# Boarding "rules"



## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

I would keep looking. Barn 1 is probably the best sounding one, but not being able to ride alone would seriously irk me, since half the time I am riding alone. Barn 2 is for rich people. It is a trainer barn that coordinates with one vet and farrier. Nice facilities but it sounds like they are either taking advantage of people or have some very good reasons. That would be a no go for me.
Barn 3 sounded the best until they said they isolated young horses. That is SERIOUSLY detrimental to a horse's health and well being. If you would like me to tell you the YEARS I went through trying to socialize my mare who ATTACKED strange horses, I will. I had to constantly be on guard with her around strange horses and it was no fun. She spent last summer in a herd of mares and presto! No more problems. She got over it.

If you've only got three to pick from, I would go with barn 1. Its the least ridiculous. It is totally different doing boarding vs. caring for them yourself. You have to be willing to give and take. I have never found an ideal boarding situation. The place I'm at now is the best place I have ever been at, for full board. She does a feeding program different from what I would like, no outside people without asking first, and off the property by 8pm. Those are the main rules and ones I can deal with.

The biggest problems I've had is people telling me how to manage, train, and ride my horse. That drives me nuts. It is more common for that to happen at smaller facilities. At the bigger facilities, I have had issues with not knowing who is messing with my horse and having tack 'borrowed'/stolen. I was at a self care facility for a while. It was great, except there were no trails to ride to. And then another boarder arrived on the property, and all of a sudden I started finding the tack room in my trailer a little cleaner than I had left it and things put in different spots.

I won't lie to you. Horse boarding is a nightmare, at least it has been for me. I hope you find somewhere you can like, or at least tolerate.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

how much time will you be able to spend with Trouble, since you'll be in school, no? 

what are your eventual goals with him?

which is more important; trail or arena?

are you used to being in teh midst of a lot of riders?

can you accept the barn's choice of vet/farrier?

personally, I rather like the first one. most folks don't go to the barn after 10 anyway.

also, where in Alberta? low land or higher elevation. will impact how cold it gets in winter. may be milder than wheere you come from or not.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

vet check every 2 months? are they paying for that?! lord! i have a vet out only if i need them! if my horse is fine for a year my vet wont see him that year!


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> how much time will you be able to spend with Trouble, since you'll be in school, no?
> *I will be seeing him every day, as he's a part of my curriculum.
> *
> what are your eventual goals with him?
> ...


Also I'm near Lloydminster, close to the Saskatchewan border


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

If I had to I'd got with 3. Not being able to ride alone would not fly with me, especially if it's not a busy enough of a barn to have people around all the time. Number two just sounds like it has so many rules I would go crazy. Have to log all of your visits? Mandatory vet checks? Not allowed your own vet and farrier? And they make you turnout out your own horse? Am I reading that? Though really, $500 isn't that expensive for full board in AB. I pay a bit more than that for less facilities.

Though I think you can find something else.

Where in AB are you looking. I know several places around the Edm area.

Edit: Nvm. I see you're near LLoyd. Vermillion? I don't know anything that far east.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

ApuetsoT said:


> If I had to I'd got with 3. Not being able to ride alone would not fly with me, especially if it's not a busy enough of a barn to have people around all the time. Number two just sounds like it has so many rules I would go crazy. Have to log all of your visits? Mandatory vet checks? Not allowed your own vet and farrier? And they make you turnout out your own horse? Am I reading that? Though really, $500 isn't that expensive for full board in AB. I pay a bit more than that for less facilities.
> 
> Though I think you can find something else.
> 
> ...


The big barn has a lot of hidden costs  you pay a "fee" for grain that everyone can use, you split costs on the years worth of hay, there's a collective cost for the bi monthly vet, and another collective cost for having the vet and farrier "available". I'm going to scratch that off the list.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

yeah, rereading makes me think option #3 is best, too.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Number 3 sounds like the only good choice. It's been my experience that the largest stables have the most rules and they are always adding more to try and control the sheer number of horses and people on the property. I will say that most stables give each boarder a key to the barn itself and the tack room at least. No riding alone? Are you kidding me? "Trailer cannot be used to trailer to contending trainers / Mandatory vet exam every 60 days / No outside farrier or vet service " These would be particularly offensive to me. They are acting as if* they* own your horse!


