The Eve family says that while some neighbors have concerns, many of their Mill Valley neighbors have said they appreciate having three horses in their neighborhood. Above, Olivia Eve walks her miniature horse, Oreo, near the family’s Creekview Drive home. Left, the Eve’s three miniature horses — Oreo, 38 inches tall, Marshmallow, 36 inches tall, and Cruz, 34 inches tall — graze in the family backyard.
(Photos submitted)
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Tyler and Amelia Eve said they do not see themselves as nightmare neighbors, a response to a Journal-Tribune headline that ran in November detailing their situation.
And many of their neighbors agree with them.
The Creekview Drive residents have a trio of miniature horses in their yard. Amelia said her daughters used to show rabbits and full-size horses, but a chance encounter showing a miniature horse set things in motion.
“She loved the mini,” Amelia said of her younger daughter.
Eventually the Eves decided to buy a miniature horse, Marshmallow, 36 inches tall, keeping him at a barn outside Marysville. And then another, Cruz, 34 inches tall, because Marshmallow needed a friend. And then another, Oreo, 38 inches tall, that the daughter had shown in the past.
The horses stayed at the barn outside town for a couple years. But last year, the Eves decide to move them for a variety of reasons, the largest being that their daughters are in 4-H and having the horses which also serve as their projects closer than their previous barn in London only made sense.
“I was just looking into my options and thought, ‘We have a decent size backyard,’” Amelia said.
The more she thought about it, the more she thought having them in the backyard could be the right solution.
“I kind of went through the city code and wasn’t finding anything and I thought, ‘I must not be reading this right,’” Amelia said.
Family members called the police department, former city council member Aaron Carpenter and the city zoning department.
“He (Zoning Inspector Zach Andrews) told me there weren’t any regulations,” Amelia said.
Andrews did say the homeowners would need a permit to have a barn.
“I feel like we did the best we could to contact everybody and as many organizations as we could to make sure we were doing things right, the best way,” Tyler said.
Amelia got the permit. Using plans from Etsy and modified by the family, they built a three stall, 20-foot by 8-foot barn for the horses.
Tyler and Amelia said that on the day they moved the horses in they spoke with neighbors.
“From the get go, we were always concerned with what our neighbors thought,” Tyler said. “We told them, ‘If there is anything that makes it so you can’t enjoy your property, let us know and we will find something else.’”
Amelia added that all along the family took a “we-will-try-it-and-see-how-it-goes approach.”
“We thought we would give it a try, but if it didn’t work or became a nuisance, a true nuisance, we would figure out something else,” Amelia said.
She said the family cleans the barn stalls daily, dumping the manure and wood chips into a large plastic trash bag. Additionally, the Eves use a stall deodorant, feed their horses a special supplement and have a variety of exterior methods to reduce flies.
“We have a system,” Amelia joked. “We are very thorough in our efforts to make it as unnoticeable as possible and we were very transparent and said if you have any concerns come talk with us.”
The family said some neighbors initially had concerns but were also willing to give it a chance. Since then, most of the neighbors have been very supportive.
One of those neighbors is Tim Day. He lives in Mill Valley, though not next door to the Eves. He said he was close with one of the people that lived right behind the Eve home. He said his friend often spoke about the Eves being good neighbors. He said he visited often before even noticing horses in the yard.
“I never even knew they were there, for months,” Day said.
He explained that when he learned of the horses, he spoke with the Eves. He asked if he could bring his grandchildren, who also live in Mill Valley, to meet the horses.
“She was very enthusiastic,” Day said, adding that Amelia let the children pet, play with, even ride the horses.
“They loved it and couldn’t stop talking about it,” he said.
Day and his family have returned several times as have other neighbors who enjoy having the horses nearby.
Other neighbors have shared similar stories, supporting the Eves and their herd.
But the Eves knew what they are doing is out of the ordinary and understand that not all the neighbors would be as enthusiastic. The Eves went so far as to write a letter to a neighbor that expressed concerns.
