I agree and would also add just go an observe a few lessons, before you commit to taking an actual lesson. Choosing a trainer is a lot like dating. It make take some time to find the right fit.
Actually I think @Scribbler raises a good point, although it might be beyond the scope of the feedback you were requesting. So, I will rephrase slightly. In this industry, you often get what you pay for. Everyone has a budget, but don’t let the temptation of the lowest cost barn overshadow safety, well kept horses, proper fencing, etc.
In addition to the advice given in earlier posts, it may be helpful to identify some realistic goals you hope to achieve over the next 12-24 months and focus on barns that can help you reach those goals. I saw one of the threads you started earlier and I believe you mentioned that you started riding a few months ago. With that in mind, you may wish to focus your search on barns that have a sizeable beginners program and successfully cater to those clients. Barns that do a good job attracting and developing beginners usually have lesson horses that can take a new rider from WT all the way up to 2’ or 2’6" safely and confidently.
You may even wish to consider starting a new thread asking for recommendations for lesson barns in your area (mention your location in the subject). COTH can often be quite helpful providing specific barn suggestions.
Finally, asking to observe a lesson or two is an excellent suggestion.
Best of luck!
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In an ideal world, I prefer seeing lesson horses being used 2x a day (one lesson over fences, one lesson flat-only), with one rest day a week. I can understand if circumstances dictate a third lesson a day (another horse comes up missing a shoe, etc) but if that’s standard (or the standard number of rides is higher, and it’s not just leadline or walk/trot only) then I have some concerns.
I would also strenuously recommend assessing the arena you’ll be riding in, and the fencing of the property - fencing that’s old or old looking is fine, so long as it’s been kept in good repair. Unsafe fencing, or fencing that’s falling down and hasn’t been fixed is a red flag to me (they don’t prioritize it? Don’t have the staff to fix it? or the funds to fix it?) You can ask about arena maintenance (do they drag it/how often, do they water it/how often, or otherwise, how do they manage dust/traffic in their arena?)
Someone else mentioned being aware of traffic during your ride times. This I think is especially crucial - first, how many people are in a lesson? (If it’s an hour long lesson, groups of 3-4 similarly skilled riders can work, but if it’s shorter, that many riders is a bit of a rip-off for the rider unless the instructor is exceptionally gifted with time management and lesson planning.) How many lessons run at one time? (Do they just have one instructor, or are there more?) And then do boarders ride at the same time as lessons (what’s barn policy on who has right of way in those situations)? Some barns with heavy traffic may actually have a policy that caps number of riders in an arena, for this reason. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
And I’ll echo @OneTwoMany above: identify what your goals are (for the next month, six months, year, etc). Not all barns are created equal. You can have three equally lovely barns but one may not be really well suited for bringing along beginner riders. Another may actually not be capable of meeting the needs of advanced lesson students. Most (good) barns will answer questions in this vein honestly: ask them about their suitability for different types of riders, and the opportunities they offer for the level of rider you are, and the level of rider you’re interested in (reasonably) getting to in the future. (Saying “can you support a grand prix jumper” is a silly goal, for example, if you’ve just started riding. Asking, “do you have opportunities that allow a part-lease to do schooling shows/18” classes somewhere?" if that’s a goal of yours, could be insightful and helpful.)
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Any BO/trainer who is never at fault, who is always a victim.
Any BO/trainer who owns more horses than they have clients.
Any BO/trainer who asks clients for ‘donations’.
Things I look for…
a) How long the clients have been at location
b) how the clients interact with each other and the BO
c) the general health and well being of the animals - how do they look when you look into their eye - do they seem happy, fed and cared for?, do they look like horses that are brought out and worked or groomed, what do the shavings look like (a lot of wet stalls?)
d) general tidiness and care of the facility. The places doesn’t need every state of the art, modern technology, but it does need to be tidy and be fairly safe for animals.
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Something that occurs to me, reading thru this thread: When you first walk into a barn, your very first time, how are you greeted? Not by the BO, who’s expecting you, but by the boarders??? Do you get the suspicious stink eye, or are they welcoming and friendly?
That will tell you a lot about the clientele and drama that does/does not go on.
I’ve been to many barns in my life, and while people were generally friendly, looking back there was always a degree of separation. When I interviewed my current barn, right off the bat as I walked in, a gal cleaning tack looked up and said “Hi, you must be __. I’m __. Heard we were getting a new boarder.”
Her open demeanor and friendliness went a very, very long way towards making me feel comfortable about the move. I also feel comfortable approaching the BO when I have something that needs addressing, which for me is a big deal.
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One thing I would add. If you are lessoning at this barn, take note of how often people are falling off. This should be a rare occurrence, not the norm. I get that it’s horses, things happen, and the occasional unplanned dismount is bound to take place.
But if students are regularly falling off, then the students are over-mounted, the instructor doesn’t understand how to evaluate skill level or have a plan for safe development of rider skill, and lesson horses may be unsuitable in temperament or physical comfort. Not a place to be learning and developing as a rider.
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Well, to clarify, one issue I had at an otherwise good barn was that they hired a guy who thought that leading 5 horses at a time across a road from the pasture to the barn was a good idea. We called an “emergency barn meeting” with the owner to put a stop to that. Shortcuts don’t work if you value safety.
I think you have to decide what is most important to you as a rider. Obviously the place needs to teach the discipline you are interested in and that they actually teach what they say they do (I have heard a couple places around us that have jumps but no one is ever taught to jump or allowed to use them) and you want an instructor you like and respect.
