Yes! This! I was actually debating starting a separate post about how it feels so uncomfortable when various boarders start venting to me about their issues with another member of the barn. Then, I feel uncomfortable and pressured.
I seriously just want to go to the barn and hang out with my horse… not the high school drama.
Very late to this thread but just reading it now.
My one and only very short boarding experience (bought a horse through the trainer at a lesson barn in December and boarded until spring before bringing her home) was terrible.
I knew the barn as we had lessoned their for some time, but while they had turnout paddocks, they just didn’t use them. As in, it’s too time consuming to turn horses out, so we don’t.
I had no idea. If you wanted your horse out, you had to do it yourself many days if they were “too busy” cleaning stalls. Which basically meant that sometimes horses went out for an hour, and sometimes they didn’t go out at all. For days at a time.
I get that it’s time consuming - but on the other hand, it sure makes cleaning stalls faster when there isn’t a horse in them. So…maybe actually worth it…but the trainer actually believed that horses didn’t like turnout. (And, when you just chuck one of them out alone, it’s not surprising that they might not want to be there by themselves while all the other horses are in the barn.)
Another barn I took lessons at had a great system for turnout and stall cleaning, and the horses were out every day unless it was extremely hot or extremely foul outside. I would have boarded there, but the trainer wasn’t good so that was too bad.
This baffles me too. The largest barn I ever boarded at had 90 horses, roughly half privately owned and half lesson horses. The horses went out all day every day unless it was dangerously icy or super heavy rain.
The barn manager and two other barn workers could turn out an entire 30 stall barn in half an hour between them. The 3 barns on the property took maybe 90 minutes total. They each took 2-4 horses at a time out of the barn. Is this ideal safety-wise? Nope. They had it down to a science and the horses were used to it. They marched to or from their pastures and all was well.
Denying horses turnout because it’s “too time consuming” is just lazy, poor horsemanship, IMO.
Agreed… I know someone who does training rides at a very expensive, very fancy dressage barn in this area. They actually have enough small turnout paddocks that all the horses could go out every day. The vast majority are not turned out… ever. I think they’re replacing about half the paddocks with an outdoor arena… which because it’s One of Those dressage barns, will probably never get used, except maybe by the pros.
A lot of dressage barns seem really weird about turnout. Ditto hunter-jumper.
I’ve changed my opinion on the default safety call on turning in/out with more than one horse. If it’s routinely done and the horses are cooperative with the expectations, it can be done for years without incident.
That qualifies as “safe” in my book. It’s like a lot of other things, it is how it is done that counts – IMO.
I’ve told the story I think in this thread and elsewhere about the elderly farm worker who led 5 horses every day from barn to pasture, and in the evening back again. With help gathering the horses and managing the pasture gate. It was a long walk, about a tenth of a mile. Horses didn’t change often at that barn but if they did he had no problem getting the newbie into the routine. The horses were always in the same order, at the same pace, and the horses wanted it just that way. The farm worker was like their authoritative grandfather, they all stayed in line. If for any reason he was absent and others (such as me) helped by taking no more than two horses, the horses weren’t nearly as well-behaved! Because this is not the way we do it! lol
Dealbreakers:
The longer I own horses, the less I feel that I know. I’ve boarded at fancy barns and super local poor education barns and I’ve been super happy at both. I just can’t deal with people who don’t listen and don’t communicate because they think they know more than you. Change feeding routines without communicating because they know better. Or make you justify every. little. thing and then provide a lecture in return. It’s exhausting.
Wow is #1 the truth! I was so happy at a new owner barn at first. They were a long time horse owner and caretaker so I thought it would be fine. It ended up being a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Maintenance on facility was let go as more horses that came to board and it became an untenable situation. Sucked as I loved the people but it just wasn’t the right fit for my sensible and moderate standards. Offers of help from multiple people were pushed aside surely from pride but pride doesn’t improve the situation.
I used to think that I was sensible and moderate. (My previous BOs tell me this.) My current BOs are the opposite in that they can’t afford to hire someone to do work, so most of the boarders (and other people who want to ride) are cleaning stalls and feeding in exchange for board redux. It’s complicated.
I grew up riding at a farm with an absolute horde of small ponies- Shetlands and Welsh types. The main barn was at the bottom of a hill and the upper barn and the turnout aisleways were at the top of the hill. Turnout was managed by two people in a car, each holding the lead ropes of up to four ponies out the window, and the ponies trotted alongside the car.
Not the way I would do it now… but peer pressure got new ponies accommodated to the arrangement in short order and I can’t recall it ever becoming a problem.
The previous head trainer at my farm had a rule that horses must be led in pairs (a rule instituted after the previous head groom, who took them in fours, was nearly mown down by a rude driver and had trouble getting the horses back under control) because leading a large group set an example the juniors could not safely follow. I would personally be comfortable leading three or four together if they were all friends with similar attitudes and walking paces, but certainly two is safer and some days it’s best to fly only one kite at a time.
Children. I have done the boarding barn offering children’s lessons thing. I have done the Pony Club barn thing. I have been a Pony Club parent. If you are not old enough to drive yourself to the barn, I don’t want you underfoot. Particularly with your parents using the barn as a day care center.
