When more and more barns close down, I find boarding deal breaker lists shortening rapidly. Do you move them further out to a barn said to have great care where it’s more difficult to keep an eye on them or keep them closer in a barn that is almost ok or barely ok or not really ok but you are trying to work around issues where you can check on them more easily?
I had to do the latter! There were not any boarding barns that had pasture within an hour and a half of me. None of the pastures had grass (just dirt lots because I live in SoCal). None picked manure… nearly ever, so flies were a problem. My mare had to move to another state to get proper field board where I wouldn’t be stressed.
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Honestly, I find that if the care is exceptional then you really don’t have to keep an eye out for your horse.
I just moved my horse to a new barn that is 45 mins away from my boyfriend’s place, 2 hours away from where I live. The barn I was at for years was 5 mins down the road from my place, but I decided to move my horse because he was sitting in a stall for a days at a time and not getting adequate turnout. I loved the barn but I found that care was starting to slip up in certain areas, and it was becoming more of a broodmare operation/ retirement farm.
After a disaster of moving my horse to a barn that was terrible and pulling him out ASAP, I found the barn I am at now and absolutely LOVE it. The horses are SO well cared for and pampered, I don’t know if I could be convinced to move to a closer barn that I am currently waitlisted on. Honestly, I never worry-- the barn staff and owner are super attentive and if there are any issues of any kind I am notified right away. After touring multiple barns when I was looking, I realize how lucky I am to be at this place.
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I had a horse that would bolt and I solved it by putting on two halters, the top one with a regular lead rope and the bottom one with a chain over the nose. I pulled off the top one and when she tried to bolt off the chain hit her and brought her up short. In two lessons she learned to be a lady and wait for me to unhalter her before moving away to graze.
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