To move or not to move?

[Trot_On]

I made a barn move last year, and one of the initial plus points was very close to home. The new barn gave me a terrific farrier and safe turn out conditions. The rest of the promises fell through, especially the evening check and late night hay. By the time the exhausted employee staggered up to her apartment over the barn there was no coming down except to check on colicing horses. Barn owner made her cut back on the amounts of hay - 4 flakes a day of poor quality hay was not going to sustain my big OTTB.

Boarders bought their own hay to supplement, but there were mix ups in feeding and of course there was “that one boarder” who “borrowed” the nicer hay. I ended up storing my own off site and going daily 1-2 times a day to ensure my horse was fed. I payed a lot for self care board. Supplementing hay got us throuh the winter but it was a huge pain in the tush.

Fortunately I was able to move in the spring to an amazing private boarding barn, horse and I are very happy. I realized what a great load off my mind had been removed, knowing that if I missed a day he would be well fed and safe. Small indoor can be managed, but check that you will not be riding during peak demand. You may be close, but find that crowded chaotic ring conditions detract from riding.

Ask lots of questions, and if possible several visits at different times. Good luck in your search!

[lenapesadie]

@Arlomine

because horses are really rhinoceroses.

true though

[S1969]

@Mercedes2

The only major complaint I’ve had from day one is the drive - this was the closest barn I liked within my price range at the time, but I really don’t enjoy the drive. I have to drive to work nearly every day and the last thing I want to do is get back in the car and drive all the way to the barn in the evening. I also know I won’t feel safe driving on those winding back roads on icy or snowy days.

How long is the drive to the barn?

I think my answer would depend a lot on whether it was 6 min v. 90 min, or 6 min v. 25 minutes.

[Bearx2]

What do your holiday plans look like? Are you traveling a lot or have people coming to visit? If the answer is yes I would personally leave the horse where he/she is because you know the care is good. There is nothing worse then moving during a busy time of year and finding the care at the new barn is subpar. It would make me nervous to move to a barn with a first time barn owner. There is often a steep learning curve with owning and running a barn and I have seen it go very badly in the past.

[MsM]

I think there is still more to be found out. What is the BO’s background? I would worry less if she had managed somebody else’s barn, or her own horse, or even was a respected groom. Sometimes these folks were discontented boarders who decided to “do it better”. Often this leads to unrealistic plans and disappointment as the boarding business is not what they envisioned. Often they dont figure in the extra costs for maintenance, repairs, etc. And sometimes they burn out quickly dealing with boarders!

If you really think you wont get out to the current barn much at all in the winter, that is a strong point for the closer barn. But what about lessons at the new barn? The size of the indoor wouldn’t be a big issue to me unless there was an active lesson program or several boarders who would ride at the same time as me.

Unless your horse really stresses about changes, I wouldnt worry about moving her.

When I look for a barn my priorities are good care (a reasonable amount of hay, some grain choices, blanketing etc) with knowledgeable eyes on my horse daily; all day (or night) turnout with reasonable footing; access to vet and farrier care I like; access to an arena with good footing (now want an indoor in my climate); and access to a trainer (One I like in house or ability to bring in - I dont have a trailer!) Oh! and excellent communication so I am informed of injuries, procedure changes and the like.

Some people really ramp back riding in the winter. But if you want to keep up, boarding at a barn you wont get to for much of the time is no bargain, no matter how nice.

[Mercedes2]

I think my next plan of action is to do a second visit around the time of day I usually ride to see how busy it is.

A friend of a friend knows the BO and has great things to say about her as a rider and a teacher, but can’t speak to her as a BO because she has not boarded with her. For what it’s worth, the barn manager has been there for many years, even before the current BO bought it in September 2020.

Both barns only teach lessons to boarders or leasers, who are mostly low-key older women, so I imagine the type of crowd is the same at both barns. I think there are roughly the same number of boarders also.

I talked to a trusted friend at my current barn and she thinks I should move, I guess partly because she has boarded there longer so she has more gripes than I do. One potentially concerning thing at my current barn is that my BO seems more…tired? Like she doesn’t do the little things such as making sure the water buckets get scrubbed once in a blue moon, and she recently raised board AND asked us all to commit 2 hours a month to chores even though it’s full board.

[lenapesadie]

@Mercedes2

she recently raised board AND asked us all to commit 2 hours a month to chores even though it’s full board.

Uhhh. That’s very odd. In light of this new info, move promptly.

[peedin]

@lenapesadie

@Mercedes2

she recently raised board AND asked us all to commit 2 hours a month to chores even though it’s full board.

Uhhh. That’s very odd. In light of this new info, move promptly.

Uh yeah, that is weird and not a good sign. You pay for full board, why would you be expected to do chores? What are these chores??? My barn dumps water buckets weekly but I dump and clean every time I’m out there. That is my own choice, but my barn wouldn’t expect me to sign up to do it.