I am sure I have totally offended all you former barn rats out there, but I have done my time.
This thread has recently been on my mind.
I board at a small barn, I have noticed multiple boarders talking about other boarder’s; criticizing their styles, methods, etc. Stop, please with that. Just let people do their own thing unless it is a danger or interfering with you, which most of the time it isn’t. A few times I have been tempted to say “mind your business” and I just want to stay out of the drama.
I go to the barn to see my horse, I would rather not be a part of the multiple “cliques” and high school drama.
Yep. There seems to constantly be someone who tries to suck you into barn drama, I found the best way to limit it was to groom and tack up in the stall, and after riding to go right back into the stall ASAP to untack. And to always have a deadline to be somewhere else.
Now I finally have my own farm. I am busy as hell, but it is the most relaxed I have ever been. Doctor even took me off my two blood pressure meds.
Barn drama can get better as one get old. At 71 the teenage girls are not very interested on getting me in their little spats, and the older riders are somewhat in awe that I have ridden horses for over 50 years, often longer than they have been alive.
It helps that I come early in the morning too, avoiding most of the girls and teenagers. Most of the adult boarders I run into there are too busy trying to cram a ride in to waste time bitching about other riders.
Besides my riding teacher, the leaser of the barn and owner of the lesson string, does tend to get after people who get too dramatic (she can get more dramatic than all of them together.)
Yes, this!
As much as I enjoy seeing people at the barn, my favorite time to come is when it’s quiet, usually during the middle of a weekday, and I truly do love and savor the peace and quiet with my horse, as well as just some time to relax, think and do my own thing when other people aren’t around.
It’s an interesting thing, I got my horse just over a year ago, and I have lived in a nearby city for quite a few years. The peace and quiet of the barn has really helped me in many ways, feel much less anxious and being outdoors also makes me feel happier. I actually decided to move out of the city this coming April so I can see my mare every day and be closer to her.
I’m in the process of finding an apartment closer to the barn! Time at the barn is really what I look forward to more than anything else. I often hang out with her for quite a few hours, I’ll bring a snack or bottled water and try to spend the afternoon there.
Ugh, I’m dealing with a limited turnout situation as well right now.
I love the barn I am at, but just this past weekend the barn help admitted that my horse (growing 2 year old that NEEDS turnout) “doesn’t get out as much he should”. On top of that, my supplements aren’t getting fed and I wonder if my horse even gets grain somedays as he has no feed tub in his stall.
There are basically 2 paddocks that can be used at this time of year due to the thawing ground. 1 paddock has the same 2 horses in it daily and the other paddock has the same 3 same horses rotated. Another 3 paddocks and the outdoor riding arena has broodmares living in them 24/7. BO doesn’t do more than 2 horses in a paddock at a time which is understandable, but come on, at least rotate everyone so they get out!
I think about moving but every barn I have been to is usually too much drama, or my horse seems to get hurt or some kind of shit hits the fan. I will say that there are no shenanigans with this barn, which is why I have stuck around so long!
This describes my last barn pretty well. I came in on the tail end of the first year BO had been running the barn. BO had leased stalls at different places before, before but that was a very difference experience than owning and being 100% on top of your own place and my best bet is that they bit off WAY more than they could chew.
I moved in in the spring and 6-7 months later it was winter safety issue that were the kicker for me mentioned somewhere upthread; I removed myself in the matter of a couple days over it. In addition to that it was LOTS of chaos and drama; what was ok yesterday and today was a problem tomorrow. Lots of boarders/horses in then out, which was a mess with turnout groups. Communication was poor and generally done via Facebook group in a passive aggressive manner. BO worked full time and had no BM so lots of basic care things were missed, from staff and BO themself. Having enough hay and grain wasn’t a guarantee and often a scramble. “Improvements” that were attempted either never came to fruition or were so unsafe they weren’t usable because there was no money. BO also wanted to flip horses somehow too even though they were lucky to ride their own horse once a week. No surprise, staffing was also an issue. When I was there, all the boarders started taking shifts for things since BO couldn’t keep anyone, but that appears to not being sustainable and they are looking for outside help again. Lots of “I’m going to do/install/improve/add this” that never happened. Still was advertising as a full service barn which is far from the reality of things.
100% do not recommend an unproven place. Lesson learned was to try and talk to people that have boarded in this specific situation; BO had a much better reputation before owning their own place.
I grew up riding in an old school VA barn, and when turn out time came, we set up a few rope barriers, opened the gate to the “Mare” field or the “Gelding” field, and then ran around the barn opening up the appropriate stall doors. For turning in, we did the same and MOST of the horses went to the right stall (after we shooed them away from the grain bin).
I laugh to think about it now. Talk about quick and unsafe, lol!
That was how a few in my area did it. This barn had the same pattern when I bought it, and people would yell “heads up, coming in hot” as horses would gallop into the barn.
I put a stop to that right quick!
My barn growing up used to do something similar. And the BO had an Australian cattle dog who would help encourage the horses to go in the right direction.
I thought this stampede of the herd into stalls at feeding time was how it was supposed to be done for 20 years. Not until my third boarding barn did I see there was another way to feed.
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