Do you regret having your horses at home?

[MistyBlue]

Then again, there is nothing like sitting outside with a cup of coffee and watching the horses romp in the pasture. Wouldn’t give it up for anything.

Okay, LauraKY brings up a great point that’s both the fun part of horses at home and the regret.

I sooo looked forward to this part when I got my horses home. My back deck overlooks my barn and paddock from a high vantage point with a great view and I had great outside furniture out there all set to enjoy my fantasy of sitting outside after morning chores enjoying a cup of coffee and watching my horses romp.
6 years later I still sit out there with my cup of coffee…and those bass turds hardly ever romp. I sit there and watch them eat hay, then wander to one corner and poop, then go back to eating hay. :lol: :lol: :winkgrin: :lol: :lol:
Romp d*mn horses!

[dotneko]

I have my one at home and up to 28 other
people’s horses too.
I so want to be a boarder again after doing
this for 30 years.
I am sick of ordering hay, grain and sawdust
and worrying about whether the tractor trailer
can make it through the snow or mud.
I am tired of keeping an eye on the weather
and wondering if staff can make it in.
I want spur of the moment vacations.
I want to not care if the horses are chewing
up MY property - let them dig up someone
elses pasture and fences.
I want maintenance to be somebody else’s
problem. Don’t want to buy pitchforks or have
to change arena lights anymore.
I am so ready to retire! Please buy my farm.
Dot

[Lucassb]

I have done both - had horses at home, and have boarded them out.

Although there were things I loved about having my horses at home… I went back to boarding, and I am glad I did.

However - and this was a big issue - I have access to a boarding facility that provides care for my horse that I am totally comfortable with (which has not always been the case.)

I am very particular about my horse’s care, and loved being able to micro-manage it. I really enjoyed taking care of the barn and having it just the way I liked it, shavings banked just so, haynets stuffed with gorgeous yummy fresh hay, water buckets scrubbed and topped up, aisle swept up, everything dusted and tidy.

However, I was single then, and could spend hours and hours on the barn if I chose to. I could never do that now, with work and family obligations, never mind travel!

Also, for me riding is a social sport and I really missed having company at the barn, as well as access to a good instructor. I have a truck and trailer and can haul out - but that adds significantly to the time factor, something I have precious little of.

My husband has offered for us to get a small farm, and is the kind of guy who’d gladly help out. We will probably have one some day, but for now - boarding works better for me.

[alabama]

Well, my horses aren’t pampered but I want them home with me so I can keep check on them. I can travel for a few days because they are out 24/7 and as long as they have hay and pasture, they’ll be ok. Would I go off and leave them for a week? No. But for a couple of nights they’ll be ok.

After all the horror stories about boarding, I don’t think I’d want to try it (never have). I’m not much of a extrovert so I don’t miss the socializing.

I don’t ride as much as I did about two years ago but I just bought my farm and there’s ALWAYS something to work on. Hopefully, that will settle down soon.

[maunder]

Over the years I’ve boarded and then had horses at home. Recently I’ve done both… I did self care at a lovely farm which entailed getting up at five a.m. every day and driving 20 minutes to feed, muck and play with my horse.

Then I boarded him, which was nice for me for the social aspect but he wasn’t totally comfortable with that barn routine. It was also expensive.

So the Thoroughbred came home to his five goats and now my little mule.

I don’t go ANYWHERE - no vacations, no afternoon functions that would bring me home outside of the feeding time, no shows or movies at that time of day. I’ve very strict about feeding times because my Thoroughbred is happiest with a schedule.

No one in their right mind would want to house sit for me ;):lol:. With three dogs, an ancient cat, five goats, the mule, the horse, eight chicks in the basement and seven chickens outside, and pet canaries, finches, parakeets, fish and frogs. I’m happily stuck here caring for all of my friends.

I can easily give you a “must” for having your horses at home. Today I sat in the pasture and just watched my friends graze, wander and frolic. Nothing like it in the world to be able to do that each and every day…and with several fuzzy and plump goats to sit with too!

The only times I may be a bit grumpy about chores is when the freezing time comes and the dark - I have no electricity and running water in the barn. And some evenings it’s hard to go back down for the late check if it’s raining and dark. But once I get down to the barn and give out treats and hugs and get kisses then everything is exactly the way it should be! :yes:

[RegentLion]

I don’t regret bringing my horses home. BUT the deciding factor in my case was that there simply aren’t any boarding barns in my area that I CAN skip going out for a few days and feel good about it. I miss the social aspect a LOT. And I worry about what will happen when DH and I want to go away on a vacation… who can I get to come way out here two times a day to care for my ponies?

So if I were in your position, I’d buy the two acre lot (although that seems awfully small) and keep boarding. As time goes by, you can slowly improve the property without a huge $$ outlay all at once, and then if need be, you can bring your mare home while boarding out another horse.

