# Going from boarding to backyard?



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Quick background for those who don't know me: I used to have horses, but had to give them up for school, babies, etc., then my daughter started riding about 5 years ago and I have jumped back in with both feet! Last October we bought her a horse which we are currently sharing. He is boarded at my next door neighbors, close enough to walk there. Great facility with indoor arena. Board isn't cheap though, so, partly because we want a second horse, we're planning on building our own barn next summer and adding horse # 2. We've lined up a contractor, gotten an estimate and are ready to go as soon as the ground thaws in the spring. Pastures and paddocks have been planned (we have 13 acres) and we've even reserved hay from local hay producers. 

Basically, my reasoning is that rather than pay board to someone else (for two horses, it would be almost 1000$ a month), I'd rather build my own facility and put the money there instead. I have a flexible schedule and often work from home so while I do work full-time, I can be around to feed, water, turn in and out. Our neighbors have agreed to let us use their indoor arena (we will pay an hourly fee to "rent" it). And I LOVE being at the barn and looking after the horses as much as I enjoy riding them. 

I do understand day-to-day activities - from fence repairs to manure management to the daily grind of feeding and shoveling - are demanding. I've done it before all by myself for years. Hubby is not really horsey, but can help out with the odd chore (good excuse for him to use his tractor) and is very supportive. I'm hoping my daughter will help a bit, but since she is a child, I'm not counting on it. 

I guess what I'm asking is whether any of you have gone from boarding to backyard and regretted it (I did read jenkat86's thread, but feel my situation is different). I really don't think I will, but it is a huge step so I want to be fully prepared. Even if my daughter loses interest in horses, I will always have two and I had planned to have horses again eventually so this is not done on a whim. I want to be the one to feed, muck out and look after my horses everyday. As it is, I'm at the barn everyday, sometimes more than once a day and sometimes, I feel the BO is annoyed at me or thinks I'm doing it because I don't trust them to look after my horse. He is very well looked after there, but I can't have a second one there (all the stalls are taken and it would be too expensive). I don't care about going out as I haven't had a social life in years and don't want to travel anymore (been all over Europe, tired of it now). I've become a homebody and enjoy my alone time which, more often than not, I find at the barn rather than in a household with two kids. If anything, I'm looking forward to using the horses as a reason to miss social gatherings. But if worse comes to worse, the BO and I have agreed to look after each other's horses if either of us wants to go away. I have a vet and a farrier already and have a coach coming in for lessons so not that much will change. I do understand that some people like boarding stables for the social aspect, but where we board, it's just us and the BO (she has three horses) so no social aspect to be missed. We could still ride together if we wanted to, although so far, that hasn't happened once. 

Our neighbors/BOs are very nice people and are helping advise us on the build and everything else we might need. They knew from the start that we were only boarding until we had our own barn so there is no conflict there. 

Is there anything I am missing in my thought process?


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

The main difference is that you are responsible for everything. Run out of bedding? Roof leaking? Horse eating his stall? Water pipes freeze? Hay batch not very good? Floor too slippery? Manure pile drawing a billion flies? All of these are your and only your problems to solve. 

I personally love "doing it my way", I was endlessly annoyed at the BO shorting my horse or me in some way or other, other boarders feeding her treats while I wasn't there, waiting on using the arena because somebody else was using it or someone more important needed it. On the other hand, we've been working continuously for months solving one problem after another. The deluge of rain ruining the pasture and the mud attacking the horses' feet, getting the truck stuck in the mud, tacking up emergency tarps in a blowing rainstorm, more buckets! Always need more buckets! Now we need a way to hang them! Blah blah blah. Just never ends. I am luckily in that I can poach upon my teacher's amenities on occasion such as her warm-water indoor horse shower, which I never thought I would need. 

There will be times when you think, if I wasn't fixing the roof I could be riding right now. 

But I wouldn't go back to boarding unless I had to.


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## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

I have always had my horses at home. Guess what? You can still travel and have a life.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I have boarded many times over the years. I would never board again. It will be a benefit to have indoor and horsey neighbors which I do not have. 1000.00 a month goes along wat towards your mortgage.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Avna said:


> The main difference is that you are responsible for everything. Run out of bedding? Roof leaking? Horse eating his stall? Water pipes freeze? Hay batch not very good? Floor too slippery? Manure pile drawing a billion flies? All of these are your and only your problems to solve.
> 
> I personally love "doing it my way", I was endlessly annoyed at the BO shorting my horse or me in some way or other, other boarders feeding her treats while I wasn't there, waiting on using the arena because somebody else was using it or someone more important needed it. On the other hand, we've been working continuously for months solving one problem after another. The deluge of rain ruining the pasture and the mud attacking the horses' feet, getting the truck stuck in the mud, tacking up emergency tarps in a blowing rainstorm, more buckets! Always need more buckets! Now we need a way to hang them! Blah blah blah. Just never ends. I am luckily in that I can poach upon my teacher's amenities on occasion such as her warm-water indoor horse shower, which I never thought I would need.
> 
> ...


Excessive rain is less likely to be a problem here than excessive snow. And I've never seen an indoor horse shower in any of the stables here so that WOULD be a luxury! We tend to just go all winter without washing the horses because it's too cold. I did realize that warm water running to the barn might be something I may want to add to my list. Even in the summer, cold water showers are a shock for the horses and cold on my hands.

Bottom line is that I do realize there will be a lot of work. But in the end, I'd rather have the power to decide how my horse is treated. Not that he's in any way mistreated at his current barn, but they often raise their eyebrows if I change his feed, or because I used a different vet than the one they use, or because I decided to use a particular trainer, etc. etc. I do go help out often, even cleaning the stalls for my horse AND theirs on weekends to keep the relationship positive (even though I pay full board and don't need to do this). Because they're neighbors, I feel this is important. But all horse people do things a little differently and everyone thinks their way is the right way. I just want to be able to do things my way, interact with the horses every day and build the barn I want to build. 

Anyway, I think you sum it up nicely. It's hard, it sucks at times, but in the end, I wouldn't change a thing.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Sahara said:


> I have always had my horses at home. Guess what? You can still travel and have a life.


Good to know! I assume you have someone else who can look after the horses if you want to go away? As I said, my neighbor could always help out if I needed to go somewhere (sometimes I do travel for work, but no more than once a year for the international trips). If I schedule the trip so it's not in the dead of winter, I could even leave my horses at her place on pasture board for a few days. At least they would be looked after and watered. The BO has several pasture/paddock areas so this is a pretty easy arrangement and I can just ride the horses over.


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

I find your situation to be just about perfect for what you are wanting to get out of horses. When you said you had horses before, did you have them at home, or did you board? Regardless, I think you have enough knowledge and resources right next door that you really shouldn't have to worry about anything. You seem to be able to get the best of both worlds. Having someone right next door is wonderful. 

The only think you might me "missing" is that in the event you have company, the horses tend to be the main attraction:wink:


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

jenkat86 said:


> I find your situation to be just about perfect for what you are wanting to get out of horses. When you said you had horses before, did you have them at home, or did you board? Regardless, I think you have enough knowledge and resources right next door that you really shouldn't have to worry about anything. You seem to be able to get the best of both worlds. Having someone right next door is wonderful.
> 
> The only think you might me "missing" is that in the event you have company, the horses tend to be the main attraction:wink:


Thanks jenkat. Knowing how you feel about boarding and keeping horses, it means a lot to me that you took time to respond. 

My first two ponies were boarded (from age 5 to 8 or so), but then I did have a horse in my backyard when I was a kid/teen (12-17). It was a bare-bones setup: basically a 12 x 12 shed my dad built. No electricity or running water. It wasn't so bad in the summer, since I could run a hose to the barn, but in the winter, I had to literally carry buckets of water over snowbanks (no word of a lie) and if I went to the barn after dark, had to use a flashlight. No tack room and the hay was kept in the garage so I had to haul that out to the barn as well. My parents weren't horsey either, so I did everything myself. It was utter madness and I will REALLY enjoy having a decent barn!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> Thanks jenkat. Knowing how you feel about boarding and keeping horses, it means a lot to me that you took time to respond.
> 
> My first two ponies were boarded (from age 5 to 8 or so), but then I did have a horse in my backyard when I was a kid/teen (12-17). It was a bare-bones setup: basically a 12 x 12 shed my dad built. No electricity or running water. It wasn't so bad in the summer, since I could run a hose to the barn, but in the winter, I had to literally carry buckets of water over snowbanks (no word of a lie) and if I went to the barn after dark, had to use a flashlight. No tack room and the hay was kept in the garage so I had to haul that out to the barn as well. My parents weren't horsey either, so I did everything myself. It was utter madness and I will REALLY enjoy having a decent barn!


That sounds exactly like what I did when I was a kid, minus the snowbanks. I don't have a decent barn now, but the need is not so great in California, many if not most horses get by with a run in shelter. At least I have hay storage and a tackroom. And -- my first priority after safe fences -- stock tank with a float. I am too old to haul buckets of water that slosh into my boots.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

It sounds like you are totally prepared! After trekking water buckets through snow, I think you have dealt with the worst of it. Of course, as a kid, any big issues wouldn't have been your problem (roof, etc.). Still, you seem very capable and responsible. 

I think warm water in the barn would be really nice. Although, when I was a kid, we had a special adapter to hook a hose up to our kitchen sink and ran the hose out the window to wash the horses. That was fine too, just not as fancy or convenient. 

Both our boarding barn & lesson barn (both heated) have indoor horse showers. I think it's pretty common around here. Just last Sat. after our lesson they were hosing down one of the horse's legs to treat a minor wound.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Jan1975 said:


> It sounds like you are totally prepared! After trekking water buckets through snow, I think you have dealt with the worst of it. Of course, as a kid, any big issues wouldn't have been your problem (roof, etc.). Still, you seem very capable and responsible.
> 
> I think warm water in the barn would be really nice. Although, when I was a kid, we had a special adapter to hook a hose up to our kitchen sink and ran the hose out the window to wash the horses. That was fine too, just not as fancy or convenient.
> 
> Both our boarding barn & lesson barn (both heated) have indoor horse showers. I think it's pretty common around here. Just last Sat. after our lesson they were hosing down one of the horse's legs to treat a minor wound.


Wow, nice to have indoor horse showers! Harley is so filthy and I want to wash him so bad... but no one around here has one. And while I could wash him with warm water from the house, there's nowhere he can go that's heated enough to keep him from getting cold. 

I did think of the option of hooking a hose up to the basement sink for warm water, and washing the horses behind the house. We'd want to put up a hitching post somewhere - which would be useful for a lot of things. It's too far to run out to the barn though. But it would be way less messy to wash the horses out by the barn rather than near the house. However, we'll have to see what running hot water out there will cost. Does it mean I need an additional hot water tank for the barn? 

As for the roof, it will be a metal roof. No maintenance and it'll last a lifetime. In fact, the whole barn will be built so we have minimal maintenance since hubby and I are very busy and not DIY types! 

I actually learned a lot from looking after a horse in a very minimal set-up. The first thing I learned is that I don't want to do that again! A nice, roomy, well-lit barn is what I'm aiming for. I've checked out a lot of local barns to see what works and what doesn't. They've all given me their wish list ("I wish I had done this differently" or "if I had the money, I'd do this"). Also, the importance of good fencing! When I was a kid, my dad put up a plain wire fence (he wanted to use barbed wire, but luckily, even at a young age, I knew that it was unacceptable for horses!) and it was too low and too weak. My horse kept getting out and I'd have to go get him since my parents were terrified of him. I remember being picked up from visiting a friend to be brought home so I could bring in my horse from the field in front of our house.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

The only downside I found in all the years of having my horses on site (I board now) was finding someone to care for them if I had to be out of town. Sometimes arranging for hay was a pain, but in every other way, I loved having my horses at home. I had 3 level acres, cross fenced. One area was very large and rectangular and I used it for riding practice. My barn was a modified metal siding garage package (insulated). I had running water with a freeze free hydrant and lights with a timer. I had everything I needed. I really miss it.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

My daily winter horse chores consist of watering about 8 am with a frost free stand pipe. Water again about 1pm then a little grain about 3 and water if they want it. They don't go near the barn so they poop wherever. Two large rounds are set out well apart and they get some exercise walking back and forth and then up to the fence. No hardship at all.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Avna said:


> *The main difference is that you are responsible for everything.*





Avna said:


> *The main difference is that you are responsible for everything.*





Avna said:


> *The main difference is that you are responsible for everything.*





Avna said:


> *The main difference is that you are responsible for everything.*





Avna said:


> *The main difference is that you are responsible for everything.*


16 years, horses in the back yard. 2008, new fencing, 2014, new roof on the house, 2015, new roof on the barn, 2016-7, new roof on the garage.
All expenses, and I am still paying for the barn roof...but it no longer leaks.
Even the heated hose will freeze and I still have to go down 5 steps to the basement and fill buckets and carry them 1/2 an acre to the barn.
Paying for wet cat food to keep the barns cats healthy this winter. Pay to have hay delivered. Still, buying bedding semi weekly.
My horses have to pay attention to me to get fed. I'm the caretaker and I make them wait. I count flakes and everybody is slightly overweight. I save as much good bedding as I can. I think the Equine Fresh and the pine shavings and the straw costs me $2,500.00/winter. They are on pasture the other 1/2 of the year.
Lots of riding hours that I don't have, but I do get to share stale tortilla chips with my 3 horses over the fence...stuff like that. And, I get to kiss my mare's butt when I want to. She'd DIE before she kicked me.
I also get lots of training/leading time during winter turnout. NOBODY drags me or pulls on me. Lots of halting and backing. It used be lots of circling, but I have worn them all down to submission!


Avna said:


> But I wouldn't go back to boarding unless I had to.


Agreed.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Hauling water buckets from the house was the norm for years until one day I was chatting with the local plumber about a frost free. He came out, had a look, gave me a quote, it was installed and it's been a blessing. Walk out, lift the lever, water comes out. Horses drink. Close the lever, done. This winter is the 8th or 9th and it's never let me down.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Saddlebag said:


> Hauling water buckets from the house was the norm for years until one day I was chatting with the local plumber about a frost free. He came out, had a look, gave me a quote, it was installed and it's been a blessing. Walk out, lift the lever, water comes out. Horses drink. Close the lever, done. This winter is the 8th or 9th and it's never let me down.


This is the plan! We will run the pipes below frost level right to the barn. All barns have frost-free water around here because we can get temps down to -35, even -40 Celcius on the coldest nights of the year. To do that you have to keep the water underground until you need it - or so the BO has told me. They also have heated buckets in stalls and a huge heated trough for outside which seems excessive to me. Been reading about insulated watering troughs that run partly on solar energy and planning on locating my right up against the barn where it will be warmest. Worse comes to worse I can go break up the ice three times a day.


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

OP, I'm always a little nervous about heated buckets in stalls, or really anything that can be a fire hazard. If that's the route you want to take, I won't argue or try to persuade you other wise, but if you want some insulation ideas for buckets and such I have a few that have worked well for me. I'd be happy to share!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Just note on breaking ice. When your temps get that low you are not breaking a little bit of ice - it freezes inches deep. I live in NW IL - we run 3 tank heaters all winter long - it does not get nearly as cold here as it does in Canada. We have an outside trough with an insulated box around it and half of the top covered (just enough opening for the horses to get their head in and drink) and as of today that trough is frozen solid. Yes solid- it is a 500lb ice cube. We have had Rubbermaid horse tanks split because the water froze in them

We have a heated 20 gal bucket for my Sr mare and she needs it filled every 1 1/2 days when it is warmer and more when it is colder. This bucket is in an insulated box in her stall 

the one thing on my bucket list is automatic waterer's for all of my horse runs. We have 4. Each horse has a 15X15 stall (that has an open doorway - they are never shut in) with a 30 foot run at the front. They spend nights in their runs and during the day have a sacrifice pen where all 4 are together. In the summer they get pasture turn out part of the day. 

Have fun with your horses at home - I love mine being here - but they are a lot of work. As hubby and I get older the work gets harder but it is still well worth it.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

jenkat86 said:


> OP, I'm always a little nervous about heated buckets in stalls, or really anything that can be a fire hazard. If that's the route you want to take, I won't argue or try to persuade you other wise, but if you want some insulation ideas for buckets and such I have a few that have worked well for me. I'd be happy to share!


Please do! I'm all ears! The heated buckets are unfortunately necessary since it gets cold and stays cold here. The heated compartment is in a sealed off false bottom so the horse never comes in contact with him and the connecting wire is also properly insulated. Our BO uses them and they've never had any issues. I understand your concern, but am not sure how we could manage without them.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

carshon said:


> Just note on breaking ice. When your temps get that low you are not breaking a little bit of ice - it freezes inches deep. I live in NW IL - we run 3 tank heaters all winter long - it does not get nearly as cold here as it does in Canada. We have an outside trough with an insulated box around it and half of the top covered (just enough opening for the horses to get their head in and drink) and as of today that trough is frozen solid. Yes solid- it is a 500lb ice cube. We have had Rubbermaid horse tanks split because the water froze in them


Yikes!!! Yes, I guess I was thinking that if I break up the ice several times a day, it wouldn't have time to build up, but of course it would at night. So maybe a water heater will be necessary. But I like your idea of insulating it and only leaving a small hole for the horse to drink from. Otherwise, you are losing so much heat. Our BO just has a submersible coil in his big trough and the trough is completely exposed. I'd prefer to avoid that.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Acadian, your horse/s will want to remain outside. They go in when the bugs are bad. Other than that they prefer to bum up against a wall and watch both sides. (always a predator in mind). Since I am watering only two, I use a kid's snow saucer on flat ground. It holds a few gallons. It slides like it's greased, light, easy to flip over and dump ice. There's a couple of holes in the lip for rope so I keep it tied to a post. It's always there. They take a surprising amount of abuse. The summer sun is harder on them than a horse pawing at it in winter. My horses want water between 8and 9am and will stand by the saucer. Then again about 1:30 and a little around 3 after they've had their grain which is tossed in the snow.
I used to use a $20 plastic toboggan until I discovered the saucer is easier to pull and dump when full of ice. I can't afford to heat buckets with our outrageous hydro rates and the walk is pleasant.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Saddlebag said:


> Acadian, your horse/s will want to remain outside. They go in when the bugs are bad. Other than that they prefer to bum up against a wall and watch both sides. (always a predator in mind). Since I am watering only two, I use a kid's snow saucer on flat ground. It holds a few gallons. It slides like it's greased, light, easy to flip over and dump ice. There's a couple of holes in the lip for rope so I keep it tied to a post. It's always there. They take a surprising amount of abuse. The summer sun is harder on them than a horse pawing at it in winter. My horses want water between 8and 9am and will stand by the saucer. Then again about 1:30 and a little around 3 after they've had their grain which is tossed in the snow.
> I used to use a $20 plastic toboggan until I discovered the saucer is easier to pull and dump when full of ice. I can't afford to heat buckets with our outrageous hydro rates and the walk is pleasant.


