# First time boarding advice



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

LittleBayMare said:


> I won't know exactly which state I will be going to (TX, AR, FL, or IA) until April. I will not have an exact budget until I know which school I get into (I have rough estimates, but it will depend on how much money they give me).
> _I currently live in Florida so "sort-of" know what happens in my part of the world. My horses are on my land but am surrounded by thousands of acres of land and animals..._
> 
> I'm leaning towards a pasture boarding facility with the options to dry lot. _
> ...


_Sorry for the book....hope it helps.
Good luck in grad school...enjoy!!
:runninghorse2:.....
_


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

Thank you for the information! If I would be moving to Florida it would be Gainesville, so north-ish. The biggest concern for FL is the cost of living which is the highest of all the schools on my list. 

Thank you for pointing out the seasons. I would have never thought about the heat in August. Both horses are fine with only trees for shelter. Their current situation is a six horse herd (all mares except the mini) out on pasture from April to October-ish. The mini has a grazing muzzle and dry lot as needed, although getting my dad (the main caretaker when I'm gone) to put the mini in the dry lot for any length of time is a nightmare. 

All of our pastures are high tensile so they respect wire. I would be concerned about barbed wire for the mare because the last thing I need is another $4,000 emergency vet bill. Also, the pony needs electric on the wire. He only needs it turned on every few months so it can zap him good, then he'll be good for another four months. 

Here, one pasture has a shelter (only a roof) and one pasture only has trees. They get rotated through both so can spend a month or more in the one with just trees. I'm not into the whole blanketing thing because they all have thick winter woolies. Moving in October would be a problem for the mini because he starts getting all fury in September already. I might have to break down and blanket him or clip him. That presents a whole new problem. Or I could take the mare in October and bring the mini down in the spring.

Oh boy, glad I started asking questions early. This could get interesting.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

This is why I chose to leave my horses at home with my parents while I attended grad school (just outside of Portland, Oregon) for optometry school. Having to buy a truck and trailer to haul my horse on a 24-hour drive, paying for board, and finding the time to ride ... it just wasn't worth it to me. 

I was able to find some people to ride with once a week on Sundays to get my "horse fix". There actually wasn't much for boarding barns in the area anyway, with the closest one still being a 30 minute drive. And no trails to ride on; only an indoor and outdoor arena. That one was at least reasonably priced. The other ones were outrageously expensive IMO (close to $1,000 a month). I couldn't afford that, on top of my loans.

If you want to bring your horses with you to grad school, go for it, but expect challenges!




LittleBayMare said:


> I think I would do best with self care, but I'm not sure I will have the time for self care being in grad school full time which will include teaching some undergrad classes in addition to taking graduate level classes. If I get into grad school,_ I will be paid to go there enough to (probably) support the horses_, so I may not need another job.
> 
> I will not have an exact budget until I know which school I get into (I have rough estimates, but it will depend on _how much money they give me)_.


Wow. Good for you. Mind if I ask what type of grad school?




LittleBayMare said:


> So, what are the pros and cons of self care vs full care vs partial care?


Of course, full care will be more expensive. But more freedom. Every barn differs on what they consider full vs. partial care, but usually they'll take care of all the feedings and stall cleaning. 




LittleBayMare said:


> If I get into grad school I would be moving from PA to school around August 1st.


Yup, you'll need to consider the climate change in August to wherever you will be moving to. You might not want to clip and/or blanket, but if your horse can't adapt to the sudden new elements (warmer or colder), you may have to.




LittleBayMare said:


> All of our pastures are high tensile so they respect wire. I would be concerned about barbed wire for the mare because the last thing I need is another $4,000 emergency vet bill.


While barbed wire will "tear them up" worse than smooth wire, high tensile can be just as damaging as anything. If they are going to get hurt, they're gonna get hurt. And they can get hurt on ANY type of wire.


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

Come on! I had a novel length reply typed out and my friggen computer deleted it twice!

