving my job.
So, a balance was needed. In November, my Kia Soul was totaled in a rear-end accident that was a hit and run. My back is now messed up with herniated and bulging discs, but thank goodness I wasn't injured more than that. I used the money I got back to put a down payment on my used truck, a 2014 5.7L Toyota Tundra 4x4, which I got with the intention of being able to tow a small horse trailer. I am paying off that vehicle with a personal loan, which even though it has a high interest rate, it is unsecured so no one can ever take that truck away from me. This was a VERY good call on my part, I must say! Now, I had a truck, which is an incredibly useful vehicle--so useful that I could tow a trailer AND put a living arrangement in the bed of it!!
So my idea was originally, after budgeting, that I would finance a Four Wheel Camper flatbed pop-up. I had gotten all the quotes from Maine Line Overland and I was so excited. JUST as I was getting ready to seal the deal--which of course depended on my same income (BTW, it IS legal to sleep in your car in NYC), COVID-19 broke out, and my job, which if course depends on tourism, disappeared with so many others.
Not knowing what the future holds, but knowing that spending LESS money is always a good idea, I downsized my original plan to building out a truck topper. I ALWAYS pay my horse's board before I pay my own rent. I swore to myself that I would go without a place to live myself before he didn't have a place to live. I found a high rise in someone's yard for $350. It was meant for a Tundra, but it turned out it was the model before mine, so it wasn't a perfect fit. However, it is still workable. Today, some buddies of mine installed an aluminum flange/drip to seal a small gap between the back edge of the topper and the bed of the truck. Earlier we replaced some missing windows with plexiglass and sealed a very small surface crack, as well as fixed the door. Other than the windows and door, the topper is in not too terrible shape.
So! Bit by bit. Of course things are on hold a bit because of the global situation, but I have been very lucky in many ways and I'm grateful for how things have played out for me so far. Plus, I have a lot of extra time now to do some good work and planning for my hopeful lifestyle, as well as spend time with my horse!
I've always lived in small spaces so that idea does not scare me at all. Traveling was instilled in me at a very young age because we lived in Ohio but grandparents were in Michigan and Long Island, plus every summer, my parents traveled to Upstate NY to teach at a summer music camp every single year. I'm so grateful to have that traveling experience and it always was a good one for me. I have way too much stuff, which is bothersome, but I have a storage unit and I think I'll be able to see how it is to just have the essentials, and slowly get rid of things and clear out the unit. Or at least downsize a lot. I'll have the time to do that more as well this way. After living in a camper shell/topper, any upgrade will feel like luxury! But I can't wait to truly free myself from clutter, and everything else that we all are running away from. And most of all I can't wait to have the time to devote do doing what I truly love, with my horse.
In the very long term, I would love to eventually build a Vardo wagon tiny house that can be pulled by a vehicle as well as a horse. My ultimate rig would be a high top van converted to haul 1 or 2 small horses, and to tow the Vardo wagon. But in the meantime, truck topper and small stock trailer will do the trick.
Sorry for the excessively long post. I'm just very excited.
Here are some pics from my life:
My rig (shell is not yet built on the inside). The truck came used with all of those awesome mods like the wheel upgrade/tires and the fender flares etc. steel bumper, bull bars. I'd like to put airbag suspension in eventually:
Me at my most current job (until the pandemic):
My own personal carriage rig and personal horse (this was a parade job we did):
My two wheel cart I drive around town (and parks upstate):
And one more of my little horse:
Thank you everyone and I hope everyone is staying safe!! <3
I'm so glad to be here. I've been following videos and doing a lot of dreaming and planning, and finally I joined the forums (did not know there was one! I used to be on forums constantly when I was a teenager and I thought that style of communicating had kind of faded away, and I'm thrilled to see that is NOT the case because I am quite comfortable with the format!).
I'm a 30 year old female (no kids, ever) who lives in NYC currently in a small apartment with a roommate, and after moving nearly 15 times in 12 years between 4 different states since I was 18 due to college (I have an illustration degree from SVA), job and financial reasons, I've come to realize that the stationary lifestyle is not for me. Finally, I got more settled than I had been previously with a job that was my passion and actually made enough to cover my expenses: commercial carriage driving. I am absolutely incurable for horses and I have my own small horse who I board here in Queens. Not only do I love the animal itself, but I love the history of transportation and the migratory nature of them, and how they are so deeply tied with human culture. I think in a past life, I must have been a Gypsy Traveler. Or perhaps a Mongolian horse nomad. I love to share horses and history with the public and commercial carriage driving is such a great way to do so. Plus, it allows me to own a horse because they generate their money to offset some of their expenses. Owning a horse is expensive (it probably costs a little less than having a child), but a sacrifice I'm very willing to make. I would MUCH rather have a horse than a house!
