Torn

So I am in need of some advice or input on my boarding situation.
First off let me start by saying I have had my horse for almost a year. He has been moved around a lot as when I bought him I was at school and then I came home and sent him for training. So he's been to 4 places so far with me.
The place he is at now is a brand new beautiful facility about 30mins from my house. The barn owner has no horse experience at all. He retired and wanted to do something different so he thought he'd start up a boarding facility. When I went to go see the place no one was there yet as the place was still being built.
I loved it and with the price he was charging for board I'd be stupid not to go there.
Well we have been there since August and things have slowly gotten bad. I hate pretty much all of the boarders they are all older ladies with money and they make sure you know it. No one talks to me really. The barn owner has days where he is rude and even made my part boarder quit part boarding my horse. I have gone in on days and my horse hasn't been fed for a few days. Not that he is in dyer need of food as he is quite a easy keeper.
My horse has had a few marks on him and the barn owner had no idea where they came from.
My horse does seem happy there but I am not. But I love the facility.
My horse and I have come a long way and I still am not riding him as I need to gain my confidence back as when I first got him he grew into this bad habit of dropping his shoulder and dumping me. Which is why he was in training.
So I have no one to ride with at this barn and that isn't the safest as we aren't riding together yet.

So I have a few options on places to move him if I decide that's what I should do.
The first place is another newer facility that is still in the making they have nice trails and outdoor ring however they have a coverall barn which my horse doesn't do well with. The owner is very nice and does not want snobby type people boarding there. This place is like 10 mins from my house.

The other place that I loved when I saw it is a quarter horse breeding farm that has a small group of boarders. He is more expensive then everyone else but the place is peaceful and just gorgeous. He has a trainer on site and said if I ever needed to use her I could. This place is also only 15mins from my house.

The last place is not a nice facility compared to the others it's a small facility and is where I do my lessons. I love the coach she has helped me so much and I know if I went there she would have my horse and I so much farther in our journey we'd be the perfect pair. But it's a little run down and definitely nothing fancy. But she has offered me a great price and like I said my coach owns it and her and her husband also happen to be horse trainers. This place is closer than where my boy is now but still almost 20mins.

I don't know if the cosmetics of the barn are important enough for me to go there for that reason. However I am not someone who wants to pay for something that isn't up to my standards. I just don't want to move my guy until I know the place is right cause I want this to be permanent he has been moved way too many times.
What would you do? Any help or suggestions is appreciated.
Posted via Mobile Device

That's a hard one.......I board horses here, we are on a small acreage and I absolutely love horses! Our place probably isn't up to snuff to what you want but I treat all the horses the same here, I feed them daily, make sure they have water at all times, I groom ALL the horses (of course with permission from boarders) but the horses are all treated well here. They have a run in shed, bushes they can go in and I see them every day from my house outside running around playing together.......our house is no dream house but most of our money goes into my passion for horses. The one boarder I have has boarded here for 5yrs. Now, I only have the one now which is ok but I do have four of my own horses. I am asked all the time if I will board other peoples horses because they do know how well I care for all the horses here whether they are mine or boarded.
To me I would probably board would go for the last place you mentioned but the choice is totally your's.
I did have 3 horses but a very dear friend of mine who boarded her horse here passed away in May and left her horse to me, she didn't want her horse to move somewhere else and knew I would care for her's as well as I do my own....

We have a saying here. " crappier the truck, trailer, and barn, the better the horse". It's just an observation from being to Alota shows and lookin at Alota horses. I couldn't count how many times a grade horse gets out of a stock trailer, stands for tacking, while the parents make the sandwiches outta the cooler. All day long that horse is quiet and runs well or amazing, while big fancy excess trailers are getting kicked to death by high dollar reg. Horses with fancy names and Ill fitting brand name tack. Guess my long, somewhat of a rant, boils down to ride where and how you are comfortable. Who cares what the look is. Checks all cash the same ;)
Posted via Mobile Device

As long as the barn is safe, what it looks like totally doesn't matter.

If I were you, I'd be judging on riding facilities, hay quantity and quality, feed, condition of the horses etc.
I am not sure I would judge it on how pretty the place is at all.

I think I would go with either the first place or the last place. It's a tough decision though. The first place is closer but the last place is cheaper and your coach owns it. Hmm!

Care over cosmetics any day. I'd be keeping him with your coach myself - you know she's a good horseperson and it would really help you both to have her available to provide you with advice when you need it.

Also, generally fancy-looking places tend to attract snooty people - because they desperately care about image (that's why they got the horse in the first place, usually!). I wouldn't necessarily avoid a fancy place because of that but it would certainly not influence me to go to a place. So long as the place is safe (read, no barbed wire, no junk lying around where a horse could get hurt, general health and safety procedures practiced) then it doesn't matter what it looks like.

I would also never board with someone who hadn't run a boarding stable for a good length of time, and certainly not with someone who didn't know about horses. They need to know when to call the vet, understand feed, be able to handle my horse if anything went wrong and just know all the things about horses that the person on site needs to know. It also means that hopefully they'll be a bit more understanding and if anything ever happened (like they decide to get out of the business) they won't just rapidly shut the barn down without giving everyone enough time to find new homes for their horses - because they know what it's like!

But also you got to remember, someone has to start somewhere if they want to get into being a boarding stable......it's like everything in life, if someone isn't given the chance to do/try something how are they to get the experience?

True, but I'll let someone elses' horses be the guinea pigs for a new BO/BM. There are certainly plenty of people who are willing to fore-go experienced barn staff for a cheaper price, so let them take the chances.

So long as the horse is well cared for, feed and watered regular that is all that should matter....not how their house or property looks....