# Does your barn have hours



## wordstoasong (Jul 8, 2008)

My current barn has the 9-9 time frame, and we can vist our horses any day of the week. Lessons are planned for Tuesday to Saturdays.


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

When I boarded barn hours were 7ish in the morning - 9 pm. But if you had a weird work schedule and told the BO you would be out a little after 9, then no problem. As long as you were out by 10:30 and locked up properly.


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

7am-9pm because of the lights and the permit the barn has.. they have made special arrangements to people who need to ride earlier in the am though...

I agree with the "hours" because most owners live on the property and you have to remember that is their home and they don't want to be disturbed at all hours of the night


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

At a barn I worked at as a teenager, the BO didn't care what time you came, as long as the gate was shut when you left. So me and my friends would be at the barn at midnight, playing with the horses :lol: But I think it's because she knew and trusted us, I'm sure she wouldn't have been as comfortable with other people being there.

I think it's reasonable to have hours like 7am to 9pm, and having a sort of clause where if you arrived before 9pm, you could still stay later as long as you closed up the barn when you left. No showing up after 9pm though!


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## RaiRaiNY (Feb 19, 2010)

I lease at a very small, backyard barn. As soon as you are considered trustworthy, access is 24/7.


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

The barn where we ride is open from 9-8. Her hours are this way because it is a family run barn, and she needs to give her dogs time to get out in the morning to exercise before they're put in the house all day. It also gives her time to get her son to school, and have a little peace before her life is taken over by the horses. 

Because this is a family run business, at their house, I have total respect for the hours. On Saturdays my daughter and I help her clean and we're there at 8:30. By the time the first lesson or boarder shows up all animals have been fed, and the stalls are half way cleaned. It's nice for a boarder to show up and see that their animal has been cared for already. (We are instructed to clean the boarders stalls first, before we get to her 13).


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## shesinthebarn (Aug 1, 2009)

I think overall most barn keep some sort of hours, whether strictly enforced or not. I think in most cases it is because the family lives on the property and need a little peace and quiet. I think they also like to have a little time to get the morning chores done quickly and efficiently without dodging boarders in the crossties etc. It also might raise alarm bells if the owners are in bed and see headlights pull in at 10:00 at night.
Maybe you could work something out at your new barn, maybe in exchange for doing the morning/evening feeds or night check. That's what I have done in the past when I was at a trainers barn and worked shift work.
Good luck!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

neither of the barns i ride at have hours. people are pretty respectful though about being quiet & not walking all over their lawns or anything


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

shesinthebarn said:


> I think in most cases it is because the family lives on the property and need a little peace and quiet. I think they also like to have a little time to get the morning chores done quickly and efficiently without dodging boarders in the crossties etc. It also might raise alarm bells if the owners are in bed and see headlights pull in at 10:00 at night.


Exactly.

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

I like to have my chores done in the morning prior to anyone arriving. I know all of the horses are fed and "ok" before I head to work in the morning. The boarders can arrive at 8 and know chores are done and horses are fed and ready to roll.

We close at 9 to allow the same thing. Quiet time to do evening chores without interrupting a boarder while riding (paddocks are connected to the indoor arena).

When I leave the barn I am comfortable knowing everyone, everything is ok and in it's place. Lights out - the horses are quiet and rest after they finish eating. Having boarders out in the middle of the night would lead to trashed stalls, unhappy horses, - not to mention what would happen if someone was hurt? How long would they lay there without help?


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

You have to respect that the barn is part of these people's home. While my barn does not have set hours (they realize some of us can't get away from work until 6PM), all the boarders respect that being there in the middle of the night is not fair to the owners. 
Night feed is done usually after all the boarders have left (around 10PM). Morning feed is done around 5AM. Between those two times I don't think it's appropriate to show up to the barn, unless you are leaving for a show/clinic very early in the morning, or returning from a show/clinic very late.
They expect also that the last ones to leave will lock up and turn out the lights.

Barns that I have boarded at with hours have all been able to make exceptions for jobs, school hours, etc.. Mainly I think hours are mainly to deter inconsiderate behavior. Whenever I was at the barn "after hours" I would always help with final chores, sweep, help close up, etc..