If you’ve got a great boarding situation and the social aspect is important for you, do not give it up lightly. If I had a barn like I did when I was a kid in this area, I’d still be boarding my competition horses. I’d still keep my pasture puffs at home but they require little day to day fiddling and can be on “self care” when we travel.

[theblondejumper]

My 79 year old cousin (first cousin twice removed) has her two horses at home and she’s had horses at home for the last forty years. I don’t think she’d have it any other way because she can keep things the way she wants them. Though she has had to hire help with her property.

I’m her horsesitter in training.

[eventersmom]

After boarding two horses for 10 years, we decided to get rid of the townhouse and buy a farm when we inherited horse #3. Do I regret bringing the horses home? Sometimes the answer is yes.

Our routine prior to buying the farm consisted of driving 30 minutes to the boarding facility, spending 2-4 hours at the barn then driving another 30 minutes to get home. I was not thrilled with the care our horses were given and frequently made extra trips to the barn to ensure they had hay and water. I thought we’d save a ton of time having our horses at home. The reality is that we spend more time dealing with fencing, supplies, barn and horse care than we ever did boarding.

Having the horses at home is much more work and my daughter does sometimes miss the social aspect of being at a boarding facility. However, the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices and time spent maintaining our place. I love being able to see them outside my kitchen window when I’m doing dishes. I love having easy and immediate access to the horses when they need extra care such as an injury or illness. I love the fact that the horses look better under our care than they ever looked when being boarded, in no small part because they have access to 17 acres of pasture pretty much 24/7.

We have a wonderful “horsesitter” that allows us to continue to travel when we have the time and money. We also have horsey neighbors that we help out and are willing to help us when needed.

So yes, sometimes I regret bringing them home due to the shear amount of time and energy it takes to maintain all that is necessary to keep the horses healthy and happy BUT I wouldn’t change a thing. The freedom to be able to care for your horses your way more than makes up for any inconvenience and the money we’ve saved not having to pay for board and extras has allowed us to continue to upgrade the barn, fencing, etc.

[BellaLuna]

Sometimes.

Usually because I am the only horsey one in a busy sports oriented family of 6. It gets pretty lonely to go out and do barn chores after dinner in the winter when everyone else is warm and snuggly. Trying to think through sporting events that are going really long and wonder when I am going to get back home to feed/turn-out, blah blah while the other moms are thinking about where to stop for dinner. Oh yeah, I gotta feed the family too. I remember struggling with getting to a 40th birthday party for my best non-horsesy friend that we almost missed because the barn flooded.

But on the other hand, my old pony lived until he was 42 under my care because I could feed him 3 times a day, catch the tummy aches early with banamine and generally care for him as he needed. My soulmate of a horse is 26 and requires some special attention, which I am able to give him because he lives with me. And, like others have said, there is a peace of watching them graze away, not caring about the social sacrifices that I make.

Good luck to you.

[KPF]

I’ve recently been on both sides… boarded for years, had them at home, got divorced and had to sell that farm so went back to boarding. Have a new hubby and new farm now :winkgrin: and they’ve been at home the last couple of years. I honestly wish I could have it both ways.

I love having total control over their feed, blanketing, turnout buddies, etc., interacting with them constantly and knowing what’s going on with them. However, I miss being able to go out in the evening after work if I felt like it (can’t do it now, have to feed and we live in BFE so too far to drive back into town). Miss being able to pick up and go out of town for the weekend. I do have a good farmsitter but she needs advance notice. Plus I worry about them on the rare occasion we do go away… I actually worry about them a lot more now that they’re at home than when I boarded… out of sight, of of mind I guess. I find myself peeking out the window during summer thunderstorms but when they were boarded, I wouldn’t even think about them being out in a storm.

I don’t miss the social aspect of boarding, I always preferred to ride alone anyway. And never enjoyed all the general chit chat when I was grooming, etc. Honestly the biggest thing I miss is being able to SLEEP IN every now and then!

There are definitely pros and cons, but to me, right now the pros outweigh the cons, so here they are at home.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Eh. I’m ambivalent.

I have two horses at home. One’s retired permanently and the other may be able to come back into light work but is not rideable ATM. So I’m glad I have a home barn or I wouldn’t have been able to keep them!

I also recently took on an on-site part-lease at my lesson barn. I love having access to a nice facility - that someone else takes care of;).

So no, I don’t regret having brought the horses home, but I am now remembering lots of good things about boarding barns.:yes:

However, I don’t find it a big deal to work late, go out to dinner, or go on vacation. I designed my barn so DH can dump feed into their stalls from outside the fence and he doesn’t mind doing that. I also never ever feed my horses at the same time two nights in a row, so they don’t expect supper at any certain time. And I have a horse neighbor I can trade horse care with if both DH and I want to go somewhere. I refuse to be a slave to livestock!

