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Getting our own place vs boarding - with specifics

Around The Farm
#141

I continued riding, and a moderate level of competition, for years after moving to our place. I no longer compete, but living here has nothing to do with that.

A major factor that helped here is location, location, location. Due to where we live, regionally speaking, I don’t have to deal with severe winter weather or mud season or monsoon season (drought is its own issue), don’t need an indoor to ride in winter, etc. Since our place is conveniently located in relation to our office/studio, grocery stores, shopping, medical, etc., I drive far less as compared to when I boarded.

In fact, it was eye opening, after we moved, to realize how much I’d been driving – for decades – commuting to various boarding barns. The shortest round trip to a barn was 20 miles, while I sometimes boarded with a 75 mile round trip. Even 20 miles adds up to several thousand miles/year, when driven daily, that I wasn’t doing any more after moving the horses home. Makes a huge difference not only in fuel and oil costs, but also tires and other maintenance, and in replacing vehicles. Comparable to working from home, instead of commuting to a big city job. Wasn’t spending that time (45 to 90 minutes, depending upon barn location) traveling to/from the barn, either. Time that could then be spent on horse care and property maintenance,

Speaking of which, after decades of boarding, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted, as far as ease of maintenance and efficiency. My barn chores take little time, and aren’t unpleasant; I don’t mind dragging the arena, or mowing pastures, either.

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#142

This was a huge factor for me as well, and something that I think can get overlooked. To get the care I wanted when boarding, I was driving two hours round trip every day. Even working from home, it made scheduling ride times much more challenging because I also had to factor in that drive. Now I can duck outside for thirty minutes or an hour here and there with no issues. And my gas bill and vehicle maintenance have all gone down significantly. Plus, it was mentally draining for me personally doing all that driving.

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#143

Factoring the hours driving and gas is a good point. I think this would be a benefit of horses at home for a lot of people! It would have been for us in other places we have lived. Now though I currently commute 30 minutes to work and 10 minutes from there to the barn… if we bought property we’d be commuting AT LEAST 45 minutes to work, if not an hour. This is here or in the areas we are looking to move back home to family.

That doubles the SO’s commute for no direct benefit for him - assuming I can find a remote position (not super common in my field at this time. I’d need to pivot slightly but not get a new degree or anything).

This has been helpful though - I think I would NEED to have a remote or hybrid position, we would need to find something close enough to SO’s work to be worth it for him, and we’d need to set up the property efficiently with a lot of DIY sweat equity. Trying to make it work within our current situation just doesn’t make sense - but that is good information for the future.

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#144

Yes the driving thing - when I was boarding I was driving at one point 45 minutes to one barn to ride, then 45 minutes to another barn to take care of my laid up horse, and 45 minutes home (in a big triangle). So to take care of my horses was almost an entire day event. It was ridiculous. Then I moved my laid up horse to the same barn that my riding horse was at which was doubly expensive but they turned him out and left him out when they brought others in, which caused him to tear around like a maniac and re-injure both hind suspensories that I had just spent upward of $8k on PRP and shockwave to treat. Plus board was an additional $250 a month there, just to add insult to injury (and the drama at that barn was SO bad - ugh!)

I was not a happy camper.

My company is remote (and I run it), so I pop out all the time to throw hay or meet the farrier.

Regarding showing more/less - for me personally, I do a LOT more training at home than I did when I was boarding. I discovered that what I enjoyed was the training aspect and not necessarily the showing aspect. I don’t get as much help, no, although I have had people willing to travel to me, but it has opened me up to more types of training, since I don’t have to worry about the other people on the property thinking I’m weird. So I will say that part is both freeing but also annoying, because my bad riding habits do sneak back in - tradeoffs. Since I’m pretty experienced, as I think you are based on your experience @fivestrideline, that’s less of a concern than if I were less far along on that journey. You can also always trailer in to someone if you want. I don’t do that so much just because I really don’t love trailering, but loads of people do.

I haven’t found an issue with vets/farriers but I’m in a pretty populated area. That’s one of the reasons we chose this property despite it’s lack of land - so DH could be closer to his work. Of course now he also works remotely so that is moot, but there are a number of nice things being so close to the city that work in our favor too, like proximity to art/food/etc. that I think we’d miss being out further.

It is a lot of food for thought!

