Boarding near Snohomish, WA

[DressurLeben]

I’m looking for a barn to board my dressage horse. I’m willing to travel inside the “circle” of Snohomish, Monroe, Duvall, Redmond, Woodinville, Bothell, Mill Creek area.

I have two deal breakers

• 4+ hours daily turn out (at least big enough to canter a circle and buck a little)
• Good footing (MAX 3" deep) in 20x60 arena (doesn't have to be exact dimensions)

I don’t care if the barn is super fancy or a small private backyard stable. I just want my horse to be happy and healthy. Cost is not an issue. Quality is the most important.

If I were being picky, it’d be nice to have other dressage riders there. But not really necessary.

[RedmondDressage]

Budget?

[Mooberry16]

Grateful Pines!! They bought the place right after I moved and I’m so bummed that I didn’t stay there. They have done incredible things with the property and my friends love it.

[rjr]

Look on the “USDF Region 6” website for a list of names and contact info. Some that I know either personally or by reputation (and would recommend) are: Stacy Luko, Molly Martin, Kathryn Christiansen, Alyssa Pitts, Shauntel Bryant. All have boarding facilities that will be mostly or completely dressage riders, and good arenas/footing. I don’t know particulars about turnout in most of the places. All of these are capable of teaching through FEI, but I think that all of them also have lower level (1st/second) riders at their barns as well.

[ewells]

Some barns in the General area

http://www.traumhofdressage.com/

http://www.ravenswoodequestrian.com/index.html

http://www.skyriverequestriancenter.com/index.html

http://www.bearcreekdressage.com/home.htm

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maidstone-Farm/179007328839402

Medowgate Farm in Stanwood Wa Stephanie Blockley-Clarke (No Website really)

Good Turn out can be difficult to get

[ewells]

Some barns in the General area

http://www.traumhofdressage.com/

http://www.ravenswoodequestrian.com/index.html

http://www.skyriverequestriancenter.com/index.html

http://www.bearcreekdressage.com/home.htm

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maidstone-Farm/179007328839402

Medowgate Farm in Stanwood Wa Stephanie Blockley-Clarke (No Website really)

Good Turn out can be difficult to get

[StormyDay]

Ravenswood farm is great but very mucky turnout. I ended up leaving there because all of my horses got a case of scratches we couldn’t get rid of. Rockmeadow in Sammamish is wonderful and has relatively dry turnout but I think they lost their dressage trainer and it is a bit far for you.
If you can get in at pegasus training in redmond they have immaculate facilities, but I don’t know if they take outside horses still.
Look also at eventing barns, since many have good dressage trainers who visit them, and also privately owned farms. You are going to get the best turnout at a private farm.

[DressurLeben]

How do I find a private barn? Do you just have to know people?

[Candle]

Check out Off Broadway Farm. Sheila is fantastic, the horses are well taken care of, and the arenas are in great shape. She’s got an indoor, outdoor, gorgeous facilities and turnout. She’s in Maltby.

[RedmondDressage]

[QUOTE=DressurLeben;8971118]
How do I find a private barn? Do you just have to know people?[/QUOTE]

We’ve got a couple of FB groups - Equine Enthusiasts of Monroe and Carnation Duvall Horse Owners. Might try joining and posting an ISO ad on both. That’s probably the best way to find private farm owners.

I can vouch for Traumhof, that’s where I haul to ride these days. Huge indoor, great footing, and top notch care plus instruction if you like. They also have a few different clinicians come on a regular basis. They do have turnout, it might be a tad smaller that you’re looking for bit you could contact them and take a look.

The other place I’d recommend is Trilogy Riding Centre in Monroe. The instructor I recommended on the other thread also owns the facility. Gorgeous place with turnout in big grass fields, big indoor and regulation outdoor with beautiful footing. I boarded there for four years until I brought them home. I never had to worry about anything, the care is fantastic. They’re on the higher end for the area but worth it for sure if they’ve got openings.

[RedmondDressage]

[QUOTE=DressurLeben;8971118]
How do I find a private barn? Do you just have to know people?[/QUOTE]

We’ve got a couple of FB groups - Equine Enthusiasts of Monroe and Carnation Duvall Horse Owners. Might try joining and posting an ISO ad on both. That’s probably the best way to find private farm owners.

I can vouch for Traumhof, that’s where I haul to ride these days. Huge indoor, great footing, and top notch care plus instruction if you like. They also have a few different clinicians come on a regular basis. They do have turnout, it might be a tad smaller that you’re looking for bit you could contact them and take a look.

The other place I’d recommend is Trilogy Riding Centre in Monroe. The instructor I recommended on the other thread also owns the facility. Gorgeous place with turnout in big grass fields, big indoor and regulation outdoor with beautiful footing. I boarded there for four years until I brought them home, still lesson there when I can. I never had to worry about anything, the care is fantastic. They’re on the higher end for the area but worth it for sure if they’ve got openings.

