Dressage boarding and training in Chandler/Scottsdale

[bettel]

I might be offered to relocate to Chandler, but before I make any decision I need to know that my horses will be happy there.

I have two geldings: one is retired and one is young horse in full dressage training. And they both should be boarded together as I just don’t have time to regularly go to two different barns.

My non-negotiable (these are just must have!) boarding requirements are

1. Free choice hay ALL the time in their slow feeders (inside and outside). They each eat around 35-40 pounds depending on hay and weather
2. Turnout (they can go together) at least 6-7 hours per day every day (I assume in Arizona they should go over the night in summer), should be fly sprayed, masks on, etc
3. Large stalls (at least 12 by 12) with fan and mist (in summer) with clean good layer of bedding (when I say good, I mean you don’t see floor through it and it is soft for horses to lie down and sleep for a few hours)
4. Good footing (leveled and watered) for exercising
5. Plenty of clean water
6. Attentive staff that knows horses and can notice change in behavior and communicate it immediately

My budget for all above is $1000 per horse

My younger will need full training (5 or better 6 times a week) and I am all into Ingrid Klimke style: I mean he is a dressage horse, but I want him to be able to continue with poles and small jumps, going on trail rides (if possible), etc. with consistent but gentle and horse friendly trainer that knows how to bring horse to its maximum potential but not ruining horse motivation and health.

It will be a bonus if there is also somebody who can lightly lunge or free lunge my older guy couple times per week (or put him in free walker or both)

My budget for young horse full training and older horse conditioning is $1000 all together.

Is it doable? Real? Can higher budget solve it or it is just not possible?

Please feel free to comment here or send me a private message with your thoughts. All ideas/advises are greatly appreciated!

[AZ_TD]

Nothing in Chandler. Here is the AZ Dressage Association trainer directory. You would have a long commute to any dressage facility. https://azdressage.org/trainers-directory/

[bettel]

@AZ TD

Nothing in Chandler. Here is the AZ Dressage Association trainer directory. You would have a long commute to any dressage facility. https://azdressage.org/trainers-directory/

Thank you. Am i missing something: there are a few trainers with Gold level and up to GP in Scottsdale area on the list (I checked it yesterday :))?

[AZ_TD]

Yes, there are trainers with USDF Gold medals in Scottsdale and Cave Creek area. It would be an hour commute or more with rush hour traffic. What is your question?

[bettel]

@AZ TD

Yes, there are trainers with USDF Gold medals in Scottsdale and Cave Creek area. It would be an hour commute or more with rush hour traffic. What is your question?

My main question is on the first post: can I find boarding with my requirements AND gold level trainer in Scottsdale or close. As I am not there yet, commuting would be the second question: e.g. I can try to find place to live near the right barn and choose to commute to work instead :). I would say commuting within 30-35 miles does not bother me that much if boarding and training match my request.

[Denali6298]

@bettel

Thank you. Am i missing something: there are a few trainers with Gold level and up to GP in Scottsdale area on the list (I checked it yesterday :))?

Call the trainers who offer boarding. What area of the country are you moving from?

Don’t look at the commute in terms of miles. There is so much construction going on in the valley. I just got home from visiting my parents in San Tan Valley and the traffic through that whole area is nuts.

[AZ_TD]

I have not been to many of the Scottsdale dressage facilities and some of the info on the trainer directory is out of date. I lived in Chandler and boarded at Chaparosa Ranch and trained with Cyndi Jackson. It was a multi use facility with 6 barns, close to Rio Verde, long commute. Turn out is limited to a couple of hours at most facilities. You should probably call some of the trainers to see if it would be a good fit, and if they have room. You might try Paula Paglia, Beverly Rogers (Belissima), Wendy Riddell (Ride-n-Rock Ranch), Kim Yacobucci (Horseshoe Springs), Julie Sodowsky (Winter Rose). All have smaller private facilities in Scottsdale and have trained horse to GP.

Another consideration might be property values, houses in Scottsdale are pretty expensive, and Chandler is much cheaper.

[JLR1]

Standards of care and horsekeeping in AZ are less than ideal. You will be hard pressed to find any facility that offers free choice hay and turnout more than a few hours is equally difficult. Turnout is a small dry lot or round pen, some have shade structures the majority do not. It’s miserable in the summer, and many choose to flee to Cali. As AZ TD recommend call the trainers and see if they are a good fit for you…I’m afraid most facilities will far short of what you are requiring no matter what the budget.

[bettel]

@Denali6298

Call the trainers who offer boarding. What area of the country are you moving from?

