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I just want to warn that this is going to be relatively long, so yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, I've been riding at this one barn since I was 6 which is a long time and I am starting to not really like it there anymore. The facilities are beautiful, I shudder to think how much they must spend to keep it that way, but it's more the people there that I don't like. Several years ago it was sold and the new owners are not really friendly, well, they're nice people, but they're not really leaders, if ya know what I mean. I think I could count on 1 hand the conversations I've had with each of them. They really shifted the focus 3 or so years ago away from lessons. I stayed mainly because of the horses and I figured I was leaving this summer anyway but turns out I'm staying here. So, they sold the horses I like and now I have absolutely no reason to stay. Also want to add that I'm not getting anywhere because teachers aren't consistent, in the past 3 years I've had at least half a dozen so it's kind of like 2 steps forward one step back. So I'm now actually looking around for a barn that can help me improve and possibly lease/own a horse when I'm ready to make that commitment. I have never looked for barns so I don't really know what to look for so that is really what I need help with. What should I look for when looking for a new barn? I've looked online and haven't been able to find any reviews for a couple, and no references because I live in a rural area so the barns are relatively small. Basically, I need help as to what I should look for in a barn because I'm really new at this. Thanks in advance <3 And that actually wasn't as long as I thought it would be lmao. |
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Something I would 100% suggest is checking out the conditions of the horses because that's a big tell into how the barn is run and what the people are like. Try and see if you can spot any big fungus problems or maybe it doesn't seem like they keep up with their horses feet. Those would be signs that maybe it wouldn't be a good place. Also check into what they have for arena sizes, areas to ride, and turnout. You don't wanna end up somewhere where the only place you can ride has you going in tiny circles the whole time. Good luck with your search!! |
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My major pointer is to make sure that their stalls have runs! If the facility has pastures, that's also a plus, but if you're planning on keeping your future horse in a stall, it'll be much more sane when you take it out to ride (especially after you take a vacation or something) if it at least has a run in its stall and isn't completely cooped up. And even if you don't get your own horse, I still find that unless they're super solid horses, they're much less crazy and more happy if they're not in an enclosed box all the time. 🙃 This is just from my experience though. |
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Walnut Creek Farms said:
Something I would 100% suggest is checking out the conditions of the horses because that's a big tell into how the barn is run and what the people are like. Try and see if you can spot any big fungus problems or maybe it doesn't seem like they keep up with their horses feet. Those would be signs that maybe it wouldn't be a good place. Also check into what they have for arena sizes, areas to ride, and turnout. You don't wanna end up somewhere where the only place you can ride has you going in tiny circles the whole time. Good luck with your search!!
Okay, thank you.
WhizBar Eventing said:
My major pointer is to make sure that their stalls have runs! If the facility has pastures, that's also a plus, but if you're planning on keeping your future horse in a stall, it'll be much more sane when you take it out to ride (especially after you take a vacation or something) if it at least has a run in its stall and isn't completely cooped up. And even if you don't get your own horse, I still find that unless they're super solid horses, they're much less crazy and more happy if they're not in an enclosed box all the time. 🙃 This is just from my experience though.
I haven't been able to find stalls with runs but I've found a couple where the horses are turned out almost 24/7 is that okay, too? That's another thing I don't like about my current barn is that the horses only have 2-3 hours of turnout a day. |
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Trivia Team |
If your horse spends more time outside than it does in a stall, it doesn't need a run. And it should still spend more time in a pasture than it does in a stall even if it does have a run. |
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Diagon Alley Elites said:
I haven't been able to find stalls with runs but I've found a couple where the horses are turned out almost 24/7 is that okay, too? That's another thing I don't like about my current barn is that the horses only have 2-3 hours of turnout a day. Yeah, that's perfect. I always prefer throwing horses in pastures if it's an option. =)
FirstLightFarms said:
If your horse spends more time outside than it does in a stall, it doesn't need a run. And it should still spend more time in a pasture than it does in a stall even if it does have a run.
Exactly. I'm not sure how most barns work, but the ones I've been around don't go around moving your horse around for you to give it time to turnout. You'd have to go and do it yourself. So if you're planning on not being there everyday, your horse ends up suffering. But if the barn will do that for you and turn your horse out, then that shouldn't be a problem. =D |
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