Summary: I can't leave her because it would be an imposition on my father and I don't trust my mother around my horses when I am that far away (long story). If I leave her for three years I'll lose all my hard work getting her trained and show ready. There is a whole slew of reasons I can't sell her, the biggest being that she is uniquely trained (western horse, classical dressage foundation and cues) and, in the past, every time someone new got on her, she would try to buck and/or body slam them into the nearest wall. It hasn't happened in almost a year, but I haven't tried putting anyone new on her lately. Very few people are patient enough to break through her walls and gain her trust. It took me almost three years. She was mentally destroyed due to severe neglect in her early years and a misguided attempt to saddle break her by her previous owner. I'm afraid if I leave her for that long she will regress mentally as well. We've had some big breakthroughs lately and i don't want to loose that progress. If I have to, i will get another job.


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

If you end up in AR let me know! I lived there for 6 years and still have horse-friends there 


Just be aware that depending on the program, grad school will eat up a ton of time and you may not have as much time as you think.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

I don't know about those states, but I have had good luck pasture boarding. Sometimes I have rented a pasture and done self care, and sometimes have pasture boarded (and stall boarded) at boarding stables. The current barn I am at has pasture and stall boarding, but it is really mostly a self-care facility. Occasionally someone comes that is full board, but it is rare. 

On the days I am working a friend takes care of my horses. She also lets out my stall boarded horse in the morning to save me the drive out there.

I would advise in your case pasture boarding the mare and stall boarding the mini. In some cases, pasture boarded horses get feeding and hay provided, but not all. 

The advantage in placing them in a boarding stable instead of renting a pasture is you have folks that will keep an eye on them and let you know if they are injured or appear sick or whatever.


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

@SwissMiss I will definitely keep you in mind! Fingers and toes crossed!

Oh, and I forgot to add TN to the list. I always forget that one. 

I have taken time management into consideration. I am currently a full time undergrad and a TA for a 200-level class and still have time to ride three to four days a week while I am an hour away from the barn. In grad school i should be able to be much closer to the barn and have more time. Every single grad school on my list has a plethora of barns within a 15 minute radius. I would be doing an MFA in Creative Writing. The class requirements are less than I have now with undergrad and a lot of the work involved is writing outside of the class room (which can completely be done while hanging out with the ponies, my poor guys have suffered through many a test reads for my prose and some truly awful poetry). I would be TAing a few classes most likely, but I am familiar with the requirements of the job and am not concerned about time. If I get in to one of the programs I am currently applying for I'll basically be on salary so I will theoretically have time to show over summer while I'm not taking classes. My life is literally school and horses, that's it. 

That is also why I am considering full or partial care so I have more time to train and snuggle my babies. But even if I have to do self care they are both easy keepers and if I prepackage meals a week at a time I can just dump and feed. I take care of everything for them over summer now and so have a very good idea of exactly how much care they need and what I would be signing up for. If I rasp their hooves once a week, I rarely have to do a full trim so it literally take five to ten minutes. Most of the southern states have a longer growing season too, so I can hopefully feed them grass for much of the year and save the hay money for winter.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_School resumes here early August for all areas of the state and school is out around Memorial Day....
You may need to adjust your schedule knowing "school year" calendar with your summer showing you want to do.
 
Soooo....
Ummmm.... seriously consider that weather then for riding compatibility.
Here in Florida we are on the verge of rainy season starting...
Translation....rain, thunder & lighting fierce storms daily and horrible humidity and high temperatures.
Yup, people ride in summer....EARLY or late evening with the mosquito's.
It is normally high 80's++ every day with dew points of 70+ so oppressive by 10:30 AM at the latest in true in the summer months, then through late fall - March we have glorious weather to ride and do "horse". 
So, evenings* not* usually cooler than mid to upper 70's late April - October....:shock:
You *must* adjust your riding routine or have heat stroke yourself and or a very sick horse...
People do show and compete in summer but hydration of animal & human properly is to be learned and quickly if you can stand the thought.. 
Boots & breeches sticking wet to you..yuck!:x

I do ride my horses lightly in "summer" swelter, at first light. 
I'm on riding by 6:05 AM and down, done...hosed off/bathed and horses turned loose to find shade and a cooling breeze if there is one by 7:00 AM.
I currently have 2 to ride and switch days between them...