“Our intention is never to be a nuisance,” Tyler said. “We know it is unusual but we want to be able to do it in a way that is not noticeable or at least not a nuisance to anybody.”
But at least one neighbor saw the horses as a nuisance. At some point last year the Union County Health Department was contacted and a complaint was filed. According to health department records, the complaint alleged “terrible smells and animal waste on the property.”
Health department officials tried to use other property owners to look in on the Eves, though most wouldn’t allow the inspectors there. The health department was able eventually to see the yard.
“At the time of the inspection on Sept. 14, 2023, no waste (horse, dog or other) was seen through the fence and no odors were noted,” according to a letter from Holly Rast with the Union County Health Department.
Rast added that, “staff of the Union County Health Department consider there to be no cause for any action at this time.”
The Eves said that while they wish the neighbor that filed the complaint would have come to them, they appreciate the report. They said the report reaffirms to them that they are doing things the right way. They saw the health department as the “proper channel” to make sure the animals were not a nuisance.
The neighbor, Nancy Murphy, who lives several homes away, complained to city officials, asking for legislation to prohibit horses and other animals in the city.
Amelia said she was “surprised” when she saw the headline in the newspaper.
“That was the first time I knew of anything the city was planning,” she said.
Amelia said she went to Murphy’s home to talk but got no answer at the door, “so I just let it go.”
“We were surprised because we had tried to keep the door open for people to come talk to us if there was an issue,” Tyler said.
Even so, the Eves support Murphy going to council.
“I am not opposed to what she is doing,” Amelia said. “I understand it and it is her right, it is everybody’s right to go make your voice heard and ask for change. Unfortunately, it was not necessarily in my favor. But I support her right to try to do it.”
Next month, city council is expected to consider legislation that would prohibit large farm animals and put a limit on smaller farm animals like chickens and rabbits. The legislation would grandfather permission for animals already in the city but would not allow the property owner to replace the animal if it dies or is moved to another location.
Murphy has asked the city to remove the grandfather clause and make the horses leave.
Andrews has opposed that saying the Eves have done the right things the right way.
“I think when we discussed this in work session, my sense was that most individuals thought it would be problematic to go back to these residents and say ‘You need to eliminate these animals that we told you there were no rules to not get,” said council member Scott Hunter.
Andrews said he will speak with FFA, agriculture groups and the local refuse company to make certain the legislation works and will not have unintended consequences, an idea Hunter said he appreciates.
The Eves said they feel like they did their due diligence to make sure they were following the rules and doing things right. They too want their horses protected. They said they are “just watching to see how the process plays out.”
Andrews also said Oreo, Marshmallow and Cruz are the only animals in the city, which he knows of, that would be grandfathered.
The Eves understand and do not doubt there are no other horses or large livestock inside the city. They said having the animals in town is not what they ever expected to do and it has been difficult.
“The thing is, it is a lot of work,” Tyler said. “I don’t really worry about a lot of people wanting to buy more and more farm animals and move into the neighborhood.”
The Eves said they like living in Mill Valley, stressing they moved into a section of the development that does not have a homeowners association. Even so, they recognize the situation is not ideal. They said they are not opposed to moving, going so far as to get a loan preapproval. But their daughters have said they do not want to switch school districts and there isn’t much housing available in Marysville, certainly not in the Eves’ price range.
“There is nothing,” Amelia said, explaining that she would like to have a couple acres for the horses. “It is something we check into regularly.”
Until they can move, the Eves said they hope they can keep Oreo, Cruz and Marshmallow. They said it is important for people to differentiate between what is a problem or a violation, and something a neighbor just doesn’t like.
“The city has checks and balances in place to make sure it doesn’t become an issue or a nuisance and to address it if it does,” Amelia said. “I knew from the get-go that if I didn’t maintain my property, the horses would be removed. I knew I had to be diligent so I have been. I followed the process and we have had an overwhelmingly positive experience having them here.”