Ann Arbor, MI boarding barns

Dressage
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#1

I will be attending UMich this fall for grad school and I’m hoping to bring my horse with me. She was my eq horse but she was injured last year so we will be switching to dressage after she finishes recovering. As I know nothing about dressage in the area, I’m hoping to get advice on who I should consider riding with and who to avoid.

Since I’m on a grad student stipend I’d like to keep board around $400/month or less if possible. I’d also like somewhere with a lot of turnout and space to ride outside an arena (trails would be great!). Does anyone have any good recommendations? Thanks in advance!

#2

Look into Austin Devlin in Davisburg. Might be too far depending how often you make the trip. If you situated your housing on the north side of Ann Arbor you might split the difference.

Also: try to get into the habit of saying / writing “Michigan” or “U of M” versus UMich. They’re incredibly ruffly about their school’s name and might take insult where none was intended.

#3

Thanks for your response, I looked him up and he looks great, but Davisburg is farther than I want to travel and it’s probably out of my price range too. Do you know of anyone else I should look into?

#4

I’m from the area, went to grad school there, but rode h/j. If you’re interested in general barns, feel free to PM me.

#5

Cornerstone might be a good option but it might be out of your price rance.

#6

I can guarantee that Austin Delvin is both out of budget and a hella bad drive from Ann Arbor.

What is your tolerance for driving? What is the max you want to drive to the barn?

Honestly, the $400 is what is going to be tough if you want to stick with a dressage barn. Depending on which side of Ann Arbor you are on - the place that I am at is $550 a month with a indoor (and you’ll want an indoor in Michigan if you want to consistently ride in the winter). no real trails to access, and about 30 minutes north of Ann Arbor.

You might try Paragon Farm Equestrian Center - it’s primarily an eventing barn, but the owner/trainer is a super nice woman. I have not priced it in quite a few years - but when I did board there it was reasonable.

For a smaller city, traffic can still be a bitch.

#7

I can guarantee that Austin Delvin is both out of budget and a hella bad drive from Ann Arbor.

What is your tolerance for driving? What is the max you want to drive to the barn?

Honestly, the $400 is what is going to be tough if you want to stick with a dressage barn. Depending on which side of Ann Arbor you are on - the place that I am at is $550 a month with a indoor (and you’ll want an indoor in Michigan if you want to consistently ride in the winter). no real trails to access, and about 30 minutes north of Ann Arbor.

You might try Paragon Farm Equestrian Center - it’s primarily an eventing barn, but the owner/trainer is a super nice woman. I have not priced it in quite a few years - but when I did board there it was reasonable.

For a smaller city, traffic can still be a bitch.

#8

Alice Preketes in Ypsi?

#9

When I lived in Ann Arbor I rode with Cathy Henderson.

It was a million years ago (her daughter was a newborn-yikes I’m old), so have no idea where she is located now, but she was wonderful.