Most horses do well from grazing on fertilized and "de"-weeded fields....but our grass is not what you are used to up north.
Do some homework about Tifton and Coastal, Bahia as these are common in pastures.
Ocala area has some nice grass and so do other areas but do not be fooled that all areas have good grazing, it ain't so!
T&A which so many feed up north, is expensive here. 
$12.00++ per bale is very common so if you have diet needs you better plan accordingly for a supplier and affordability. 
Decent local grown horse hay from good haymen runs around $8.00 per small square bale and that is Coastal or Tifton 44. We also have peanut hay which is similar to alfalfa grown local..
Available are all national feed manufacturers plus we have Seminole brand and a few private mills. Please do your homework about ruminant additives and which feed manufacturers have "horse" only mills or do livestock {ruminant} all on the same line. 
If a error is made it *will* cost you your horses life, period! 
I refer to monesin type poisoning. Most have heard of it...Sadly, this occurs more often than in should and if fed to horses it kills!!

So much to learn about before the big move and seriously consider when choosing that school location....
Best of luck with your continued studies...
:runninghorse2:.....
_


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

> I'm leaning towards a pasture boarding facility with the options to dry lot.


That will depend on where you are of course. I can think of a lot of boarding places that offer pasture board, but I had to look up what dry lot is. Haven't really seen that in Texas. It is a hug state, can't say what is common in S. and E. Texas. In N. and Central Texas pastures have grass, a lot of times it is Bermuda or Coastal. 



> So, what are the pros and cons of self care vs full care vs partial care?


If you find a really good place with knowledgable non-pushy people, full care is probably more consistent for the horse. It really depends on who is managing the barn.



> What do you look for in a boarding facility?


Good management. There are so many ways a beautiful facility with all the amenities can be ruined by poor management. A serious fly problem can almost ruin a place during the season. I want to know they have a handle on the basics. 



> Do boarding barns usually have problems with the owner doing their own farrier work?


It is going to depend on the barn. My current barn wouldn't have an issue with it, but honestly the farrier they have come out is an expert so I wouldn't even bother with it personally. Asking up front about it is the way to go. 



> How might I go about searching for more private barns that might not be advertised online?


Bigger feed stores are a good resource. They more than likely sell to the places you are looking for and have some kind of relationship with them. 


If you go to school in Texas you won't have any issue finding boarding facilities, farriers, vets, instructors etc. Board costs and all that is going to depend on where you live exactly. In the DFW area you can pay as little as $200 a month and as much as $3k a month. Really depends on what you want, and how fancy the place is. My Mare is in full care board in a performance horse training program and I take two lessons a week, it costs me $900.


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

I understand and sympathize with you OP. In the 7 years I have owned my mare, I have only left her twice. Once for 6 months, once for 3 months. Every time I left, despite my best attempts to be sure she would be happy and cared for, she was depressed, and even underweight at one point because stable was not feeding enough. Since I came back mid-December, It has taken her two months to stop looking at me like I'm never going to come back, and literally calling for me when I would leave. I know, hard to believe and sounds ridiculous, she's a horse, not a dog. But that's the way she is.

I've finally gotten a self-care situation again and she has blossomed. I don't ever want to leave her for months ever again. Maybe a few weeks, but not months.

I will always pick self care over full, every time. However, it sounds like you would not have time for self care. If I were you, I would look for a stable that caters to your feed and care plans, not theirs (they do things the way you want). Sometimes this is a self-care stable that may take on a few full care boarders. Sometimes it's a self-care co-op, where you may share responsibilities with another boarder.

Good luck. Going to warn you ahead of time... boarding stables are a huge PITA.


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## PaisleysMom (Feb 22, 2017)

I truly get trying to find the right situation for you and your horses. You have my sympathies since I recently struggled with that!

