Same thing in the Midwest, even down in Kentucky. If the pastures are soft or squishy horses do not go out. The BO knows what is in their business’ best interest, and 9 times out of 10 taking the time and extra money to do major repairs to multiple pastures is NOT it. I don’t blame them a bit.
At my current barn the pastures are used summer-winter, with breaks during the squishy spring and fall weeks/months. They are gorgeous, full pastures that get mowed regularly. Every single horse on the property is fat and happy. There are sacrifice lots to use when the pastures are out of commission, but it is very labor intensive as horses have to be rotated all day. Those lots get picked/dragged regularly in good weather, but winter? Nope. Barn workers prefer horses to be in because it’s easier. BO prefers horses to be in because of land management. It drives me crazy, but my horse has had enough foot issues that standing in any type of mud is a Very Bad Idea. So if horses are in for three days, I whine to myself, but deep down I know it’s in his best interest. Last week, for example: We finally get a break from freezing temps and it jumps up to almost 50 degrees for a couple days. The horses stay in. Why? Because not only is everything soaking wet from the surprise mini-thaw, but the ground underneath is still frozen. So there is a nice, slick layer of not-too-deep mud on top of an ice rink. One boarder threw a fit. While I understood her frustration, every horse in the barn gets fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner and there are very few who actually clean up all three meals before the end of the day. They may be in for three days, but they are not pacing their stalls, screaming, or in any way unhappy. Quite the opposite…they are quite content to stay in a warm, dry stall with hay up to their eyeballs.
OP…congrats on your first horse, but welcome to the learning curve known as horse ownership. I am a very picky person when it comes to boarding barns and I will fully admit to being a bit “high maintenance”. But I am also volunteering to help out whenever I can to make up for it. There has to be a trade off. You can have high standards, and you should! But every barn will fall lower than your expectations in some way, shape, or form. What you have to ask yourself is: What are you willing to do to change that. Pay more money? Pick your own run? Just grin and bear it because the other benefits outweigh the negative? I had shoulder surgery and was out picking my horse’s run while still in a sling because it was nice enough weather and the poop hadn’t frozen to the ground yet. It’s all about priorities and what YOU are comfortable with. Best of luck.
ETA - Up here in Wisconsin you can basically find two types of boarding barns: Ones that cost about $800+ and ones that are $500 and under. Expensive doesn’t always mean better care, but it almost always means better facilities. I was at a barn paying $525, but after adding in extra hay and shavings since my horse had to be in because the mud was up to mid-cannon bone it made more sense for me to move to the $700 facility that beds appropriately, offers unlimited hay, and doesn’t have deep mud.