Do you have a picture of this saucer? I'm intrigued! We have some for sliding, but they're quite shallow and wouldn't hold a few gallons. I LOVE the fact that you can just dump the ice out! 

And we are planning on putting dutch doors on the stalls so the horses can go in and out as they please. We will shut them in at night (maybe) or when the weather is severe and we don't want snow all over the inside of the barn. We are putting a pretty wide lip on the roof over the dutch doors too so we minimize the amount of rain/snow that gets in and of course the barn will be elevated from ground level with about 4 ft of soil and aggregate. So there will be a slope around the sides to help with drainage. I am planning a sacrifice paddock coming off the dutch doors, leading into a small pasture, then a larger pasture area so we can open and close each to rotate and allow the grass to grow. I am hoping my sacrifice paddock can also serve as a riding ring, but we'll see. 

I'm going to post some planning diagrams soon - you can tell me what you think about placement, etc. We do have 13 acres, but not all of it is useable for horses and we want to keep some of it for other purposes (apple orchard, etc.). Would love to hear what you think of my ideas so far, esp. since we live in a similar climate.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You can lock your horses in at night during the winter but you will soon rue this idea when you start cleaning up frozen manure. Horses see very well at night, much better than we do. They especially don't like to be stalled in inclement weather as the barn makes noises which keeps them on high alert (more manure). My barn is in two sections with two openings, one in each. There's a gate between the two which is usually open but can be closed to separate the two horses. Heavy canvas hangs over the doorways which keeps the weather out but permits them to freely enter. It also keeps it dark in the summer, which deters the bugs. My horses don't go near the barn once the bugs are done, preferring to head for a thick stand of trees. Three sides of my barn are in the pasture. We get all gung ho to build this and that but think carefully of what you really need once the enthusiasm has worn off. It will be pretty basic.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Saddlebag said:


> You can lock your horses in at night during the winter but you will soon rue this idea when you start cleaning up frozen manure. Horses see very well at night, much better than we do. They especially don't like to be stalled in inclement weather as the barn makes noises which keeps them on high alert (more manure). My barn is in two sections with two openings, one in each. There's a gate between the two which is usually open but can be closed to separate the two horses. Heavy canvas hangs over the doorways which keeps the weather out but permits them to freely enter. It also keeps it dark in the summer, which deters the bugs. My horses don't go near the barn once the bugs are done, preferring to head for a thick stand of trees. Three sides of my barn are in the pasture. We get all gung ho to build this and that but think carefully of what you really need once the enthusiasm has worn off. It will be pretty basic.


Can you post pics or describe this canvas? Does it only cover the top half of the door? I know a lotof things sound good in theory, but aren't practical in reality so anything you can suggest from experience is greatly appreciated!


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

I think a stall would be nice to have sometimes, like if you just bathed your horse and there's a show the next day, if he's recovering from an injury and needs to be calm, etc. However, I agree that he'll probably be happiest at night if he can go in/out. And you'll have to clean a lot less. If you are worried about temp, he could always wear a blanket (although our horses don't and are fine because they never have).


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Jan1975 said:


> I think a stall would be nice to have sometimes, like if you just bathed your horse and there's a show the next day, if he's recovering from an injury and needs to be calm, etc. However, I agree that he'll probably be happiest at night if he can go in/out. And you'll have to clean a lot less. If you are worried about temp, he could always wear a blanket (although our horses don't and are fine because they never have).


This is something I thought about for a long time. Our neighbors (where Harley is boarded) used to let their horses out 24/7. It certainly meant a lot less stall cleaning! But they now bring them in at night. So does everyone else I know in this area. The BO said she decided she wanted her horses in at night for a few reasons: 1 - because when they were out 24/7, she didn't always get a chance to look them over up close and as a result, one of her horses had an injury she didn't notice and it got so bad that even though they tried to treat it, the horse died. Sure, you might tell yourself you will go out every day and look over every inch of your horse, but realistically, you might not (I'm sure lots of you do, don't get me wrong!). 2 - horses that don't get handled regularly may become more difficult to handle when the time comes. 3 - coyotes. A lot of them in our area and they are coy-wolves (crosses between coyotes and wolves) so much larger and more hardy than coyotes living south of the border. They learned to hunt in packs (this comes from wolf genes, because coyotes don't do this) and have taken cows, horses and even humans in this part of the world. 

I just like the idea of having my horses tucked in and safe for the night. But I may change my mind about that in time... nonetheless, as you point out Jan, I feel having stalls available is a necessity. As for blankets, Harley's only worn his once or twice this winter so far. They're pretty tough to the cold. And they were only kept in a couple of times for big snow storms. But the BO puts them in the indoor arena in pairs for a an hour each so he can clean out stalls and let them stretch their legs. Yeah, it's a hard life.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I do both, Fergie is boarded, and hour away, I try and get there 3 times a week to ride her...I love the fact that I don't have to worry about her, she is looked after whatever I am doing. Love that there is a heated barn to take her into for trimming, to get her tacked and untacked, and I LOVE that there is always someone around when I ride.

Ace and Gibbs are at home, I love the fact that I get to go love on them every day, I can hang out whenever I want. Being out 24/7 and on adlib hay, with heated trough, the actual chores aren't that great.

Don't like that I have to arrange cover when I am away, that if one looks a bit 'off' I don't have anyone to ask what they think. I don't have an indoor to ride in, so have to ride outside, and on my own, both of which are an issue for me, and is the reason Gibbs has not been ridden in a while!

I have always kept my horses at home, it is only the last two and a bit years that I have boarded, I kind of like it.


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Acadianartist said:


> Yikes!!! Yes, I guess I was thinking that if I break up the ice several times a day, it wouldn't have time to build up, but of course it would at night. So maybe a water heater will be necessary. But I like your idea of insulating it and only leaving a small hole for the horse to drink from. Otherwise, you are losing so much heat. Our BO just has a submersible coil in his big trough and the trough is completely exposed. I'd prefer to avoid that.