We are at a barn that would not suit many on this board just because it is a casual place, not so tidy (dirt & organization wise, not sanitary wise) and it’s not a show barn. But it has what is important to us. Food & hay is never skimped on, horses used a max of twice a day 1-2 days off each week and only jump 1-2 times a week. But what is good care to some is not good care to others. I also like a lot of the horses at our barn are rescues because thats something that is personally important to me. Lesson are also very hands on with the horse and either private or a max of 4 students which is rare- the vast majority only have 2. I took lessons when I was young in those big classes with 6+ riders and I never learned anything. I also know lesson barns that look neat and tidy but the horses are over used and over jumped IMO.
I agree with pp about safety- helmets must be required and falls should not be common. Falls happen of course but it’s shouldnt be treated like it happens all the time!
I’m for straightforwardness above all else. Clear communication, clear expectations. It cuts down on both horse and people problems.
I want to hear what the feeding and watering schedule is, and if they live inside the stall cleaning schedule, and I want to seem them delivering on it. Anything that starts with “we try to…” or “we usually…” is a huge problem to me if it’s about basic care; overpromising and underdelivering is rife. (I think there are legit reasons to change turnout schedules sometimes, but even that some barns are ridiculously fussy about.)
My two favorite barns near me both have multiple instances of what other people here consider red flags, but they are both completely up-front about what they do and don’t provide and are stellar at doing what they say they will, so you can decide up front if it’s what you want or not.
Can’t over emphasize enough:
Are most of the horses happy and healthy? When you walk down the barn aisle, do most of the horses look out at you, prick their ears up and maybe even amble over to the door for a scritch? Do they look like riding horses and not auction rejects, body weight wise?
One or two sour pusses - not a deal breaker. One or two skinny horses, also not a deal breaker if there’s a good reason (Dobbin had ulcers, we’re treating but he’s hard to get weight back on in the heat)
An entire barn of horses with their heads in the corner, giving you the stink eye or every single horse is “racing fit” even if it’s a 15 year old shetland pony? Something is wrong (either work load, turnout or feeding) at that barn and you need to keep looking.
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I have only ever ridden at 2 barns in my area, but I work at a third and casually looked around a while back to see what else was available to me (due to price only). The horse care is pretty easy to determine - check for full waters, clean facilities, healthy horses, etc. etc. There is absolutely going to be drama anywhere you go, you can never avoid it completely. If you sense drama, try to determine if the drama is within the clientele, or does it stem from the BO/trainer/staff?
I’m going to refer to a lot of my own experiences here. First barn I rode at was a lesson barn. Aside from the horrendous horse care, there was a very clear hierarchy between the clientele. The boarders got the most attention from the BO/trainers, the leasers next, and the lesson kids last. Of course, this is the owner’s fault and not the clientele’s, but it created cliques and an unpleasant atmosphere for anyone who was in the “bottom tier” (myself). Second barn drama example - a boarder came up to the trainer while we were doing a trial lesson and complained that her horse was standing in his own pee (very muddy stalls). The trainer replied that she had solved her problem about that horse fighting his neighbors, and for her to decide if she would rather have her horse fight his neighbors or stand in his own pee. We never went back.
At my current barn, there is also drama, but it is between the teenage girls, and does not affect the other boarders. My trainer treats everyone fairly and there is a very familial atmosphere that was apparent to me within the first few months I started riding there. Bottom line - you are never going to get along with everyone at any barn. Make sure you click with the trainer and that there are riders of your same level/age to make friends with, and the rest (socially) will work itself out.
A few points I agree with:
@equest is right about trying multiple barns. That is the best thing you can do so that you can discover what you do and don’t like in a barn. Don’t feel bad about going to look at barns if you’re already at one or leaving barns months/years into riding. Barns can often feel like second families IME, but they are first and foremost a business and your needs as a client come first.
@RockingJ mentioned BO/trainers being flexible to your needs, which I think is essential. I ride at a barn that shows heavily but I have no interest in competing. My trainer told us upfront that she would not push me to compete and she never has. She knows my money situation and so we work out deals (turnouts for lessons as an example). She even lets me break a few rules outlined in the contract I signed, but we have known each other for 5 years now and that kind of trust comes with time. BUT, this goes both ways - if you want your trainer to flex, you need to flex as well. Just find a BO/trainer that is willing to treat every boarder as a unique situation.
If I am going to give my honest opinion…I have never been at a lesson barn where the horses’ needs came first. I’m sure they exist, but just beware as lesson barns get the most beginners and beginners are the most unaware of what proper horse care looks like (no offense to you, this knowledge comes with experience - which is plentiful here on COTH!). Have you considered leasing? My barn does not offer solely lessons but offers full leases, half leases, and even quarter leases, so maybe you could find a barn like that in your area if you can’t find a suitable lesson barn.
One last thing, I will be barn shopping soon as well in a different location and a good tip I read on here was to ask local equestrians, tack stores, feed stores, farriers, vets, etc. about barn reputations. If you ask about a barn and the general consensus is a grimace and negative feedback, that’s one you should stay away from. Good luck!
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I agree with all the previous advice and will just aff that I don’t like barns that charge a fee for everything simple thing…like adding supplements, blanketing, etc. I’d rather say more per month than keep track of additional charges
People have given you good boarding barn advice, so I’ll just add the following ideas for choosing a lesson barn:
~ As a beginner, you’ll probably be happiest and learn the most in a barn that has a good mixture of new and experienced riders. You’re less likely to be intimidated by others’ expertise that way, but you’ll also find good riders to study and emulate…
~ Check out the barn’s clientele to make sure that the trainer(s) on site teach other students at your level, and that these students are happy.
~ Check out the lesson horses to make sure they’re healthy, happy and sane. If you’re too inexperienced to tell, bring a more experienced person with you. (Others have mentioned this, I know, but it really is crucial!)
Good luck. 
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