I have always had to board and have lived in a few places and visited others with friends and it is always “you get what you pay for.” You might have to compromise riding conditions for safer herd sizes or more stall time for better care of pastures. So go into it with an open mind and know what your absolute limits are – is it ok to just have a big, safe pasture 24/7 but no place to ride?

I agree too that every farm has a different definition of full/partial/self care. At the farm I am leaving offers partial and self care, with the only difference between the two is that partial care includes the farm feeding AM and PM – but both situations you have to provide all of your own feed, stall cleaning, and turning out and bringing in your horse, and even getting your own shavings. 

My best advice for anyone trying self care with still some limited time constraints is find a good barn buddy to team up with. I had a fantastic situation with another board who works second shift only part time, so she was always able to do morning turnout and feeding, and I was around in the evenings to feed dinner and bring them in. Usually our schedules worked out great that if one of us was really busy we couldn’t make it out that day she would do my chores and I would do hers the next time. I always had my feedings prepared for him, but if I was randomly sick or one night stuck at work in a blizzard she had his “recipe” to do it herself. Perhaps you could find a similar situation! If you find that you definitely can’t make it to the barn on Tuesdays and Thursdays they could care for the horses for you, and then you could repay them by caring for theirs on Mondays and Wednesdays so they can work or be at school. I can’t emphasize enough the strength in a good barn buddy when boarding in any type of self or partial situation. While I was in my clinical year at school I had very little time between class and work to see my horse and my barn buddy was my life saver and my horse’s adopted Mom!

I doubt any place will care if you trim your own horse as long as their feet appear healthy. Most farms will not want to get involved with your care unless there was something seriously wrong- it just gets too messy.

Good luck in your search!


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

@horselovinguy English/dressage oriented and can find the "snobbery" of the horsey set that can go along with it {or not}.


Wow. That statement is the definition of snobbery. Snobbery is found in all disciplines. Don't assume since other boarders don't ride "your way" that they will be snobs about their own discipline. A rider can learn from all.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Whinnie said:


> @*horselovinguy* English/dressage oriented and can find the "snobbery" of the horsey set that can go along with it {or not}.
> 
> 
> Wow. That statement is the definition of snobbery. Snobbery is found in all disciplines. Don't assume since other boarders don't ride "your way" that they will be snobs about their own discipline. A rider can learn from all.


_
And when you isolate just this small section it does sound "snobby"....
So please go back and read *all *of that post again...
It was not meant to point a finger at one group over another...
Snobbery exists in *all* disciplines and usually found in places that demand a higher standard of ....well, let us leave that a open thought shall we. 

So....
Sorry if you took offense at what I wrote.

Snobbery, you're right it *is* in every discipline and in many places concerning horses.
All who excel in their chosen discipline work hard to be in harmony with their mount.

I do agree though we can all learn from each other....it just takes a open mind and attitude of no one is better than the other to achieve that.

When it comes down to it...every rider puts on "their" riding attire the same way...one foot at a time!
:bowwdown:...... 

:runninghorse2:....




_


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

Guys, no fighting please. This is a Q and A thread and I am open for suggestions, but I ask that we keep things civil. I am starting my research early so I can collect enough information to make the best decision when the time comes. Tone does not translate well over the internet. It is very easy to leave the wrong impression when you're typing and we can all sound a little snippy some times when we don't mean it. I have a very thick skin and am not offended at any of these comments so let's leave it at that. 

Back on topic...

I currently train in an unfenced piece of field. I am not very picky on riding venues. As long as I have plenty of room and semi-flat ground, I could care less. I will take quality care over fancy arenas.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

@LittleBayMare you seem to be quite level headed and practical. I think you will not have too much difficulty finding a place to (mostly) suit you and the horses, at least if you are in the south. I Don't know about the other areas of the country, but here in Alabama and many parts of Florida things are quite low key. 

You can find anything from a pasture to full care with blankets and supplements. Most horses here are kept on the owners property, and a good portion of the population has a horse or two, except of course the city folk. 

Most boarding barns do not have a particular farrier, just whoever you want to use. Of you can trim/shoe them yourself. That is also quite common. 

