# Do I move or stay? (Long post;TDLR included)



## Serpentines (Jun 26, 2019)

*Do I move or stay? (Long post;TLDR included)*

I've been at my current barn for 4 years now, and sadly it was never my dream barn. I moved there out of necessity and have stayed due to it being familiar. But in the past couple of years, I've been debating moving. I've found other barns in my area that have more of the things I desire in a boarding barn but are a lot more expensive and a bit further away. 
My current barn in 15 minutes away and about $380 a month for the board, feed, and all. Sounds great and all but it comes with its cons as well. My horse has a paddock with a 3 sided run-in stall and the largest paddock on the farm but there isn't grass turnout (I have to hand walk her in the field since it isn't fenced). There is just a hose outside and no washrack/hot water faucet which I hate. The only tack-up area is in the arena as there aren't any crossties in the aisle so it is hard for more than 1 person to be tacking up at a time. The tack room is a mess (dirty, unorganized, covered in spiders and mold and I worry my tack will become damaged due to this and have already found mold on my saddle before). The indoor arena is small so I cannot run barrels/poles during the winter as it rains all the time here in PNW so we can't ride in the large outdoor arena. BO only feeds 2 flakes of hay/day to my QH who is on a dry lot so I have to buy extra hay for her even though hay was said to be provided in the board cost (I feel like 2 flakes for a 1000lb QH on a dry lot is not nearly enough). I have had numerous issues with my horse's stall being unsafe and they were not fixed in a timely manner or I felt like BO didn't take me seriously and I had to fight to get things fixed. IE, rusty nails poking out of walls, holes in the walls so other horses could stick their head into her stall, major erosion of stall hillside, large 'potholes' in the stall, muddy stalls...etc. And this barn has no access to trails which I love but haven't been on any since moving here as hauling is not easy for me to do. (It also has no bathroom which isn't that high on my con list but we all know that riding while having to pee is the literal worst)

With all this being said, the cost is great here as it is the cheapest in the area with most other barns being $500-$600/month and up to 30/40 minutes away. I also like the BO as an instructor and he has been my favorite instructor in the past 6 years of me riding. He also happens to be my farrier (all around sort of guy) so I haven't had to hold my horse for shoeing since I moved here, I just text him she needs a trim and then the next day it's done which is amazing. 

My biggest hold-back on moving is losing the familiarity of this place. I love the instructor but I don't love the facilities. I feel in some ways that it takes some of the joy out of owning a horse when I can't do the things I want to and have the facilities I want. I can't trail ride or groom my horse easily and winter riding becomes a bore sometimes. Is it worth it to move and take the risk of losing the few things I love for the possibility of gaining more at a new facility?

TDLR:
Cons are outweighing the pros at my current barn (9 cons to 4 pros), do I move or stay?

Cons:
No grass turnout 
No washrack/hot water faucet 
1 tack-up area only
Dirty, moldy, and disorganized tack room
Small indoor arena
BO only feeds 2 flakes of hay/day 
Stall being unsafe 
No access to trails 
No bathroom


Pros:
Cost
Distance from me
Awesome instructor
Great farrier


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

What are your other options? There are several deal breakers for me, so I'd definitely be looking to move. Imo, it's worth paying more for better facilities.
I pay more than you for just outside board, but it comes with unlimited hay, safe fencing, large heated indoor facilities, very good farrier and I never have to hold him. A good instructor comes second to care to me. I'd rather take no lessons than deal with shoddy management. I've struggled too much in the past to maintain my horses weight and feet in environments not suited to him.

Search around, you'd be surprised the kinds of places that are out there.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I'd take my Pro/Con list and then also do a Dream Barn list and then I'd go do a thorough look over at the barns fairly near that appear to have the things on your wish list. Break that wish list down a little further to "What MUST I have and if it's not there, not gonna move" & "What is not a deal breaker but would be Amazing to have" and convert all that to a check list. Then for each of the new places, do another pro/con list and see how they really stack up. If it's not really heavily weighted in favor of the new barn, I would not move. No boarding situation is perfect, but is it really all that bad? Those lists will really help you answer that question.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Don’t forget this is a lot like dating....the other barns look really good until you get there. The grass is always greener. And horsepeople are really good at telling you what you want to hear. If you move, don’t burn that bridge back to the old barn......


