I agree with Barn A.
Regarding weight gain and ruling out ulcers, here is a picture of my gelding when he was an anxious, hot mess due to untreated ulcers. He never lost weight, but he sure lost his mind there for a while! Started treating without scoping and he’s been back to his calm, cool self ever since (a few years now).
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Interesting…I’ve always equated ulcers with weight loss. He’s actually put on about 150lbs in the 6 weeks he’s been at this barn. As much as I can’t stand the turnout situation, they do feed very good hay and he has it in front of him all the time. I have a 30 day supply of Ulcergard, so I’ll be sure to give him the full month and just let him roam around at the new place until he’s hopefully back to his old self.
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Just another confirmation for barn A - my horses are so much more active in their “big” (3 acre) pasture than they are in their “small” (1 acre) pasture - so much that they lost nighttime access to the big pasture when we discovered that they were having midnight drag races 
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I’d also go with Barn A. It seems like a better fit for your horse.
BarnA, but wait, what? People would be judgemental about your showing a 24 year old?
Why?
If he’s in good enough shape and enjoying life, they should be giving you kudos for keeping him in fine fettle!
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That’s good to know. Yes he is in great shape and he feels absolutely fantastic. Maybe I will take him to a schooling show and see if he’s still interested in showing off.
So thank you everyone who confirmed Barn A was the way to go. I moved him today and he seems to have settled right in. He even rolled within the first 5 minutes there. Weather permitting, we’re going to hit those trails on Friday. As suspected, the all highway drive home felt much quicker despite the longer distance simply because you can, ummm, optimize your travel when conditions permit.
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And no chance of getting stuck behind…farm equipment 
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Fate worse than death that is.
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Another vote for Barn A, based off the information as provided.
But for Barn B, you didn’t say how big the turnout paddocks actually are. I mean, “smaller than five acres” is a pretty big range. Are they one acre, two acres? Are they 30’x30’, or 60’x100’? Big difference in all those. Plus, how many horses go out in these smaller paddocks together? Just two?
I wouldn’t be overly concerned about the mare-attachment as of yet, as far as choosing between barns. Herds change, Barn A might move horses around and mares are then closer to him, might get more mares in, etc. You know that he is out-of-sorts being stalled 16+ hours a day so, I would be hopeful and assume he’ll stop that nonsense when he gets to be out 24/7 again. He might not, but, he it’s pretty likely he will.
Personally, I’d rather drive 50 minutes on back roads than 50 minutes on the highway.
But you can’t beat a BM you already know. But she’s the manager, not the owner? So theoretically, there’s always a chance she leaves.
ETA - Oh I see now you’ve already moved. Awesome, I hope it goes well!
I just wanted to give an update on our move to Barn A. I have no way of knowing how things would have gone at Barn B for obvious reasons, but he settled in so quickly it was fantastic. He made instant friends with his two pasture buddies. He’s already assumed alpha position and is enjoying roaming around his spacious pasture. He hasn’t even looked in the direction of the one mare on the property and she hasn’t attempted to call out to him. This entire herd is just so much more calm than the previous place. He went from high alert last week at the old barn to so chill now, I thought maybe he was sick. We went on a 2 hour trail ride today and he had himself a blast. I absolutely hate how far away he is, but I’m so relieved to have my horse back. He’s already the staff favorite and they can’t stop saying how sweet he is. It’s not the ideal situation for me, but it makes me so happy that he likes it there so much. Thanks for all the input.
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