HOLLAND, Man. – Making a living on an “old-fashioned” quarter-section farm these days typically requires that at least one family member spend their days working at an off-farm job.
But in 1996, Terry and Theresa Early seized the opportunity to generate supplemental income for their small farm without the daily commute to the city.
They bought the operation of established harness maker Ken Adams in nearby Treherne, Man., and moved it into a building next to their farmhouse near Holland.
They operated under the name of the previous business owner for two years and then changed it to TNT Harness and Tack.
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“It’s much more relaxing than running away from your children or leaving them with a babysitter. I set my own hours. If the children are sick, then I can stay in the house with them,” Theresa said.
“I didn’t have children so someone else could raise them. I wanted to raise them myself.”
With 30 head of commercial cattle, cropland for barley and oats, a milk cow, chickens, pigs, a collection of saddle horses and ponies and a team of Percheron horses for winter chores, the Earlys are able to enjoy a country lifestyle and offer their six children the benefits of growing up on the farm.
They moved to the farm in 1986 but soon found that chores, a large family and off-farm jobs that required shift work didn’t mix. Terry used to drive a truck, but has since been able to cut back to the occasional short-run day trip for local companies.
Theresa, who grew up on a farm near Swan Lake, Man., was taught how to hitch up a team and drive them by her father, who always kept a good pair of drafts around for chores.
“When he retired to town, I got his team,” she said, smiling.
Terry didn’t grow up around horses, but found making harness to be an enjoyable way to earn a living, and one that doesn’t require that he be away from home and family.
“It’s something that we can do together,” said Terry, adding that having both of them at home makes running the farm a lot easier, especially when problems arise.
But without a great deal of experience at harness making, the Earlys had to learn the craft by themselves. Luckily, the previous shop owner was willing to help them.
“If I ran into trouble, I called him,” Theresa said.
Now, the Earlys are able to manufacture all the harness they sell, but the horse collars, hames, saddles, hardware and other tack items are imported mainly from the United States.
They stock a large selection of Amish-made horse collars ranging in sizes to fit the smallest of miniature ponies to the largest draft horses.
They promote their shop through a website and attend horse related events such as the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon and Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
Harness-horse enthusiasts tend to belong to extended social circles, making word-of-mouth advertising particularly effective.
Not being in town hasn’t hurt their business because customers are willing to drive a considerable distance to buy harness and tack.
The Earlys recently added a full catalogue to their website, but Theresa said they don’t plan to move to an e-commerce system.
“A lot of people like to see pictures before they come. So now they can look at the internet site and kind of know what they want,” she said.
“But we always tell people to call and check before coming. That way I can talk to them and make sure they can get what they really need.”
With a good set of leather work harness selling for $2,000 in the larger draft sizes and hames worth nearly $500 a pair, customers want to be sure that what they are getting is of good quality and the right size for their animals.
Nylon and synthetic harness, which sells for about half the cost of leather, is becoming more popular due to its strength, lighter weight and reduced maintenance requirements.
Demand for horse-related equipment, especially pleasure driving harness and accessories, seems to be growing, Theresa said. The number of horse collar manufacturers has grown from two or three a decade ago to more than 10 today.
“People who used to like riding horses are getting past the age of riding and they find it easier to drive,” she said.
Miniatures, which allow small acreage owners the pleasure of owning and driving horses without the expense and potential risk of the full-sized breeds, are also becoming more popular. For this reason, the Earlys recently added small two-wheeled driving carts to their product line.
“The miniatures don’t take up a lot of room,” she said, adding they don’t eat much either, and the expense of keeping them is comparable to having a large family dog.
“Miniatures don’t bite like a pony. They tend to be more docile like a draft horse.”
