Eden Farms
4700 Dacusville Hwy
MariettaSC29661
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Fruit & Vegetable Growers & Shippers
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Party Facilities
Member Reviews
I am Deeply Disappointed:
I have visited Eden Farms with my daughter several times. It has always been a very positive experience, until today. Today, the owner, Amy Goudelock, called me on the phone to veto a plan I had arranged with her staff to board my daughter's horse at the farm so she could take lessons from some of the excellent staff there. I accept that veto as Ms. Goudelock's rightful decision as owner. What I do not accept is her arrogant and condescending manner in which she insulted me as a parent, to the point of verbal and emotional abuse.
Apparently Ms. Goudelock's major complaint about the plan I worked out with her staff is that she herself does not know where my daughter's horse is currently being boarded, and she perceives "safety" issues there. She demanded that information, and I politely declined and told her it is not her business. She also complained that she does not know what kind of supervision there is where my daughter's horse is currently being boarded, and again, she sees "safety" issues there. Again, I politely informed Ms. Goudelock that the information she demanded is not her business.. That strange complaint on her part was her stated basis for refusing to allow my daughter to take lessons on her own horse at Eden farms, where presumably she will be safe. I told her I did not understand her logic at all, but that I accept her decision as owner.
In addition to the warped (to me) logic that made no sense whatsoever, the owner repeatedly harped on my ignorance about horses. There is some truth to that - I am a beginner. That is why I wanted to take my daughter there - to learn. That is also the reason I cleared it with the instructor to listen in on the lessons myself - to learn. After all, the farm advertises itself as a place where people of all skill levels can come and learn. Nowhere does it say that they will not teach you if you are ignorant.
But the owner was not finished with me. She presumed to tell me that I made a bad decision by getting a horse for my daughter, and then basically instructed me to get rid of my horse. That was not all. She gave me specific instructions to take the horse right back where I got it, and return it to the people I bought it from. I told her that she had exceeded the bounds of her authority by giving me those instructions.
The real problem came when Ms. Goudelock informed me bluntly that I had *not* thought about my own daughter's safety. She did not even have the decency to say "in my opinion." The gall of such a comment is this - not only does this individual have *no* clue what thoughts are in my head, and lacked the decency to even ask me, she openly insulted me and my basic competence as a parent - based on no evidence.
Ms. Goudelock claims to have 30 or so years' experience as a pediatrics nurse. If her claim is true, then she knows better than to openly insult a parent by telling them that they are *not* thinking about their own child's safety. What a profound insult. I cannot think of a deeper insult, a more wounding comment, than to openly invite oneself in to a conversations about another person's skills and knowledge as a parent, then pass rude judgement on that person without ever being asked for their opinion. This is totally unacceptable.
I told Ms. Goudelock on the phone that I was giving her an opportunity to talk through the problem with me. She refused. I began asking for the name of the board of directors of the 501C3 non-profit that the farm is associated with, and Ms. Goudelock rudely hung up on me.
The owner claims to have started Happy Hooves, her 501C3 non-profit organization, because she was given a mission from God to do so - or at least that is what the information on the farm's bulletin board states. I have had a great deal of experience with individuals who claim to have a mission from God. Some of them have been in church or church-related organizations The ones with a true mission *do* their mission, rather than talk about it; they respect other people, and they mind their own business. The other group of persons I have met claiming to have a mission from God were people I met while working on various psychiatric wards within the state. They are often bullies, putting other people down, and making no sense. Perhaps Ms. Goudelock truly does have a mission from God - that is not my place to judge. What *is* my place to judge is whether or not a given place and person is mentally, emotionally, and physically safe for my daughter to be around. I have no questions about the physical safety at Eden Farms - even though Mrs. Goudelock informed me that accidents have occurred there. If you are an adult who is mentally and emotionally strong, you should have no problem at Eden Farms either. But look, talk, ask questions, and think carefully before you expose your child to the type of overweening, demanding, insulting, and abusive "Christian" arrogance I encountered today.
I have had probably a dozen visits to Eden Farms, and had nothing but the most positive experiences there. However, based on today's insulting and frankly abusive comments directed at me by the owner, I sadly can no longer recommend Eden Farms as a place that provides adequate emotional safety either for adults or for children. In short, the owner has demonstrated for me an demeaning attitude of insulting superiority that I simply cannot fathom. In short, the owner is arrogant, meddlesome, and intrusive to the point of being emotionally abusive. My own decades worth if professional experience tell me that such attitudes are contagious within an organization, and they seldom remain confined to one individual - particularly when that individual is an owner, president, or director. My recommendation to parents is this: think twice before you permit your child to receive instructions at this farm.
The only thing I see to hope for is that perhaps the owner was merely having a bad day. If she calls me and apologizes, then that will seems likely. If she does not - be wary that her "mission from God" does not damage your child. You might want to do a bit of reading on the topic of religious abuse, or mental and emotional abuse disguised as religion. I recommend "When God Becomes a Drug," written by a Catholic priest Father Leo Booth, published by Tarcher in September 1992. Father Booth came to Jesus when he realized he had been mis-using religious authority as a club to bully people, after his own life fell apart, and he wrote the book to help other people protect themselves from religious bullying. It is a beautiful testimony to the healing power of God, and a valuable tool for anyone who feels humiliated at the hands of a religious figure.
Incidentally, after this bizarre phone call from Ms.Goudelock, I telephoned the farm owner where my daughter's horse is currently being boarded. I informed him that I would not be needing him to transport my horse to Eden Farms, on the basis of my phone conversation with Ms. Goudelock. His reply is not printable. However, it was professionally related to farms, and I believe it had something to do with cleaning out stalls after a bull.