Just don't fill a big trough the whole way in the winter. Sure it will freeze faster, but easier to break/dump when it freezes. Just fill a quarter of the trough, or less. Especially if you are only going to have two horses.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Acadian, do you have a pulp/paper mill in your area? If so, get someone who works there to get you some mill felt. It looks like felt and is tough as can be. For each doorway I hang three strips so it's sweeping the ground. Two strips are side by side, not over lapped and the third strip covers the slit. For a 4' wide doorway each strip is about 30" wide. Horses can easily walk back and forth thro this. Mine have been hanging about 15 yrs and still holding out. I've seen two barn fires in my lifetime and I cannot bring myself to lock a horse in a stall unless I'm right there. A little bit of grain on a daily basis at about the same time will make it easy to check the horses or slip a halter on and remove it every day for a week and it will be part of the routine.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Subbing so I can comment later. I just got through my first year having the horses at home after boarding for many years. Even though when I boarded I was at the barn regularly, there was a bit of a learning curve hahaha


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> Subbing so I can comment later. I just got through my first year having the horses at home after boarding for many years. Even though when I boarded I was at the barn regularly, there was a bit of a learning curve hahaha


I look forward to hearing about your experience!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I haven't figured out how to download pics . If you google Canadian Tire, snow sleds, the green paw sled for less than $10 would work. The saucer is about 30" dia and holds about 3-4" of water. A larger container isn't necessary. As they drink the water, more can be added. Even if full of ice, it slips along easily to dump the ice out of the way. For a while I used the indestructible rubber feed tubs. They must weigh 40lbs when full of ice and awkward to move. They don't exactly slide when trying for a good spot to dump. Upside down and a sledgehammer on the bottom drops the ice. Unless you wait until the horses walk away and dump it each time, you'll be doing this again every few days.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Thanks Saddlebag! I'll go pick one up and experiment a bit!


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Alright so after actual work, horses, and house work I have time to sit down and type! 

As I mentioned before I've boarded for many years. After I got my driver's license 7 years ago I was regularly involved with whatever barn my horses were at. I _thought _I knew the in's and out's and upside down's of keeping a horse on your property. In some ways I was right and in some ways I was wrong but the main thing is in this last year that I've had my boys home with me, I've learned A LOT! 

I'll just kind of list out everything that I can remember individually. A lot of the "bad" things I look back on as comical now.


- The morning that your alarm doesn't go off and you're very late for work is the morning that you walk out and find your horses decided to practice their karate and knock down a bunch of boards from the old fence line. And when you run to get an extra few boards you find none left because you miscounted the amount you wanted delivered from the lumber yard. This forces you to get creative with the broken boards and you arrive at work dirty and flustered and your boss says "Hey we tried to call you to tell you you didn't have to come in today!" Then you quickly realize your phone is still home on the charger. Upside was I got to run to the lumber yard and get the fence fixed haha. 
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- If you think you've walked out the hose enough, you're wrong. And you will realize this the next time you dump and try to fill the water trough. The horses are standing around waiting for their water so you're forced to bring the hoses inside to thaw in front of the wood stove. Once the hose is thawed you go back out to find your Appy dragging the water trough through the field. Awesome. But hey the hose was now thawed!
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- Last minute plans are kind of out. Non-Horse people tend to not understand that 20 minutes before feeding time you can't just up and leave for a concert, or a beer, or a movie. I've been spending A LOT of time with my horse friends because their "last minute" plans, happen AFTER grain time in the evening haha. Now there have been a few emergencies where my horses one night weren't fed until 10pm. I stressed the WHOLE time, only to come home and find my horses completely fine. 

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- My finding a hay guy experience was "fun." The first batch of hay I got the guy only had 150bales and I was like okay that should last me a while. Ha we ran out in the middle of February. So then I was left scrambling for hay. The usual bales I buy are $6 a bale, I was forced to pay $8.75 a bale to get us until hay started to be cut again because I could not find any hay anywhere. Then I found this guy who had $4.50 bales of orchard grass and thought "Oh Wow! I'll go get 20 bales and see how the horses like it!" Needless to say I was excited.

The hay looked very nice. I even checked it and where I put my hand was dry. I got it home and my sister and I tried to unload it only to find them so loosely baled about 12 of them fell apart loose. So I was stuck with a giant mound of hay in my hay stall. It gets worse. 

That night when I went out to feed, I walked into the hay stall and felt warm. I put my arm in the hay pile and it was wet and HOT! I threw those bales outside so fast it would make your head spin! I called the hay guy multiple times and never got a response. So I cracked open all of the bales and kept turning them until they dried. The horses liked it but geez, I about had a heart attack! 

Now I found the most amazing hay guy, he doesn't deliver but I was able to load up with 400 bales from him in September. He called to tell me when he was baling and how much he was planning on getting and asked how much I wanted because he divvy's it up for his regulars so when they come pick it up it's already counted and stacked in "their" spot. He really is amazing! Find an amazing hay person!
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- You may not think 7mph is fast but on a tractor it can be terrifying! Before having a farm I didn't have experience with tractors. Now I've gotten a lot better. I had a little Massey 1010 with a bucket and NO power steering. This incident happened right after I started to feel comfortable with the tractor, you know, the cocky stage. I got the tractor stuck in the mud and even with 4wd it wasn't coming out. So I thought, hey I'll kick it up into 3rd that should help. It helped alright. It shot me forward like a rocket and I ended up going over a stump then over corrected it and sent myself into a tree. Thank goodness the bucket bounced off of the tree. Once the tractor stopped I hopped off and went inside to just chill. Had me so rattled I didn't go near mud with that tractor the rest of the time I owned it! Now I have a big old ford tractor WITH power steering and I LOVE it and it hasn't gotten stuck in the mud since. Power steering all the way!
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- Horses do NOT give a crap if you are sick, in fact, some can be downright evil! (I say that with so much love.) They also do not care if it is below freezing and snowing. I had a 103 degree fever last winter and dragged myself out of bed to brave the snowstorm to clean stalls and feed up. I finished cleaning stalls and dumping grain. Phantom came in perfect as per usual, as did TC. And then there was Dice. Oh Dice, my little trouble child whose neck I wish I could throttle sometimes (Again I say that with SO much love! He's my baby haha) 

What horse doesn't want to come in for grain time? Apparently mine. I had a 103 degree fever, outside in the below freezing weather while it is snowing, trying to catch that stupid horse for 40 minutes. He had a blanket on but it had already soaked through so I needed to get him inside for the night. I tried everything to get this horse in. He just kept trotting, or should I say strutting, around like he owned the place. Meanwhile, I'm bent over trying not to puke my guts up in the horse field. Then I guess he took pity on my because he finally trotted over to the gate and stood there. I didn't know whether to kill him or hug him, so I settled on hugging him and bringing him in to get warm.
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- You get REALLY good at time management. Especially when your alarm goes off in the morning and you're so tired you don't want to get out of bed. You get really good at adding up how much time it will take you to get chores done so you can sleep in those extra 5 minutes. I used to think sleeping in was sleeping until 9-10am, nope I'm lucky if I get to sleep until 7 most days. 



