What questions do you ask when visiting barns? Because of some changes in my current barn, I am looking at some of my other options in the area. What questions do you ask about to determine if a place is a good fit?
Are you talking for boarding, lessons, training, all?
Questions greatly depend on what you (general) need in a barn (and depend on the answer to what MMeqcenter asked above).
What is important and a must for one person is a no big deal for the next (for example some people would never board at a barn that did not have a bathroom, others do not care).
Make a list of what you think is important to you.
Be careful with all encompassing terms - like full care. That can mean totally different things to different people.
Things that come to mind:
- Can you take me through a typical day for a horse boarding here including feeding, turnout, and other care provided?
- What hay and grain options are available? In the event that what is offered does not work for a horse, are owners allowed to bring in outside feed/hay? Does haying differ depending on seasons?
- How often are there atypical days and what would those look like (poor weather, travel, etc.)?
- Under what circumstances are owners notified of injuries or atypical behavior?
- What is the protocol for an incoming horse (quarantine, transition to turnout, etc.)?
- If a horse is not thriving with the amount of type of turnout, what accommodations are considered reasonable?
- What services are considered standard?
- What services are extra and is there a document that I could see outlining these costs?
- In the event of emergency evacuation, what is the protocol?
- Is training with the in house trainer mandatory? If so, what does that look like? If not, are outside trainers allowed in and under what circumstances?
- Under what circumstances would a horse be asked to leave?
- How long have the current staff been employed?
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Thanks, GraceLikeRain. Those are really helpful questions!
I’m looking for boarding and lessons. I’ve figured out some of my criteria: evening lessons, pasture boarding, trails, adult community, 30 minutes from my house. I’ve found a few barns that meet these criteria, and am not really sure what else to ask to see if it is a good fit. I like the place I’m at, but the lesson situation isn’t very good right now.
It’s funny you mention bathrooms. Some barns I’ve seen have pretty modest facilities and I haven’t quite figured out how important that is to me right now.
So take what it is that you do not like about your current lesson situation and turn it into questions.
Ask if you can watch some lessons.
Do you offer private lessons?
Are other boarders allowed to ride in the ring while a lesson is going on?
How are lessons scheduled?
Am I allowed to jump when not in a lesson?
Am I allowed to have outside people (friends) ride my horse?
Make sure the board includes all the things you find necessary.
Does pasture board include grain?
Is there a stall available if something medically requires time inside? What is the rate for that?
Are there barn hours?
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I would first start with figuring out why you are unhappy with your current barn and make sure that the barns you look at don’t have the same issues. Every barn has it’s fair sure of problems, but you need to figure out what is important to you. For example, I could NOT board at a barn that doesn’t have a lit arena as in the winter I work until it’s dark.
After you figure out what is important to you, then you can start formulating a list of questions and have them ready to ask when you start calling or e-mailing new barns. I think, GENERALLY, some good questions to ask are:
- How many times a day do they feed and how much?
- What are the graining/blanketing/turn out options? Are they included in the price of board or extra?
- How often are the stalls cleaned (you might assume once a day, but that’s not always the case…)
- How much bedding are you allotted each week?
Those are just some basic horse care questions that I would imagine would be important to most boarders. If the boarding barns you are looking at have a website, you can also probably find plenty of information there. Good luck!
A printed rate sheet listing all charges including show related ones.
A printed copy of all barn rules.
A copy of the actual boarding contract and anything else requiring a signature.
Take those home. Read them. That will answer 90% of the questions you may have.
If they can’t provide that or a link to it on their website? Deal breaker. If it is clearly on their website and up to date! They get a star.
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One thing I’ve learned to ask is, “can I see/can you show me _____?”
For example, can you show me the inside of the stalls? Can I see your hay? Can I see your feed? Can you show me the paddocks? Can you show me some horses turned out? Can you show me the water buckets/water troughs/waters? Can you show me how much hay you feed? Can you show me where the boarders keep their belongings? Can I come watch a lesson?
I think it’s also important to ask for hard details and numbers. For example, if they say they feed twice a day-- what time? How much feed/hay (in volume or weight) do most of the horses get? If they say the horses are turned out all day-- how many hours is that? What time do they come in and what time do they go out? If they say they will blankets-- how frequently do you change blankets typically? At what temperatures do you blanket?
