I’m with Amberley and Long time lurker here. Thats a good compromise. 8 hours of real turnout is totally acceptable to me for a working horse being ridden 5 times a week or so. Especially if the barn has an organized and solid routine and the horses are fed well.
I’d certainly give it a go before I took on the longer commute. In the event your horse isn’t happy, you can always move.
Question re: the price–so the new barn be $1020+$375 a month? That’s a pretty massive jump up from $675. And I’m sure you might not mind the commute at first, but how will you feel 6 hours from now? Or if your life gets rocky and you’re juggling another issue plus work. It’s a lot of money to be paying for perhaps riding less, even if the care is so much better.
But I’ve ridden at barns like the one you’re currently at, and it’s miserable being in a tiny arena with people who are unable to steer, with poor footing. It really feels as if you’re being untrained (and the horse) if you have to stop all the time and ride so defensively. And the care sounds sketchy.
So I agree with trying the barn with the 8 hour turnout. If the paddocks are as bad as you say at your current barn, being turned out in a nice inviting field for 8 hours might be more than an acceptable substitute.
Move.
If you have the money that’s the way to go. I enjoy my drive. Good thinking time.
The average cost for full care in my area is $850 - 950 with indoor without lessons included. I’m just paying a lot less than that as she’s currently on pasture board with no indoor. Even then her rate is on the lower side.
That drive would kill me. I care about my horse, but my time is precious. I work full-time, I have dogs, chickens, gardens, a spouse, and whatever else pops up. That’d put me at home around 10pm each night and that’s not fair to my spouse, IMO. If I had to do it, I guess I would, but I don’t find the drive relaxing, because I think of how I could be using my time better.
When I moved my horse recently he was originally 25 min away. I then had to choose between 35 minutes away and no 24/7 turnout (out during the day, or out at night in the summer) or 50 minutes and 24/7 turnout (both places have good facilities for riding). I figured I’d try the 35 minute option and see how it goes. Horse has always lived out, but has adapted to this change quite well. It’s also made feeding him easier. I do something with him 4 to 5 days a week (he’s 3). Since he’s doing well with the set-up, we’ll stay. If he doesn’t for some reason, then I’ll make a longer drive somehow or board him closer but with 24/7 turnout and I’d have to deal with riding in a field only, which works until it doesn’t, for weather reasons, mainly.
It just depends on how you want to spend your time and what other obligations you have. I really haven’t seen a difference in my horse with him no longer being out 24/7, but that’s him. If your horse really can’t cope, then I guess it’s not an option.
If you think your horse would have good quality of life and the time spent with the horse would be more productive and overall better, then I guess I’d move. Living halfway between work and the barn would definitely help when that option becomes available.
I’m not sure how moving closer to the prospective new barn would help eliminate weekly drive time if you’d then be equally farther away from work.
Some people don’t mind spending a lot of time in cars. I am not one of those people.
As another option, you could use what you save in gas, wear and tear on car, and board, and save up for a rig to spend your free time hauling your nearby horse someplace fun, if that’s something maybe you could do.
I would totally try the place with the stall and the 8 hours of turnout. If it doesn’t work out, it sounds like you have other options.
The third option would be my pick. 8 hours of turnout would be fine.
This. With stall anxiety, something to consider might be the actual stall design. Studies have been finding that horses are much happier in stalls if they can see other horses vs. stalls that are totally barred and solid walls between the stalls.
Could you possibly get a rig and haul to the nicer place for lessons 1x a week? Working with a more advanced trainer would be a big benefit, but the long daily commute would be a killer.
Could you contact the BM/BO at Barn #3 and see if they are open to giving your mare 24/7 turnout for awhile and then gradually introduce her to peaceful stall time?
Would she be anxious in the new place if she were the only horse out all the time including at night? Would you want that for her?
It might be good to introduce her to some stall time in case she ever needs to be on stall rest.
I 100% would give this a try. You’re not signing a lifetime contract when you move. If your mare doesn’t adjust, you can move to the further away place. I’ve found that turnout is life changing and asking me to go to a full-time stall, even with a run, is a no go.
Moving to be closer to a barn isn’t something I’d do either - again, you aren’t entering into a lifetime contract and what if something goes wrong at the new farm and you now have a long commute for no reason.
