A really great girl who boards with me is going to UMass in the fall and wants to take her horse. Does anybody know of a good but not expensive option in or near Hadley? TIA.
What’s “not expensive”?
Because I have lived in the town next door my entire life, and I can tell you that good + not expensive in this area is borderline non-existent. There is a true lack of quality boarding barns in this area.
Does she need to have an indoor?
Does she have a car, or does she need to rely on the bus?
Is she living on campus, or off?
How far is she willing to drive? If she can do 20 minutes, it offers up some more quality options.
Can she take part in a co-op/rough board situation?
At one point, UMASS did have an on-campus boarding co-op. If that still exists, that’s probably her best bet. I worked for UMASS for one year as an assistant farm manager and 15 years ago boarding options were pretty few and far between. I think $600 was the going rate back then with an indoor.
[QUOTE=Marshfield;7646164]
At one point, UMASS did have an on-campus boarding co-op. If that still exists, that’s probably her best bet. I worked for UMASS for one year as an assistant farm manager and 15 years ago boarding options were pretty few and far between. I think $600 was the going rate back then with an indoor.[/QUOTE]
It’s not a co-op anymore, just student run, and it doesn’t have the best rep. I believe they’re $675 now.
The issue is not that boarding barns are few and far between…there are PLENTY of them. The issue is that GOOD ones are few and far between. 
UMass still owns the Hadley Farm. Its Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hadley-Farm-Equine-Center-at-the-University-of-Massachusetts-Amherst/103138883067295
I don’t know what the costs are for boarders, but it’s convenient to the campus and there are nice facilities.
There are plenty of boarding stables in the area. It helps to have a car, though, since most are not on the bus-lines. A place with an indoor, full board will probably be in the $525-600 range. (I board in Amherst and pay $585 full board with an indoor).
[QUOTE=Posting Trot;7646206]
UMass still owns the Hadley Farm. Its Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hadley-Farm-Equine-Center-at-the-University-of-Massachusetts-Amherst/103138883067295
I don’t know what the costs are for boarders, but it’s convenient to the campus and there are nice facilities.
There are plenty of boarding stables in the area. It helps to have a car, though, since most are not on the bus-lines. A place with an indoor, full board will probably be in the $525-600 range. (I board in Amherst and pay $585 full board with an indoor).[/QUOTE]
The UMass barn does not allow outside boarders in to their regular barn, it is all school horses and other animals. There is one barn on the main farm that is student run, as I mentioned above, with a bad rep and a higher price. The Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stockbridge-Stables/434504933252346
GforaG, you were exactly the COTH member I wanted to reach with this post. She has a car. She doesn’t have to have an indoor but it would be nice. Living on campus - in a pre-med program, so because of her crazy schedule she really can’t do rough board. The $675/month is just too steep. She could definitely do a pasture board situation, he does better living outside. Thanks, guys.
To clarify, GforaG, I told her that IIRC you had said that there were plenty of boarding barns in the area, just not good ones. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
I’ll send you a PM! I have some places I feel comfortable sending someone, particularly since she sounds like she’s got a low-key horse.
So why does the Stockbridge stables have a bad rep?