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#145

Regards to finding service providers, I very much live in a horse desert, so farriers, vets, chiros, etc. (let alone GOOD ones) can be a huge struggle for horse owners. It was a little tough to find people when I was just getting back into horses and was new to the scene around here - no one knew me and I didn’t know anyone - but I pretty quickly built a team of trusted providers. My farrier retired in the last few years - but kept me on as his only client. And I have a lameness vet who doesn’t normally travel to my area, but will for me when I need her. And my hay guy just told me the other day that he plans to retire next year … but will keep me on as a client, only filling his own barn and my barn in the summer. I didn’t ask for these favors and made it clear that they, by no means, owe me any special kind of treatment - but they’ve all insisted they want to continue to do business with me. Who am I to argue? lol I can only assume it’s because I am loyal, pay my bills in full ASAP, and try to be as flexible and easy to deal with as possible. So being a decent human being clearly goes a long way to attracting and retaining GOOD providers when there aren’t many to choose from. I imagine I’m preaching to the choir here, but dang if I see friends and acquaintances with their horses at home struggling to find providers and the only thing to assume is that they don’t pay their bills or are somehow a PITA to deal with. :woman_shrugging:

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#146

I think that’s an important point you make- the COL in your area. My hay cost alone ATM is about $350/horse/mo. And that’s being strict and they have to finish it all or most of it before they get more! The ones who like to make nests or pee in it very quickly get a slow feeder hay net.

When I had my farm in SEPA, the general economics and that specific location were much different than what I am dealing with now (mid-late 2000s)

While the variable costs aren’t that bad, even here in SoCal, it’s the fixed costs that are breaking my back. My property insurance alone has tripled in the past two years to about $15k after I was forced into CA Fair Plan for fire. My truck is $1000/ year to register. And it’s a 2018! That’s the tip of the egregious iceberg out here!

And then there are current property values and interest rates. I’ve been here 11 years and have 2.74% interest. That’s why I’m going to keep on keeping on until the youngest is out of high school before I sell up and clear out. Excepting the property insurance, my mortgage is not that bad. But buying a new place in this market- tough economics.

As many have said, it’s a lifestyle choice. The horses-at-home lifestyle has lost its luster for me, I don’t need (want!) 4 or 5 of my own anymore. I’m happy with one boarded.

Loys of good info and perspective here for the OP!

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#147

To be fair, I think just by buying in 2019 you’ve come out ahead. Plus the rural and low COL aspects. There are variables to consider. I KNOW it’d cost us more to keep 2 horses at home. The horse’s themselves might be less because I wouldn’t stall either, so our bedding costs would be minimal. It’s just all of the other stuff. Especially the initial costs and big increase in mortgage. Which is doable for us, but worth noting, I think.

We are very handy and quite into DIY, so that would help us.

Being able to grow and cut your own hay is great though!

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#148

I switched from boarding to horses at home earlier this year, so thought i’d share some reflections:

  • Our mortgage is maxed out but we lived in a HCOL city, so were choosing between a regular house in a HCOL area, or a house and small horse property 60 minutes out of town, for the same amount of money. So I consider the purchase price a wash.

  • our property is SMALL but well laid out. 1 acre, including the house, enclosed garden, garage/hay loft, small tack/feed room, and extra large (for our area) walk out paddocks with shelters, plus 20mx40m arena. And tons of trails just off the property.

  • i have two horses on site: 1 my own and the other a boarder. I provide full board, and the boarders fee covers hay and bedding for both horses plus supplements for mine. So much better $$ wise for me then boarding (i always did co-op so time spent feeding/mucking is almost the same).

  • my husband isn’t into horses but wanted to move out of the city and got a large garden and workshop out of the deal so he’s happy.

  • we both work mainly remote. I go into office 2-3 times/month and due to the commute my husband does the PM feed, and sometimes mucks which is very nice. But i would not want horses at home if i was regularly gone 12hours/day.

  • i’m a homebody so needing to be around isn’t a problem

  • with that said - we went away for 3 weeks and had a sitter from ‘trusted housesitters’ stay. 0 cost, happy horses, great experince.

  • i ride just as regularly (5 days/week) and have a fantastic trainer who comes to me for the same cost as my prior (also great) coach at a boarding barn. lots of access to equine services so no issues having farriers, vets come.

