# How far would you drive to board your horse



## irelandbm (Feb 26, 2012)

I know there's a bunch of different reasons you board at the place you do. BUT, how far would you drive to board your horse at that perfect place? A lot of people I know and that i've talked to generally say to stay within about 20 miles of a population that can sustain your stalls. I guess I was just curious to how far you would drive to keep your horse at that awesome place????

thanks

brad


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Hi, welcome to the forum. Since I live in a rural area, driving to anything with an indoor arena would be at least a 1/2 an hour, so the horses stay home & I ride when I can in the winter. If there was a boarding stable close by (10 minutes max) with an indoor arena I would board them during the winter. I hate commuting to anywhere, work is neccessary, riding is optional.


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## LuckyRVT (Nov 4, 2011)

I currently drive 20-30 minutes (depending on traffic). I don't have a place at my house for my horse yet (looking for a new house). There are other boarding places closer but they are more expensive and I am so so on there care. Where my mare is now she is loved and care for (she is at her old owners house so the love is there ;-P ) and I have plenty of room to ride 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## WesternBella (Jan 7, 2012)

I love that I can board my horse right down the street from me..so I wouldn't want it any further because it's perfect in the summer...my brother, cousin and I ride our bikes or walk over there whenever we feel like it 

Also, we can go trail riding around the neighbourhood and I know exactly where I'm going because it's home 

So basically, I would want it no more than 15 minutes away but I would prefer it as close as 5 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

40 miles from my home (and 70 from work) to the barn which has indoor and outdoor arenas, trails, and open fields.

Yes, I'll drive 70 miles from work to the barn, then 40 to go home after riding and grooming.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

About 35 miles when my horses are in training. It's about 45 minutes total.


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## BaileyJo (Aug 23, 2011)

I would drive 30 minutes but I only have to drive 20.


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I boarded one of my horses for a few months because they had an indoor arena so I could ride during the wintery weather. It took me 35-40 minutes depending on traffic.


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## karebear444 (Feb 3, 2012)

I used to board my horse 45 mins. from home because a friend was boarding there and I was unhappy with my current boarding situation. The owners were nice, but the other boarders and owner's kids not so nice. They would just use my stuff and not put it back, which I'm not a big fan of other people using my stuff anyways. If u buy the horse buy your own tack. I would come and couldn't find my bridle, my halter would be on a different horse, my lead rope would go missing. The last straw was mid summer when I came out to find that my horse had no water. Luckily found a place closer to home. The care is better, but I think they could be a little more generous with the hay sometimes. If it's the perfect place probably 30 mins. away max being far away cuts down on the number of visiting due to skyrocketing gas prices!


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## fromthismoment (Feb 17, 2012)

For approximately six years I drove 50 mins to get to the barn. I switched disciplines to dressage and now board 15 mins away at the best barn I've ever been at. Unfortunately they don't have full outdoor board so my other horse who has always been a pasture horse is 30 mins away and at a perfect place too.

If I need to in the future I would be willing to drive an hour to the barn every day if the coach and the care of my horse was worth it.


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## irelandbm (Feb 26, 2012)

Thanks for all the awesome replies. What a great bit of insight.


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## AndreaSctlnd (Jan 17, 2012)

I drive about 20 miles to where my girl is. I could board .5 miles from my house but I did not care for the attitude of the BO. She was trying to tell me how she was going to be doing things for my horse, such as blanketing. She informed be that I HAD to purchase a blanket for her. I said, no, she's never been blanketed and I don't want her to start. (Hoping to move to where I can have her at home.) Also, she was adamant that I shoe. I don't. So things clashed from the beginning. I am sure if I looked, I could find a place a bit closer as we have horses all over, but Dee is getting great care and I really like everyone I have met at the barn.


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## live2ride8 (Mar 13, 2011)

I drive 30 minutes to ride at my current barn. I only take lessons once or twice a week so if I wanted to board a horse I would probably want it within 15 minutes of my house. My current barn is a hunter jumper barn though and I live in a pretty rural area so I would probably have to drive a little longer to ride at a competitive farm.


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## IslandWave (Nov 25, 2009)

I've never had to drive more than 5 minutes to the barn, but I'd drive as far as 30 minutes would take me, at tops.


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## Bennett (Dec 31, 2011)

I was driving 120 miles a day this summer to go to and from the barn. Didn't have time to do much else. 

Now I put a limit on it, I won't board anywhere that's more then half an hour away. 

Thats just me though.


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## st0rmys3as (Feb 27, 2012)

I agisted my horse 30 minutes from me for a week when I first bought her because we were in the process of putting fencing up on our land. Wasn't fun and I don't think I'd be prepared to do it long term, as I will always do all my own care and rug 24/7 so need to go out at least once a day, preferably twice.

