[SteadyOn]

Today was moving day for Elle!!! I was/am beyond excited.

The new place has...
A beautiful indoor riding arena
Clean, clear, well maintained aisles
Paths for hacking
Roads where I can take Elle for walks
A wash stall
A complete feed program
Sand outdoor riding ring
A nice sense of professionalism
Big stalls with soft mats
BEDDING!!!!
Heated tack room, lounge, laundry facilities, and bathroom

As far as the move goes... Elle loaded easily, first try! Despite not having been trailered for two and a half years. I could hardly walk fast enough for her, leading her on. She called a few times, once she was on the trailer -- even though it hadn't budged yet. But she settled in fine once things got rolling.

The drive was about an hour from one barn to the other (though thankfully, as I live somewhere in the middle, it won't be as far as that from my house). I followed behind the trailer the whole way. I normally listen to podcasts or music when I drive any distance, but I was too excited and just drove in silence, with my thoughts all over the place and butterflies in my stomach.

Elle unloaded without any fuss. Neighed a few times, then marched confidently into the barn, past all the curious noses in the aisle, and straight into her new stall. It's roomy, has -- it bears repeating a thousand times -- BEDDING in it, a nice window with a view, automatic waterer -- and the hay ready for her was nice quality and she went right for it! She settled in instantly like she had always lived there.

Behold! New stall!! Roomy! With BEDDING!

I brought in her fly stuff, supplements and meds, and a bunch of my tack, and chatted a bit with a young student who boards there. Everyone seems really nice, and I can't get over how CLEAN and organized it all is! What a breath of fresh air, after months of increasing clutter and mess in the arena and aisle at the now-former barn. It was getting so bad, I was having trouble just functioning there. And Elle was getting sores on her elbow and hock from the lack of bedding.

It's going to cost me more for the first month or two, before I secure a part boarder, but after that, I'll actually be ahead financially and in a much nicer facility!!! What a maaaajor relief. Whew!!

 

[horselovinguy]

All the best...seems Elle told you and agreed with leaving the past facility.
🐴...

 

[Part-Boarder]

Congratulations!

 

[QtrBel]

Glad to hear it all went well!

 

[My Salty Pony]

Sounds great!!!! Congrats to ya and Elle..

 

[Dreamcatcher Arabians]

So glad everything went well!

 

[tinyliny]

If I was there, I'd throw you a 'barn warming' party!

 

[Kalraii]

I needed some good news and I couldn't have wanted better. I'm grinning here for you and Elle C'mon, where are some more pictures?!

 

[walkinthewalk]

YAY for you and Elle!🐎👍🐎👍

I had to smile at your update. The simplest of things make us happy, don’t they — like bedding for our horses❤ It is well worth splitting hotdogs, so-to-speak, to get Elle into a better place😎

Sounds like Elle is as happy as you are!

Yes please, more pictures when you get a chance😀

 

[LoriF]

I am so happy for you and Elle. Please do share your adventures at the new place. I bet both of you will really be happy there.

I really know how you feel. I dealt with a lot of what you were dealing with. For me it was mud and clutter mostly. Now I'm at a new place and am loving it. The new place has a lot of the same amenities that you have too. No indoor but I live in Florida. Wouldn't an air conditioned arena be grand, lol? Our tack room is air conditioned instead of heated. Most importantly, the owners and staff don't slack because they don't get too busy with other things.

Please share more pics.

 

[SteadyOn]

I'll have more pics soon! Tonight, if the projected thunderstorm holds off, I'll go out there and take her for a walk and explore the property some more. Either way, I'll be out there to groom her and give her treats.

Last night she was kind of hilarious. She was WAAAAY too focused on her hay and her dinner to even care that I was there trying to "comfort" her, hahahaha. Poor stressed out baby. NOT. 🙄 Pretty ideal settling-in though! I did do a full detangle and brushing out of her tail, though, while she was so focused.

A few more pics for now...

End stall, right by the open doors, so lots of sunlight and fresh air. That's Elle eating on the left. She gets dinner with a view!