[StormyDay]

Craigslist can be good too for finding board. Also, if you drive by a farm you like, if you see someone outside just ask (most people are flattered you like their barn, I have never been chased off a property before) or if you are more timid, I used to just write a letter to them and put it in their mailbox. I have found barns that way

[myhorsefaith]

I haven’t boarded there, so no idea what the TO situation is like in the winter…but I think Pumpkin farms has been advertising on FB that they have an opening.

http://www.pumpkinfarmsdressage.com/

Cheval Hill is another place in Monroe (not sure with their turn out situation is either): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheval-Hill/1467122956942868

[DressurLeben]

Cheval Hill looks really nice, but is it a h/j barn?

I’ve not heard of most of these places. Thanks for the tips!

[Mondo]

Yes it is, primarily. It’s a super nice place. But - the problem is where it is located. It’s on top of a mountain in Sultan. It’s up a steep and winding road and I absolutely would hate to drive up there in the winter because of the snow and ice. Just food for thought.

[DressurLeben]

This is the list of every barn in the Snohomish area that I could find:

All Starr
Archway (h/j)

Bear Creek (dressage)
Blue Spruce
Brackenhollow (eventing)
Brick Road (h/j)
Brookside (h/j)

Carlton
Carousel
Cascade Meadows
Cedar Grove
Cedar Meadow (dressage)
Charlottewood
Cheval Hill (h/j)
Clover Hill
Corbett (Saddlebred)
Creekside
Crooks (h/j)
Cypress (h/j)

Derby (dressage)
Diamond D (western)
Dressage Dancers
Dutch Hill (dressage)

Equine Life Solutions
Emerald Glen (eventing)
Emerald Lane (closed - new buyer?)

Far Point (h/j)
Fast Track (h/J)
Fire Run (morgans)
Five C (dressage & h/j)
Flicka (dressage)
French Creek (driving)

Goldcreek
Grateful Pine
Greystone

Heron’s Creek (Arabians)
Hillcrest (h/j)
Hilltop (dressage)
Hollywood Hill
Hoofbeats
Horse Headquarters

Jackson Valley

Lane’s End (dressage)
Liberty Bell (eventing)
Löki (dressage)

Mone
Misfit (dressage)

Off-Broadway (dressage)

Painted Horse
Paradise (western)
Phoenix (h/j)
Polestar (eventing)
Potcreek (h/j)
Pumpkin (dressage)

Ride N Shine
River Glen
Rosecrest (dressage & western)

San Sebastian (dressage)
Seven Hills
Shadow
Sky River (dressage & western)
Skykomish River
Strong Tower
Stroud (western)
Sundance (h/j)

Tall Firs Monroe
Topline (dressage)
Traumhof (dressage)
Trilogy (dressage)

Union Hill
Utopia (dressage)

View Ridge (dressage)

Western Sky
Willowcrest

I included barns that target a specific discipline (dressage, h/j, etc) because some places are open to all disciplines even if the majority of their boarders ride one way. From their websites you can’t always tell who is open and who is not. Can you all help me trim down this list? My deal-breakers are nice footing and a decent amount of turn out year round.

Also - did I miss any places? Especially the barns that don’t have websites?

Does anyone know what is happening with Emerald Lanes? Seems like it was a really nice place that recently closed.

[Mondo]

I didn’t know Emerald Lane closed. It was falling down - the owner never did much to keep it up and repaired. There was a dressage trainer there though, but it was largely an Arabian barn. Bear Creek is fantastic - Leigh Cochran is there and she’s great - but I think they are usually full with a waiting list. Didn’t you say that turnout was a big deal? They have very limited turnout. Pumpkin Farm is in Snohomish. It’s a gorgeous place. Matt Eagan is the trainer there and now also Catherine Reid, who I can highly recommend. Sky River to my knowledge is between dressage trainers. Traumhoff is a lovely place and also has excellent trainers. Hollywood Hill has great turnout. They also have a very large indoor with good footing. I have a few students there. Rosecrest is really nice and has the best turnout of them all - 100 acres of lush pastures. Debbie Dewitt is the trainer there - you really can’t go wrong. View Ridge is Sonja Vracko’s and it’s very nice. I don’t know if she’s still teaching or if she’s retired, but there would be good instruction there I’m sure. Some of the others, I would comment in a PM. If they don’t say dressage, you may not be as happy there. Want to meet up somewhere and we can go on some tours? I know everybody, LOL.

[RedmondDressage]

Catherine Reid is at Sky River… I haven’t heard anything about her leaving unless it was literally in the last couple of days? She has a video riding there on Xmas Eve and frankly, I would be shocked if she had left.

[DressurLeben]

Catherine Reid is leaving Sky River and going to Pumpkin. I am sure of that.

[Gestalt]

French Creek is driving but also dressage. I had a horse there for driving training. The owner/trainer used my horse, without my knowledge or consent, as a lesson horse in their dressage program. I only found out because a young girl that was using him for lessons told me how wonderful he is to ride and the other students all wanted to use him too. When I confronted the trainer he said and I quote “every horse here is mine to use as I see fit.”

I lived 5 hours away so was out of the loop except for one weekend a month. When I brought my guy home he had scratches in all four legs so bad he could hardly walk. Those people suck.