Any opinions on rough boarding? Due to a salary decrease, I am considering rough board. Just need any thoughts advice on the pluses and minuses of rough boarding.
Does rough mean “outside board” or does rough mean “outside board and minimal care”?
I transitioned my hot house flower to rough board a couple years ago (very nervously but vet and trainer thought it was best for horse’s physical issues) and she loves it. Downsides are having to fetch her in the dark and cold, increased probability that she’ll be wet what it’s raining, and having to put her in a grazing muzzle due to fatness from all the grass (and this is a TB in light work).
However, her rough board is not very rough. She comes inside to eat once a day, BM changes blankets when needed, BM will bring horse in for vet/farrier, and I still have my own stall in the barn for bad weather or convenience (so she can sleep inside if I have an early morning lesson the next day).
If rough means that minimal care is provided, then that will depend on how often your horse needs attention and how easy it is for you to provide that care. Your climate will come into play. I NEED blanket changes provided because certain times of the year can show 30 degree temperature swings from day to night and cant be out there twice per day. If you have to provide your own grain and pay for extras you can’t take care of yourself (like catching for farrier), you might not save as much as you think.
Most horses love being outside all the time once they get the swing of things. Some do not adjust well or adjust slowly. The first year out we dealt with more issues than the years since. Some health issues my horse had have lessened considerably with outdoor board.
It really depends on your horse and your situation.
our rough board here consists of 24/7 turnout, small groups (2-5 horses, depending), grain 2x, free choice hay, reasonable blanket changes, we make arrangements for vet & farrier, each paddock has a run in shed, water, etc. other places nearby, rough board means a field with 10 other horses, no grain, no blankets, etc. so a lot depends on the situation.
The other side if the World here. But our Agistment means you tend to the horse twice a day to feed and rug and you clean out the paddock of manure. Each horse is separated and has their own shelter and access to water.
My situation is my guy is on 24/7 turnout, he is fed hay and grain twice a day, blankets changed when needed and otherwise he’s just out being a horse. I love it. I just pull right up to his paddock, ground tie and tack up, and ride out to the ring. He is sounder and happier than ever…and he does have a run-in shed to use if the weather gets icky. Very workable situation for me. I do pay for his grain and hay separately.
Have to know what the definition of “rough board” is. Typically it’s no services beyond providing water and fencing. It might include hay but rarely grain, no supplement adding, no bedding or cleaning if it has a stall. It’s bare bones and the lowest cost possible.
Theres all sorts of other lower cost options out there called things like “pasture board”, “field board” and " self care board" out there that are no frills but you need to read and understand the contract to understand what they do or do not provide or what’s not included but available for an extra charge, like blanket changes, vet and farrier holding, administering meds and so forth
But rough board is just that most places. Rough.
It depends on what is included in the “rough board.”
If “rough board” means you pay for the place but you have to do all the work, do you have the extra time each and every day to do that?
At my barn, “rough board” means that your horse has a stall and YOU are responsible for everything: feed, turn out, clean stall, blanketing, etc. That means you have to go to the barn early every single day, and come back at least once every single day.
No way could I , nor would I, do rough board UNLESS there are several other rough boarders I could rely on (and they on me) if I were sick, snowed in, or needed to be away for a while.
However, my barn manager offers several “plans” other than Full Board: 1) pasture board, 2) reduced board if you clean your own stall, 3) allows boarders to work some of their board off. I love this barn!
I have had some oldies on what I define on rough board here. This consists of common feeder fed twice to three times daily. Water and shelter available 24/7. Large field 20 to 40 acres year round. Brought in blanketed and stalled if the need arrives, (say a blizzard) but back to above set up when need to be pampered goes away. They (the oldies) seem to do better. The ability to constantly move around helps with creaky old joints.
So rough board if done proper can in fact be better for the horse, just depends on the horse and the situation. I am quite open on the subject.
Our rough board consists of boarder setting up meals, cleaning stall, we turnout and bring in and throw food - so they really only need to come once a day.
[QUOTE=Palm Beach;8999615]
It depends on what is included in the “rough board.”[/QUOTE]
my guys define it as no oatmeal cookies with their feed
I rough board currently, but don’t consider it much of a cost savings over full board (it just lets me micromanage).
Horse is on 24/7 individual turnout. Barn owner is paid an extra fee ($50 a month) to drop grain am and pm that is set up in advance by me. I do all my hay set up (in slow feeder nets, so I’m not there multiple times a day or even daily–I only technically need to show up when the hay needs to be restocked and the grain for the week needs to be set up) and if I want shavings in his shed that’s my cost too. I do all paddock cleaning minus dragging 1-2x a year.
If I were in any other situation (as in a show up every day no other option situation) I would never consider rough boarding. Right now what I have is perfect, and every day I’m not there my friends/fellow boarders watch out for my horse (and vice versa). I did out the cost, and in my area I could be full boarding for $0-100 more a month depending on the facilities I wanted to move to.
Where we board, it means in summer you get pasture (grass), water and access to the facilities (2 indoors, outdoor, jumps, trails, tack room). In winter, you get round bales, water, and access to the facilities. Everything else is up to you.
My gelding is out 24/7 with a run in shed, fed hay 3x a day and grain Iprovide a.m. And p.m. I haven’t heard that called rough board but I don’t provide any care other than the grain. The horse is thriving outside
Assuming this is pasture type board where the horse is fed and you do most everything else.
Disadvantages are that it’s going to add a not-insignificant amount of time to your routine to catch, clean and re-turn out the horse. You’ll probably lose a few more shoes. Horse will get a few more dings and bumps. You might not be able to ride as much in bad weather depending on the clipping/ blanket/ turnout situation. Some horses get very herd bound. If the horse gets hurt, has complicated blankets or whatever you are looking at making multiple visits per day or bringing it in and paying more for a while. Going on vacation is more of a pita.
Advantages are saving money and that it’s likely to be much healthier for your horse to live out with buddies than in a stall.
The best parts are that you can feed what you want, as much as you want; you can clean your horse’s stall and water buckets to your own standards, and you can bed your horse’s stall the way you want. You might find that you bond with your horse differently when you are part of the hands-on daily care.
The hard part is that you have to be at the barn at least once a day (unless you can find a co-op of like-minded people). Also, the dynamic tends to be different at a rough-board barn; you may be bumping shoulders with people with very different philosophies about horse care, or you may miss having time to just hang out at the barn and chat, as maybe you had when you were on full board, vs. running to the barn to feed and clean and still meet work and family demands, etc.
