New Stables Tour Checklist

[Henlie]

I am in the process of moving to a new city, in a new country, hopefully with a new (green) horse, so needless to say I am in full-blown List Mode. I have a list of my top potential show stables nearby where I would be boarding and riding, and I just emailed all of them about coming to tour the facilities when my husband and I go to visit the area in a little over a month. The issue is that there are 7-8 different stables that I can’t narrow down any further without seeing them in person, so I need a killer checklist to take with me when we go to be able to compare pros & cons of each facility.

For background, I have a 15 years of mostly hunter/jumper experience, but am looking to move to eventing. A couple of my top-choice stables I’ll be looking at are eventing stables, and most of them have high-level competitive programs. I’m worried about making a low-stress move for this horse, so I’m trying to choose the best long-term environment for her, and while she will need a couple months of intensive training, I don’t want to sacrifice my competitive goals.

Just hoping to get recommendations on the most important things to each of you when it comes to choosing a new stables, as I have never had this many options before when moving to a new area and have always had to pick by convenience (which hasn’t always worked out well). As a young adult, this will also be my first time boarding my own horse at a riding stables since I was a kid; I’ve been leasing and riding lesson horses since I was 15. Any advice/tips/recommendations on what to avoid/red flags, or what you would add to my checklist of Must Haves?

Thanks in advance from a stressed hopeful horse mom <3

[Obsidian_Fire]

Ask for a copy of the contract at each stable. Don’t rely on “spoken word”. If there is an amenity you need and the barn says “it’s happening” - it better be well under way - because otherwise, it ain’t happening!

For me, gut feelings I listen to. I want turnout - and not 5 minutes a day. If I was going into a show/training type barn, I want to get a sense of the atmosphere and the people - do I feel acknowledged or even welcomed by the new faces? How do the horses look? Do they seem content or stressed? Check out the feed room and the hay shed! What are they feeding? How does it look? How many times a day do they feed? Farrier services? Vet services? Washrack?

Post your list - then people can add to it.

Also, try moving this post to Off Course, more folks will see it and chime in.

Good luck!

[Huntin_Pony]

So, just to be clear, do you already own the green horse? How long have you had her and what have her living arrangements been A) before you bought her, and B) since you bought her? How is that working for the two of you? If you weren’t moving, would you be keeping everything as it is now or are there areas you’d want to change?

As for the new options, the management team at each barn would be of great interest to me. Not only would I want the current barn manager to “give me the tour,” but I would want to meet the owner if at all possible. I’d ask the manager lots of questions having to do with his/her horsemanship/management style and philosophy. I would also ask how long the manager has been there and the same for other staff members, especially trainers and assistant trainers, if any. Turnover is a bad thing, in general.

Obsidian Fire’s suggestions are all excellent and I’m sure lots of other folks will chime in. Yes, get a copy of the contract and sit down and read it and ask any questions you have. See how your questions are received. Does the manager or owner take the contract seriously? How familiar are they with what it contains?

Get the names of vets and farriers and after you’ve narrowed things down, give them a call and see if you can get a sense of how they view each of the options.

I feel obliged to say that your comment, “she will need a couple months of intensive training,” is a little concerning because there is really no such thing as a quick fix. I wonder if this means you need a trainer with particular expertise with green horse/first-time green-horse owner pairs. This is a specialty of sorts and getting this choice right may be the most important piece of the puzzle.

Good luck. Sounds like a wonderful step forward for you!

[Milocalwinnings]

I just went through this looking for new barn for my horses w/ various needs. I am NOT a competitor (heck, I’m lucky if I even get on my horse a few times a year) but top notch care is my priority. Here is what I look for and/or ask:

I look at:
-Are facilities and grounds maintained? Fences in good condition (not falling down or held together by twine)? Run-in sheds safe? Are the barns in good repair? Are the barns clean?
-Are pastures maintained, weed free (within reason) or at least mowed regularly to keep the weeds down? Is there an over-abundance of manure in the pasture and run-in sheds?
-Is there ample grass?
-Do stalls have ample bedding? Do they smell? How big are the stalls?
-Do horses look to be in good body condition?
-How does the hay look? Does it smell fresh?
-Do borders look happy or do they look stressed?
-What areas are available for grooming?
-What do the rings look like? Is the footing in good repair? What type of footing?
-Is the feed room organized? Do I see medications and supplements labeled? Is there a feeding chart?
-Do the stable hands and/or barn manager/owner appear happy? How do they interact with the horses? Do they talk about the horses with you? Do they know their names? Do they appear personable? Do the stable hands speak any English?
-I spend a lot of time observing the interaction of the employees with the horses.
-Do boarders seem reluctant to talk to me? If I ask them questions are they vague and beating around the bush about something? Or do they genuinely seem happy?