  • ETA - husband is handy. he built the shelter for the boarder horse and is willing to assist with repairs if needed.

i have nothing but good things to say about making the switch (and i didn’t mind boarding). the only downside is the limited social aspect, but that wasn’t my priority and i got very lucky with a great boarder when I do feel like it

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#149

Say what?!?

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#150

Find Pet Sitters & House Sits Worldwide | TrustedHousesitters.com

We used it for our house pets before, and lots of friends and family use it too. Key is thorough vetting! And good reviews. But it can be a win-win, someone gets free accommodations and we get free pet care. Never had a bad experience

#151

Great, but very stressful and a lot of work.

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#152

On the cost aspect, I will also say for us personally in the northeast it is cheaper to keep them at home. Board with an indoor and quality care in this area also tends to come with mandatory full training packages, so it ranges from $2000-4500 a month per horse. Our hay, shavings, and grain bill for 3-5 horses doesn’t even come to a fraction of that. Our mortgage on 40 acres is not significantly more than the mortgage we had on our last house in the suburbs. We’re also lucky that we’re in a very horsey area, so access to quality vets, farriers, and trainers is not an issue. I can easily see that being a deciding factor in other parts of the country.

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#153

Yes, I am aware.

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#154

I’ll just say… wherever you decide to buy land and keep horses at home, keep in mind the climate changes and civilization changes that are present and coming. Fires, floods, water availability, feed availability for both horses and humans… all this is changing with what the human “civilization” is doing to the planet and to your own neighborhood. Being “dependent” on what is supplied by civilization can be detrimental. Because the breakdown of civilization as we know it is a possibility. Big government is dependent on keeping it’s citizens living in cities, in boxes in the sky, like chickens in a factory farm, feeding off supply from the system. This makes humans crazy. And dangerous.
Water source should be reliable and plentiful. Your own water source on your own property is the most reliable situation. Keep in mind about what is “flammable”, don’t live in an area where trees are close to your house or other structures (it’s amazing how many trees and other flammable vegetation is close by structures). Fire burns uphill. Logging uphill from you will result in landslides and flooding. Figure out how to live without electricity, if that happens even for a relatively short period of time. Being as self reliant as possible, in as many aspects of life as possible, is important. And these things are even more important if you have horses depending on YOU for life and health. The more you can supply for yourself the lower your cost of living. Being “semi remote”, we have a wood burning boiler which heats our house and our hot water, which makes our hydro bill ridiculously low. The wood is free… all those dead trees (killed by “climate change”) are not far away, and removing them by hand, with a chain saw, removes fuel from the next local forest fire that starts up, AND keeps us warm and comfortable for cheap $. I have learned to use a chain saw, the DH has improved his chain saw skills to the point that he has become pretty much an “expert”. And we do NOT burn “interred carbon” products for heating, so do not further contribute to the destruction of this planet… which makes us happy. We also have a generator, in case. We don’t use much electricity with our set up, but being able to be self sufficient is necessary when living semi remotely. We have been through 3 local forest fires in the 16 years we have been here. We don’t evacuate. None of the local farmers evacuate, even on “order”. As long as we HAVE power, we all run our irrigation to keep everything damp, to save this valley from burning. Because no one else is going to.

I guess I’ve become more of a “prepper” in my old age. I don’t trust people, or civilization much. And am proven “right” daily on the news. Things are changing, and HAVE changed from what most of us grew up with decades ago, and not for “the better”. If this means going to fewer horse shows, I’m OK with that. Clean air, clean water, and not too many humans around is condusive to living well. Being able to work remotely is a huge advantage, freeing up people from living in cities. Take advantage of this. And being self sufficient for both humans and the horses you keep, in as many aspects as possible, is valuable. Yes, it takes work. A person can’t be afraid of work… that, and clean air, water, and quality food what keeps you young and healthy. A lot of people who live here live to 100.

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#155

Not to derail the thread, but I kind of feel like you have to be somewhat of a doomsday prepper when keeping horses or livestock at home anymore.

Once upon a time I knew people who kept their horses in their “backyards” with very little special infrastructure. They had hay and feed delivered weekly, no problem finding a farrier or a vet to come to the farm. You could have your manure hauled off easily. If you needed to trailer somewhere, it was easy to find a ride. There were handymen you could hire to do odd jobs around the farm like fencing repair or plumbing issues.