Same with vets, owners just use whoever they want. Some ask for a coggins, but only when you first come to the barn. Lots of owners never repeat the test, especially if they don't take the horses off the property. 

I don't know about costs, except in my general area. Full board here is in the $200-$300 range with one place charging $450. But that is one of those fancy places, and definitely not the norm. Pasture board is $75 to $200 depending on what is offered. 

One self care barn charges $100 for the stall, and the owner provides everything else; shavings, hay, grain, etc. The stall cleaning and turnout are by owner too. I was there for a while, but the two pastures were small and too crowded to ride in. 

Where I am now our Dressage arena is in a 23 acre pasture :wink: you would fit right in

Oh one other thing; it is very common for boarders to pitch in and help with maintenance. May be trail cleaning, repairing fencing, putting stone in muddy areas, or even replacing lights. So don't be surprised if you are asked to help out with things. 

I believe Tennessee would be quite similar too.


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

@AnitaAnne Thank you. I do try. I think I will like the horse culture in the south a lot better than up north here. It drives me up the wall that every horse has got to be locked in a stall, have a million blankets, eat a truck load of sweet feed, and get fancy shoes on even if they're a pasture puff. God forbid if you go barefoot or do anything yourself like trim hooves, give shots, not blanket, train a western show horse with dressage principles, because clearly horse owners are incapable of doing anything or making decisions for their animals. That's always left to "the professionals". :evil: Sorry, rant over. 

Honestly, I'm think at this point my preference would be to find someone with a large 3-5 acre grass field they are not using (not really an official "boarding barn") and just rent the whole field and be done with it. All I'd need to do is get a few step in posts to section it off for rotation, get a little portable shed to store hay in, maybe a carport for shelter if there are no trees, and clear out an area to store my trailer (assuming I am able to get one between now and then) which could function as a tack room and feed room. I trade work for board here at my parent's farm, so I am familiar with fixing fences, building shelters, cleaning stalls, dragging pastures, etc. As long as the land owner has the proper equipment, I could do most of the work.

Yes, I would be in grad school, but a lot of the work for the MFA is outside of the classroom. I often hang out with the horses while writing or reading homework. My guys are not demanding on care. Some minerals (according to what grass in the pasture), loose salt, fresh water, grass, and they're golden for most of the year. Over winter, add hay, maybe a little complete feed, and they're fine. I do have to keep up with vet work if I want to show, but I have worked that into my budget. 

I feed a very high forage diet all year. I am capable of checking their teeth myself and in fifteen years of horse ownership I have never had to have teeth floated. Every couple of years I have them officially double checked by a vet, still no floating. I can deworm them, trim hooves, give shots if I need to, doctor many different types of wounds, etc.

Someone asked why I would spend the time trimming my horse's hooves when there are perfectly good farriers around. They are both barefoot, so as long as they are being worked and walking around the pasture, their hooves wear almost perfectly. I "trimmed" my riding mare's feet last night and all I had to do was rasp the heels a little on all four feet and I was done. I am very picky about my horses feet. I want them always done just so. It is so much easier and cheaper to take a rasp to them once a week than to pay someone else good money only to have to argue with them about how the feet should be done. That seems silly to me. 

I am looking to turn my mare into a "fancy competition horse". But I've already trained her up pretty fancy in a piece of weedy corn field. I am not going to let her become a spoiled little princess who needs perfect ground and fancy conditions to perform. If I want to trail ride, she's going to trail ride. If I want to do fancy show things, she will do fancy show things wherever I ask her to. 

My philosophy is; if you want it done right, do it yourself.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Renting a pasture is a good idea. The way I approached it was to drive around with lots of envelopes stuffed in my glove box. Each one said the same thing; “Hi. I want to rent a pasture for my 3-4 horses and your place looks like it would fit my needs. I take good care of my horses and they are well behaved. I can pay up to $200/month rent. If you are interested, please call or text me @xxx-xxx-xxxx” 

Every time I saw a place I liked, I put an envelope in their mailbox. Then in a week I would follow up with a visit, if I saw the owner outside. Eventually I got a good place and he even allowed me to put up a little shed row barn with open stalls for the horses, at my expense. I was there for 4 years and would still be there except someone started harassing my horses (not the owner or their family) and my horses’ manes and tails got chopped. 