From Canada, so it is not uncommon for us to cancel riding because it is too cold in winter and because it is too hot and humid in summer

@Denali6298

Don’t look at the commute in terms of miles. There is so much construction going on in the valley. I just got home from visiting my parents in San Tan Valley and the traffic through that whole area is nuts.

Thank you! If push comes to shove I will have to choose where to live: half way between barn and office, near office or near barn

@AZ TD

You should probably call some of the trainers to see if it would be a good fit, and if they have room. You might try Paula Paglia, Beverly Rogers (Belissima), Wendy Riddell (Ride-n-Rock Ranch), Kim Yacobucci (Horseshoe Springs), Julie Sodowsky (Winter Rose). All have smaller private facilities in Scottsdale and have trained horse to GP.

Thanks a lot. I will contact them! I was also thinking to contact Ali Stephens and Cyndi (you mentioned to train with)

@JLR1

I’m afraid most facilities will far short of what you are requiring no matter what the budget.

It is the same here (in general) but I was hoping that there is one or two that match my demands :(, maybe not even large turnout but even paddock attached to stall would satisfy me. I mean if they have little paddocks their turnout in bigger paddock can be only couple hours (to run and to stretch legs)

[Silverbridge]

Bellissima, the boarding stable that is the dressage training home to both Beverly Rogers and Bobbie Lynn, does have runs off the stalls and the horses enjoy an in/out situation. They also (or they used to, anyway, when I was there years ago) bed the stalls VERY deeply and have good onsite management and oversight.

Turnout is minimal, because there are few turnouts and many horses to rotate through them. Bellissima is for sale, so there’s a chance of it being turned over to someone new and having the various trainers there now lose their use of the facility upon a sale. But It has been on the market a really long time and is not inexpensive, so nothing is changing too quickly.

Another facility is Tracey Krajenke’s new place which used to be Cabrillas and then was called El Samaratino and I don’t know what the new name is now. One of Tracey’s client’s just bought it very recently, and set up Tracey’s training business there. That one does not have runs off the stalls and the stalls are nice but smaller. It does have a mare motel set up onsite, with bigger stalls. It’s a plus that it is exclusively dressage and all one trainer’s business.

Another one to look into is Ashley Tyson, she is also Canadian. Her training business is also run out of a facility owned by one of her clients and I have never been there but I have been told the barn and arenas are top notch. That barn does have runs off the stalls. Again, nice to be at a place with only one trainer’s business on site.

None of the places with dressage trainers of the caliber you seek will have as much turnout as you’re looking for. And as far as I know, nobody anywhere will allow access to hay all the time. I mean you are welcome to put the hay that your horse is allotted in a slow feeder, but the barn staff probably won’t do it for you. And most places feed 3x a day. Finding a place that feeds hay 4x a day is a rarity and a luxury.

Hope that helps.

[MissAriel]

OP - I don’t know about the AZ scene, but I am in Southern CA where horse keeping standards are somewhat similar. Turnout is limited, and grazing or 4x/day hay is pretty much unheard of. 35-40 lbs hay/day is also an awful lot of hay. Most horses, even in work need 1-2% of their body weight in forage, which is 10-20 lbs for a 1000 lb horse.

Anyway, even though horse keeping here is different that what you are used to, it is quite possible to continue to have horses, keep them healthy and enjoy riding them and even compete at a high level. Just be open minded to a different way of doing things.

Good luck with your search and your possible move.

[bettel]

@Silverbridge

Finding a place that feeds hay 4x a day is a rarity and a luxury.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions! I will definitely contact them. Just to clarify I don’t need more hay feedings my slowfeeders are large and very easy to be filled I just need enough hay to be put there :). It can easily be done only 2 times per day.

[bettel]

@MissAriel

Anyway, even though horse keeping here is different that what you are used to, it is quite possible to continue to have horses, keep them healthy and enjoy riding them and even compete at a high level. Just be open minded to a different way of doing things.

Good luck with your search and your possible move.

Unfortunately, hay is a huge issue for me as my both guys had history of ulcer so to keep them healthy and happy they need to have grazing option in front of them with only very short breaks like couple hours. If not hay then it is good quality straw. So I can negotiate a lot of things but this one is not the one

[JLR1]

@Silverbridge

Bellissima, the boarding stable that is the dressage training home to both Beverly Rogers and Bobbie Lynn, does have runs off the stalls and the horses enjoy an in/out situation. They also (or they used to, anyway, when I was there years ago) bed the stalls VERY deeply and have good onsite management and oversight.