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i guess my barn is sort of different. the BO doesnt do night hay, the boarders do. he also doesnt even look at the horses or go into the barn after turn in [so about 3.30 or 4 in the afternoon] it is not uncommon for people to be at the barn at 9 or 10 because they are checking on all the horses.


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## Sophie19 (Apr 13, 2009)

Your not supposed to be at my barn after 10, but they don't really care as long as you get all the doors locked and the lights off.


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## ShannonSevenfold (Oct 11, 2008)

Where I take lessons, the barn hours are 7-9, which seems to be pretty common hours. 7 days a week. On certain holidays, the barn is closed, and boarders are informed at the beginning of the year which holidays the barn will not be open. The rule is basically, no one shows up before 7 or after 9. If you are still riding after 9, it's no big deal as long as you close up shop properly. The BO goes in the house after her last lesson gets done around 7:30. It's generally common practice for boarders to check that everything is A-Okay with all the horses before they leave.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

7am-10pm but their very relaxed. It's private family owned and a very relaxed environment. My trainer goes back to her house anywhere between 7 and 11pm at night depending on shows and chores and what not. I've been there anywhere from 5am to load up for a show to last week when I didn't leave until 12am because I was prepping her for a print photoshoot. As long as the property is locked up and all the lights are out there isn't a "set" time.

Oh I forgot the one strict time rule. Everyone under the age of 18 unless supervised by an adult has to be done and out by 7pm. The trainer normally goes home at that time and she doesn't want to stick around and babysit after a long day.


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## IslandWave (Nov 25, 2009)

My barn's hours are around 8am-5pm and it's closed (no lessons, but the horses do get cared for) on Sunday. The hours aren't very strict though. We just don't ride after the sun has set since we don't have lights and barely even have electricity in the barn since it's so old.
If you're a boarder and over 18 you could technically come at whatever time you wanted. The only thing is that the barn is on an enclosed property where they lock the front gate every night, so you'd have to get the key from the BO if you were to go in at an odd hour or on Sunday.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

We don't have barn hours at my current yard. The BO really should set some, though. There's a lady that sometimes stays out there until 1-2:00 in the morning. And the owners wonder why their electric bill is so high.


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

We don't really have "hours" per-se. but mostly we are a low-key barn with adults and pleasure/trail riders. (actually, I think I'm the youngest one at the barn, and I'm 31) Probably no one is going to be there at mid-night. nor do people usually get there in the early morning.
They would rather not have a bunch of people there while they're doing morning chores but as long as we're _respectful_, they don't really care when we get there.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

Thank gosh my new barn doesn't. My personal hours are crazy, I would never get to see my boy. But my new BO Roy says he doesn't care if it is 3am or 8pm, I can come any time. He says the way he looks at it, I am paying for full use of his facilities, and that I paying so I have every right to use any of the facilities whenever it is convenient for me.


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## SilverSpur (Mar 25, 2010)

we dont have a set time, so we can come and go as we please. but we understand that it is a home as well and need to respect that. =)


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## dreamrideredc (Apr 16, 2009)

I've been to a handful of barns and I don't know of anytimes we can or can't be out. I know the day doesn't matter, and I can't imagine them caring what time we come out...


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## kathryn (Jan 16, 2009)

My barn has no set hours, and the owner lives up a hill, far enough away that if we just go about our business we won't disturb her. As long as when we leave the lights are out, horses shut away, and aisles swept, it is all good.


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

The barn I board at has "barn hours" but they really aren't a big deal. They close up at 7ish but people come after that and they are expected to close all the doors and turn off an lights they turn on, off. During the summer, the BO, who is my cousin, is usually out on the deck at his house so he can see everything and most of the boarders that come after hours are friends so they come up to the house and sit on the deck with us. It's a really relaxed place. =)


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

The barn I used to board at was about 6:30 to 10:00. Two families lived on the property. It was awesome because both were police officers and did nightly checks on the horses and tack. 

They would of course make exceptions when you had a show super early or came in super late to check on an injured/sick horse.


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

I'm not sure what time mine 'opens' but it closes at 9, though the barn owner doesn't really care and we've stayed until 10 before.


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## Super Nova (Apr 27, 2010)

I don't have hours of operation at my barn as my boarders to this point have all been respectful.........I'm up doing feed at 6:30/7:00 am and do late night at 11:00 pm..........so any time between those times.........I certainly would not appreciate some one out in the middle of the night.

Super Nova


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