- You get really good at improvising. I needed to move a bunch of pallets up to the barn loft and thought I was going to have to lug each on up the steps. Nope! Trusty Ford tractor bucket to the rescue! Just piled those pallets on and raised the bucket to the loft door. It saved time and my back. 
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- You get to know your horses' true mannerisms. You think you know them but you really don't. Having them at home you start to notice every little, unique thing about them that makes them, them. I knew horses were creatures of habit but they really ARE creatures of habit. That knowledge came in handy the night I lost my heart horse. I knew his routine and when it was just a smidge off I noticed and stayed that extra few minutes to watch him. Me always paying attention to how he acted is what made it possible for me to be with him when he passed that night. If I hadn't known him inside, outside, upside, downside I would have woke up in the morning to a dead horse who suffered all night. So watch the little things. They may not seem BIG but they can be. And listen to your gut. Horses are very good at hiding pain. It took a few minutes for my horse to get painful and had I not listened to my gut and stayed with him I would have never known how much pain he was in. 
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- Another instance of listening to your gut. ALWAYS do it, even if you think otherwise. Just the other day I was leaving for work and Dice hollered to me while I was getting in the truck. I said bye and as I was driving down the driveway I kept wondering if I had locked the gates and chained them. It was just a nagging feeling that I had. I finally said that if I didn't check I would regret it. Sure enough I get back to the fields and one of the chains is undone. I know I touched the chain that morning but I must not have put it on the link all the way and it slipped off. The gate was still latched but without the chain Dice could have opened the latch and escaped, because he's really good at that. The universe gives you little hints. LISTEN to them, they're usually right. 
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- One of the best things is being able to come and go as I please. If there's a show that night and I'm finished everything I can just load up and go! No driving to the barn to pick up my tack and horse then letting the BO know when to expect me back. I just go out, hook up the trailer, get my horse, and go. Same thing with trail rides. I have MILES and MILES of trails right out my back door and I can just go. 
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- If you don't like something you can change it. I didn't like my old man's food because he was losing weight and I didn't have to take it up with anyone to change it, I just did it. You can feed as much hay as you want because you bought it! You want those water troughs cleaned just so, it can be done! My BO hardly ever cleaned the water troughs or buckets. The troughs routinely smelled like pond water in the summer. So when I moved I promptly set a trough schedule and my water troughs are now over a year old and still look brand spanking new because I take care of them. 
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- Make sure your barn is on high ground or at least not at the bottom of a hill. A drain is a really good thing to invest in. The girl who lived here before me didn't tell the truth about a lot of things. The barn flooded TERRIBLY to the point it was up over my ankles and flooded out Dice's stall. She claims it never flooded before, to which I am calling bull spit. The pump area for the barn well had flooded so many times that the pump was destroyed and the well(shallow well) was disgusting! We fill that in and ran a water line from the house.

Fun Flooding Story: I already knew the barn had a tendancy to flood so I dug a little trench hoping to divert the water. A BIG storm cam in one night and I kept checking the barn cameras to see if any water sa getting in. At 12am they were fine, 12:15am it was like someone let a tsunami loose in the barn! I was outside until 1:30am bucketing out water and redigging the trench so my stalls wouldn't flood out. Whoever designed my barn did a terrible, terrible job. We've since put in a drain and so far no more flooding. Thank goodness. 
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- If you are offered help by someone who has experience with what you are doing, take it! Take it, take it, take it! After I lost my heart horse my other two started fighting each other. It was so bad I cam home from work with them both gashed and bleeding from their back legs. I separated them. They started full blown fighting over the fence line. I'm talking rearing and going at it! I decided I had put off putting up an electric fence for too long. I went to tractor supply to get the supplies and was getting a grounding rod when I decided to call my former BO to ask if a certain type of rod was okay. The second I told him he said Noooo and it needs to be however many feet long. Well the rod I had picked up was only 2 ft long. Silly me. He asked if I wanted help and I said No, I'm going to try by myself first. Later on he called and asked how it was going, I hadn't started. He again asked if I wanted help and something told me to say yes because if i wanted it done right the first time, I should get help. And thank goodness I did! Right when I started putting the insulators on the fence posts I messed up. I was screwing them on wrong. Had he not been there and caught me after two my whole fence line would have been mucked up. 
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- Don't let yourself get too low on grain. I have a system where when I'm down to two bags I go pick up grain that weekend. When you're down to a bag left in the can is when your grain store is out of your grain and you have to either drive around like a maniac trying to find one bag to hold you over until their shipment comes in or you're forced to cut back a bit and supplement with more hay. Now I call when I'm down to two bags and she puts all of my grain on a pallet for me. I love it because now I don't have to load it, they use a fork lift AND I get a free pallet out of it! Pallets are VERY useful! 
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- If you can get a chain drag and a quad for your fields do it! I tried to drag the fields with the tractor and it took forever, and my fields aren't that big. Not to mention a tracotr can't get into the nooks and cranys. With the quad I zip through like nobody's business! It takes me about 10-15 mins per field depending on how bad I let it get. In the summer I learned every week keeps the flies down and in winter I get lazy and do every 2-3 weeks. Usually when the ground and poop isn't frozen. 
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- If it's very sandy in your fields, put a stall mat down for hay. Injesting a bunch of sand is obviously not healthy and the stall mats help a TON. My one field had more sand in it and I was worried about the amount of sand they were injesting. The mats helped a ton! 
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- Have a good first aid kit and pray you don't need it. My first aid kit for my horses is huge and I ALWAYS have bute, banamine, and electrolytes on hand. The second I get low on those three things I place my order. They can be lifesavers if the situation needs it. A good amount of salves, creams, thermometer, notepad, alcohol wipes, vet wrap, etc are good to have. A few other things that are good are sanitary pads (GREAT for cuts that need to be covered as they also absorb any leakage) diapers (for hooves), duct tape, flashlight, pen, etc. 
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- Get used to the idea of possibly having to kill or catch an animal that is dangerous to your horses. I came out to feed and low and behold a fat possum sat there staring at me in the grain room. Everyone knows no possums near horse food, or horses in general. I keep my hunting bow in the barn and grabbed it and took aim. I had the perfect shot but the stupid thing looked at me. I couldn't do it. So I settled for sweeping it into a (now trashed) grain drum and relocating him about 15 miles away. 

