Note: This is day 22 of my 30-day blogging challenge. What the heck is a 30-day blogging challenge? Read about it here.
Every time we post something on our Facebook page about boarding, we get a certain type of comment from a handful of at-home horsekeepers. These range from the sympathetic (“I’m so glad I have my horses at home now!”) to the baffled, (“Why not just keep your horse at home and take care of him yourself?”) to the kinda hostile (“If you can’t take care of your own horse, you shouldn’t have one.”)
These last two categories of comments didn’t make sense to me at first. I’ve always thought of having a horse at home as a luxury. In the areas I’ve lived, land is expensive and even if you have some, it might not be zoned for horses. Boarding is the default option for most people who live in or around cities and/or on the coasts. But if you live in more remote areas, land is probably easy to come by while finding someone else to house your horse might be a challenge.
And while I really don’t think there’s any need for hostility, I guess I can kind of see where that third group is coming from. If you told me you had a dog, but you kept it at someone else’s house and went to see it for an hour or two each day, I’d wonder how you could even call yourself a dog owner. It’s not a direct comparison, of course—the expectations for canine companionship are quite different from horse ownership, but you get the point. If no one around you boarded horses, it would seem like a weird way to have a horse.
Part of the reason we get these kinds of reactions is the nature of the boarding articles we share. A lot of them are problem solving: dealing with challenging barn managers or co-boarders and other dilemmas. If this was your exposure to the world of boarding a horse, you’d have every reason to want to steer clear. So today, I’m going to celebrate the boarding stable by sharing some of the things I’ve learned to appreciate about the arrangement in my 10+ years of boarding my horse.
There are pros and cons to both boarding and at-home horsekeeping, but I hope this has helped to alleviate some of the negative perceptions that exist about boarding. I’d love to know your thoughts. Leave ‘em in the comments.
Back to The Near Side
Leslie Potter is Sr. Associate Web Editor of horseillustrated.com. Follow her on Twitter: @LeslieInLex.
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Unfortunately since I keep my horses at home I have to ride alone... one is too little to ride...
We have a unique situation where we board but we do the feeding and cleaning of all the horses. We only have a few horses but it allows the farm owner to travel for work and know that someone is taking care of the horses and seeing after the farm while away on business.
We like it because we share in the responsibility of caring for our horses but at an expense we can afford, financially and physically.
I'm very lucky to have a family run barn, that provides me with a guiding hand. I need to be the patient one, sometimes hard to do, but in the end they got my back! Earl's Performance Horses, shout to all of you. . . .
I couldn't have owned a horse if it hadn't of been for boarding facilities. I've had good and bad things, but I enjoy having a horse even if I can't keep it in my back yard.
I think it's a wonderful article. I have been a horse owner for 20 + years. I have had my horses at boarding barns, both good and bad. I have also been fortunate to have them on our property for the last five years. While it was the most wonderful experience circumstances with my health have caused us to have to move. My husband has always helped me with our horses, but he travels overseas with work often. While away I care for our horses. I have autoimmune issues so on the good days this is fine where as on the bad days it's difficult. We are now moving to a city and I'm super stoked there is a boarding barn. As my husband said,look at it from the horses point of view. They are social herd based animals. As much as I like to think they enjoy my company, in all reality I'd say they are quite content to hang with their pals all day. I do go out every day though and I'd say they are pretty happy about that too. I think as long as they get to remain horses and enjoy grazing etc it can sometimes work out better. The boarding stable has more acreage for them to enjoy. There are a variety of horses and frankly it's probably more exciting then our pasture. All that being said the key is the right barn. Each owner has different views on what meets their criteria. My biggest concerns are safety, a trustworthy staff, and a pasture type setting with a shelter. If it's really nasty I like them to come into a stall, but by no means do I think they Should be confined 24/7. I've found they are happiest when they are in a natural environment ;)
Not sure I agree with all those reasons.
Love, love, love this article! I have lived in both city and country and while my heart is forever in the country, I am not able to afford it yet. Boarding has its setbacks, as does keeping a horse at home. Most boarding stables I have been to require you feed, blanket, and care for your horses. Most of us dream of that luxurious country home but just haven't reached that point in our lives yet. :-)