Boarding Horses?

Question

Experienced horse people only!

I've been around horses all of my life but have never boarded them, so I was wondering what kind of questions I should ask the people that I'm calling to inquire about their ads. Off of the top of my head I can come up with these questions, but I'm sure there are more, and I want to make sure that I don't completely miss something due to inexperience in this area.

- Cost per month
- Type of plans available (I'm looking for a pasture boarding situation with a shed, not interested in stalls)
- Size of shed
- How many horses per pasture?
- How far away
- Who feeds the horses (owner or property owner)?
- If property owner feeds, what grain is availabe and do they separate the horses
- Is hay and grain included in board
- Riding arena or roundpen on property?
- Requirements for the horse (i.e. current coggins, shots, etc)
- What type of fencing do they use (barbed wire, wooden, pipe, etc)
- Size of pastures

There are others but Yahoo limits your characters

Just to add...another main criterion for me is that *no one else* handle my horse. I'm a little weary of them even feeding him, too. He's an ex-racehorse that was also used for equine research on a treadmill. Besides this hard beginning (racehorses aren't really trained anything, and he had 12 different handlers at the treadmill, many of which that each either feared him or came down on him really hard), he was not treated well and has developed an attitude. He has been found to be rather unpredictable with anyone but me, because I don't act like either of the above examples, and he's developed a bond with me. He acts fine towards horses but I'm afraid that he might hurt someone if they had to handle him. In theory, no one should ever have to handle him if he's out in a pasture b/c he will not be getting lead back and forth from a stall.

Also, to the person that said "don't board". . .sometimes people don't have an option. I live at college, not at home. Next August I plan to lease a place with property so I can have my TB and at least 1 of my 2 horses from home come to be with me. Boarding is not my favored situation, but there's no other way. I adopted this horse because I've always liked him (I worked at the treadmill at the beginning of the year) and then recently they decided that they wanted to adopt him out, but no one wanted him. If they couldn't adopt him out, they were going to Euthanize him, so it was a "now or never" situation. I call him my "unplanned pregnancy".

Anyway, for those that might have started sweating when I mentioned his attitude, he is getting better now that I am handling him. But that doesn't mean that he can't be bad with other people. He just turned 3 years old and is 17-17.2hh, so he's a baby...but he's a very, very large baby.

Answer 1

You seem pretty well researched in the basics. I'd also ask what type of trainers come to teach lessons...some places make you use their instructor and will not allow outside trainers in.

-what type of riding do most boarders do (if you want a pleasure horse and board at a show barn you will probably be uncomfortable and vice versa)
-can you use your own farrier (or do you have to use the one that the barn uses)
-feeding schedule (how many times fed hay and grain...ideally, hay should be fed 4x day and grain 2-3x. For pasture board, they may just have round bales which is ok too)

I'd also try and find out about the type of people who board there. If it's a barn full of teenagers that may not be ideal for you (unless you're a teenager, then it would be great!)

Overall, from the way you asked your question, I'd say you're pretty prepared. Go with your gut instinct when you step onto the property...if you drive in and are uncomfortable, do not board there. Check out the horses and the shape they are in. If they seem happy and their coats are shiny and no ribs are showing, it's probably a good place. If the horses look wormy, skinny, and ragged, I'd pass. Good luck!

Answer 2

You'd want to know procedures in case of veterinary emergency

Security of the stable - can someone just come in and say that you sold the horse and drive off with him?

Maintenance of arenas - are indoor arenas dust controlled? How? Via spraying, sprinklers, oil? How often are the tilled?

Who are the other people who board? English, Western, Rodeo, Weekend warriors, professionals, etc.

What happens if someone does not pay? Does the horse get shipped off to auction?

How does the field (pasture) drain in rain, snow, etc?

Is there enough cover for *all* the horses?

When was the last time you raised boarding rates?

Is there a choice of alfalfa and grass hay? How often are they fed?

Where is your hay stored? How is it protected? (Since outdoor storage can lead to mold and mold can lead to colic, proper hay care is important).

Is there a riding 'school' and trainer on site? How supervised are the children who attend lessons?

Do you have a regular schedule with a farrier? Can you bring in your own?

What 'protocol' is there for using the arenas? Turn out, poop scooping, direction, 'calling' (like "on your left"), jumping, etc.

What is the arena protocol when a lesson is taking place?

What is protocol in case of a contagious outbreak? Like Quarantine? Who is responsible if an illness is spread?

