When you can sub Feudal Lord for BO and fiefdom for barn, it’s time to move your horse 
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That’s very possible.
I think a lot also depends on one’s region, one’s discipline, and the price point(s) of the barn(s) one’s talking about. Even here on CotH, you can tell that people are posting from all over the map on that stuff, so sometimes it’s hard to know what’s a reasonable expectation and what isn’t.
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This is the reason why we still use lined and unlined canvas rugs in Australia and New Zealand. Canvas is so much more breathable than any synthetic rug on the market, and can be used in much wider temperature ranges. I know this will go over like a lead balloon in the US, because you guys really only have access to those terrible canvas duck rugs. In Aus/NZ we have plenty of options for off the rack or made to measure rugs using top quality lightweight canvas.
Maybe we have wider temperature fluctuations over here, but I would be lost without my canvas rugs.
I know that none of this is terribly helpful though. Getting a great fit on a canvas rug is critical and takes some trial and error with a new horse, which makes it near impossible to just import a good quality one.
Very true. I don’t doubt there are boarders who are far more knowledgeable than I. I board retired horses, and I’ve had a range of boarders – at one end, I’ve had equine veterinarians board their horses here, but equally, I’ve had owners come out once in 10 years to visit their horse, and I’ve had a couple that were incapable of bringing their own horses in from the field (remember, these are gentle retired horses we are dealing with). I do virtually all the work on the farm, I’m laying eyes, and hands on the horses twice a day, I know what’s normal, and not, for each of them. If someone wanted to board here, and disregard my opinion/judgement, it wouldn’t be a good fit. That’s not a big deal, I screen really carefully to make sure prospective boarders and I see eye to eye.
I get it, there are arbitrary, and unknowledgeable BOs. But I ask again – why would you board with someone like that? Find someone whose expertise and judgement you trust, and board with them! The best boarder/BO relationships are collaborative, where both parties listen to and respect the other.
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Well, we all know the various answers to that one: because there’s nothing else in the area the boarder can afford, because the barn has other amenities the boarder wants, because the boarder desperately needs to escape some dangerous hell-hole of one kind or another…
How many thousands of threads asking for help in weighing up stuff like this have appeared on CotH?
So just because a person finally settles on a given barn doesn’t mean they’re necessarily buying into every single aspect of the BO’s philosophy, or will automatically see her every decision as somehow sacrosanct. In an ideal universe, maybe, but not in the real world. In the real world compromises are constantly being made - one hopes on both sides.
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The worst thing you can do is have a horse sweating in a blanket. If gets cold and he is still wet he won’t dry with that blanket on, and is likely to get chilled and shiver. My horse is 27, has an extremely fuzzy coat. He was on pasture board for 19 years, so blanketing was my responsibility. We moved to a new barn about a year ago because of issues with inadequate care - not enough hay to maintain body weight. He now has a stall, which he uses like a shed. It’s always open to an oversize runout. Both barns are about 15 minutes from home. This barn does as many blanket changes as they feel necessary for 20 horses including the owner’s. Every horse there has a custom plan of care, no two are alike. BO used the medium with neck hood more than I would have, but she also changed or removed it as needed. I never saw any evidence of sweating under a blanket on him, or anyone else. I was getting ready to leave one afternoon and asked her which blanket to leave on the stall door. The Medium. Then she got up and walked down to his stall and put it on.
That kind of service is unusual, of course. The barn changed hands in March and the new owners haven’t changed much of anything. They don’t have the same level of experience so they are looking at temperature charts. My very fuzzy 27-y.o. doesn’t need heavy blanketing all the time. He also is turned out to a small field with plenty of foliage cover to the north and west, which are the prevailing winter winds. Compare him to a younger horse without a natural winter coat and clipped.
This is one area that I feel requires a combination of experience, expertise and judgement - a little thought. No two horses are alike. Going by temperature charts almost guarantees that some horses will be over or under blanketed. Horses deal with cold much better than heat. An established regimen that says everybody gets medium between 30 and 40 means someone probably will be standing around sweating in the sunshine. The barn staff is getting to know what works for each horse without looking at temperature, wind chill, etc. I’ve been using Horze Avalanche blankets for 4 years - I really like the quality and fit. They now have a “rain fleece” that is a sheet with a fleece lining. I bought two because it works so well in the 30s and 40s. I can clean one up while he wears the other. Now that we are on the cusp of winter, I will let barn staff know if it is time for the medium. This works well.
I’m 73 and find myself losing my inclination to go to the barn when it’s dark, or raining, or snowing, or just plain cold here in Maine. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting old. There isn’t another facility within 1/2 hour of my house that has what we need. This is it. Happy horse, happy owner.
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