In 2018, I invested my life savings into a ranch, dreaming of creating a safe haven for animals in need and providing educational events for horse owners and professionals on how to care for them from an evidence and research based perspective.

The seller of the property, an elderly man, had advertised that he would carry the financing for the balance of the purchase price at 5% amortizing over 30 years.

My partners were moving from the UK to help me manage the ranch and build the education center and set about getting their visas, bank accounts, insurance and other necessary licenses to do business in the US.

Then COVID hit.

My partners were unable to complete their visa process as all US officers closed down and travel was impossible, so I was left on my own to figure things out.

I had taken in 10 rescue horses who were going to be part of the education program.

I survived enough with minimal rents coming in from the two houses on the property, some membership fees from the online business, and periodic help from friends with supplies, just enough to keep up with the mortgage, but slowly fell behind in taxes while looking for ways of generating extra revenue from the ranch.

In 2023, I found an extra source of revenue through offering RV parking on the property and was finally on the way to being able to catch up with the property taxes.

The Deception

Then in April of 2024 discovered a massive structural issue with what had been sold to me as a beautiful 3-acre "pond."

An investigation revealed it was actually an unpermitted, unengineered pit where the previous owner had excavated and sold thousands of truckloads of dirt before selling the land to me. This catastrophic defect was never disclosed and the subsidence was beginning to impact the house I lived in and the driveway.

The Retaliation

When I questioned the seller, instead of making it right, he weaponized a temporary delay in our property taxes. He refused to accept any further mortgage payments and launched aggressive foreclosure proceedings to take the land back before he could be held accountable.

When he failed to have a conversation or address what turns out to be a significant issue, I filed lawsuit against him for fraud. It is set for trial this September.

Knowing he is in trouble, the seller has used legal loopholes to completely cut off our ranch's income from June until September, trying to starve us out before we can ever make it to court.

A Sanctuary Under Siege

Over the last few weeks, the intimidation has escalated. The seller has been coming onto the property, padlocking buildings containing our personal property, taking equipment keys, and even removing our security gate. It is a terrifying situation for me and unsettling for the animals.

With our income cut off for the next three months, I don't know how I am going to be able to pay for these animals needs and the attorney fees necessary to file for a wrongful foreclosure lawsuit to reverse the foreclosure - have found out it was also fraudulent in how it was done - claiming I hadn't paid the mortgage in two years!

How You Can Help

My animals are everthing to me and I am reaching out for help to see if we can survive until our September trial.

Every dollar raised will go directly toward:

1. Animal Care: Ensuring our 10 rescue horses, dogs, cats and pot bellied pigs are fed, vetted, and safe.
2. Security: Replacing gates and securing the property against further intimidation.
3. Legal Defense: Funding the ongoing fight to stop this wrongful foreclosure and achieve justice.
4. 
   

Please help us protect our home, save our animals, and stand up against this injustice. Any amount—or simply sharing our story—makes a world of difference. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.