Medlin family builds cherished memories caring for dozens of animals

Bridger Medlin, owner of Southern Breezes Carriages, has worked since he was 10; he credits his parents, Peggy and Carl Medlin, for the strong work ethic they instilled in him. He met Heidi Evans Medlin later in life and they married in 2006.

Bridger’s farmhouse is where Heidi, whose from Charlotte, fell in love with the animals. They have 21 horses, 15 cats, 8 goats and 3 dogs.

They are also raising a daughter, Madison Evans, and son, Miles Medlin, who help them out on the farm in various ways. Heidi appreciates raising her children in a peaceful setting.

“Moving here and you have all this land, and then you start raising kids, you start to realize that you want to learn more,” Heidi said. “…There’s not that many people that can say they have this wholesome lifestyle and their children are going to take part in it. We’re blessed to be able to do that.”

Running a farm requires a lot of daily chores, and outworking Bridger is hard to do.

“Sometimes, I can’t catch up with him,” Madison said. “He’ll push a carriage around, and I’ve got chickens in my arms. All the time, he powers ahead, and he’ll just outrun you. You’ve just got to keep up.”

Bridger is up and at it well before the rooster crows. He got up around 3:30 a.m. one day this week.

He said he enjoys the grind of farming and providing for his family.

“This job is 24 hours a day and 365 days a year,” Bridger said. “Your job looks back on you every time you open the door. It’s staring at you, wanting to know when you’re going to feed it or what goes on next in his life. There’s no such thing as a day off or a minute off. … There’s always something new every day.”

From a young age, Madison studied her parents’ habits during their routines on the farm. She got a pony one Christmas, and horses became her passion. She’s volunteered with the Union County Saddle Club and the Mighty Riders.

While Madison grew up feeding the animals, she also learned some hard lessons about life and death. Farm life is in her blood and she’s not resisting it. Madison now has a barn of her own behind her the farmhouse and she has horses and goats.

Madison enjoys nurturing her animals.

“I wouldn’t change it because it made me the person that I am, and it made me value very deeply the things I have in my life and the people in it,” Madison said. “Life goes by very quickly in the blink of the eye, and here I stand at 21 with a very big career and a lot of weight on my shoulders to keep everything up. … I’m very proud and hope I can continue doing that.”

Heidi says living on the farm gives the family a lot of cherished memories. The family leans on the Lord to find out what’s next in their farm life.

The Medlin family does not look at their farm life like a Hallmark movie, even if it might be the perfect setting for it. They focus on the animals and enjoy filling the scrapbook with fond memories.

“We’re creating memories that last for a lifetime,” Heidi said. “That’s what everything we’ve done is based on. We want to have a positive experience and we want to create memories that we can look back on. … It’s a great place to raise kids, and we’re so grateful to Bridger for giving us the life that we’ve had and we continue to have. It’s not all Hallmark, but it’s worth it.”