Hi! I’m gonna be attending University of Kentucky in the fall and am planning on bringing my horse with me, but I need opinions on barns. I live in a different state so I don’t really know anything besides what I’ve found on the internet. I’m looking for a more laid back barn, hunter/equitation preferably but it does not have to be a show barn. Less expensive would be best, since i’ll be paying for it myself, but I would rather pay a little more and feel better about my horse’s safety. Any and all suggestions, reviews, experiences with barns in Lexington are welcome! Thanks in advance!
How far are you willing to drive? Ballpark budget? Most in the area are happier with an indoor or at least lights in the outdoor, how do you feel about it?
There’s so many to choose from so which ones online did you like so we can say yay, nay or give you something similar that isn’t listed.
When I moved here and started riding ten years ago I had to go to the tack shop as the logical spot to find out about the best spot for what I wanted, as there was NO internet activity here, it was all word of mouth, and who you knew. Well, I take that back, Champagne Run had a nice website but I never got a call back from anyone in the discipline I wanted to focus on.
There are now more websites, and more barns, many of which I know NOTHING about except they have a sign on the side of the road, they don’t belong to KHJA. I would not hesitate to check out any trainer with KHJA, http://www.khja.org/trainers.html some of them I have ridden with as they got their professional start and your horse will receive excellent care.
There are also many places that have been there forever and still don’t choose to have a website as they get all their business from friends of friends, or they are self care or offer that sort of option, and they can be pretty nice too if you have the self reliance and horsemanship to seek out what you need on your own.
UK has an active IHSA team in H/J and Western, H/J is still headquartered at Robert Murphy Stables to my knowledge. It was crowded but fun while I was there and I did enjoy it quite a bit. I hope you can find time to visit, that is the best way to make sure you have a good fit. And bear in mind that Lex has some rotten traffic at certain times of day, Nicholasville Rd being one of them.
Congratulations and welcome to UK and Lexington!
Look into Scheffelridge and Punchestown- both have very nice facilities, and Punchestown also put in an indoor about 3 years ago. Ballyhigh and Robert Murphy are lovely as well.
It’s a bit of a drive (an hour out on Nicholasville Rd.), and more eventing oriented, but Meadowlake is lovely, and the care was excellent when I boarded there 3 years ago. 2 schooling rings + an indoor for a really reasonable (dare I say cheap…) rate.
My biggest tip is avoid New Circle (especially the half with stop lights) and Nicholasville during rush hour at all costs… So pick a barn with those roads in mind. :lol:
