# Board in the Seattle/Tacoma WA area



## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

bumpity bump


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## Boomdiata (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi-

I'm new to these forums so I hope I'm doing this right! I know a bunch of barns in the Seattle-ish area and can help you at least narrow down what you should go visit. I would need to know more about you and your riding though. Trails? Dressage? Hunter Jumper? Do you like more laid back facilities or more regimented facilities? I currently board in the Seattle area (though technically it's Woodinville which is outside of Seattle) and have been to numerous barns!


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

well i did make my trip to seattle last month to look around but, crazy as this sounds, i literally came down with chicken pox the third day of my trip so suffice to say i didn't get to see much!  

at any rate, i'm quite particular about how my horses are cared for - at least my TB as he's a bit of a special case. he must be blanketed in the cold, he must be fed all of his grains and supplements and he must have more hay than most people want to give him. finding a place that will accommodate him which won't break the bank is key. i also have a stud colt who has fantastic manners and no "special" needs to speak of. he still hasn't realized he's a stud so that's a plus and i'm hoping he stays that way.

as far as riding goes, i ride dressage and trails so an all-weather arena and access to trails would be fantastic. i sold my trailer when i got divorced a few years ago and have yet to replace it so being able to ride to trails would be great. hopefully i'll have purchased a trailer before i move but i'd rather not bank on that.


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## Boomdiata (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi-

Do you have any idea what area you would be living in? A lot will depend on if you're in *actual* Seattle or south or north of it. 

I think the hardest part will be the stud colt. I don't know many barns that will take studs, no matter how well behaved.

Let me know where you think you might be living and I can give you a few to go look at or at least to look at their websites!


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

to be honest, if i could find a place/house to rent on horse property that would be the best option. if i transfer with my current job i will be working in the city on 1st street and my boyfriend will be working up by capitol hill if that gives you an idea.


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## Boomdiata (Oct 11, 2011)

It's pretty challenging to find horse property rentals in the surrounding areas these days. But here's the neighborhoods you should check out. 
30-45 minutes from Seattle (with no traffic) are Redmond, Woodinville, Bothell and Renton.
You could also look in Issaquah and Snohomish, though with traffic they can take a little bit longer to get to. There are a ton of boarding barns, most have indoors and a few have access to trails also. Prices are usually between $500 and $600 for full care (you can find ones without an indoor for lower and there's a ton of fancy barns that are higher). 
If you find a barn and want to know about it, send me a message! I've either boarded at them, taken a lesson or visited.  Good luck!!


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## Rowzy (Mar 1, 2010)

Full care can run you 400-600 a month depending on what you are looking for. Partial care might be hard to find but I was paying 250 a month and I had an indoor arena (but now sadly this place has changed hands several times). Self care will cost like 100-200 a month.

I know there are a few affordable barns in the May Valley area in Renton (this area is a little weird, some of the addresses are Newcastle and Issaquah as well) but I don't know if they will take studs. I also see house for rent signs that look like they have horse property in this area all the time if that's what your looking for.

Edit: It also depends on how far you are willing to drive/spend time commuting to Seattle.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

i currently commute 50mins each way for work so the drive really doesn't bother me any. i'm more concerned with the care of my horses as i've had some less than pleasant experiences with boarding before. i'd rather not have that happen again if i can help it.

the plan at this point is to find a cheap apt for the first 3-6mths so that we can really get a feel for the area and look for horse property to rent or determine what boarding facilities will work. then i'll bring the horses up so i won't feel rushed to put them somewhere and then hate it.


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## birdiechirp (Sep 21, 2011)

Boomdiata said:


> Hi-
> 
> I'm new to these forums so I hope I'm doing this right! I know a bunch of barns in the Seattle-ish area and can help you at least narrow down what you should go visit. I would need to know more about you and your riding though. Trails? Dressage? Hunter Jumper? Do you like more laid back facilities or more regimented facilities? I currently board in the Seattle area (though technically it's Woodinville which is outside of Seattle) and have been to numerous barns!


Hey, I actually just moved to Redmond, and have been looking around a bit at places to take lessons. I'm a poor college student, so a working student arrangement would be ideal. Do you know of any barns in the area that would be willing to do this? I'm mainly looking for dressage, perhaps even eventing. But honestly, just being able to ride would be awesome, so really any discipline. Thanks!


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

birdie - i'd love to get your thoughts on any of the places you look at.


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## Boomdiata (Oct 11, 2011)

I don't know of any barns that currently are taking working students. There is one barn in Woodinville that you should RUN not walk away from. If I knew how to send you both private messages, I would. I don't want to bash them widely on a public forum but you should stay far away. If you send me messages maybe I can figure out how to respond to them! 

Good barns in the Redmond area for dressage/eventing would be:

Saddle Rock Stables (eventing). I haven't ridden there but I liked the instructor who is young but seems quiet and thoughtful. There are horses for lease last time I checked.

Dressage Dancers - this is a very low key barn in Woodinville. It's mostly beginner oriented, but the woman who runs it is very nice and there might be a possibility for a working student position if you're a more advanced rider.

Hilltop Stables- eventing barn. Not sure about their lesson program. They do take EXCELLENT care of their horses though.

Riders Edge Farm- the people were really nice but board is pretty expensive and I think lessons were also kind of pricey.

There are some super fancy dressage barns that I haven't visited since I know they're out of my price range, but you might look into the working student thing. I know that San Sebastian Farms (Lisa Copeland) is looking for a groom but I don't know anything about her or her farm. It might be worth checking out. The ad is on craigslist.

I hope this helps.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

to PM - click on the person's username on the left side of the screen. a drop down menu will appear. select "send private message" or whatever it says exactly.


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## birdiechirp (Sep 21, 2011)

Thank you for the list! I started googling, and the first one looks promising, I emailed her. Also, thanks for letting me know about that barn. I tried to reply to your message, but apparently I haven't posted enough to use the PM feature (I'm more of a lurker). I've actually seen ads on Craigslist from that barn, and I thought it seemed sketchy.


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