First thanks in advance for any and all input you are able to provide. There is a possibility I will be relocating to MA and looking for recommendations on affordable barns in the area. I am not sure if it will all pan out but want to start looking in case it does. I am looking for a barn that will do individualized care and good turnout is a must. My horse and I are hunter jumpers that have recently transitioned to the dressage after my horse had a major injury.
Where in MA? Inside of 495, prepare for sticker shock where the high end barns are 1200-1500 a month.
I am in Townsend (about 45 minutes from Boston with no traffic) and our board is $800. The turnout situation improves the further away from Boston you get.
Ideally looking for something about an hour or so from Boston. Trying to find a balance for where the horse can live and where I can live that won’t break the bank for either one of us.
Thanks. Unfortunately, it says I have to be a member to look at the barn list. I am just trying to see what’s out there at this point still before I narrow down where I am going to live. Things are a clean slate right now. I am more particular about where my horse will live than where I will 
Ah, sorry about that. If you can narrow down an area and a price range, lots of NE people are here on COTH and can help. It’d also help to know if you’re looking for just board or training/lessons as well.
You can always try EquineSite’s classifieds. http://www.nhwebsolutions.com/classifieds/ . They aren’t as busy as they used to be but there’s normally something there. There are also facebook pages … you’ll have to become a member of the group, I think, but they are fairly active . https://www.facebook.com/groups/964983783536551/?ref=bookmarks .
I have been in Boston for 21 years and riding (as a re-rider) for almost 10. I honestly think you need to get some specifics (where you will work, where you can live) worked out before you really start barn-hunting. You will have lots of choices but narrowing down to a particular region will help.
I’ve boarded in southern New Hampshire, the Lowell area, Metro-west, and now have my horse on the North Shore at a very nice barn… mostly for the trails access (and then I went and messed up my hand, so I can barely ride right now) if that is your thing, but there are some very good barns and trainers on the North Shore. At this point I am wondering why I didn’t make the move years ago; it was mostly cost, but as others have said, a good barn (ETA with an indoor) is going to be over $1K unless you board way far out from the city.
Traffic getting out of Boston proper can be horrible no matter where you are, and at rush hour expect at least an hour to get to just about any barn. I personally use public transit to get into Boston, but I make it work only because I work 80% time. Before the hand injury, I was working 3 full days per week, and riding in the morning and driving partway in on the other 2 and working a shorter day. I do have barn-mates who work full time and commute in. Most ride very early in the morning (they are often leaving as I am arriving!) and the horses get breakfast at 6 or 6:30 so they are not working on an empty stomach.
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Thanks all. If things work out it would be working near south station. So I would say ideal would be an hour from there.
Priority to me is the right fit for my horse. He had a career altering injury a few years ago that was almost fatal for him so quality individualized care is top priority. During his recovery from his inury we found out he has some back arthritis so he requires as much turnout as possible but with very little mud. His current situation has his paddock attached to his stall so he has ability to go in and out as he pleases.
To add to my dream situation would be board and lessons for less than $1000 a month.
If you want very little mud, MA is not the place for you. It rains from February to March, and from September to December … and then it snows. And then the snow melts and it’s muddy again. 
If you are working in/around Boston, expect any barn within an hour to be about $1000. There are a handful of barns close to Concord, Lincoln, etc that are a reasonable commute (as in 20-40m) but will start at $1000 if an indoor is involved. Sudbury and Marlborough both have a few places with top-notch care but traffic in/out of Sudbury is hell, and both places I know of have good sizeable turnout but it is muddy in the mud season.
If you are willing to drive a little bit further and commute a little bit, going past the metro-west hub, you’ll find board is much more reasonably ($500-850) priced. However, I think you will have a very hard time finding a place that maximizes turnout time and has no mud. I think if you are looking for a stone-dust or individual paddock you may have to look into a dressage barn where individual turnout is a routine thing, but dressage barns here are expensive.
Run-in situations around here tend to come with a “part-board” or “co-op” situation.
If you can give more specifics on where you will be living, we might be able to give more helpful information. Boston has a huge network of nearby places and living, say, in Cambridge, has very different accessible barns than living in say, Melrose.The traffic pattern in and around Boston is unbelievably congested so even though the two places might be 15m apart, commute traffic can make the travel unbearable so it’s important to hammer down living logistics since a lot of nearby towns/cities around Boston are downright standstill during rush-hour.
