SE Maine horsekeeping?

Tried this in Off Course some time ago with no luck.

Looking for info on boarding situations in Brunswick/Bath area. While I don’t plan to compete, an eventing or foxhunting barn probably best suits my purposes.

I have no idea what to expect price, service, or facility wise. All commentary, good or bad, welcome. PM is fine.

It’s been several years since I fled SE ME for warmer climates, so I can’t recommend specific barns. Though I will tell you, there’re aren’t a ton of choices anywhere in that state for great boarding or riding.

Keep in mind, you WILL want someplace with an indoor! Winter starts in end November, and any snow that falls starting mid-Dec will stay around until late March. Leaves don’t start appearing on trees until after Memorial Day. When the snow finally melts, you’ll have MUD!

When you’re looking at places, ask questions about how they deal with winter turnout (eg do they rotate horses through the indoor for 60-mins at a time when the pastures are too snowy/icy/muddy?)
Ask about hay, since there’s no grass so much of the year, horses go through a lot of hay, and some barns are stingy about that.

There is not much for a hunting scene up there, but you will find some eventing barns. Even most of the H/J barns are more the backyard variety, as the rated shows are all in NH/MA and it’s hike to anything decent with a few exceptions.
The plus side is, you won’t be paying top-of-the-line show barn prices.

Good Luck. My family still lives in ME (York) and I love to visit. And then I’m happy to leave and go back to NC :slight_smile:

I don’t know anywhere in Bath but Brunswick and Topsham have a couple of places. No fox hunting to speak of and only a little eventing. Caitlin Donahue runs what I would call an eventing ‘type’ barn out of Topsham. Search for Athena Equestrian on Facebook.

Board depends on what you want. No indoor is probably $400-500 and indoor is $700 and up. Services all vary, as well but lots of land means there is often decent turn out.

Good luck!

Most of the barns with the better care/facilities are going to be dressage-oriented. Trio Farm would be one to look at; they do have some eventer/fox hunter people. Athena Equestrian/Windward and Kennebec Morgan Farm would probably be worth looking at depending on what you’re looking for.

Check out Seacoast Farms in Wales ME. Not fancy, but great care and an indoor!!

I wonder if this would help, to track down some barns. https://mainedressagesociety.org/clinics-shows/

https://www.equinenow.com/dressagemainelessons.htm

YOu may be able to track something down in Maine in Equinenow (maybe not, just sayin) https://www.equinenow.com/

Just Horses is a New England directory of everything horses. You can give it a shot. http://justhorses.com/

Still trying to post. Check, check,

OK I’ll try once again to give you some resources. Just Horses, google that, is an online and in the tack shop magazine listing horse professionasl, barns, farriers, etc. in New England.

Equinenow dot com is an online mag which lists boarding barns. Look under dressage for barn types, trainers (you can ask their recommendations)

Google Maine Dressage. You will get the maine dressage society, and they have several chapters. You can get a listing of shows and clinics, which should give you names of trainers, and barns hosting clinics. You can call them for recommendations of places you can board.

Those three resources should give you some clues to get started, hopefully. I know My dressage trainer, in Connecticut, drives up to (some part of maine) once a month to give lessons to three or four people in Maine, (at least she did, three years ago, I have moved away) and another chunk of people in NH, so trainers really do know barns and barn owners, including some more private places, who might not be commercial. However, I happen to know that the ladies she goes up to teach have their own private indoors, each, with like a say 4, 5, 6, or 7 stall barn, with some who have one or two boarders, so its worthwhile to ask trainers and clinicians. Call farriers and ask them. Call vets and ask them.

Hope this helps. Now to see if COTH actually will let me post.

Great big post, and now being reviewed waiting for moderators approval. Really sorry, OP. I tried under two sign-ons.