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

You get what you pay for and pay for what you get.
I heard some cons, I also heard some pros...
Is the trade-off you will gain outweigh what you will lose?
Will the new barn give you all the things you want and desire and will it give you your needs met...

To me, turnout is important, having grass is _not _a necessity...
Being fed hay in plentiful amounts no, fed in amounts for my horse to thrive, yes.
If there is a limit on how much the barn feeds per day, that is not unheard of and if your horse needs more it _is_ your responsibility to supply.
What kind of hay does the barn feed? High nutritional value or garbage junk?
Same as feed...quality or junk busy food?
Sorry, a tacking area to me in not a necessity...there are fences around you can tie off to...bring your stuff and do it where the horse can be secured to a fence rail if need be.
Finding a nail poking out in a stall, pick up a hammer and fix it so your horse not be hurt...
Uneven stall floor, depending upon how severe might be a issue or might not.
Safe, solid walls I would expect to be fixed the same day a hole is found,...and that is a very large hole for a horse to stick their head through to develop overnight.
A small indoor needing shared with others...no different will you find it anyplace that does boarding.
Wash-stall...I would be happy with a hose and the ability to wash the horse...
No trails, if you ride trails exclusively would of had me gone "years" ago if that was my passion...otherwise ride in the grass field works or ride to trails if they are nearby.
Your tack and a mold issue is your issue not the barns.
You don't like the mess and nasty of the tack room shared by boarders...make a tack room clean-up day and tackle it together, then keep it neat & clean. 
Those who inhabit and use said tack-room create the messy environment and filth. 

The items you complained about are more aesthetics, wants not must haves...
Close to home means a lot to me.
So does the horse being able to get out of its stall even on a drylot.
Your instructor is here who you learned much from.
Your farrier is here..
A bathroom is a necessity, but not having one discourages you from hanging out at the barn for endless hours...if you truly needed a bathroom the owner would not allow you in their home if it is onsite?
There is no port-a-lav?

You currently pay not much for board.
What is your wants are things, amenities you find in more expensive places...
But even in more expensive places you will find many things you don't like..
Tis true what greentree says, "Don't burn bridges" unless you plan to never return or use the services of farrier, trainer ever again...
The make a list for each place you go visit as a possible new facility is a good one. :smile:
Decide what you must have, no exceptions.
Then decide what you need...
Then decide what you want...

Can pretty much figure you need to look for a new instructor added to that list, along with probably a farrier.
Now to begin your search and remember travel time in bad weather is far more than dry, sunny road conditions...to start with more than double in travel time = less horse time spent together if time constraints you deal with.

Also remember that a busier facility also has restrictions on what you can do, what is available to do when you want it and how many others will you be sharing those said facilities with daily..
Get any prospective barns list of open hours of operation, times the indoor will be open for free riding, rules of setting up your barrels and who puts up takes down or what..?
Do wash stalls have the hot water availability since you made a point of that?
Are their multiple safe areas for tacking up? Not to put your horse and leave it for endless amounts of time that is what a stall is for..
Do you need to walk distances to indoor arena from those preparation areas?
Is the tack room locked? By whom? Who has keys to it? How is tack safeguarded it not walk or be used by others "borrowing"?
How much food, hay and feed, is fed? Are there limits to amounts and what are they? At what times and by whom are they fed?
Who cleans my stall? How much bedding is put in daily/weekly or as needed?
Who handles my horse? Who is permitted to handle my horse and for what reasons?
Does the barn have farriers, vets and instructors must be used or are outsiders welcome?

A start to the list I would be watching for, asking pointed questions about...
The biggest one and one you did not mention...
Do the horses come to greet you from their stalls in curiosity or hide in the back?
Do horses look healthy and well fed, cared for?
Are the boarders friendly and outgoing to someone new?
Does the barn smell of ammonia when you enter?
Is it bright or dark and dirty appearing?
Are cleaning items neatly stored away or left lying about?
Is the property fenced completely?
Is the property clean of garbage on the ground, grass cut and neat appearing....
All those small things tell a large tale about the facility, who runs it and who maintains it and that = the care your horse will receive too...little hidden truths that tell a mountain of info.
There is more but these things to think about will get you started...
Do check carefully any place you visit...and remember the horse grapevine of rumor is fast. And vicious...
Before you get back to your current barn it will probably be known you are barn-shopping...
:runninghorse2:...