I ask:
-Is feed provided? If so, what type and how much? Will they feed owner-provided feed if I desire to have my horses on something different? Will they soak feed if needed? Will they feed three times a day instead of twice a day if needed (and is there an extra charge?)?
-Will they feed supplements? Do they require them to be pre-bagged or in smartpaks?
-What kind of hay is provided? How much? Is it by weight or number of flakes or free choice? Do they use a consistent supplier or do they change suppliers frequently? Do they grow their own hay?
-How many hours are horses turned out? What time is turn-in / turn-out? Do they switch seasonally?
-Are horses turned out in mixed herds or in same-sex herds?
-How many acres are the pastures and how many horses per pasture?
-What does their pasture maintenance consist of? Do they rest pastures? Do they rotate pastures? Drag and mow them?
-Is there an extra charge if my horse needs 247/ stall rest for a period of time?
-Do they blanket in winter? Put on fly masks/fly sheets in summer?
-Do they provide hay in the pasture during winter months? If so, is it square bales or round bales?
-Do they upcharge board in the winter for extra hay provided?
-Do they have a barn vet and farrier? If so, am I allowed to use my own or am I required to use theirs?
-Do they allow outside trainers?
-Are boarders required to be in a training / lesson program?
-How many boarders do they have? What is their capacity?
-Are all boarders competitive or are there any “hobby-ists”?
-Do they have experience with older horses and horses with special needs?
-Are they comfortable handling emergencies and first aid until the vet can arrive?
-What is their experience? How long have they worked there?
-What is the turnover rate of the barn staff?

Some of the above questions I would ask the barn manager but I would also be asking boarders to see if whether the info I got was consistent.

Absolutely get a copy of each contract. Look for attention to detail and inconsistencies in what you were told. One barn sent me a contract (after I had tentatively made arrangements to move there) and the language of the contract was not right for my situation - they sent a contract for a private pasture for two horses. Then didn’t seem to think it was a big deal when I sent it back and asked for them to revise the contract to fit my boarding situation. Everything needs to be clear in writing or I don’t count on it happening.

I also go by ‘gut’ a lot, as someone else mentioned. I’m moving tomorrow, and I had found a place initially that checked all the boxes but still didn’t feel like it was the right place. Something felt off, even though the people were friendly, the facilities looked amazing, and the horses were well cared for. I then looked at a place that was farther than what I wanted (40 mins from home), but after spending a short time there and seeing how the owner interacted with the horses and the peacefulness of the facilities, I literally had a sense of comfort come over me. It just felt “right”. The owner was loving on the horses, showed me selfies she had taken with some of the boarders horses and told funny stories, genuinely loved what she did. This was big for me… the owner of my current barn still doesn’t know my horses names and I’ve been there two years. I want my horses to be cared for and loved like their own. You’ll know when you find the right place.

[clanter]

what country ? as what may be viewed as a necessity here may not even be a thought elsewhere

[Rackonteur]

What country?
How fluent are you in its language? How fluent are the barn staff in English (or any other language you know)?
What are this country’s laws about bringing in horses from other countries? Do they have quarantine laws and barns? Have you spoken with transport companies (planes, other shippers) about transporting your horse?
Are the barns you’re interested in taking new boarders/students?
What do their websites say about their fees? Turnout? Stalls? Feeding? Amenities? You can learn quite a lot about foreign barns by looking at their websites, their FB pages, their local/regional/national eventing associations, and by Googling their names.

[Henlie]

@Huntin' Pony

So, just to be clear, do you already own the green horse? How long have you had her and what have her living arrangements been A) before you bought her, and B) since you bought her? How is that working for the two of you? If you weren’t moving, would you be keeping everything as it is now or are there areas you’d want to change?

I am in the process of buying her, she is broke but hasn’t been touched in over a year, so we will be working on basics for a while. She is located halfway between my current location and where I am moving to, so we would actually be picking her up on the way.
If I wasn’t going to move, she’d be boarded at the only stable within 20 miles of me with an indoor arena, which is thankfully a pretty nice facility. Like I said, most choices I make now are out of convenience and availability.

”‹”‹”‹”‹

@clanter

what country ? as what may be viewed as a necessity here may not even be a thought elsewhere

Only moving from US to Canada, but on the other side of North America. Been already doing my research on that front, and thankfully it’s an English-speaking area.

[Henlie]

Thanks so much everyone for the advice, I definitely have a good long list now that is bringing me a lot of comfort. I can’t tell you how much this support means, I am just a ball of nerves thinking about all these changes happening at once, so your help is greatly appreciated!