I just left a 32 stall "partial care" barn after 12 years because things have gotten so bad it was no longer fun to be with my horses. Every time I headed for the barn I found myself gritting my teeth! Six pages of rules, more and more being added, no repairs or maintenance on the place for at least 6 years and the price increased 5 times in 3 years. They are losing boarders like crazy right now and I'm just happy and relieved to be out. Barn owners sometimes forget that we are the ones who own these animals and also that we are there for relaxation and enjoyment, not to be treated like bad children.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Barn #2's vet visit requirement is waaaaaaaaay over the top, IMO. It's their trailer that you rent, so they can set limits on where it's to go or what it's to be used for. So, if you want to haul off property to another trainer, buy your own trailer. The rest are not that bad, IF their vet & farrier are any good. I suspect you'll find they charge to hold for the vet & farrier, which is why they don't allow outside ones to come in. They lose their holding fees and I wouldn't be surprised if the farrier & vet didn't give them a little "sumpin sumpin" for being exclusive. They sound like they have the best facilities, far and away, but for a trail rider and not a show rider they may be way more than you require. 

Barn #1's no riding alone rule is for liability. When I have had boarders I don't allow it either. I don't really care if you ride alone, but the insurance does. I'd be glad of a locked barn & tack room, cuts down on theft. Logging in and logging out is actually a good idea, if you go out on trail and don't come back, it's nice to know you will be looked for. Log in, don't log out, they start looking. If you were taking your horse off property, you'd have logged out. After 9 or 10 pm, yes, I'd want you to call me and let me know you were coming or at the barn. If I saw lights on in the middle of the night or someone moving around, I'd be going outside and checking and I'd be expecting trouble. 

I don't like #3's isolation policy and the fact that a friend is not allowed to come with ever, is a little off putting but I could live with that. A 60 X 60 arena isn't much, but if you're not a real heavy arena user it might be enough. The board costs seem too low to me though, do you have to furnish your own feed? 

I think boarders forget that they are merely renting a place to store their horse, not renting out a whole property. The BO or manager is responsible for every horse and every person on the property, and frequently it is their HOME too. Boarders are guests on privately owned property (most of the time) and need remember to be considerate of other's property. I have boarded and I have had boarders. When I've boarded I've been pretty appalled at some of the behavior I've seen from other boarders. When I've had boarders, well...let's just say I decided the extra money wasn't worth all of the extra time and effort it took to keep them happy.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

If I had to pick one I would say barn number three. It doesn't say that you can't bring a friend, they just can't go in the barn. The price is right even if you do provide your own food. Actually, I prefer that. The rule about young horses being pastured alone in barn three sounds horrible but if it doesn't affect you then nothing to worry about. I also like that there is a lake and mile and miles of trails to ride. 

Barn number one would be out for me only for the "no riding alone rule". I can't do that rule.
Barn number two is just way over board with the vet and farrier thing. I have a vet see my horses a couple of times a year and it's a vet that I like and a farrier that I like. Even if I liked who they chose, I think a vet every two months is just them picking your pockets.


I don't agree that a boarding facility is just a place to store your horse. That is why amenities are provided in most places. Most people go to ride their horses and enjoy them. It's not like storing an atv in a storage unit or something. I do agree that you are a guest on their property and respect and consideration should be given.

After all of that is said, I think the number one thing I would ask myself would be "Is my horse going to be happy there?" Where I keep my horses, the price is reasonable and I don't have to worry about my guys being fed and cared for properly when I'm not around. The place has some downfalls too but they are downfalls that I can deal with.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Personally, I don't know that I like the sound of any of these :/
Are there no other options in the area?

I won't comment on facilities, because that varies from person to person.
But some of these rules seem a little excessive?

Frankly, I'm already confused about barn one.
When you say the barn and tack room are locked, does this mean the boarder will have keys? Or will there be times that you do not have access to your horse and equipment?
If it's the former, then good! Security is a good thing. If it's the latter, that's immediately a no go. It's unreasonable to be paying board and have the barn dictate when you're allowed to see your horse.
I also don't like the "visits after 10pm must be called in."