I then had my horse on our land, which was a 2 minute drive from where we were living at the time. That was really easy and I always went out twice a day.

After that I had her at home which was obviously the best, but I didn't mind when she was a quick drive away either.

I don't currently own a horse but am looking to buy again relatively soon. I have moved interstate since I had my horse and no longer have land so am going to have to agist. All the places I am looking at around a 10 - 15 minute drive. I wouldn't want to go any further away than that, and I'd definitely prefer to agist within 5 minutes or so from my house, but you do what you gotta do and I'd rather have a horse I have to spend 15 minutes driving to see than no horse. As far as lessons go, 45 minutes - an hour is about as far as I would go on a regular basis, especially if floating a horse there.


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## JavaLover (Nov 7, 2009)

Currently, my horse is boarded at a local community barn that is a 8 minute drive from my house. When he goes for two months of training in May, he will be about an hour drive away there and an hour back. I would never board my horse that far away just for the sake of boarding! My boy will be in training though. That's the only exception.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## doubleopi (Dec 27, 2011)

Lol, for me, I don't get to see my horse very often. She lives in Oregon and I live in Alaska. That's about 7 or so hours flying then it would be a good hour drive...I will get to fly down and spend some time with her later this summer though. Ideally she would be within 1/2 hour from me but that's just not possible right now. So she's at this barn because that is where her trainer/trimmer boards and works from and they are reasonably priced for 100% full care and I did get to visit the barn a couple of years ago when I went to ride with my trainer (before she was officially my horse).


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## capercowgirl (Oct 14, 2011)

I drive about 30 minutes to get to my barn. It sucks because the weather here is horrible so the winter driving isn't that great and its dark when I get off work so I can't ride


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

My old barn was 1/2 hour from home and half hour from work so not too bad. My new barn is still half hour from home but an hour from work. So unfortunately I only see Hunter on the weekends right now. When spring comes I will go out after work, it sucks though driving an hour to get there and then half hour home. I hope we find property soon so I can have him in my back yard.


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## BarrelChick1848 (Dec 16, 2011)

Not to far. 30 minutes at tops. I don't have the money to waste gas going back and forth every single day if it's too far away.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My work is 72 miles in one direction, barn is 35 in the other, but horse is happy and the place is a good fit for us, so it's worth it.


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## Clementine (Sep 24, 2009)

If gas was free, I would drive hours everyday for that perfect place. But since it's not, I would say that 20 miles is probably a good estimate for how far most people will be able to afford to drive. I'm one of those people that has to see my horse every day, and it would cost me around $300 a month to go everyday to a barn that was 20 miles away. So unless the barn is not only perfect, but also very cheap, it needs to be very close by.


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## Jumperforjoy (Mar 8, 2012)

I drive approx 45 minutes from my house and 15 minutes from my work. The board is extremely affordable, amazing care and indoor arena for winter. 

When I originally moved my mare to the barn it was only 30 minutes from my house but we moved after about a year of her being there and I was far to happy with the care/people that I decided to keep her there, the affordable cost of board evens out the gas/time that I would pay if I moved her closer to the city.


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

So I moved my horse to the Perfect Place. As I put his necessities above mine, I now take a 40 minutes long ride on the public bus, and then walk additional 40 minutes (4 kilometers) through the woods every time I want to see him - unless a barn buddy gives me a lift, of course. And it's totally worth it.


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## Theissyhunterjumper (Jan 16, 2012)

The place I boarded my mare for 3 year and the one I still ride at is 5 minutes away and the ones I might board at this summer is 15 and 25 minutes away. Anything over 35 would be to long in my view.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

My barn is 30 mins from my house and 45 mins from my work. I think I'd top it at 30 mins (would definately prefer less) 

It's not exactly ideal for me though because 1) gas prices(i drive a diesel so more money) 2) Where I work I am a driver so I drive all day till I'm sick of it then I don't feel like driving to the barn 

I do try to go out as often as possible and with show season rapidly approaching I'm literally forcing myself to drive out there because I know ti has to be done. I just think of it as driving (as much as I hate it) is a chore and my reward is riding.


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## zurmdahl (Feb 25, 2009)

Over my winter break from school, my horse stayed out near my school while I stayed at home and it was about an hour or an hour and ten minutes without any traffic to get there. I went through so much gas and put so many miles on my car, it was ridiculous. I would never want to board my horse that far away on a regular basis, it's just not worth it. I would say 30 minutes is max for me


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## HippoLogic (Mar 9, 2012)

Max 40 minutes.
Now I drive 20 minutes (22 km), but I used to go there by bike**.  My horse was never further as 8 km before. I miss the excercise.

** I live in The Netherlands.


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## Adam (Feb 6, 2012)

First barn was 55 miles to my south, current barn is 52 miles to the north... at least it is a little closer? LOL


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