Do you require all boarders to follow a certain health protocol? Vaccines, wormers, minimum care?

How would a situation of animal abuse be handled?

How long have you been running this stable? Have you always been responsible for horses? Being responsible for horses is muuuuch different than just being around horses.

That's all I can think of for now!

Answer 3

I work at a barn and there are a lot of boarders. You have to pay for the board and the vet bills and shoeing if your horse has shoes. The food is apart of the board usually so that isnt something to worry about. There are some ppl that dont go to see there horse every night because they dont always have the time. Also most barns don't make you clean the stall they do or have workers clean them like my barn. If you have anymore questions im me and i will help miiszz_santana

Answer 4

Ask if mares and geldings are turned out together, and if they have a regular farrier (if you don't have your own) and would he be willing to take on a horse like this? Ditto with a vet. And please be sure to be up front with the prospective boarder about your horse and his situation. How often are you planning to go see him? You can't just board him somewhere and go to school a long way away. This kind of horse needs to be handled every day, esp at this age, or he will just get worse and you haven't done him any favors by "rescuing" him-you've just switched him from one bad situation to another, and his problems will be much worse when he is bigger and older. In many situations, esp in a lesson barn (like ours) where there are lots of kids and novice adults, this kind of horse would not be suitable because those people have to go out into the fields to catch their horses, and there isn't any way we could isolate your horse. You might have to lease property sooner than you thought, or consider contacting a rescue (and there are trainers who specialize in difficult TBs like yours) to take the horse off your hands. You are trying to do a good thing, but no horse is worth sacrificing your education and your future over. Don't let your heart overrule your head! Good luck!!!

Answer 5

I'd also ask:

Who's there in case of emergency, and how are they handled?
Is the owner responsible for callling vet, or can BO (barn owner) call on your behalf in the event of not reaching you?
What hours/days is the barn open?
Do they make you use their vet & blacksmith, and if not how do you schedule routine care for your horse?
Who pays if your horse damages their property? Or another horse?
If your horse is asked to leave, how much can you expect before you're made to vacate?
Do they want written notice if/when YOU decide to leave?
Can they put a lein on your horse if you're late paying board?
Do they allow stallions, and if so, how do they keep them separate from the other horses?
What are barn rules? (ie: smoking, gates open/ closed, riding attire, discipline, areas off limits, etc?)
Who's in charge of blanket changes, and how is that handled? One flat fee per season, or per blanket change?
How often is the fenceline walked/ arena dragged?
Will strangers frequently have access to your horse's paddocks?
................................
That's it for now, I think. I could go on forever 'cause Im a worry wort. Plus, I've managed some pretty irresponsible employees when I was a barn manager, so I know what can go wrong.

Good luck.

Answer 6

do not nix or accept an add because of a call. go and visit the place a few times. then you can get an adequate feel for the place, and you will know if you will be happy there.

i did accept a ranch once without going on a day when people were there. although the facility was nice, and the pastures were fine, i hated it.

so, just go to a ranch, ask to speak to the manager or whoever is in charge, and go from there.

good luck!

Answer 7

I'd ask how often they check and change the water. What happens if the horses don't get along? How do they keep them in line? Whipping policy, etc.

I found a very informative horse resource. They have an ezine that speaks about the issue of boarding and more.

I hope this helps. Kate, a horse lover.

http://thingsforhorses.com

Answer 8

how many people will be handling the horse(s). they can lie to you on the phone. i always preferred to do a personal visit without an appt. or anything. if you can observe undetected, you'll know if anyone is mistreating the horses. if they know you're there they'll put on their best appearance and you won't find out the truth. i learned this after 1 week at a boarding facility. when i went out on the first weekend, his bucket was BONE DRY, stall filthy, and he was covered in muck. never again will i ever trust anyone with my horses. if i can't care for them myself, i'd rather not have them.

Answer 9

yeah, good questions, some other things are, check to see if there are any viruses that might be going around-even if there aren't any, you should get your horses strangles vaccinations (very common around large amounts of horses&very easy to get) it would probably be a good idea to see if the horses there have negative coggins too.
-good luck, hope you find what you're looking for!

Answer 10

I personally worked at a near-by stable, i do not board my horses. I needed the extra money so i worked there. The workers feed. BUT i say dont board, some stables are REALLY bad, they dont take off blankets, flymasks, they HIT your horses, they let them loose, and then they cant catch them and well they sometimes dont even fill up the waters!!! I did not do this, but the people that did work on the days i didnt DID do this!!!!!!
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thx!