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

Will your instructor/farrier do off-property teaching and trims? My instructor has boarders but she also travels around and gives lessons at other barns in the area. Heck, she PREFERS people not to board at her place! Maybe you can keep the services you like and get a better boarding situation. If boarding there kind of sucks... your BO may not be super into having boarders in the first place. You might be surprised.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Ummm, I'd move. Sooner rather than later. Paying that much & your horse barely gets any hay, and no grass access? If there's no grass, the LEAST the BO can do is provide unlimited hay...period. No excuse for that. Screams ULCERS waiting to happen! Horses constantly need forage.

I would move. More cons than pros, no reason not to go. I've had to move my horse a few times. Never burned ANY bridges in doing so.  Just explain your situation. If you move, you don't have to burn bridges...at all. 

Make sure you give a 30 days notice of course. A place closer to home may be more convenient, but then again, are you really getting your money's worth out of that place? Probably not. Driving a little further may be worth it. Plus, trails are awesome & it'd be better if you were at a place that had access to them!

Maybe they'd still travel to do your horse's feet, make it known that you only trust them with her feet.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

There is one thing that I don't get about boarding at some places. If it is said that board includes feed and hay, why isn't enough feed and hay included? Why does the owner have to pick up the slack and that is considered normal?
I can see it if I showed up with my 2200 lb draft, that would probably and understandably be an exception. Or maybe an extremely hard keeper. If it is said that hay is included and then not enough is provided, I find this deceptive. I would rather be told that it is not included at all and then I know what to expect and decide on what I'm spending my money on.

Op, you really have to give and take in most situations. You have to think about what is important to you, find what you want and expect to pay for it. Also, understand that everyone sees things differently. Example: At my boarding facility, the B/O's husband was complaining that another boarders horse had kicked a hole in the wall and that he would be happy if that horse was gone. I pointed out that thin sheets of plywood were not exactly made to contain an 1100 lb animal and actually is a liability. Also when you position animals in a way that they irritate each other, it makes it more likely to happen. So it isn't the horses fault.

The place where I board certainly has it's faults. Some the B/O doesn't even have much control over and these faults bother her too. Others can be fixed and I will fix things for myself if need be. I do this because the board is reasonable and it's 12 minutes away from my home. The pros for me is that I trust the owners and know them even at their worst. I know how they do things and what to expect. I can work around most of the things that I don't like and make it better for myself and my horses.

If you think that another place suits your needs and wants better, you can afford to pay the extra money and driving time then you should go. You have to do what is best for your horse and yourself.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

OP, how much are you paying for the hay you provide yourself? Add that to you current board bill and use that value when comparing to other places. You can also inquire about slow feeder nets for either your current place or a new place if your horse tends towards overweight. Lots of BOs will just feed less to overweight horses instead of regulating intake better.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I only skimmed everyone elses responses and have a couple Questions:

Is your horse maintaining his weight on the feed that "not dream barn" is providing?

Do you have a trailer/Can you haul back in to your old barn for lessons? 

Does the new barn have an instructor?

Are there people to ride with at new barn? Is it private? As in at someones house or is it a business type barn?

How does turn out work at the new barn? Is it a set time frame, is it all the time, is it so many hours?

How does riding time work? How many rings?

Do you have to use their vet and farrier or can you choose?

How much do they feed and how often?