So many times BOs/BMs/trainers speak in generalities that don’t necessarily mean the same thing to different people. Like, “the horses are turned out all day long” when in reality, the horses are only out from 11am-2pm. Or, “we will feed as much hay as your horse needs,” when their idea of what a horse needs is 1 thin flake am & pm.
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Ask if there are any current or recent boarders of a similar age and with interests to yours that you could meet or talk to. They shouldn’t just give out someone’s personal contact info to you without that person’s permission, but it they have happy boarders that might sell you on the place, they might be willing to help you connect with them.
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From a lesson perspective:
private only, or groups, or combination of?
how crowded is arena during the time you’re most likely to ride? (Both lessons & free rides)
do they offer in-house learning opportunities (host clinics/shows) or plan as a facility to go to others (audit/ride in clinic, shows, lectures, etc)
do they have horses on site that you would be able to ride (if for some reason yours comes up lame or you want a learning opportunity on a more educated horse, for example)
what’s their typical lesson demographic? (Age, discipline, goals - are they show driven/not, and how does that align with what you want to do?)
horse keeping:
do they supply feed or is it bring your own (and if they supply, what grain(s) are offered, what type of hy, how much, how often)
ask about extra services if that’s relevant to your situation (supplements, fly masks, blankets, holding for vet/farrier)
do they have a routine farm vet/farrier (on a schedule or no?) and if yes would you be able to use your own (if desired).
what is their turn out situation (duration, how are horses placed, when/if ever do they stay in)
and I like to know what type of bedding is in use and would likely prefer to see how stalls are (if you go at yr end of the day and they clean in AM, is it reasonably dirty or is there an ammonia smell from shavings sitting g there collecting urine under a layer of clean bedding for example).
Other thoughts: observe a lesson or do a trial lesson if possible to see if you like the trainer. Definitely talk with other boarders and ask to see things as referenced above (I really like that advice and will be holding onto it!) I would also consider asking about emergency protocol - if a horse colics, do you have a trailer you could get your horse to a clinic at? Or would you have to rely on someone on property to help with that? Etc. Off-hour medical emergencies hopefully will NEVER be an issue but all too often they are and people are left in a lurch without a plan.
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Typically I visit a barn several times before moving in. Different times of the day - watch some lessons, look at the horses, watch the help - not in a stalkerish way of course, but to get the lay of the land. Most barn managers, if there is one, are OK with this approach. Granted, most of the barns in my area are rather large and it’s fairly easy to just blend in and look around. If the boarders are happy, they’ll sell the place - if not, you’ll know it. Most are pretty good about listing services and fees and have accurate websites.
Thanks so much, this is an awesome thread! This is really incredibly useful. There is a lot more stuff that I need to think about and ask about. But asking someone to spell these things out makes a lot of sense. I’m looking at other barns because there’s been a lot of changeover in trainers and boarders at my current place and I’m really missing a community right now. But the care has been pretty awesome, and the more I look at other facilities I realize how much I like my current set-up, so I am weighing everything very carefully.
Something I haven’t seen above: ask about access. When can you be on the property, and when can you ride? I think it’s a bit weird, but some barns have days off when you can’t even be on the property! Others are happy to have people around 24/7. (In the words of one barn manager I know, “it hasn’t been a problem, and I’m happy to have more eyes on the place. If you want to ride at 3am, well, the lights are on a timer!”)
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Access/ barn hours should be clearly spelled out in barn rules if not the contract itself. Again, any questions should be spelled out in written materials available prior to signing anything.
If they aren’t? They can change at owner, trainer or managers whim negating your rights as a boarder. If it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist. If you have to ask, don’t believe what you get told if nothing is written.
In my 45+ years in boarding out, the worst places are boarding barns with multiple trainers, no actual manager on site and nothing in writing about basic barn rules applying to everybody regardless of trainer. Those places are chaos with nobody on the same page and capricious restrictions on ring use originating with each leasing space and ring use trainer. Nobody is really in charge. Good luck in those barns…you’ll need it.
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If it is mostly the community you’re missing because the people have changed at you current barn, then consider that if you move you won’t really know anyone and will have to meet new people anyway. You can do the same thing where you are now. Start the community you want.