Turnout is minimal, because there are few turnouts and many horses to rotate through them. Bellissima is for sale, so there’s a chance of it being turned over to someone new and having the various trainers there now lose their use of the facility upon a sale. But It has been on the market a really long time and is not inexpensive, so nothing is changing too quickly.

Another facility is Tracey Krajenke’s new place which used to be Cabrillas and then was called El Samaratino and I don’t know what the new name is now. One of Tracey’s client’s just bought it very recently, and set up Tracey’s training business there. That one does not have runs off the stalls and the stalls are nice but smaller. It does have a mare motel set up onsite, with bigger stalls. It’s a plus that it is exclusively dressage and all one trainer’s business.

Another one to look into is Ashley Tyson, she is also Canadian. Her training business is also run out of a facility owned by one of her clients and I have never been there but I have been told the barn and arenas are top notch. That barn does have runs off the stalls. Again, nice to be at a place with only one trainer’s business on site.

None of the places with dressage trainers of the caliber you seek will have as much turnout as you’re looking for. And as far as I know, nobody anywhere will allow access to hay all the time. I mean you are welcome to put the hay that your horse is allotted in a slow feeder, but the barn staff probably won’t do it for you. And most places feed 3x a day. Finding a place that feeds hay 4x a day is a rarity and a luxury.

Hope that helps.

The ranch Tracey is at is Sage Mountain Ranch and the owner is a Morgan breeder/enthusiast so it is currently a multi discipline…including reiners and the deeper footing that comes with it.

Ashleigh and the owner leave for California for the summer and the place closes from basically June through September.

[Sparrowette]

I haven’t been there is a bit, but Winter Rose in north Scottsdale (on Jomax) recently put in shade over the main arena. Just for that, I wish I was still going there…

[AZ_TD]

Don’t think you will be able to find everything you want here in AZ. For awhile I had my horse at a facility that had mare motel (open, with misters and fans in the summer), good footing, grass pasture all day, trainer would come in for lessons (not in summer due to no covered arena), but the owner is no longer having clients to board. So you are probably going to have to make decisions about compromises. However, board usually ranges from $500=650, so not like Cali which starts at $1000.

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

PM sent.

[redsoxluvr]

What you are looking for does not exist in the Valley - period. Grass is very difficult to come by, and when you can find pasture it must be carefully managed. For what you intend to spend on board, you could purchase a home on about 1 acre in the southeast valley - Chandler/Gilbert/Queen Creek area - with flood irrigation. That payment would be less than the board you intend to pay, and you could easily haul north 20 miles for Scottsdale lessons with an assortment of GP riders or east 15 miles with a GP rider/trainer. If you would like specifics, message me.

[atlatl]

@redsoxluvr

… For what you intend to spend on board, you could purchase a home on about 1 acre in the southeast valley - Chandler/Gilbert/Queen Creek area - with flood irrigation. That payment would be less than the board you intend to pay, and you could easily haul north 20 miles for Scottsdale lessons with an assortment of GP riders or east 15 miles with a GP rider/trainer. If you would like specifics, message me.

Ha! Don’t fall for this trap! My DH tried it once when I was boarding 3 horses in LA county. I pointed out that any property would need a full size arena/dressage court with lights and that we’d have to pay someone to feed and clean since I would still be working and actually wanted to ride in the evenings and weekends instead of doing barn chores and that we’d be chained to the property as opposed to being able to take even weekend trips.

Boarding is worth every penny in my book! YMMV

[exvet]

Some of us juggle a full-time job, ride at night and take care of the barn chores and the horses for the soul purpose of insuring that they’re cared for in a specific manner such as 4 times a day feeding/hay in front of them, unlimited turn-out, and large stalls when I choose/need to stall. It’s not just about the money saved. I don’t hire anyone to do barn chores, I manage the majority myself but my SO is a huge help with the mid day feeding since he gets off of work by noon most days (he’s in finance and works east coast hours). I hire a pet sitter when we both go out of town or take my horses to my other house (horse property) which my daughter rents from me and is more than capable to care for the horses to my expectations. I have a riding arena with lights at both places. Everyone gets the riding/training they need and from where I live it’s a 10 minute drive/haul to my coach/riding instructor (who came in third at DelMar in her GP freestyle recently). She’s one of the “Scottsdale trainers” associated with a high end boarding barn. I fully realize that not everyone desires to have their horses at home or be required to take full care and responsibility for their horse 24/7 but what redsoxluvr proposes works for many of us in this area (Scottsdale).