Boarding Barn Issues

The worst place I was at was a place that was Semi care. My boarding cost covered the stall, use of the indoor arena, shavings and hay. I had to provide any grain and I had to clean my own stall. They did all the feeding and turning out. When I first started boarding there my bag of grain would last about a month. By the time I left I was going through a bag every 2 weeks so I know the owner was using it for her own horses. Also They started taking shavings out of his stall after I left. I don't over do it on shavings the woman was just being stingy. I also found out that if I was there for the night feed he would get his 3 flakes of hay. The moment I left she would go in and take half back out.

I came up one day after dinner and found him pacing in his stall. He paced so much his shavings were banked against the sides of his stall. She decided not turn him out in two days and in that two days he had maybe 6 flakes of hay total. I got out of there very fast. Sadly I was worried about her feeding my horse as all and did not give any notice.

well i have left three diffrent barns the first one was because my trainer left other then that it was nice place too be. the 2nd was because i had made arrangements to work of some my board my cleaning stalls well my friend did the same so her horses stall was getting cleaned twice a day she defintly over did the shavings anyways .. started a hugh fight over pitty stuff well the owner didnt want to deal with it and ignored the problem and made it hard to want to be there so we moved back to the first one then the bank forclosed on that barn which really sucked we were there about 3- 4 weeks moved to another barn where all they provided was stall /and feeding i cleaned the stall anything else was our responsiblity and well my old horse is very friendly he will beg anyone for a cookie and he start being shy and flighty standing at the back his stallcome to find out they were beating on my horses and needless to say we left in a big freakin hurry and without notice. shocking i now board @ a awsome barn with the friend for 2nd barn go figure

I -LOVE- where I am now but some things I would look for are:
-regular cleaning and feeding schedule
-good barn staff that keep an eye out on the horses
-approachable and responsive management/owners that will address all your concerns
-IF something needs correcting (horses not getting along, broken fencing etc etc) I expect it to be fixed promptly.
-Good notice of any changes made to the barn (construction, feeding schedule).

The board went up a few months ago with the hay prices and we had a great amount of notice. Pasture and paddock board was also re-arranged when they build the extension of 20-ish stalls to the barn. We had a problem boarder earlier this year which a few boarders complained about, that was also corrected.

You should generally get a good vib the second you make it on a property. If you are unsure, tag along with someone you know and try to get a feel for things before moving there.

People can be very difficult to deal with. My husband is shocked at what I've had to deal with. Many people have had bad experiences and will go to anyone but the BO w their issues. I have put some rules regarding this in my boarding contract. I had an (EX)eployee/stall cleaner start a vicious rumor about me that caused four people to move out immediately and without warning. I had no idea why they moved until I overheard her in several phone conversation. Boarders MUST remember BO's are human beings, too, and they need to discuss any issues up front and early on with the BO. Boarders also need to understand that BOs aren't making $$ hand over fist. Even in hay-plentiful Ohio, we take a loss on board if we charge less than $400 per month full care (barely covers feed, hay, shavings and grain). We often use lesson revenue to help bridge the gap in paying the bills every month. I have gone to exclusively boarding only to lesson program participants to avoid any more drama and it has helped a lot.

AMEN SISTA! Its hard work for pennies.... there is no money in boarding.

Yeah my former BO was a SUPER control freak. I would come out after work and bring my filly in from turnout and she would make me feel like I had disrupted her schedule (and her horse's, my filly was turned out with hers) I was not allowed to grain my own horse (just a little Strategy with supplements) I had to prepare it in a bucket and leave it for the BO to do??? The only reasoning I could come up with was so that her spoiled brat of a filly wouldn't freak out if Lily got her's first? I learned later that a previous border had left because they had caught her trying to vaccinate their horse for strangles without their knowledge, in spite of the fact that in the boarding agreement it was a reccommended but not a required vaccine. I could go on. Bottom line when it became stressful to go out and be with my horse we got the hell out.

I can see why you wouldn't want one horse grained and not another especially if it were a small stable. All the other horses get upset because that one got grain and they expect theirs too!

I liked the last placed I boarded at because it had an indoor arena but it had some other problems....

- I had a really hard time dealing with another boarder. It isnt the fault of the BO but it got old really fast.

-From the time I started boarding to leaving there were too many horses there. My board was for a stall at night and turned out during the day. But the turnout was with the pasture horses and my horse got the crap beat into her. i think this was because she wasnt out there all day. So I had talked with the BO and she moved her with a younger horse for sometime but then for some reason put her back out in the original pen without giving me notice.

-The BO started having other boarders do chores (including the one I didnt get along with). I was pretty sick last spring and didnt make it out for a month (I had notified the BO I wouldnt be there) and when I did make it out Chloe had lost A LOT of weight (and she is an easy keeper). The stall was really messy as well. (this was the final straw)

The BO wasnt there the day I did make it out there... so I called her and explained that I was giving my 30 day notice and was out in a couple weeks.

xhalt63- I agree that people can be hard to deal with. I don't know if I would want the job of managing a boarding stable. Not because of the work but becuase of the unreasonable requests of some owners and other owners who never come see their horses and when they do they complain about what is being done with them. I try to be very understanding and don't think I have overly high expectations. I try to think before I get upset about something little. And when I am at the barn in the evening and the BO is brining in horses or taking out horses, I try to help when I can. I know she appriciates the assistance.

Got2Gallop- I can completely understand why a BO would not want you graining your own horse. If you are paying her to feed your horse, then it is the BO responsibility to assure that the horse is fed properly. Double feeding can be bad. But not just that, if the other horses see you feeding your horse, they are likely to act out and be harder for the BO to bring in and feed when she is ready. A horse may get hurt or a fence may be broken in the process. If you want to feed your own horse you may want to look into a self care facility or have the horse on your own property.

Man I am reminded over and over again how much I LOVE my barn. I honestly have ZERO complaints. The owners are super approachable and very flexible, they provide great care for the horses, LOTS of space for all of them, no over crowding. The horses have waterers and are fed a few times a day. The stalls are cleaned a few times a day as well. Because we have all great, responsible boarders, the barn hours are really not set in stone. If you come in later in the evening there really are no problems. Horses have been shipped in from the states and arrive late at night but there is always someone on site to care for them and get them settled.

The list could go on and on. You guys seem like you've gone thru a lot, makes me be even more thankful for what I have.