So, I've been making that work for 7 years so far, at some stages bartering, working at farms in exchange for living quarters and board for my small horse. THAT was a wild ride with some of the personalities I encountered and to whom I was at mercy. At one point, I packed up the carriage I own with my belongings and drove my little horse and carriage from my old job/living situation, which I had quit, to my new one which was fairly local.
Now I am back in the city and had a stable (no pun intended) job, to the point that I was able to comfortably cover my expenses, but I began to dream and wonder what life would be like without having to pay rent, and I deeply desired to have a space of my own, which was mobile and had everything I needed with me. I also had been working myself very hard, 6 days a week for 12 hours a day all said and done, and I hardly had time to spend with my own horse (I am not able to drive my own horse in the park because I work for a company and they only use their horses). I was also SO exhausted at the end of the day that I was absolutely miserable, despite actually loving my job.
So, a balance was needed. In November, my Kia Soul was totaled in a rear-end accident that was a hit and run. My back is now messed up with herniated and bulging discs, but thank goodness I wasn't injured more than that. I used the money I got back to put a down payment on my used truck, a 2014 5.7L Toyota Tundra 4x4, which I got with the intention of being able to tow a small horse trailer. I am paying off that vehicle with a personal loan, which even though it has a high interest rate, it is unsecured so no one can ever take that truck away from me. This was a VERY good call on my part, I must say! Now, I had a truck, which is an incredibly useful vehicle--so useful that I could tow a trailer AND put a living arrangement in the bed of it!!
So my idea was originally, after budgeting, that I would finance a Four Wheel Camper flatbed pop-up. I had gotten all the quotes from Maine Line Overland and I was so excited. JUST as I was getting ready to seal the deal--which of course depended on my same income (BTW, it IS legal to sleep in your car in NYC), COVID-19 broke out, and my job, which if course depends on tourism, disappeared with so many others.
Not knowing what the future holds, but knowing that spending LESS money is always a good idea, I downsized my original plan to building out a truck topper. I ALWAYS pay my horse's board before I pay my own rent. I swore to myself that I would go without a place to live myself before he didn't have a place to live. I found a high rise in someone's yard for $350. It was meant for a Tundra, but it turned out it was the model before mine, so it wasn't a perfect fit. However, it is still workable. Today, some buddies of mine installed an aluminum flange/drip to seal a small gap between the back edge of the topper and the bed of the truck. Earlier we replaced some missing windows with plexiglass and sealed a very small surface crack, as well as fixed the door. Other than the windows and door, the topper is in not too terrible shape.
So! Bit by bit. Of course things are on hold a bit because of the global situation, but I have been very lucky in many ways and I'm grateful for how things have played out for me so far. Plus, I have a lot of extra time now to do some good work and planning for my hopeful lifestyle, as well as spend time with my horse!
I've always lived in small spaces so that idea does not scare me at all. Traveling was instilled in me at a very young age because we lived in Ohio but grandparents were in Michigan and Long Island, plus every summer, my parents traveled to Upstate NY to teach at a summer music camp every single year. I'm so grateful to have that traveling experience and it always was a good one for me. I have way too much stuff, which is bothersome, but I have a storage unit and I think I'll be able to see how it is to just have the essentials, and slowly get rid of things and clear out the unit. Or at least downsize a lot. I'll have the time to do that more as well this way. After living in a camper shell/topper, any upgrade will feel like luxury! But I can't wait to truly free myself from clutter, and everything else that we all are running away from. And most of all I can't wait to have the time to devote do doing what I truly love, with my horse.
In the very long term, I would love to eventually build a Vardo wagon tiny house that can be pulled by a vehicle as well as a horse. My ultimate rig would be a high top van converted to haul 1 or 2 small horses, and to tow the Vardo wagon. But in the meantime, truck topper and small stock trailer will do the trick.
Sorry for the excessively long post. I'm just very excited.
Here are some pics from my life:
My rig (shell is not yet built on the inside). The truck came used with all of those awesome mods like the wheel upgrade/tires and the fender flares etc. steel bumper, bull bars. I'd like to put airbag suspension in eventually:
Me at my most current job (until the pandemic):
My own personal carriage rig and personal horse (this was a parade job we did):
My two wheel cart I drive around town (and parks upstate):
And one more of my little horse:
Thank you everyone and I hope everyone is staying safe!! <3