Although a groundhog decided to make it's home no more than 10 ft from my horse field. He met a very fast end. I waited around the side of the barn with my bow and once he popped up I got him, he never knew what hit him. I cried for a bit and told him I was sorry but it was him or my horses. I would never forgive myself if I came out to find my horse had a broken leg from stepping in a groundhog hole. I'll be getting my gun license soon, just have to find a proper training class. 
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- If you think you need a certain amount of hay, get MORE than that. Give yourself some extra so when it's extra cold you can load their bellies more and it makes them happy too. I always try to keep hay in front of them at all times. If I have to feed them early, I'll give extra hay to supplement the extra time they have to wait for their next meal.
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- I keep a chalkboard in the barn that keeps track of when I have to dump grain bags, how much hay I've used, which horse gets what, when worming is due, and when the next time the farrier is out. I am constantly adjusting the amount of grain my boys get depending on the work they do that day so keeping track helps me know how long it takes to go through two bags of grain at a time so I know how much to get when I pick up grain for the month. Organization is definitely key! I learned that really fast after doing a lot of guessing. 
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- Don't be afraid to call your friends for help or advice. The first few weeks of winter when I was here I texted my friend almost every morning asking if she blanketed her horses that morning. Now I'm a pro at figuring it out myself. Whenever one of my horses acts funny, I'll phone my most first aid savvy friend to get her advice. I tend to be a worry wart and I'll end up giving myself unnecessary vet bills for calling the vet out when I really don't need to. Now I've gotten MUCH better at knowing when vet assistance is necessary. Especially with my old man, I had a friend who was very expereinced with elderly horses so I would call her as Phantom aged to find out if it was just normal aging or something to worry about. It's easy when you board to have people to bounce ideas off of and it's a little harder by yourself since you only have your own opinion. 
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- Routinely check your fence lines. I noticed my one horse got a scratch about twice a week in the same spot on his shoulder. I walked around the fence line to find that a screw had worked itself loose and he was hitting it every day. Now I routinely take a walk around the fenceline to make sure everything is where it should be. If I hadn't of caught the screw it could have fallen out and my horse would have stepped on it resulting in a possible disaster. 
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In A Nutshell:

I had visions of myself riding every day, or at least almost every day but between work, chores, house stuff, and other pets it just doesn't happen. Sometimes I'm lucky if I can jump on bareback for a few minutes. But I LOVE being able to see them outside my window. That makes it worth everything I go through. If I find myself with a few minutes of downtime I can go out to the barn and share a snack with them. Or ever just go to hang out with them. Heck in the summer I even have time to enjoy my coffee while watching them munch hay. 


Nothing is better than washing your dishes and seeing your horses goofing off in the field. It just kind of makes everything better. Sure there are mornings when I wake up and groan at having to clean stalls but knowing they are well taken care of makes it all worth it. I would not go back to boarding unless I absolutely had to for some unknown reason. I love having the freedom to care for my horses the way I want them to be cared for. 


It's hard work, aggravating, time consuming and one of the best things I've ever done. I wouldn't change it for the world. I am so happy having them with me that all of the aggravation is worth it because every morning I am greeted with nickers from my two best boys; and darn if bright eyed horses nickering doesn't put a smile on your face you need to get out of the horse world and get a boat, because it's one of the best things I've ever heard. 
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Sorry it was so long. And believe it or not but there is a TON more. I could honestly write a book about my first year on a farm. :loveshower:


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Phantomcold - THANK YOU!!!! That was the most fun, entertaining, and touching thing I've read in a long time. Sort of reminds me of the time my sister-in-law called me to ask me what having kids was like. I had a 1 yr old and a 3 yr old at the time. I went on for about 15 minutes about all the horrors of it. Sleepless nights, projectile vomiting, dirty diapers, not having a life anymore, etc. etc. She kind of went quiet at the end and said "But there must be something good about it..." and I told her simply "You'll never know that kind of love with anyone else in your life." She now has two and still talks about that conversation. 

I carefully read EVERY comment you made and while some have already been thought of and (hopefully) dealt with (we've already reserved hay for next summer from a good, reliable source, are planning to elevate the barn quite significantly and install good drainage, have two ATVs and a big tractor, have very kind and helpful neighbors, etc.), but a lot of them hit home for me. 

Thanks again. That was a terrific list!


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

Phantom that was fun reading, if you have lots more you could start a thread. Start with that ^^ and add to it as you feel like


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ShirtHotTeez said:


> Phantom that was fun reading, if you have lots more you could start a thread. Start with that ^^ and add to it as you feel like


I agree... all that should be in a sticky!!! GREAT reading for anyone thinking about doing what I'll soon be doing!


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Acadianartist said:


> Phantomcold - THANK YOU!!!! That was the most fun, entertaining, and touching thing I've read in a long time. Sort of reminds me of the time my sister-in-law called me to ask me what having kids was like. I had a 1 yr old and a 3 yr old at the time. I went on for about 15 minutes about all the horrors of it. Sleepless nights, projectile vomiting, dirty diapers, not having a life anymore, etc. etc. She kind of went quiet at the end and said "But there must be something good about it..." and I told her simply "You'll never know that kind of love with anyone else in your life." She now has two and still talks about that conversation.
> 
> I carefully read EVERY comment you made and while some have already been thought of and (hopefully) dealt with (we've already reserved hay for next summer from a good, reliable source, are planning to elevate the barn quite significantly and install good drainage, have two ATVs and a big tractor, have very kind and helpful neighbors, etc.), but a lot of them hit home for me.
> 
> Thanks again. That was a terrific list!


You're very welcome! I'm glad you got a kick out of it. 

It really is great. I can't imagine going back to boarding and wondering if they're eating enough, drinking enough, warm enough, etc. And there's ALWAYS something happening, it definitely keeps you on your toes (kind of like kids haha) Definitely a big but nice and knowledgeable learning curve.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Want to know when a big snow storm will hit? When you're low on feed. Always fetch more feed while you still have enough for two weeks. Keep a can of bute on hand. When the roads are impassible, that's when you'll need it. That and Furazone (antiobiotic paste).


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Saddlebag said:


> Want to know when a big snow storm will hit? When you're low on feed. Always fetch more feed while you still have enough for two weeks. Keep a can of bute on hand. When the roads are impassible, that's when you'll need it. That and Furazone (antiobiotic paste).