[Mercedes2]

I’m not even sure yet, it’s effective this month and I’m waiting to see how it plays out. Supposedly there will be a signup list for cleaning chores like sweeping cobwebs, scrubbing buckets and the water posts, etc. I think co-op care situations are fine and I’d be willing to pitch in for a barn I really love but…this is a full board barn and she just raised board.

So far I have not been approached and nothing has been asked of me, maybe because I’m new-ish. Who knows.

[Arlomine]

Dear lord. The water buckets in my barn are dumped and scrubbed daily. Twice for certain horses in the summer. I’m the owner and I do it myself most days. This is basic horse care.

[Posting_Trot]

The new information about your current barn changes my opinion.

I’d say that you should do as you are planning: revisit the new barn again to see if everything is good, and then if it is, I’d take the plunge and move.

Paying full board should not include doing unpaid chores around the barn (beyond, of course, picking up after your own horse after you’ve groomed/ridden).

Also, in my limited experience, once a barn-owner begins to let routine things go, the barn begins to go into a slide. Now it can take a couple of years before conditions get objectively bad, but resentments begin to build up on both sides early on.

[peedin]

Is there a third barn you could look at?

[Mercedes2]

I think I’ve looked at all the local barns within this price range now. Aside from the one I’m at now and the one I’m considering, I’ve looked at one that was a complete dump, one that only had an indoor arena and a busy lesson program, and a nice lesson facility with an eccentric owner who wants to continuously upgrade her property and charge people more money for things they didn’t ask for (cushy comfort matts, etc).

[Libby2563]

@Mercedes2

For what it’s worth, the barn manager has been there for many years, even before the current BO bought it in September 2020.

This makes me less concerned about the new-BO situation. Over a year is long enough for things to be settled I think, and with a longtime BM it’s less of an issue anyway. Sounds like the only remaining drawback is the small indoor? For a much-shorter commute it seems like a good option to me, assuming you do all the usual due diligence.

@Mercedes2

One potentially concerning thing at my current barn is that my BO seems more…tired? Like she doesn’t do the little things such as making sure the water buckets get scrubbed once in a blue moon, and she recently raised board AND asked us all to commit 2 hours a month to chores even though it’s full board.

Big red flag. She is starting to burn out and that never ends well. I would definitely move sooner than later if the other barn checks out, before other boarders start exodusing as well.

[candyappy]

Just because Barn #2 is newer at boarding doesn’t mean he/she is inexperienced or naive about the costs of keeping horses. Doesn’t mean it won’t be a successful business that is well run and has happy boarders and well cared for horses.

My BO made a good profit and I think it all comes down to being skilled at owning and running a business, which he was. The problem with a boarding business failing is more likely because the person running it has no business running anything.

Go talk in length with the prospective BO.

[Angela_Freda]

Who would you train with?

[Angela_Freda]

I’m willing and actually like barn work, but doing it means my board goes down, not up

[myhorsefaith]

A few years ago I moved from a well established barn that was a longer drive, that had more amenities bigger indoor, big outdoor, access to trails, to a barn closer to home that had a new 1st time owner/manager, only an indoor and outdoor roundpen. My board went up significantly with the move as it is closer to civilization. The quality of care at the big place was slipping, the owner was very distracted with things going on in their personal life at the time, and I was finding myself doing things that shouldve been covered under full care- like keeping their water buckets clean, giving them extra hay cubes because they werent getting enough hay, etc.The arenas were not maintained and so becoming useless anyway. And there was a serious mud problem that one of my geldings was having trouble with.

The new barn had a new owner, not new to horses, her daughters had been involved in vaulting growing up and she had her own 2. I think success really depends on the type of person. This was/is her “retirement” gig, retirement from the corporate world. She wanted to learn everything, and both myself and my friend who moved there helped her design a management plan that worked for both her and us. It probably wouldn’t have worked if we didnt bring the experience and/or she wanted to do things “her” way.

Its a much smaller barn, only 11 horses. But the care is phenomenal and the turnout is great, the waitlist is long. My biggest gripe is not having a real place outdoors to ride, but I’ve been there for 3+ years now so I guess you could say I’m doing ok without it, LOL.

Good luck with your decision…but I’m with the others… I’d move…

[Gardenhorse]

@Mercedes2

and she recently raised board AND asked us all to commit 2 hours a month to chores even though it’s full board.

That’s just weird. My BO does have periodic things like a paint the jumps day or some other work activity around the farm where a lot of hands makes it go easier. But they’re always optional, BO provides pizza/drinks so it’s more of a fun group activity than “chores”, and it’s about improving the overall facility not basic horse care.

[Bebe_Falcon1]

@Gardenhorse

My BO does have periodic things like a paint the jumps day or some other work activity around the farm where a lot of hands makes it go easier. But they’re always optional, BO provides pizza/drinks so it’s more of a fun group activity than “chores”, and it’s about improving the overall facility not basic horse care.

What a great concept. I feel like this is the only way to keep board rates down and barn managers/owners from burning out! Can I ask what other improvements are carried-out and how often these kind of events occur?