Monday, March 13, 2017

The Boarding Hunt

I am struggling to find a suitable place to board Stinker.  Not for a lack of nice places, but because I want my horse to have a brain.  I am discovering the area, is much like California in the sense that they don't do turnout.  And the places that have turnout, only do it for a few hours and it is in small paddocks.  I have found one place that has pasture board, but they won't allow him to have hind shoes so that won't work.

Wanted:  Place to be sassy

I don't think my wishlist is unreasonable.  Right now it is basically do you take care of the horses?  Will my horse have room to self exercise?  Are the people sane/nice?

What is the best way to find the smaller not advertised barns in an area you are unfamiliar with?

So far, I have contacted numerous trainer.  Pestered any bloggers I could think of that might have contacts in that area.  Called feed stores/tack shops.  My next step is to ask on Facebook, but I am struggling to find local horse groups in that area.  Googled extensively.

Not amused

This is my first time shopping for a place to board and I am doing it from a very far distance.  I will make a trip out there to visit places, so I am not going totally blind.  But so far I am not having any luck finding a large paddock, pasture board, or all day turnout.

20 comments:

  1. Boo! Pasture board but no hind shoes? So ridiculous. Good luck in your search! I would probably go the route of finding a trainer first, then seeing where they recommend (much easier said than done since it's so hard to evaluate a trainer from afar!)

    I don't think your wishlist is unreasonable! But I'm also from an area where half day to full day turnout in large pastures is expected...

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    1. I have several I am interested in trying, but so far they have just been giving me the same list of facilities I have already contacted.

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  2. Aside from networking, I can't think of anything new to add. The offer still stands for me to poll my friends list! Lots of Iberian people out on the west coast.

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  3. Vets and farriers usually know all the facilities.

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  4. so frustrating :( actually the first barn i rode at had the same rule about hind shoes - it was a protection against the major damage that can result from a kick with a shod v unshod hoof...

    anyway i know you and i have talked about this a little bit already but i would consider branching out to cross-disciplinary barns too, since different 'sects' (as the case may be) may have different thoughts about turnout. this could include endurance type farms, or even ranch or working type farms. it's so hard with horses bc it always seems like the best stuff comes from word of mouth rather than published info... ugh. idk what part of colorado you're moving to - but jennifer buxton from braymere custom saddlery is in aurora and seems pretty well-connected in the horse world there.

    also i know it's really high on your list of 'things to avoid' - but it may end up being that you move Stinker somewhere not-quite-ideal to start out with, knowing that you'll be moving him again in the near term future after you've had a chance to really look around in person. or, conversely - perhaps Stinker stays behind for a period after you first move so that you can do more in-depth searches while knowing that he's in good care during your absence?

    sorry that none of those options seem super fantastic - but i'm hopeful you'll find the right situation!

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    1. The no pasture board with hind shoes- I assume they won't turn out horses together if a horse has hind shoes, period? Because if they still do group turnout for horses with hind shoes for a half day or whatever, it's an inconsistent (and stupid) rule. (I think it's a stupid rule in general though- if a farm finds they have a lot of accidents like that, they should reevaluate their turnout groups or how they go about turning in/out. My horses have ALWAYS been turned out in mixed herds of no shoe/2 shoe/4 shoe, and they've been monitored closely. I can't remember a time where a kick was ever worse because the kicker was wearing shoes, not denying a kick with a shoe is worse than one without though!)

      I also like the idea of leaving Stinker behind temporarily with trusted caretakers while you dig deeper into the area, especially if you haven't found what you want yet!

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    2. Fiction came from a race barn with the no hind shoe rule. He was turned out with mares and yearlings, so it was very much a natural herd dynamic rather than the separate type we tend to see in barns. The rule was to prevent serious damage to horses with some serious investment (read: money) behind them.

      I can understand it - I've seen the different between shoe and no shoe kicks. Fiction had his stifle completely split open by a horse w/ hind shoes, and also a deep slice across front legs from a horse with hind shoes. As opposed to the bumps and scrapes I see from kicks from barefoot backs.

      So I understand the rule put in place for some barns. Not a barn I would want to board at, but definitely a rule many people might like.

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    3. yea basically the rule was no hind shoes for any horses, as they only did group turnout. the herd dynamics were very safe and well established - that's just how they chose to operate. it was a very small lesson barn with typically elderly sturdy ponies and a strict old school proprietor who was ZEALOUSLY protective of her ponies. often to degrees i found perplexing lol. but she would definitely turn away boarders who couldn't ditch the hind shoes.

      so i'm not really passing judgement on whether it's a reasonable rule or not - my current and most recent barn (and quite a few others in my history) don't care at all about group turnout with horses wearing hind shoes. my horse goes out in group turnout with horses who wear hind shoes. in fact, he's got hind shoes too!

      i'm just saying i HAVE heard it before. and can understand where it comes from. it's not a rule i adhere to... but i can acknowledge that a LOT of horse ppl out there have very strong opinions haha, many of which don't always make sense to me.

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    4. I understand the reason behind the rule. I only mentioned it because it eliminated that place.

      I have been looking at any and all barns regardless of discipline. :)

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  5. The best barns I've been to are word of mouth only and don't advertise.

    So.

    Good luck with that?

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    1. Yeah. I'm hoping if I can find enough people locally one will take pity on me.

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  6. where are you relocating to again?

    I found my place by word of mouth, even though I'm very familiar with the area and ahve been riding here for years.

    I did board at a place that wouldn't turnout my horse with other horses because he had hind shoes. so he spent the entire time he lived there jumping out of paddocks and gallivanting around the property.

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  7. It's all very frustrating. I forget where you're moving to as well. That might help us help you. :)

    Hopefully you will find a place- even if it's temporary until you find a more permanent place.

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    1. I'm nervous about bouncing him around because of the EPM. I'm still hoping that I can find a suitable place that would work for at least 6-9 months.

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  8. This area just does not do turnout. Pasture board is often scary/sketchy care or not really feasible if you want to ride (a lot of pasture board places are retirement type places). I found my barn by scouring Craigslist. You can also drive around once you actually move here and search for hidden carbs, but you won't find trainers that way. Your best bet is to find a large paddock with shelter. It won't be the same as real turnout and it's pricey, but some can be big enough for the horse to kick up their heels s little and maybe not murder you.

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    1. I think a large paddock with a shelter would be ok for him. He just needs some room to trot around.

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  9. At least "no hind shoes" is more reasonable than "no OTTBs and no Arabs"? I really, really hope that you find something soon.

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