Thanks! Yes, I need to put together first aid kit.


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

In addition to having bute and furazone on hand, make sure you have some bannamine also! 

OP, I haven't forgotten about cold weather and water buckets...I've been planning on taking some pictures for you of our set up. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. That is my goal for the weekend!


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

I want to buy phantom's book! I hope there w3ill be a promotion book tour as well!


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

Whinnie said:


> I want to buy phantom's book! I hope there w3ill be a promotion book tour as well!


 You guys have given me a marvelous idea! I guess I'll be sitting at my computer every chance I get! It's not too hard considering how mucky it is out, the ground literally squishes when you walk on it.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I have to apologize for not reading the entire thread.
I will say *Avna's *#2 post summed things up nicely.

1. 13 acres is adequate for two horses, so you've done well in that regard.

1.1 how big is your tractor? You need a brush hog to keep the pastures clean. A 60" belly mower would work if the land is not full of rocks and tree stumps and you keep the mower deck at its highest setting.

BUT that's a lot of wear and tear on a mower deck that bush hogs are built to with stand. If your tractor is a sub compact, a five foot bush hog would work.

If you have a traditional farm tractor, a six foot bush hog should work.

2. If hubby isn't "half a mechanic" and overal repair person, he needs to learn, lol

Otherwise you will find yourself paying thru the nose for even a simple oil and filter change, and greasing the equipment.

Maintenance is *everything* on making old equipment last. Our farm tractor is a 1969 Ford 3000 that we purchased at an estate auction. It was and still is very well cared for and runs "like a top" 

*BARN*
1. Metal roof and be sure the roof pitch is enough to accommodate your heavy snowfall. Last thing you want is for the weight of the snow to collapse the roof.

1.1 metal barns last longer and are less maintenance. Just take a power washer to them. I also power wash the top half of the stalls once a summer.

1.2. We have high humidity so the barn ceiling is insulated. Keeps the humidity from dripping in the summer and helps keep the warmth in the winter.

2. Put gutters and downspouts on. Our barn and workshop are both 13 years old. Neither has ever taken on water, not even during infamous 2010 Nashville Flood when the rains came to where we thought we would need an ark.

3. Put an overhang on the horses' side of the barn. My 20 x 24 overhang was One of my smarter barn expenditures for many reasons. I also had the overhang insulated to keep the humidity from forming.

I have one open-end stall that goes right into a 24' x 100' long paddock and that is the section of barn with the overhang. 

It is great for the horses. Great for the farriers in warm weather. Great just to stand under it on a rainy day and take in "my world of horses" and all the smells that go with it.

This is when you really appreciate the gutters and down spouts. I have never had mud under that overhang and we have never put gravel down.

4. My barn is 24 x 40. i housed four horses, 330 bales of hay and a tiny kitchen area. I have kept my tack in the house since I was kid so, had no need for a tack room.

Lastly, from everything you've said, you should have had horses all your life. I hope your daughter also has that born-in-the-blood addiction. If she can walk, she is old enough to help with some little daily thing

My son helped me carry buckets of water to the barn and feed when he was little. He, however, broke my heart when he realized there was this thing called dirt bikes, lol. Our trade off was I would take him dirt biking at the local sand and gravel bank and in turn he would ride with me IF I was hauling the horses up to camp in the Allegheny Mountains for the weekend.

Hope this gives you more ideas


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Thanks for all that walkinthewalk! 

Hubby inherited our old farm tractor from his dad. It's a very, very OLD Ford! I think it might even be older than yours, LOL. But like yours, it runs like a top. Hubby drives it into a guy down the road for a tuneup now and then, but it's simple and easy to fix. Nothing fancy on this one! We have a bush hog, a box blade, a disc harrow, a spreader and a bunch of other stuff that may or may not have an actual use.  Last year we bought a 185 acre woodlot so hubby really ramped up his inventory of "toys" (lucky for me). 

We also have two atvs (one is technically mine, but I almost never use it) which are useful for hauling things around (we have a trailer that hooks up to mine, but I'm looking into a dump trailer for manure). 

The barn will be 32 x 48 because one end will be a tractor bay (fully enclosed from the stalls of course). This also works in my advantage because the 6 ft wide snowblower attachment that hooks onto the tractor will be stored in there and will clear a nice wide path for me from the barn to the house - no more carrying buckets and hay over snowbanks! I will have 3 stalls and a tack room. 

The barn will be built out of wood, but with a metal roof and metal siding. The contractor specializes in agricultural buildings locally (he has some himself and all his brothers are farmers) so he knows snow loads. We will put in a full concrete foundation but leave the bottoms of stalls open - those will have aggregate and tailings covered with rubber mats. 

I agree about the overhang... I like the idea of a nice, long one. Saw a lovely barn recently, not far from here, so I may go back and take pictures. I think their overhang was about 16" out and ran along one side of the barn. They could store things under there too. Good place to groom in the summer, etc., when they're really dirty or shedding badly. 

Not sure about insulation. With the cold we have here, I've read it's best to have really good ventilation. Too many barns around here end up with condensation because of barns shut in too tight. I'll ask around to see what others have done, but I don't think most people insulate their barns. I know that sounds odd, but allowing air to move freely should avoid any moisture issues. It's something I don't know enough about though, so I'll have to do some investigating. 

Gutters and downspouts, got it. Nothing more annoying than walking into a barn when it's raining and having a waterfall come down on your head. Horses don't much like it either! 

Thanks for the tips! As we get closer I'll start posting more detailed plans and pictures. One big issue I have is the orientation of the barn and placement of stalls. Will make that a separate thread.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

The best thing I ever did is move my horses home ! I've always been the type that goes to the barn everyday when I was boarding and basically did most things for my horses (except provide hay and water ) I've always done daily grain, blanket changes, care, etc. moving them home saved me so much driving time and allows me to be able to monitor them more closely. 

My ponies live outside and do not have shelter besides a wind break of trees that are on the other side of the fence. If the weather is bad (freezing rain, lots of rain or snow, or very cold with high winds) I put them inside. The mare has her own stall and the boys share a pen. They can see each other through a large window that has no glass in it. I find they want to go in during bad weather and are not stressed out to be in the barn, even the mare who is separated. 

It's definitely much easier to have them in the pasture and much as possible, it really cuts down on your work load ! Even in the winter when I feed hay multiple times a day, if I'm in a hurry I can spend as little as half an hour doing chores for the day.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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