Post by Allyson on Oct 2, 2008 8:41:22 GMT -5
Over the years I've learned a whole lot about horsekeeping. I've gone from the blissfully ignorant stage of my youth to what i consider "i know what is best for my horses" stage. The older and more experienced I get, the more stubborn about it I become.
I get it, there ARE many styles to horsekeeping. I also get it that I agree with only certain aspects of those styles.
That said, as I get older, finding boarding has been getting a little more complicated. How do I walk the line of sternly assessing a potential farm, while not coming off as a wacko, high-maintenance problem child?
The older I get, the less I worry about it. I figure, if a BO thinks my requests are high maintenance, then we're probably not a good match.
But still- there is that damage control factor. And finally, I think I am beginning to settle in at my new place.
Pros:
I guess Im feeling comfortable because in the past month I can see that my horses are in good hands. Is it perfect? No. But boarding rarely is. But my trust in the barn and in my BO is there.
Why wasn't it there to begin with? She's a quiet woman, with a few different horsekeeping practices. And by quiet- I mean shy. Not many words spoken. When we first met, I felt like I was pulling information from her, and that even though she was agreeing to my requests for how my horses were kept- it is so different from hers, I almost didn't believe her.
She said the barn was low-key. And to me, that is code for: "we don't really care how the horses are kept." At the same time, I saw the potential of her place, and proximity to my home, and decided to go for it. Even temporarily. I needed to get my horses moved.
The more I get to know her, the better I feel. She said low-key, she means low-key! The new translation for that is: "we are not strict here, so if you need something done that doesn't take a million labor hours, we'll figure it out."
Prime example: Hay. I admit it, my horses are spoiled. The hay they are getting right now is gorgeous, and they are supplemented grass pasture during the day. But in winter, they will most likely be in paddocks most of the time. So I wanted to find a way to get them more hay because I am scared of them developing ulcers. The barn hay is too rich, in my opinon, to offer more of that (but I will if I cannot find what I want). So i asked if i could bring in some hay. And rather than have to map out a schedule of what my horses get from what pile, I suggested that i'd fill hay nets with my (crappier, less tasty) hay, and keep them in the stalls. I'd maintain them. My BO was more than happy to do that. She said we'd find room in the loft for the hay, and that the hay nets wouldnt be an issue because no one would have to bother with them. THey just need to feed the barn hay.
I know my horses will go for the barn hay first- its a 60/40 alfalfa/orchard-tim mix. They wait at the gate now, just to come in for this stuff. They want their hay before their grain. Oinkers.
Should I be concerned about the barn skimping on their hay knowing I am providing? In some situations, yes, maybe I would. But at this barn, I think it'll be ok. Its low key enough that she's not looking to pinch pennies by skimping on the hay that the board $$ covers.
The other cool thing: when I first came to the barn, I was told that turnout is Mon-Fri. If I wanted them out, I could come up and do turn out and in. Fine with me. But as each weekend passes, I keep going up there to find my horses already out. I'm happy they are out, but slightly irritated that I wasted 40 miles worth of gas to find out. As it turns out, our spanish speaking live-in caretaker turns them out even though he's not supposed to- he doesn't even clean stalls on the weekend. So i talked to BO about it, asking her if I could formalize this weekend am turnout. She said OF COURSE! So we got her friend who is fluent in both English and Spanish to do the translation, and now I dont have to go up there on the weekends to turn out. I just do weekend turn in. Hallelujah! Of course, I offered to pay him $10/ weekend for his service, but the BO cautioned that he'll probably not take it. If not, he's gonna get a mighty fine xmas gift!
So, its those little things that make me happy. I'm not the type of boarder that will create a matrix of weather, temps, and my horses' outdoor attire. I dont request poospie get extra special carrots. I dont make them scoop supplements- I provide containers with everything already put together- so it is just an easy scoop & dump. I just want them clean and healthy. And so far, so good.
This is the kind of place that makes me want to help out- because there is no "my barn my rules" type person running the place. Of course I'm sure she'd be less inclined to help if I had outrageous requests, but I try to accommodate both sides. Make what i expect for my horses easy on the staff. If that means i pitch in, so be it.
I really like the farm itself, and I want it to be its best. That means my horses stay happy, and I dont have to move, LOL. This is the kind of place I would kill to have. And so, by helping I get the experience I need for when i own my own place, and my horses have a nice(r) place to live. Its a win-win.
That said- we need more (sane) boarders!
I get it, there ARE many styles to horsekeeping. I also get it that I agree with only certain aspects of those styles.
