no run-in sheds? could you live without one?

[meupatdoes]

OH HAYULL NO.

That is such a deal breaker. I am so sick of the segment of the BO population whose sole goal is to see how much they can erode client expectations for feeding, care, and basic standards, all in the interest of spending the least possible money and doing the least possible work. The latest trend is only mucking stalls six days a week YHGTBFKM.
(And I have done the work, and the work that I did was 10x whatever the Sloppy BO of the Day is holding their hand to their forehead about.)

I am also sick of horseowners who put up with it in the name of saving a buck or being ubwilling to drive more than 20 minutes, and newsflash if you can’t afford an appropriate standard of care you can’t afford the horse!!! I could afford ten horses with no commute if I just tied them to individual trees in my backyard, but number of horses is constrained by cost of GOOD care, not cost of bare minimum care. The horse doesn’t care you work three jobs to pay for him! He wants shelter and a clean environment!

Yay OP for you and your friend that you said NOPE.

[billiebob]

Lack of a run-in wouldn’t concern me if everything else was good, but the BO’s response would send me running.

My horse doesn’t have a run-in in his pasture, but it has lots of draws and hills where the horses can get out of most of the bad weather. They do ok without one. Everyone’s blanketed up to their eyeballs and I do that based on windchill, not actual temperature. However, I would love a run-in for tacking up or feeding on nasty days!

[DesignerLabel]

Yeah, forcing horse to stand under trees during a thunderstorm would be a deal-breaker to me.

Yes, I realize the risk of lightning can’t really be controlled in a pasture board situation, but I always try to do all I can to minimize the risk.

I have a few boarders, and one pasture has a very nice shed attached to the main barn. The other pasture does not have a shed, only trees. Because of this, this boarder also has stalls in the main barn to use during inclement weather.

[EcstaticLady]

BO sounds lazy and appears to think horses are a way to make some extra $$$ with no work (or minimal work) involved. That alone would scare me away. However, I would never board my horse where there was no access to shelter and I want more than trees. IMO they need to be able get out of wind, rain, bugs, sun etc.

It’s illegal here to leave horses out without shelter of some kind.

[Chachie]

I don’t have them and I won’t put them in. I’ve considered them a lot but decided against them. The reason? I’ve seen too many injuries during my career that were caused by scuffles in a run in. Most horses don’t use them and those that do often chase out others that want to.
Here every horse has a stall so during bad weather no gets stuck outside but if the weather is nice, they will graze no matter what kind of weather.
But to say you don’t have them because they’re too much work? Well, I’m guessing that BO is new to horses because there is nothing but work with horses.

[saultgirl]

I have boarded at a few barns with no shelters, but the horses came in at night.

I would not do outdoor board without shelter. Rain/snow isn’t so bad, but I think it’s downright cruel to keep them out in the hot sun or biting wind.

Aside from not boarding there, I would report them to the authorities.

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=billiebob;8040651]
Lack of a run-in wouldn’t concern me if everything else was good, but the BO’s response would send me running.

My horse doesn’t have a run-in in his pasture, but it has lots of draws and hills where the horses can get out of most of the bad weather. They do ok without one. Everyone’s blanketed up to their eyeballs and I do that based on windchill, not actual temperature. However, I would love a run-in for tacking up or feeding on nasty days![/QUOTE]

Horses do just fine in the cold. How do they get out of the sun?

[katyb]

My horses spend much of their time on 30 acres with no manmade shelter. It’s Tennessee, so they have plenty of hills and trees. I have a run-in in my small pasture (because I own it and lease the other), and an open barn for bad weather. I have boarded where there wasn’t shelter, but I have a strong preference for at least a roof to get out of freezing rain.

[billiebob]

[QUOTE=saultgirl;8046345]
Horses do just fine in the cold. How do they get out of the sun?[/QUOTE]

Perhaps I should have said lack of a run-in wouldn’t necessarily be a deal-breaker for me. In my situation, where the horses can use the various terrain to their advantage, I’m ok without a run-in. I also live in a very windy climate that’s not very humid. I can tell you that even on really hot days, it’s more pleasant in the back of their pasture where you can catch a breeze than in any non-air conditioned building on the property. If I lived pretty much anywhere else (or even a few miles down the road where it’s flatter), it would be an issue.