So I moved them to a boarder barn fast. 

At my current barn, I mostly pasture board, but from time to time I stall board for various reasons. 

The south is very welcoming and most places don’t interfere with an owner. Respect for others is important especially in a close community. Important to remember that people ride different styles that may seem harsh to those not used to it. However, there are those uppity places around also for those that like that sort of thing! 

The Dressage instructor I used to ride with held a clinic at our place one time. She was absolutely shocked to see our Dressage arena out in the pasture. She couldn’t believe that was what we rode in! It is a mostly level area with river sand surrounded by railroad ties with concrete blocks painted with the letters. One has to ride about 500 feet through a pasture to get to it One of my friends who boards there trained her horse to GP in that arena….


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

Update: Well, things have taken a turn for the worse and it looks like I will have to put off moving for another year now. I didn't get into grad school this round, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it looks like I might be have some neurological issues that may or may not be temporal lobe seizures. Not officially diagnosed yet, but we'll see. So after I graduate in May I will be spending a bunch of time sorting out yet another health mishap and, until further notice, I cannot drive or operate machinery (fortunately a horse does not count as a machine). Fortunately my father has assured me that my horses can stay right where they are until I get all this sorted out and, if my stay is extended up north they are willing to fix up the guest house so I have some space to myself. *sigh* 

Thank you everyone for all the input. Hopefully I can get my ducks back in a row and resume the search in a few months.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

LittleBayMare said:


> Update: Well, things have taken a turn for the worse and it looks like I will have to put off moving for another year now. I didn't get into grad school this round, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it looks like I might be have some neurological issues that may or may not be temporal lobe seizures. Not officially diagnosed yet, but we'll see. So after I graduate in May I will be spending a bunch of time sorting out yet another health mishap and, until further notice, I cannot drive or operate machinery (fortunately a horse does not count as a machine). Fortunately my father has assured me that my horses can stay right where they are until I get all this sorted out and, if my stay is extended up north they are willing to fix up the guest house so I have some space to myself. *sigh*
> 
> Thank you everyone for all the input. Hopefully I can get my ducks back in a row and resume the search in a few months.


Sorry to hear this, but don't get discouraged. I put off grad school for a year, for various reasons, and it was a wise decision. I made a major career change and am much happier with what I ended up doing than what I had planned to do. I still went to grad school, just took a different path! Best to take your time and figure things out. Rushing into something is generally a bad idea (not saying you were, but sometimes taking time to really think things through is a good thing). Hope you feel better soon!


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## LittleBayMare (Jun 2, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Sorry to hear this, but don't get discouraged. I put off grad school for a year, for various reasons, and it was a wise decision. I made a major career change and am much happier with what I ended up doing than what I had planned to do. I still went to grad school, just took a different path! Best to take your time and figure things out. Rushing into something is generally a bad idea (not saying you were, but sometimes taking time to really think things through is a good thing). Hope you feel better soon!


Thanks! Yeah, just gotta take my lemons and make lemonade. Who knows what will happen. The grad school was supposed to be my career change. Lol. I've been working in sales all through college. This semester I had to leave my sales job to focus on graduating. I was able to get a spot as a teaching assistant in my department (it fulfilled the internship requirement to get my deploma). That really showed me that I enjoy teaching more than the sales gig. But I have plenty of options in the sales job market right after graduation, so getting another job shouldn't be too hard once I'm medically cleared. On the bright side, this will give me more time to save up for a truck and trailer before I go galloping off into the unknown. I'll just reapply next year. We shall see.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Oh, sorry to hear this but Acadianartist is right. It seems, in my life anyway, that every time my plans came to a screeching halt by things that were out of my control, it turned out better in the end. It has always sent me on a slightly different path to new discoveries. I hope everything works out for the best for you with a speedy recovery. I'm sure it will.


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