I am FINALLY looking for a new horse (yay!), I have also had to put off my barn build until summer '23 (boo!). My plan is to go back to the barn that I used to board at, which I love for many reasons, but turnout is not one of them.
They only do 1-2 hours a day. The stalls are good sized (12x12), but they don’t bed heavy (all stalls do have mats). It doesn’t really match my personal philosophy, but it worked out fine for my old horse, a super sensitive TB who genuinely hated being turned out unless the conditions were perfect. The BO allows you to turnout your horse extra if you want, but you have to be there the whole time.
But now that I am looking for a new horse, I feel like I need to find something that is fine with only going out an hour or two a day. I don’t want to disrupt it’s fabulous turn out life and make it stand in a stall all day.
I also don’t really want to go somewhere else because everything else about the barn is fabulous- an excellent feed program, a very attentive BO who notices the smallest change in your horse and calls immediately, a nice sized indoor and outdoor. It is also the only full care facility within 40 minutes of my house.
Anyway, what would the ladies (and gentlemen) of COTH do? Would you still board there even though turnout isn’t great? The goal for my house is to have TONS of turnout, so I don’t necessarily want to search out something that hates it just so I can board for a year- 18 months.