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

LoriF said:


> There is one thing that I don't get about boarding at some places. If it is said that board includes feed and hay, why isn't enough feed and hay included? Why does the owner have to pick up the slack and that is considered normal?
> I can see it if I showed up with my 2200 lb draft


My situation. Except yard manager is NOT stingy with hay - on her order all her horses have netted hay around the clock and a round bale in the field and two (mostly token) feeds a day - she even had a nutritionist come over to assess the horses to make sure she's on track. BUT she is stingy on bedding for mine and I can't exactly blame her. I have to buy 2 extra bales of straw a week to deep litter mine for the 3 overnight "stable-sleepovers". I much rather she be stingy on bedding though and I make up for it then worry about hay intake because that's just _wrong imo._ It's also easier for some DIY owners to just chuck a huge bag of shavings in and bank it without worrying the horse will eat through it in one day, where storage is an issue >.<

OP I would look at having lessons at prospect yard. Try to chat with staff before letting on that you're interested. It's what I did. They run a looser mouth then and even better if you can chat with other owners. My current yard there was so much good spoken about how the yard manager was ontop of the animals welfare from both staff and other boarders who had been there decades.

* My cons:*

- horses have to be trailered to turnout field (happens twice a week). This means on the days she's turned out I can't randomly turn up to ride. I have to arrange each week what days to bring her down. It's not even annoying, after seeing how accommodating staff are and my horse's happiness. pro - she's excellent at everything "trailer".

- when she is stabled she might go 3 days in a row with zero turnout (because shes a cow and is horrible to the OAP ponies). It means I have to be diligent and walk her for a few hours down the trails on these days so she doesn't lose her mind. If I want her turned out I have to stand in the field and supervise her which I do for half hour at a time. 

- I had no tack room or storage. Seriously, everything was kept in my bedroom. That's right, even rugs. I had to keep tack at their place for staff to exercise her. What does this mean? Her saddle and bridle get wrecked with all the activity. But she gets exercised and goes out on long trail rides. Worth it to me even if it hurts! :< Eugh. I eventually arranged to have a single metal bin which solved that. 

- I might turn up and she will be currently ridden by a member of staff. It's ok, she's fit enough for a pleasure ride with me after! 

*pros :*

- distance 15/20mins from me (I'd be happy up to half hour)
- huge turnout
- round the clock hay
- nice arena (you have to book in a diary a week in advance if you want to keep it exclusive for you)
- staff take her to fun events and big trail rides so she gets all that excitement that I can't offer her in my hours

Hopefully my situation helps you see the compromise. There is no other yard nearer to me with all those benefits, despite the cons.


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

Kind of off topic, but I find it very interesting how boarding situations can differ depending on where you are located. And just how different horse care is managed. 

What @Kalraii described above would drive me nuts, but is that the norm for where you are located? Sounds like an urban-type setting? 

Out where I am, we do have barns that will stable horses, but for the most part all horses are on turnout. The barn I was just at over the weekend for a show has a shedrow of box-stalls, but from what I gathered they were mostly kept empty for when they hosted shows and clinics. 

I keep my horses at home, but if I ever did board I think I would want my guys on turnout - at least so they could be horses. It also drives me nuts when you see horses with their faces buried in a round bale. I know that is the easiest way to feed a large number of animals, but I just think it is so unnatural and can lead to too many health issues (as well as waste). Granted, I guess they now have those funky round bale hay nets which help with some issues.

Anyway, just an observation....as for the OP, you will be hard-pressed to find a 'dream barn' that checks all your boxes. If your horse is suffering b/c of the management at the current place then I would definitely look into moving. But again, don't burn bridges as some barns look wonderful from the outside but once you are there you might pray you were back where you were.


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## Serpentines (Jun 26, 2019)

farmpony84 said:


> I only skimmed everyone elses responses and have a couple Questions:
> 
> Is your horse maintaining his weight on the feed that "not dream barn" is providing?
> 
> ...


1. Yes she is maintaining weight with what she is being fed. The barn does not provide feed, I have to buy that. Board is $300 and provides some of the hay, her feed and additional hay is $80-$100 a month. She isn't overweight or a pig with eating. BO just gives every horse on the farm 2 flakes/day no matter what. I give her the extra hay in a slow feed bay so it lasts longer/she won't throw it around her stall as she likes to do that sometimes. BO won't use the slow feed bay for the hay he provides as it is a hassle for him (his words).

2. I do have a trailer but do not readily have a truck to haul in so hauling for lessons every week would be difficult and likely not possible for me as of now. 

