Equestrian company on Pepper Hall property served eviction notice, forced to move

For the past two years, Gini Quade's Above Standard Equestrian has boarded horses, trained new riders, and given eager children an opportunity to experience farm living on a pasture in Pepper Hall Plantation off U.S. 278.

But come Oct. 1, Quade's company will no longer operate on the land where it has experienced impressive growth after landowner Robert Graves served the family-run company an eviction notice.

In a week's time, the Quade family will relocate to a barn on the county-owned section of property and may soon be forced to sell or give away the horses and farm animals that have become family, Gini Quade said Thursday.

Quade and her family were served the eviction notice on August 20, after being told by Graves' administrative assistant that he no longer wanted to lease the property.

Quade said she and her husband, Tim, were reassured by Graves that the family would have time to seek alternate arrangements, and the family submitted a 30-day extension to push their deadline for eviction from Sept. 20 to Oct. 20.

Quade initially hoped to stay on the land until Jan. 1, but when Tim Quade called Graves about a week ago to ask about submitting an extension letter, he was told there would be no extension past Oct. 20.

The change in the family's timeline to move has left them scrambling to find alternate arrangements for both man and horse. On Thursday, the couple were busy packing up the house they leased from Graves on the property.

By Oct. 1, the couple and their three children will squeeze into a one-bedroom apartment in a barn on the county-owned property and use an RV from Gini Quade's parents for more space.

Graves was traveling out of the area Thursday and unavailable to be reached for comment.

For Above Standard Equestrian, the eviction is a bittersweet end to a successful period for the company, which moved from Huspah Plantation in Sheldon to Pepper Hall in October 2013. Moving to southern Beaufort County put the company closer to a growing customer base, she said.

"It's really been a blessing," Gini Quade said. "We've experienced some tremendous growth here."

For Quade's animals, the eviction is likely to take them away from their owner.

The eviction notice has forced the sale or relocation of some of the 10 horses the family uses for training. One such horse, a 27-year-old former racehorse, will likely be given to a rescue organization near Charleston, she said.

Some of the horses could be leased out temporarily until the family can restart their operations, Quade said. One of the company's customers offered to lease a horse their daughter liked to train with and other local companies have expressed interest in leasing the horses, she said.

Twelve horses boarded on the property will also be moved by their owners, but some have pledged to return once Above Standard Equestrian can find new space.

Heroes on Horseback, a charity that also operates on the land, has three horses that need to be moved. A representative for the charity declined comment Thursday.

The family also has to find space for their goats and chickens -- all of whom have names and are part of the family, too, Quade said. The goats and chickens proved invaluable to the company when they started a farm-life summer camp this year, allowing the camp's attendees to learn how to milk a goat, see chicks hatch, and make their own cheeses and soaps, she said.

In the short term, the family is looking for a house to lease, but finding one that offers space for all of their animals -- including three dogs -- is unlikely. If they're unable to find accommodations to include the goats and chickens, those animals will have to be given away, she said.

The family has submitted to lease a barn on the county-controlled property, but a successful bid will only give them a temporary respite. That barn has a larger apartment for the family to live comfortably, but not enough room for their horses to graze.Quade said she hopes to find a plot of land in the area to build a house and barn on, preferably in Okatie since the company has clients from across Beaufort County.

Since news of the eviction notice broke, Quade said she has been contacted by landowners asking if the family would like to relocate their business. But most of those offers have been from Rincon, Ga., and Pooler, Ga., too far away from their customer base and their children's school in Beaufort.

Similar leads in Estill and Hampton on properties also bring the same risk -- moving to a new property and having to start all over again.

Even as the family packs up their livelihood with no clear path to restart it, Quade and her family are thinking positive, relying on their faith to get them through.

"It's been a rollercoaster," she said. "There have been a lot of tears. We're a Christian family and a Christian business. We have faith that there's a plan for us."

Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Equestrian company on Pepper Hall property served eviction notice, forced to move."