That said, as I get older, finding boarding has been getting a little more complicated. How do I walk the line of sternly assessing a potential farm, while not coming off as a wacko, high-maintenance problem child?
The older I get, the less I worry about it. I figure, if a BO thinks my requests are high maintenance, then we're probably not a good match.
But still- there is that damage control factor. And finally, I think I am beginning to settle in at my new place.
Pros:
- Awesome hay. My girls are doing great on it, which is HUGE.
- Turnout. They are getting at least 10 hours a day of grass turn out. Rock on.
- A real schedule. Never once have I shown up outside of my normal schedule to find things awry. I LOVE that.
- A BO who can see from multiple perspectives. She keeps her show horse in...and I want mine out. She doesn't enforce her preferred turnout schedule on my horses.
- A BO who wants to make it better. The place when she bought it was run down. But after I offered to help out to create some mud-controlled paddocks to save her limited pasture space, she's super excited. She just didnt know what to do.
I guess Im feeling comfortable because in the past month I can see that my horses are in good hands. Is it perfect? No. But boarding rarely is. But my trust in the barn and in my BO is there.
Why wasn't it there to begin with? She's a quiet woman, with a few different horsekeeping practices. And by quiet- I mean shy. Not many words spoken. When we first met, I felt like I was pulling information from her, and that even though she was agreeing to my requests for how my horses were kept- it is so different from hers, I almost didn't believe her.
She said the barn was low-key. And to me, that is code for: "we don't really care how the horses are kept." At the same time, I saw the potential of her place, and proximity to my home, and decided to go for it. Even temporarily. I needed to get my horses moved.
The more I get to know her, the better I feel. She said low-key, she means low-key! The new translation for that is: "we are not strict here, so if you need something done that doesn't take a million labor hours, we'll figure it out."
Prime example: Hay. I admit it, my horses are spoiled. The hay they are getting right now is gorgeous, and they are supplemented grass pasture during the day. But in winter, they will most likely be in paddocks most of the time. So I wanted to find a way to get them more hay because I am scared of them developing ulcers. The barn hay is too rich, in my opinon, to offer more of that (but I will if I cannot find what I want). So i asked if i could bring in some hay. And rather than have to map out a schedule of what my horses get from what pile, I suggested that i'd fill hay nets with my (crappier, less tasty) hay, and keep them in the stalls. I'd maintain them. My BO was more than happy to do that. She said we'd find room in the loft for the hay, and that the hay nets wouldnt be an issue because no one would have to bother with them. THey just need to feed the barn hay.
I know my horses will go for the barn hay first- its a 60/40 alfalfa/orchard-tim mix. They wait at the gate now, just to come in for this stuff. They want their hay before their grain. Oinkers.
Should I be concerned about the barn skimping on their hay knowing I am providing? In some situations, yes, maybe I would. But at this barn, I think it'll be ok. Its low key enough that she's not looking to pinch pennies by skimping on the hay that the board $$ covers.
The other cool thing: when I first came to the barn, I was told that turnout is Mon-Fri. If I wanted them out, I could come up and do turn out and in. Fine with me. But as each weekend passes, I keep going up there to find my horses already out. I'm happy they are out, but slightly irritated that I wasted 40 miles worth of gas to find out. As it turns out, our spanish speaking live-in caretaker turns them out even though he's not supposed to- he doesn't even clean stalls on the weekend. So i talked to BO about it, asking her if I could formalize this weekend am turnout. She said OF COURSE! So we got her friend who is fluent in both English and Spanish to do the translation, and now I dont have to go up there on the weekends to turn out. I just do weekend turn in. Hallelujah! Of course, I offered to pay him $10/ weekend for his service, but the BO cautioned that he'll probably not take it. If not, he's gonna get a mighty fine xmas gift!
So, its those little things that make me happy. I'm not the type of boarder that will create a matrix of weather, temps, and my horses' outdoor attire. I dont request poospie get extra special carrots. I dont make them scoop supplements- I provide containers with everything already put together- so it is just an easy scoop & dump. I just want them clean and healthy. And so far, so good.
This is the kind of place that makes me want to help out- because there is no "my barn my rules" type person running the place. Of course I'm sure she'd be less inclined to help if I had outrageous requests, but I try to accommodate both sides. Make what i expect for my horses easy on the staff. If that means i pitch in, so be it.
I really like the farm itself, and I want it to be its best. That means my horses stay happy, and I dont have to move, LOL. This is the kind of place I would kill to have. And so, by helping I get the experience I need for when i own my own place, and my horses have a nice(r) place to live. Its a win-win.
That said- we need more (sane) boarders!