3. I'm looking into about 6 barns now and I know at least 4 of them have instructors on site, the others I am not sure. I'm not sure if BO does off-site lessons, and I know that some barns in the area don't allow off-site trainers as they want boarders to use the trainer that works for that barn. Again, this is another one of the questions I'd have to ask the new barn before considering moving elsewhere. 

4. I can only go based on past experiences from some of these barns but I know for sure that a couple of them are larger, business type barns with 10-20 other riders who board there. I'm currently at a more private barn with 14 horses so moving to a large business barn with 20-30 horses would be different but I have liked the bigger barns in the past. My current barn only has about 5 horses that are ridden so I currently don't have anybody to ride with and barn friends are basically non-existent. I don't see that as a con but I also wouldn't mind a larger facility where more friends could be made and I could ride with other people. 

5. I'm looking into multiple barns so it depends on the barn really. Some barns have daily turnout for few hours while another has rotating turnout about 2/3 times a week but they'd be out for the entirety of the day. 


Other Notes:

BO does do farrier work off-site so as long as the potential new barn allows me to use my own farrier, he could continue to shoe my horse. This again would be dependent on the new barn's policy as I know some barns like boarders to use a specific farrier while other barns don't care and allow all outside farriers. 

I know I will never find my true dream barn, it is just a figment of my imagination as nothing is ever perfect. This is my 3rd barn and I know that past two were never perfect either, the last one was literally harmful to my horse's well-being. I have been putting off moving as I do feel like some of my problems are just 1st-world type things. How many times in 4 years have I needed access to hot water? Maybe 5 times, and that's stretching it. The messy tack room is annoying and my stuff gets moved around sometimes but I always have a spot for my stuff somewhere in there so at least there's that. I get that not all my cons are 'big' things and I know life is made of compromises. I will never find the perfect place that has everything I want without having to compromise on something on that list.


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

@cbar London, uk. It's unique in that its the only yard that does this. Other yards around are like this:

- great facilities but turnout is 1 hour a day in the arena (if lessons finish on time. If staff wanna go home guess who pays?)
- amazing turnout but ZERO facilities, not even a box for your feed and zero support
- great facilities and decent turnout £1000 _minimum_ a month
- medium facilities with tiny turnout, horses get 4hours 4x a week in small groups on ONE ACRE (that's it, all year round)

Don't get me wrong. I had to convince the yard manager to take me. Previous boarders couldn't deal with that routine either. Owner wasn't happy with the above turnout (on one acre) so negotiated a lease for various fields, current one being 40 acres. It's 30mins drive. She bought a huge lorry and even has designated a staff member purely for transport. He's a glorified taxi service working between 3 locations (two yards and the field) picking and dropping off her horses. We usually plan a week in advance what days Katie will be down and it's worked out fine. When things go awry we're both pretty reasonable. I do visit her in the field btw and she's living the life. We have lush green grass - the round bale is a winter addition only. (note: most yards I've been at wont hay fields in winter coz of the mess. So I was happy to see 24/7 food was provided when there was no grass). 

Crazy to think about the small things. I would LOVE LOVE to have mine at home kitted out with a barn door to a kitchen so she could come nosey in. In a few years sigh..


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## Serpentines (Jun 26, 2019)

horselovinguy said:


> What kind of hay does the barn feed? High nutritional value or garbage junk?
> Same as feed...quality or junk busy food?
> Safe, solid walls I would expect to be fixed the same day a hole is found,...and that is a very large hole for a horse to stick their head through to develop overnight.
> 
> ...


The barn feeds alfalfa/timothy mix and it is good quality. I buy the feed which is pretty good quality IMO. The hole was above the feed door and developed over a period of weeks but as I mentioned, BO wasn't timely with repairs and it took weeks of my horse being nipped at for the hole to be patched. 

Thank you for the great points and questions, I definitely hadn't thought about some of those. I have been at more restrictive barns than I am at now and also less strict ones, our current rule is basically just don't ride when lessons are being held as the arenas are on the smaller side. My past barn didn't have that rule so I could've had 4/6 other riders in the arena during my lessons but it also meant I could ride whenever I wanted which was a good trade-off to me.


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