Apparently Ms. Goudelock's major complaint about the plan I worked out with her staff is that she herself does not know where my daughter's horse is currently being boarded, and she perceives "safety" issues there. She demanded that information, and I politely declined and told her it is not her business. She also complained that she does not know what kind of supervision there is where my daughter's horse is currently being boarded, and again, she sees "safety" issues there. Again, I politely informed Ms. Goudelock that the information she demanded is not her business.. That strange complaint on her part was her stated basis for refusing to allow my daughter to take lessons on her own horse at Eden farms, where presumably she will be safe. I told her I did not understand her logic at all, but that I accept her decision as owner.
In addition to the warped (to me) logic that made no sense whatsoever, the owner repeatedly harped on my ignorance about horses. There is some truth to that - I am a beginner. That is why I wanted to take my daughter there - to learn. That is also the reason I cleared it with the instructor to listen in on the lessons myself - to learn. After all, the farm advertises itself as a place where people of all skill levels can come and learn. Nowhere does it say that they will not teach you if you are ignorant.
But the owner was not finished with me. She presumed to tell me that I made a bad decision by getting a horse for my daughter, and then basically instructed me to get rid of my horse. That was not all. She gave me specific instructions to take the horse right back where I got it, and return it to the people I bought it from. I told her that she had exceeded the bounds of her authority by giving me those instructions.
The real problem came when Ms. Goudelock informed me bluntly that I had *not* thought about my own daughter's safety. She did not even have the decency to say "in my opinion." The gall of such a comment is this - not only does this individual have *no* clue what thoughts are in my head, and lacked the decency to even ask me, she openly insulted me and my basic competence as a parent - based on no evidence.
Ms. Goudelock claims to have 30 or so years' experience as a pediatrics nurse. If her claim is true, then she knows better than to openly insult a parent by telling them that they are *not* thinking about their own child's safety. What a profound insult. I cannot think of a deeper insult, a more wounding comment, than to openly invite oneself in to a conversations about another person's skills and knowledge as a parent, then pass rude judgement on that person without ever being asked for their opinion. This is totally unacceptable.
I told Ms. Goudelock on the phone that I was giving her an opportunity to talk through the problem with me. She refused. I began asking for the name of the board of directors of the 501C3 non-profit that the farm is associated with, and Ms. Goudelock rudely hung up on me.
The owner claims to have started Happy Hooves, her 501C3 non-profit organization, because she was given a mission from God to do so - or at least that is what the information on the farm's bulletin board states. I have had a great deal of experience with individuals who claim to have a mission from God. Some of them have been in church or church-related organizations The ones with a true mission *do* their mission, rather than talk about it; they respect other people, and they mind their own business. The other group of persons I have met claiming to have a mission from God were people I met while working on various psychiatric wards within the state. They are often bullies, putting other people down, and making no sense. Perhaps Ms. Goudelock truly does have a mission from God - that is not my place to judge. What *is* my place to judge is whether or not a given place and person is mentally, emotionally, and physically safe for my daughter to be around. I have no questions about the physical safety at Eden Farms - even though Mrs. Goudelock informed me that accidents have occurred there. If you are an adult who is mentally and emotionally strong, you should have no problem at Eden Farms either. But look, talk, ask questions, and think carefully before you expose your child to the type of overweening, demanding, insulting, and abusive "Christian" arrogance I encountered today.
I have had probably a dozen visits to Eden Farms, and had nothing but the most positive experiences there. However, based on today's insulting and frankly abusive comments directed at me by the owner, I sadly can no longer recommend Eden Farms as a place that provides adequate emotional safety either for adults or for children. In short, the owner has demonstrated for me an demeaning attitude of insulting superiority that I simply cannot fathom. In short, the owner is arrogant, meddlesome, and intrusive to the point of being emotionally abusive. My own decades worth if professional experience tell me that such attitudes are contagious within an organization, and they seldom remain confined to one individual - particularly when that individual is an owner, president, or director. My recommendation to parents is this: think twice before you permit your child to receive instructions at this farm.
The only thing I see to hope for is that perhaps the owner was merely having a bad day. If she calls me and apologizes, then that will seems likely. If she does not - be wary that her "mission from God" does not damage your child. You might want to do a bit of reading on the topic of religious abuse, or mental and emotional abuse disguised as religion. I recommend "When God Becomes a Drug," written by a Catholic priest Father Leo Booth, published by Tarcher in September 1992. Father Booth came to Jesus when he realized he had been mis-using religious authority as a club to bully people, after his own life fell apart, and he wrote the book to help other people protect themselves from religious bullying. It is a beautiful testimony to the healing power of God, and a valuable tool for anyone who feels humiliated at the hands of a religious figure.
Incidentally, after this bizarre phone call from Ms.Goudelock, I telephoned the farm owner where my daughter's horse is currently being boarded. I informed him that I would not be needing him to transport my horse to Eden Farms, on the basis of my phone conversation with Ms. Goudelock. His reply is not printable. However, it was professionally related to farms, and I believe it had something to do with cleaning out stalls after a bull.
Information from the business
Eden Farms is a family run, Christian based stable on 170 acres in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We offer full board, extensive lesson programs as well as trail rides, birthday parties, school programs and more..
Eden Farms is working to become South Carolinas finest Horse Boarding and Instructional facility, through which we hope to help support our Therapeutic Riding Program.