Agree with Jo 100%.
I would give the close barn a try. For at least 2 weeks. My guy was a weaver and didn’t weave when outside, but would weave in a stall. Once he figured out the schedule, he did not weave. He knew what to expect. He did get upset a couple times when they kept them inside due to rain. (and my barn put him out since he was upset, but within 10 minutes when he realized none of his freinds where coming nor was the rain letting up, he was back asking to come back in & the barn was willing to bring him back in). He just really loved a schedule & it took a little time for him to understand the new schedules. So five your mate some time to settle into it before deciding she isn’t happy with it.
Another vote for “barn #3” here - I’ve moved around a lot due to my career, and know what works best for me. Any horse changing routine/barn will have some stress, but the 8 hours in with turnout is more like showing anyway - if you plan to really compete, part of the training should include living in a stall, because at big shows, that’s the reality. There are obviously some horses that truly freak out when stalled, but if it’s not an absolute neurosis, getting used to a more “typical” routine allows more flexibility, imo. Good luck!
That’s a good point.
I did feel like getting to know stall living should be a part of my young horse’s education. He was stalled briefly when he was imported, but it was less than a week. I don’t love stalling horses, so it probably caused me more stress than it did him 
he became familiar with the routine quickly and seems to be ok with it.
It can take some longer than others, but I figured that once my horse went through the daily routine a few times, and was on a field with another horse or two for turnout, he’d settle in, and he did. I think it helped him that I was consistent in going to the barn and doing things with him, so he still had me as a “constant” if that makes sense.
I would try barn #3
I would also try barn 3. I don’t like doing the stall to turn out, I’ve had a couple horses that played way too hard the first hour of turn out. But I don’t want them locked in a stall 24 hours a day either. Neither would I want to commute so far every day.
One of the ottb’s I had did not want to stay out in the pasture, she would call to me as I walked away and then pace the fence line. Luckily I had a great barn owner and she didn’t mind the drama while my girl was learning how to be a real horse. It took at least 2 weeks for her to leave the fence and make friends with her pasture mates. But she was always the first at the gate when it was time to come in. 
The sad thing is that you don’t know which person you are until you have to do it. Then factor in the wear and tear, the huge jump in miles put on the vehicle, added maintenance costs( gas, tires oil, changes) and the expense just keeps on going…
Ditto on this. Not sure where you are geographically, but 24/7 turnout boarding is getting harder and harder to find in many areas. The odds of this horse having the same home for many years are slim, better she learn to adapt sooner than later. IMO . And as was said, you are not signing a lengthy contract, and you might want to be upfront with the #3 owner/manager that if she doesn’t settle after a reasonable time that you will move her.
But you get what you pay for (rocks in turnout, no indoor, not great trails, crowded ride times). I’m with those that say try that third option with the 8 hours of turnout. If you’re working your horse often enough, I don’t think it should be a big problem. As your horse gets older, too, this may change his/her excitability level. I wish you luck! I think, even without comparing costs, you don’t seem to be enjoying your horse at your current barn, so that’s huge.
Unfortunately today her pasture mate got loose, which it seems loose horses is happening at least once a week lately. She got upset and started trying to run and because of how bad the mud is she slipped and fell on her side on a bunch of large rocks in a pond of mud. A boarder caught her in the paddock hoping to calm her down (bless her) and called the BM in the barn where I was. I heard them say my horses name which is the only reason I know what happened because she did not notify me that my horse just completely wiped out in the pasture. Well BM caught the pasture mate and put them back. Other boarder pointed out where the pasture mate got through the fence and that it probably had to be fixed to prevent them from getting out again. BM turns to boarder after a few seconds of silence and says “honestly I’m almost done with chores and it’s really not my problem” then starts walking back to the barn.
My anxiety is through the roof and I think it’s the last straw. If I wasn’t there I wouldn’t of known why she was so sore and the fence wouldn’t of gotten put back up as I’m the one who went and fixed it. So pasture mate would of gotten out again and my horse would of continued to get upset until possibly something even worse happened.
Am I being dramatic?
No. You are not. Get thee gone to the place of 8 hours of turnout and sanity as soon as they can take you. You will both be safer and happier.
Barn manager sounds like she’s hit complete burnout. Things could quickly go very pear-shaped.
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