I've always been able to keep my horses at my parents' farm. However, I am graduating from college this May and am looking at grad schools, all of which are on the other side of the country. Obviously I'm going to need to board at some point in the next year or so. Here is some information on me and the horses.
Mis Jet
Breed: Quarter Horse
Age: 9
Sex: Mare
Showing: Western (cow horse stuff, hopeful some AQHA and/or ARHA shows)
I use classical dressage as the basis for her training and do ride her in full dressage tack sometimes. However I'm not looking to show dressage or English.
Feeding: easy keeper; grass, loose salt, vit/min supplement if needed (in winter grass hay and Purina strategy as needed), she hates being locked in a stall for too long.
Quirks: She is partially blind in her right eye due to a pasture accident and can be a bit funny about a stranger catching her in the pasture. She has trust issues from severe neglect in the first 6 years of her life (I bought her as an unbroke 6-year-old with hooves that hadn't been trimmed in 2 years). She's not dangerous, just wary of most humans. For some reason she's more ok with kids than adults (on the ground, never tried putting a kid on her). With a little patience she will be ok with someone else catching her, especially if there is food involved. She's smart enough to know who the food dispenser is. She doesn't tolerate adults other than myself riding her.
Starlight
Breed: Mini
Age: 17
Sex: Gelding
Showing: retired 4-H pony, still used as a cart pony
Feeding: too easy of a keeper, grazing muzzle on grass for a few hours a day then dry lot for the rest of the time, vit/min supplement, loose salt, grass hay in winter, might be developing IR
Quirks: Loves kids, would love to have a kid to ride him, he misses the good old 4-H days
I am not a fan of locking horses in stalls. If the pasture needs I break, I prefer to dry lot them. Mis Jet might be ok in a stall if she gets 12 hours turnout and 12 hours stalled.
I do my own training and farrier work. I don't appreciate someone trying to tell me how to train, feed, or trim my horses.
I am a very quiet person who hates drama. I try to live by the motto of "not my horse, not my problem". As long as you don't get all up in my business, I won't get all up in yours. I just want to do my own thing and enjoy my horses.
I think I would do best with self care, but I'm not sure I will have the time for self care being in grad school full time which will include teaching some undergrad classes in addition to taking graduate level classes. If I get into grad school, I will be paid to go there enough to (probably) support the horses, so I may not need another job.
I won't know exactly which state I will be going to (TX, AR, FL, or IA) until April. I will not have an exact budget until I know which school I get into (I have rough estimates, but it will depend on how much money they give me).
I'm leaning towards a pasture boarding facility with the options to dry lot.
So, what are the pros and cons of self care vs full care vs partial care?
What do you look for in a boarding facility?
Do boarding barns usually have problems with the owner doing their own farrier work?
How might I go about searching for more private barns that might not be advertised online?
If I get into grad school I would be moving from PA to school around August 1st.
I will post more questions as I think of them.
If there is anything else I need to know, please tell me.
Thank you!
Mis Jet
Breed: Quarter Horse
Age: 9
Sex: Mare
Showing: Western (cow horse stuff, hopeful some AQHA and/or ARHA shows)
I use classical dressage as the basis for her training and do ride her in full dressage tack sometimes. However I'm not looking to show dressage or English.
Feeding: easy keeper; grass, loose salt, vit/min supplement if needed (in winter grass hay and Purina strategy as needed), she hates being locked in a stall for too long.
Quirks: She is partially blind in her right eye due to a pasture accident and can be a bit funny about a stranger catching her in the pasture. She has trust issues from severe neglect in the first 6 years of her life (I bought her as an unbroke 6-year-old with hooves that hadn't been trimmed in 2 years). She's not dangerous, just wary of most humans. For some reason she's more ok with kids than adults (on the ground, never tried putting a kid on her). With a little patience she will be ok with someone else catching her, especially if there is food involved. She's smart enough to know who the food dispenser is. She doesn't tolerate adults other than myself riding her.
Starlight
Breed: Mini
Age: 17
Sex: Gelding
Showing: retired 4-H pony, still used as a cart pony
Feeding: too easy of a keeper, grazing muzzle on grass for a few hours a day then dry lot for the rest of the time, vit/min supplement, loose salt, grass hay in winter, might be developing IR
Quirks: Loves kids, would love to have a kid to ride him, he misses the good old 4-H days
I am not a fan of locking horses in stalls. If the pasture needs I break, I prefer to dry lot them. Mis Jet might be ok in a stall if she gets 12 hours turnout and 12 hours stalled.
I do my own training and farrier work. I don't appreciate someone trying to tell me how to train, feed, or trim my horses.
I am a very quiet person who hates drama. I try to live by the motto of "not my horse, not my problem". As long as you don't get all up in my business, I won't get all up in yours. I just want to do my own thing and enjoy my horses.
I think I would do best with self care, but I'm not sure I will have the time for self care being in grad school full time which will include teaching some undergrad classes in addition to taking graduate level classes. If I get into grad school, I will be paid to go there enough to (probably) support the horses, so I may not need another job.
I won't know exactly which state I will be going to (TX, AR, FL, or IA) until April. I will not have an exact budget until I know which school I get into (I have rough estimates, but it will depend on how much money they give me).
I'm leaning towards a pasture boarding facility with the options to dry lot.
So, what are the pros and cons of self care vs full care vs partial care?
What do you look for in a boarding facility?
Do boarding barns usually have problems with the owner doing their own farrier work?
How might I go about searching for more private barns that might not be advertised online?
If I get into grad school I would be moving from PA to school around August 1st.
I will post more questions as I think of them.
If there is anything else I need to know, please tell me.
Thank you!