Where do you raise your prospects?

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

Maybe sport horse breeding forum is not the correct spot as I think most of you have your own farms…

For those of you who breed and sell your young stock, where do the purchasers put the horse while waiting for it to grow up?

I know that might sound like a stupid question. I’m just thinking that a typical boarding/lesson/showing barn would not necessarily be the right place for a youngster.

Do you just pasture board it out until its old enough to be backed? How about groundwork? Are there facilities that are available that would let them grow up and learn manners without being too expensive? What would you look for in picking such a facility?

Just wondering how people can make this work and whether there are barns (in Ontario?) that can do right by the horse & the pocket book…

[PineTreeFarm]

In NY there is a fairly close to me standardbred breeding and training farm that also foals out local non STB mares.
They accept weanlings through 3 yr olds for pasture board at a very reasonable price. They arrange for trims, routine vet work and ensure that the young horses receive some handling a few times a week.
They also have some H/J and Dressage riders as clients so there are rings with good footing available to practice leading. Outside trainers are allowed in if you want someone specific to work with a young horse.

This arrangement has worked very well for me.

[dianehalpin]

I raise mine on our very small “farmette” in the Northern Virginia suburbs. It’s the most cost-effective method and I can be with them and enjoy them, also allowing the handling/training sessions to be short and sweet.

Diane Halpin/Laurel Leaf Hanoverians: Facebook

[Wayside]

I keep my youngsters at home, but I have a friend that breeds Belgian draft horses, and foals out mares for other people as well. She also boards, mostly young stock and retirees, since she doesn’t have much for riding facilities.

If I didn’t have a place of my own, I’d probably find someone like her to board with so that my youngster could be out with other young horses. And it’s less expensive than boarding at a large facility with all the bells and whistles, without sacrificing anything in terms of care.

[Cindy_s_Warmbloods]

I am lucky I have my own place and raise them here. We are on 160 acres and I raise my horses of all ages in one herd, I only have 6 so not a big deal. They all get along great and it has worked really well. I have an indoor arena about 5 min away that I can haul over to work with the young ones but I usually just handle them here (working on loading, halter work etc) until they are 3yrs old and ready to be backed. Then I start hauling them to the arena for that.

[Bravestrom]

I too have mine at home - we have 100 acre farm and our own arena.

Each youngster has a stall, they come in during bad weather/cold, they come in morning and night in good weather to eat breakfast/dinner. They wear blankets, get their feet trimmed, free lunge and explore the jump chute. As yearlings they start to learn the grooming manners they will need and use one side of the cross ties to understand they must stand when tied. at 2 1/2 they start learning lunging manners - not lunging and wearing tack.

My youngsters are also out in a herd of multi aged horses.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I keep trying to find my own place, but since I haven’t yet…

I pasture board my coming 2 year old with two other 2 year olds. She gets grain once a day and they frolick on their own 5 acre pasture w a run in and auto-waterer. Because it is 45 minutes away, and the pasture does not have direct access to the yard (i.e. you have to move 4 other horses to lead her up) I will not do much with her this year.

However, when she was a baby, and then spring & summer of her yearling year, I boarded at a friend’s private facility (dressage competition barn set-up). There she learned how to load, clip, tie, we cross tied, stand for farrier, show-in hand, etc.–all the things a young show horse should do. I showed her a few times that summer too. I had to move her in the winter, because it is stall board only then (her pasture snows in–no auto waterer there), and they let the horses come and go from stalls. I wasn’t comfortable with someone not leading her into and out of the barn. It works for them very well, but with her being much more immature than their horses, I thought it was a good time to kick her back out on pasture with some younger buds. I think everyone was happy with that, as they were worried about her getting into trouble too. I mention all this, because there are a lot of things you can’t and shouldn’t be able to control when it isn’t your place, and there is a lot to consider with remote-raising a baby.

I have no worries about her forgetting everything. I will probably move her back up to the main riding mare pasture in July or August (if there is a stall available) and bring her to a couple local shows (stock shows) just to get her out and then start introducing tack, etc. this fall (at 2.5), do some ground work, maybe lay across her or even sit on her once or twice and then throw her out for the winter. She will be lightly started when she turns three. I will probably have her inspected that summer as well. So we will probably look for a closer barn where it is easier for me to work with her regularly.

[Atreides]

I board my guy at Hilltop in Colora MD.

When he came from the breeder at weaning, I tried to board at a more local breeder in Middleburg, but the actual care turned out to be pretty horrific. So I hunted out the best breeder I could find within 2 hours (the distance I’m willing to travel to check in on him) and off he went to what my husband refers to as an equine day spa. Of course he’s doing extremely well, they reversed all the damage from my first mistake, and he’s benefiting from a program that is far and away better than anything that I could replicate even if I had my own place.

As most breeders raise their own, I found that researching the breeders in my area with the highest reputations was the best way to find a safe, decent place to raise my guy.

[Ssporthorses]

I have been looking for my own place for awhile but can’t find anything just right.

I’m lucky, I’m at a small local place with good sized paddocks and excellent care at a VERY reasonable price. (and an indoor arena… bonus)
it’s only about 10 minutes from my house too so it’s easy to run out and change blankies etc.

( I do teach some lessons there and start other young horses so that keeps my prices down! )

[NotGrandPrixYet]

At one of my own farms. I, too, bring them along with some handling and training, but I like them to be out with good strict babysitters after they are 6 mos old to teach them their manners.

[Tasker]

Ours are born in the main barn, grow up in one of 3 pastures with similar aged horses and consistent handling, trimming and the ‘usual stuff’, then divided by gender and into the 2 biggest pastures (6 & 13 acres) to grow up. There is a system and method to who comes in when for what (teeth, feet, shots, worming, general handling and then the starting process) - we want them to like to be caught and enjoy their time in the barn! But for the most part, once they are yearlings they are out 24/7 with sheds, plenty of hay, fresh water, regular feeding and managed care. Once they are integrated as riding horses, we try to have them in a stall part of the day but with as much turn out as possible.

The farm page on FB has lots of photos of horses in the various pastures from over the years if you want to take a peek.

L-R
The young geldings pasture looking to the east
The mares pasture from on top of the farm
Wizard’s paddock looking down to the bridge
The bigger of the riding horse pastures looking towards the indoor & outdoor rings
And the view from atop Wyatt in the outdoor looking back down towards the south east

[shivani00]

:winkgrin:i agree with your comment u said well…
rafting in rishikesh