Now it seems like we’ve lost so many horse commodities. Fewer vets and farriers. Fewer feed stores, fewer hay farmers. Those that remain sometimes don’t take on small clients - either because they don’t want to or literally don’t have time. And don’t even get me started on service providers (or the lack of) for handyman-type projects.

It definitely requires a lot more forethought and planning than it used to.

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#156

I would imagine your board would be a lot more in an area where hay is $350/month too though? I can imagine in places where there isn’t natural grass to graze/hay costs skyrocket in all directions.

COL and when you bought the land are definitely factors. I’m in love with our 2.38% mortgage!

I consider that I would have a truck and trailer either way, so those weren’t factored in as “extra” for keeping them at home. Property insurance wasn’t that much more adding the horses than it was without. Which, again, I concede that location makes a huge difference.

I think if we didn’t keep the horses at home I’d have a similarly priced house, but a lot closer to civilization.

I imagine when I’m older the appeal of boarding will increase as we may want to do a lot less hard labor and a lot more travel in different stages of our lives.

1 Like
#157

Oh for sure. Board around me ranges from $800-$1000. We charge $850-950 depending on stall size (we have a few 12x16s). Note these prices don’t include grain or supplements- owners have to provide pre-bagged grain/supps, which is standard for the area. Unlike other places, we don’t charge extra to feed those pre-bagged supps, and we also include about 12 hours of turnout in real, large paddocks. A lot of places charge a LOT more on top of board for “turnout” which could mean a half hour in a round pen. No, not joking.

Yeah, I didn’t include truck/trailer as a keep at home vs board cost. But $1k/ yr to register the truck surely factors in to COL in CA vs say PA where IIRC it was maybe $100? Every year when I get the bill from the DMV I die a little inside and recalculate exactly how long until when my son graduates! :joy:

I’ve enjoyed reading all the perspectives. For me, where I am in my life (48) and the COL here in CA, I no longer have the joy in having them at home after 20 years of it. I never minded the work, loved it actually , and it is lovely to go ride or even just say hi to the crew when ever I want.

But I’m sick of CA and the cost of EVERYTHING, I’m from the east coast and want to go back there, my daughter isn’t really riding anymore, my heart horse died a few years ago (which I think has greatly contributed to my growing indifference in the horses at home thing) I stopped enjoying showing and sold my higher end jumper because I was tired of literally paying my mortgage every time I went to a show (I recognize that is a nationwide cost and not factored into home v boarding) and what’s the point of having a horse like that standing around to just ride in the ring at home. I’ve sold off most of my other personal horses for one reason or another and down to my one horse and my daughter’s elderly, now retired pony. Plus all the boarders.

If the pony is still with us in a few years he can come to the East coast too, but I’m sticking the horse in boarding and will just bebop around and do whatever with him. Maybe a show here and there, lots of trail riding, and hub and I can hit the road and do all the traveling we endlessly talk about but can’t really do ATM. At least not easily!

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#158

All I know is that you sure haven’t convinced me to move to CA. :sweat_smile:

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#159

Being able to “write off” the mortgage as a few posters have said helps a lot! We definitely would NOT be paying the same amount for a house in town. Where we are, anything livable (aka not falling down and not a trailer) with more than 1 acre and the ability to add horse facilities is $200k+ more than a nice cute house in town. Plus the drive. This is also true back near family, though maybe a little less so.

If I didn’t have to account for the mortgage increase and commute, horses at home would make a WHOLE LOT more sense!

I am seeing more properties pop up that catch my eye, but definitely scratch builds and/or questionable zoning.

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#160

I also wanted to point this out. Farm life can be isolating, and even more when you’re in the boonies. You’d better like your neighbors :joy:. I think a farmette closer to “life” but not entirely dependent on small weekly trips to TSC is the best option. Of course, so does everyone else who doesn’t want to live in a condo or HOA neighborhood :woman_shrugging:t3:.

SO’s family isn’t horsey but they had horses for a while, on a small property in the middle of a booming tech city suburb. It’s the ideal spot - close to everything, tons of farms because the city has decided to keep the “horse” thing as a main focus, a popular showground 10 minutes away with a variety of shows (including very nice schooling circuits). Some of the best vets and farriers service the area, tack shops, you name it. Plenty of nice show barns (that’ll cost a pretty penny, but they are close!).
Oh, but a townhouse will start you at $800k and most small horse properties are several million. Not my style, and our industry really isn’t in the area. Because of course not :joy:

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