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This. Unless you have had a big fight with the management 
you can befriend new folk by presenting yourself as a helpful old-timer!
Walk up and introduce yourself, praise their cute horse, welcome them to the barn, and say you are happy to help out answer questions etc. If it’s full board they probably direct most questions to BM but still they might have small immediate questions for you like where is the toilet paper etc
Introduce people to each other. Not everyone wants to socialize 24/7 but be a force for cheerful vhelpful interaction rather than go looking for it elsewhere.
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I am on here reading threads b/c I think I need to think about moving my horse. So this is very helpful, but here are a few things I’ve been thinking about (as a unhappy boarder)…
OP - I would ask regarding lessons, what ages - i.e. are there alot of kids taking lessons, or more adults? Is the ring available and open for you to ride while there is a lesson going on, or is it closed for only the lesson (i.e. if you like to ride in the evenings, will the ring be closed, or crowded during lesson time)? After its rained (or snowed), how does the ring dry? Are you allowed to ride in a wet ring? I boarded at a place where the footing would really hold water, so after a heavy rain, it wasn’t usual for it to be closed for days, maybe a week. Also, are you able to bring in an outside trainer (in the case you don’t like the in-house one, or one isn’t offered)? Along with the care - what about deworming? I know some barns include rotational worming as part of board, but if you rather deworm based on fecal count, is that a problem? YES, inquire about bedding in the stall. Seems like the last 2 places are stingy about bedding. And as someone mentioned, if you’re talking about stall board, ask for hours the horses are in the barn. I boarded previously at a place that offered full board. Care was fine, but the horses were only in the stalls for probably half as long as I would have expected and when the weather was mild, they would only come in to eat their grain. Which is okay, but the point was I was paying for services my horse wasn’t receiving - it would have been nice to know I was paying for “modified stall board”. Someone mentioned other opportunities at the barn - for some boarders, having functions at the barn may be a pro or con. If you like to spend Sat at the barn, would you mind if there is a show, or clinic, etc. going on that may or may not interest you. What does the tack room look like? Do they offer enough room for your belongings in the tack room? Or are there other boarders whose equipment seems to spill over into other boarder’s space? Is it climate controlled? If you own a trailer, does the barn offer trailer parking, and is there a charge?
I didn’t mean to ramble on…but my final question would be if your horse is clipped, or has a short show coat, what about blanketing? This is also a question for the others - as a boarder, what is a reasonable expectation for BO when it comes to blanketing - or is that specific for each barn? Do they make changes in the AM & PM as necessary (I would expect this)? Do they make changes during the day as necessary - or is that asking too much (this would be a total perk, but not sure it’s realistic some places)?
I’m the only boarder at friends private farm, and I’ve come to determine her idea of horse keeping and mine are different. She prides herself in keep a very warm barn at night during the winter - which means it’s closed up all the time - so awful ventilation (ammonia smells, condensation on the windows, etc.) - not healthy, for most importantly, my horse, but also my tack. She also doesn’t like to change blankets, even on her own horses that have a short coat, so my horse is wearing the same turnout all night as he is wearing outside during the day in the awful weather this week. I request she put extra clothes on him to turn him out, but I’m afraid they won’t get changed appropriately at night and he’ll be too hot and sweaty. She manages her own horses the same way as mine, and I realize no place is perfect but for a while the “pros” outweighed the “cons”. Especially in this sort of weather, I’m not confident my horse’s needs are being met. I would offer to pay more for appropriate blanket changes, but not sure that would work.
Thanks for all the tips on this thread though!
Yeah, I should have added this above. Maybe bc we seem to have a shortage of facilities in my area, but if you have a place that is convenient to your home/work, and where you feel your horse is getting great care, I would be cautious to move because the grass may not always be greener elsewhere. From what I can gather by reading some of these post, I’m not alone in thinking that it’s hard finding good boarding facilities.
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I appreciate the encouragement to make new friends and start a new community. And no, I am good terms with the management. Unfortunately, over the past 6 months, 70% of the boarders have left and there have not been not any new ones coming in. It is pretty much me and the coyotes! Because of the trainer situation, I think they will have a hard time attracting new clients.