Barn two seems questionable as well...
I don't mind using their predetermined vet and farrier provided I'm happy with their services... but a vet check every two months? That sounds extremely excessive. 
Two, I don't like that you can't 'trailer out' to visit other trainers. I can understand not wanting other trainers on the property, but how would they ever even know if you chose to trailer out? xD

Barn three sounds like the most reasonable...
Except for the 'no outside citizens.' What does that even mean? Your family/friends aren't allowed to come watch you ride or enjoy your horses?
No thank you.


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

I'd keep looking as I just couldn't handle those rules


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

The no riding alone would be hugely problematic for me! I would hate to drive all the way to the barn to find that no one was there. 

No visitors would bother me too. I don't bring visitors often, but sometimes it's fun to have a friend along or a family member that wants to see the horse. 

The hours thing I get, especially if the family lives there. 10 p.m. is late and I too would want to know who was showing up.

The heated indoor would really add a lot of riding time, depending on your climate. I may put up with a lot of other garbage just for that luxury.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

The rule that would really get me is the no riding alone thing- probably 50% of the times I ride now would not be possible under that rule. Do they in turn promise that someone is always on site during "open" hours?


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Zexious said:


> Two, I don't like that you can't 'trailer out' to visit other trainers. I can understand not wanting other trainers on the property, but how would they ever even know if you chose to trailer out?


The rule states that you can't rent their trailer to trailer out to a different trainer. Basically, you can rent their trailer, but not if you're going to use it to trailer to a different/off-site/competitor trainer.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I would keep looking, if you want to do anything useful during the winter you need a covered arena to work in. The no riding alone would worry me about barn #1, #2 just to many rules and the 60 day vet check, unless included in board is crazy.

#3 just sounds a little off....

Next?


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

Reading this thread makes me realize how lucky I am boarding my horse at the barn that I manage, although we do have some rules. We require shots and worming . . . do it yourself, your vet, or ours, just do it. Boarders may certainly bring a guest but they are responsible for that person. Our insurance says nothing about helmets or riding alone on your own horse. (good thing because I seldom wear a helmet and usually ride alone. I would consider barn # 3. I don't care for the separation of young horses, but that rule might possibly be waived if the young horse has been used to group turnout and can be introduced correctly.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I'd talk with the owners of either #1 or #3 to see how flexible they are. 
#3 sounds the best to me, with nice riding areas. It could be they only mean very young horses are alone because they don't have the right fencing for foals in the big pastures. Or it also could mean they have a mare or two that are mean to young horses. Either way, it could be something that is more flexible than it seems at first. 

#1 I would talk to and see if I could sign a special waiver that allowed me to ride alone, assuming all liability. If they're concerned about being sued, there should be a legal solution where you could assume your own risk. If it's a personal thing they have that no one should ever ride alone, then that would be a deal breaker for me. I can't arrange my life around when someone else might ride. Also it can be hard to find someone who wants to ride with you, especially if you have a fast paced or hot horse.

What if they had an endurance rider at the barn? How could that person expect someone else to go ride 20 miles with them at a fast pace so they wouldn't be alone? Some people also prefer to ride alone in the quiet with their horse. To me that is one of the most ridiculous rules there is. Perhaps a young person under 16 shouldn't ride alone, that would be a more sensible rule.

I think it's normal to have a rule that says you need to call if you're going to be at the barn late. An owner should be able to expect the barn lights will be off by a certain time, and if not they will worry and rush over to see if someone is messing with the horses or robbing the place. 

The best boarding stables I've been at were small, private barns with few rules and flexible owners who only boarded so they'd have people to ride with or be able to justify a nice facility for their own horses. That only works if you have the same philosophies about horses. 

I've been at facilities that were too "hands off" and let people keep horses inside in dirty stalls for days and weeks and handle with abusive practices, even riding lame horses.
I've also been at facilities that were too "hands on" and wanted to tell you what type of bridle to use, to micromanage your hoof care and to impose their beliefs to the detriment of your horse's health (turned out all the horses together so they could be out 24/7 even though some were getting harassed, not allowed to eat, and skeletally thin).


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## StoneWings (Feb 22, 2015)

I would go with three if I were you. It seems to be the most reasonably priced. The second one souds terrible simply because of all of the rules. You have to use their vet? No vet knows everything. I know this from experience. What happens if your horse has a problem that their vet can't seem to figure out? One would be the best, but the no riding alone rule gets me. Especially with how small it is. I feel like you would have trouble finding time to ride, especially if you do not have any family members or friends willing to sit and watch you ride.


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