Boarding: How Do You Find the Right Fit?

Here you are with a new horse or moving to a new area and you have to find a place to keep your horse. Looking for a boarding barn can be so overwhelming because they all offer different things and it feels like there is never one that has everything you're looking for all in one place. The first barn has the barn and arena you love but terrible pastures, the second has the pastures and barn but nowhere to ride, and the third one literally made you question if you'd ever find something that works. 

My first time boarding my horse I moved him from North Carolina to Ohio to a farm sight unseen. The website had beautiful pictures of the stalls and pastures, and the owners sounded like they would take wonderful care of my horse; unfortunately, that was all just a show. I sent my horse ahead of me by about a week and when I got to the farm to see him, I was shocked. The stalls they had pictured were two of their stalls, the rest were plywood with gates as the doors, he was in a pasture with a horse that was beating him up and he was so terrified I couldn't catch him, and when I went out to ride him one day the owners were shooting paintball guns off outside the barn door! Within the week I had him moved to a barn I absolutely couldn't afford but that was thankfully willing to let me work off my board. He did amazing at the new barn and we never looked back.

Over 20 years with horses and a lot of experience with different barns here is my list of five things to be aware of when looking at a boarding barn. 

1. Strange charges

If you are being charged for things like stall bedding (shavings), a place to store your tack, or turning out your horse, it is a red flag. Your horse’s basic needs should be part of boarding and having a place to store basic things for your horse should not be an extra.  There are a lot of farms that charge for feed separately or ask you to provide it or do the same with hay; while I typically prefer that feed is included, for sake of easy budgeting for horse owner and barn manager, it does mean that horse owners know more about their horse's feed and stay involved in their care. 

2. High boarder turnover 

Obviously, this doesn’t go for newer barns or training or sales barns, but if a barn is constantly advertising openings or most of the boarders haven’t been there very long (like only a few months) it is usually a sign that the boarders aren’t happy with the barn and don’t stay. When you tour the barn, it is good to ask about boarder turnover or how often they have openings to get an idea of how often boarders come and go. 

3. There isn’t someone there consistently 

This doesn’t sound like a big deal at first, but if there isn’t someone around to oversee the horses’ care consistently things can easily be missed. A horse who is normally excited about food being less interested but still eating would catch the attention of someone there daily but may slide past someone that’s only there one feeding a week. Ideally a barn will have a barn manager (or an owner that manages) that is there pretty much daily and that has someone reliable and that pays attention for the days that person isn't there. When the feeding is done by different people all the time feed and hay amounts can vary, standards for cleanliness of stalls and water can vary, and small injuries or things like that can be easily missed. Also having someone there through the day means they can catch things when horses look "off" between feedings or are having an immediate issue. 

4. Pastures and fences in obvious disrepair 

Horses break fences so a board being broken or no climb fencing being squished down a bit wouldn’t be a huge concern if it's a one off in that moment, but areas of board fencing with hay string holding it or electric down in multiple places while the horses are in the field is not ok. Pastures that are overcrowded, have no grass or hay for the horses in them (some places have dirt lots for metabolic horses but there should be hay available), or are full of weeds show a lack of understanding for basic horse needs. A bit of mud at a gate or high traffic area in the wet seasons is not a huge concern but a field where the horses are stuck standing in mud constantly is not ok. When looking at pastures make your best judgement but keep in mind that horses are grazing animals and need good access to forage in a safe place.

5. The horses are thin, stressed, or unhealthy 

This one is obvious. If the majority of horses are not in good condition, there is something wrong with the overall care. Look at all of the horses you can since there may be rescues, new horses, or horses with a specific health condition that may not look their best. Horses that are consistently weaving, circling, or showing other signs of stress in their stalls or pastures may send up a red flag for the situation the horses are in. 

A barn doesn’t have to be fancy to take good care of the horses and be a wonderful place to board, and a barn can look beautiful but be a wrong fit for you and your horse. Taking your time, visiting the barn, and asking questions can help you make the right decision for your next boarding barn. One extra thing I tell people to do when they visit a barn is make an appointment (you never know if the manager/trainer is teaching or away at that moment) but it's good practice to show up a bit early or talk to other boarders while you're there is you can. I never fault people for arriving early for a tour, as long as they understand I can't always speak with them right away, and my boarders are always happy to talk to potential boarders.