Mike's boxes were created out of necessity. Five years ago Mike took in a young Clydesdale, "Mac" (short for Mactavich), who had been rescued while en route to the slaughter house. Mac was undernourished and in poor health. He needed numerous supplements and medicines as well as TLC.

Mike followed the lead of others in the barn and made up baggies of grain, supplements, and medicines for Mac. Like the other boarders, he stored the baggies in a makeshift wire basket hung on the front of the stall where they were convenient for the morning and afternoon feed staff.

But a goat also resided in the barn who loved to spend his days figuring out new ways to aquire the many baggies of grain. As with all barns, mice were also attracted to the grain, despite the presence of a pair of barn cats. And of course, other horses knew the contents of the baggies and some would try to sneak a bite as they were led past.

At the time, Mike was working as a foreman for a metal fabricating plant. He realized that he could reduce his grain loss if he had a more secure container at the stall. Other riders in the barn had tried Tupperware, but the flimsy plastic wasn't meant to withstand horses nibbling at the lids or brushing by in the aisle.

Mike obtained permission from the barn manager to put a stainless steel box on the front of his stall, but the manager stressed that it had to be safe for horses walking in the aisle and that there were to be no sharp corners.

Mike constructed his first box out of scrap stainless steel with rounded edges and included a lid that would keep mice out. Since then other barn boarders, as well as riders who came to the farm for shows, saw the boxes and how well they were designed for the barn environment, so Mike assembled a few boxes each year at the request of those who needed the safety and convenience provided by the unique boxes.

After a year of planning, Mike's Boxes, Inc. was established with the goal of bringing Mike's Boxes to the equine market.