Gorgeous indoor arena with a REAL roof (instead of a terrifying coverall), three times the size of what we had before. Sand and fibre footing, oiled to keep the dust down, and well maintained. Not full of clutter!!

Clean bright aisles with no detritus! Always swept and organized. Elle is the last stall on the left.

And the barn manager texted me this morning to let me know Elle had a good night, ate her food, was perfect at turnout, and is being a good girl out in her field. 😍 I'm curious to know who her pasture buddies are!

 

[Kalraii]

Ok I'm back to crying, this time out of jealousy 😅 No, really, it's about time for you two. It looks really homey there! Was there a waiting list? I haven't been able to catch up properly, how did you come by this one?

 

[Horsef]

@Kalraii I was about to say the same thing. Never mind my mare - I want to move in there. That indoor is unreal. Imagine - oil on the sand! I’ve never seen something like that - how clever.

Seriously, this is how I imagine Olympic lever horses live.

 

[SteadyOn]

Ok I'm back to crying, this time out of jealousy 😅 No, really, it's about time for you two. It looks really homey there! Was there a waiting list? I haven't been able to catch up properly, how did you come by this one?

Incredibly, no waiting list. I think because they have back-up stalls for their resident horses. There's a second barn, plus there are arena stalls, that are only ever used when there's overflow.

I was aware of this place but had never really looked into it because I had the impression it was much farther away than it actually is. Plus I’m always afraid to rock the boat, and have this feeling like things are supposed to be difficult and I should always have to lump it. I was chatting with a friend who used to work at a different barn in the area, though, and she said this place would be her top pick to board at if she didn’t live so far from it. (We live in different towns.)

Between that recommendation, and the fact that things were getting just unreal at the now-former place (no bedding, hazards all over the property, the tiny-to-begin-with indoor being used for car repair/woodworking/camping??, a BED suddenly appearing in the cross tie area, etc), and the fact that even if I might be willing to "lump it," my saintly horse shouldn't have to.

The board where I was was, in Canadian, $640 a month. I was having to add to her feed program, out of pocket, because the vitamin/mineral balancer they were supposed to be getting -- that was when they got it -- wasn't very good. I was also having to pay around $200 a month for shoes on Elle, when she doesn't normally need them on soft footing. (It was fine gravel where we boarded, so it tore up her feet.) The board now is $680 a month plus HST, which comes to something like $768. I had a part boarder paying $320 a month for three rides a week at the previous place, but over all Elle was still costing me about $650 a month anyhow, even after that contribution, with the shoeing and extras. Now she won't need the shoeing or so many extras. So once I find a part boarder, which hopefully won't take long on such a good girl as Elle, I'll actually be financially ahead AND have a beautiful place to ride at, too!!!

 

[walkinthewalk]

I’m with the others who want a stall in that barn —- for myself, lollol

 

[macabre_exude]

Congrats!

 

[LoriF]

I’m with the others who want a stall in that barn —- for myself, lollol

Sorry, if you want a bed in the barn, you'll have to go to the old place.

 

[LoriF]

What a nice indoor area. I'm jealous of that even being in Florida. I'm imagining big fans circulating the air and that would be really nice even down here.
Elle looks content and very satisfied.

 

[Woodhaven]

So glad you found that place, it looks so good and clean and professional. I'm sure you will enjoy that indoor during the winter months and having trails to ride will be so good for you both. You will love it this fall when the flies are gone and you can enjoy those trails,
i guess I am from the "old school' I find it hard to think of horses with little or no bedding, I know the reason, put mats in and that will decrease the amount of manure to be disposed of but for me I would want bedding on top of those mats. We don't actually have many mats in the stalls but the horses are well bedded with lots of straw but this year I think we will change to shavings as a couple tend to eat the straw so we will put them all on shavings but with a good amount in the stalls. It will be easier to clean and less waste so we might like it.
Being farmers we had our own straw but now the farm is rented out we have to buy straw so might as well go with shavings.
wishing you lots of saddle time and many new riding friends

 

[waresbear]

So happy to hear this! And nice bedding that is!