[spotnnotfarm]

I have had my horses at home for 5years and would not ever go back to boarding! I love seeing my horses everyday and have control over every aspect of their lives. As far as traveling, we have several friends that will farm sit so it is a non issue. We still go to family outings and late dinners and movies. We just feed a little earlier or later.

One problem people have mentioned is not riding as much. I found I am riding more. I am riding daily because I do not have to worry about driving to a barn and running out of time. I did miss the social aspect of boarding but I made some great friends that I can meet up with and trail ride almost every weekend. I also joined a local saddle club. I am not lonely anymore but I do not have the dreaded barn drama! I hope that helps.

[equineartworks]

I love having my horses here and will never ever board.

I am still nursing Paco back to health after the fiasco I found myself in.

And having coffee with my beasts is priceless. And how often do you get the pleasure of watching you horse (or in this case, mule) gallop with their eyes closed? Or let your DH ride for the first time (even if it was only about 10 feet!). Or see the horse you thought would never be sound to trot, gallop and buck with all four off the ground?

Priceless…

[Gestalt]

I’m in the process of buying a house in town and moving my horses back into a boarding facility.

I travel constantly for my job and the headaches (and cost) of getting someone to feed and check the horses has been a nightmare. This past summer one of my geldings foundered because my neighbor gave him alfalfa all week while I was gone. By the time I got home Saturday morning, he was in serious trouble. Big vet bill later and he is okay, but because of the rotation in his front feet, his soundness if dicey.

Also, I’m single and the work involved to maintain, repair or if I’m lucky, improve this place is really high. Too much work, not enough riding.

[sketcher]

[QUOTE=MistyBlue;4499381]
Okay, LauraKY brings up a great point that’s both the fun part of horses at home and the regret.

I sooo looked forward to this part when I got my horses home. My back deck overlooks my barn and paddock from a high vantage point with a great view and I had great outside furniture out there all set to enjoy my fantasy of sitting outside after morning chores enjoying a cup of coffee and watching my horses romp.
6 years later I still sit out there with my cup of coffee…and those bass turds hardly ever romp. I sit there and watch them eat hay, then wander to one corner and poop, then go back to eating hay. :lol: :lol: :winkgrin: :lol: :lol:
Romp d*mn horses![/QUOTE]

You need to get some firecrackers to lob off your deck! The least the ungrateful beasties can do is romp a little.

[2boys]

“Do you regret having your horses at home?”
kinda’:sadsmile:

[jazzrider]

[QUOTE=MunchkinsMom;4499300]
I do miss the barn buddies, but I make up for it by chatting here on the BB instead.[/QUOTE]

:lol::lol::lol: That’s exactly right! I never thought about it that way, but it’s true. :yes:

I will advise you that if you do bring your horse home, join riding clubs or groups to find new friends to ride with (edit: just noticed spotnnotfarm advised the same thing!). It took us a year or two to figure out there were a few clubs in the area, full of folks like us with horses at home. We get together once a month for a trail ride, we do events, small groups of like interest get together to school, they arrange group lessons and clinics. It’s actually kind of nice. But you really do need a trailer.

Also, while we definately rode less in the years we were making this place into what we wanted – now that it’s relatively done we’re starting to ride more.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

I run a boarding barn, and I keep thinking someday I will retire, and just have a small place with my horses at home. That makes me sad as a big part of my enjoyment is sharing the horses with others. So maybe when I retire, I will just board one or two.

[bauhaus]

Is it possible to buy a house with a couple of acres AND to keep boarding?

I’ve been horseless for 2+ years specifically so I’d have the freedom to travel and do other things, but I probably will not be horseless forever. The DH and I love looking at real estate and if the right property with just a few acres came along we might be interested… but I wouldn’t necessarily be interested in keeping whatever horse(s) I eventually end up with at home full time. However, I would love to have it as an option. To me, the ideal situation would be to have a very basic setup at home, but to only have the horses there when it’s necessary or more convenient than boarding (layup, months you know you won’t ride much, you get a new horse who needs to grow up or chill out for several months before going to work, etc). This scenario kind of ignores the fact that with acreage you’ll have extra chores whether or not the horses are there, but if you don’t have the time or inclination to mow the empty pastures, then it’s probably best to continue boarding.

I’ve had horses at home when I lived with my parents, and I know how much work it is. I do see having horses at home as a significant burden on your ability to travel or be spontaneous with your plans, or even to stay at work extremely late when you need to. And, even if you’ve planned your vacation for months, the person you hired to horse-sit could have an emergency so your backup plans need to have backup plans.

[Woodland]

Sometimes I get tired of the grind and the inability to EVER go away on a vacation.
Then I ride my horses and it all goes away…