I wish I had better news – I have a love/hate relationship with MA. Love the people, the scenery is gorgeous, there’s so much to do, the economy is good… but it is SO damn expensive to have a horse here.
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Thank for everyones input… I know it would be nice for me to narrow down where I am going to be living but truth is I am completely open to where I am going to live, finding the right place for my horse is more important. So with that… just start listing some places and I can than generate a list to start narrowing down from. So fire away…
If you have flexible work hours, your options are far greater. I live in Boston and work near South Station, but commute out of the city to the barn in the morning (north, near New Hampshire) and return home about 10 to clean up and get to the office shortly after 11. Timing, for the traffic, is critical. What will your work hours be?
It actually does matter where you will be working because as others have said- it impacts how quickly you can get to your barn dramatically. On the map it looks like everything is close together but in reality our congestion creates havoc with timing. 7 miles can take an hour or more from some locations. Give us a work location and we can start helping you.
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Exactly. By and large do not look at Mapquest or Googlemaps and see the “distance” and think “oh, 20miles is doable!”. It’s not the distance you need to factor, it’s the traffic.
For instance my job is only 15 miles from my house. In any other state, it should only take 20-35m.
It takes me an hour in the morning (7 AM) to get to work. Despite being quite literally, only two towns over. After work, it takes from 45m to 1 hour & 15m, depending on the traffic/rush hour. If you work the 9-5 you WILL hit traffic. If you have different hours you’ll find Boston & suburbs much more navigable.
If I visit my job on a Sunday at 3 PM? It takes me 20 minutes.
I know of a few people who work around South Station. They all drive hour+ to get to their horses, which are boarded at the following places:
Scarlet Hill, in Groton, MA (you are looking at ~1hr 15m from SS)
http://scarlethillfarm.com/
Shepley Hill, Marlborough MA (~1hr)
http://www.sh-equestrian.com/
Water’s Edge Farm, Concord MA (45m-1hr)
http://www.watersedgefarm.com/
Orchard Hill, Berlin MA (~1hr+)
http://www.orchardhillequestriancenter.com/
Highland Hill, Berlin MA (~1 hr)
http://www.highlandhillfarmberlin.com/index.html
Those are just places on my side of things. There are other places on the other side of Boston but I’m not familiar enough with them to recommend them.
You might want to look into Carlisle barns, it’s a nice area and there are a few self-care farms that pop up looking for co-op situations. Cheaper board ($500-700) and Carlisle is close enough that a few of my friends that work in/around Boston have made it work.
BTW, all of these places are $$$$$ to board. I think Shepley might be below $1000 but the rest are north of it. That’s the cost of board in this area.
we are 12 minutes west of scarlett hill and are 800 a month. My lessons are $50.
www.settlementfarm.us is our website
also remember that many of those places have lesson requirements that aren’t optional
I just sold a horse to a woman who will be boarding at Dunroven Farm in Harvard MA. Looks like a nice facility.
Ok so I have been around this week and attempting to narrow down my search. I will be working Seaport districted so my 1st choice for locations would be south shore area and 2nd choice metro-west area. The area between 95 and 495. I am originally from the area so I am well versed in MA traffic. I currently drive 2+ hours to my barn in MI after work a little bit of a drive is ok with me. Turnout is definitely top priority.
Thanks again.
God love you you’re a brave soul.
This is a bit further but may be within your limits. Gaylee Stables in Hampton Falls NH. I highly doubt they have mud because the turnout is extra large and full of grass and they have a stone dust-type of temporary turnout for mud season. A few years ago board was around 800. I bet it is still less than 1000. I’ve heard the care is excellent. Downside though is that I believe it is for sale.
If you are working closer to South Station, I would look down in Marshfield or Plymouth areas. They tend to have sandier soil so less mud. I don’t know about the boarding/lesson situation in that area though.
Hey there! I don’t know exactly where you’re going to live, and it’s been three years, so you’ve probably moved, but I’ll give you barns that are all across the state.
I’ve competed at many of these barns, met the owners, and I think they’re amazing!
-Azrael Acres, Uxbridge
-Willow Brook Farm, Holliston (this is a bit less formal and much more kid-friendly.)
-Saddle Rowe, Medway
-Woodridge Farm, Sherborn
-Sugar Ridge Farm, Dover
-Spring Hill Farm, Concord (only boarding)
-HL Select, Boxborough
-Maple Grove Farm, Hudson
-Boston Equestrian Center, Boston
Have fun!
