Every few months I see it pop up on social media again. It’s a link from a blog or an opinion piece from an equestrian magazine where the author lays out all the reasons why owning and running a boarding barn is hard. I get it – just thinking about that job is exhausting. It takes a lot of work – and people skills – to keep a boarding facility running in tip-top shape, and I don’t envy those who do it. I do, however, appreciate them greatly. Because without full-board amenities, I probably wouldn’t be able to own a horse at all.
The issue:
That said, being a boarder isn’t a walk in the park these days either. As someone who relies on someone else to do the daily chores of keeping my horse alive, happy and healthy, it’s impossible to find the perfect fit. In nearly every situation, there are cons that I just have to stomach in order to try to enjoy the pros.
I’ve been a boarder all my life. Sometimes I’ve worked off board, sometimes I paid for pasture board, but most of the time I’ve been in a full-board and training scenario. And maybe I’m not the norm boarder – I show up almost every day, rain or shine. I like being in full control of my horse’s diet and I want to be there to meet the vet and the farrier and the bodyworker, and so on. I don’t want to pay someone else to ride my horse. I am the horse mom, I am involved.
IMO:
I am entrusting this person or team of people to take care of a loved member of my family. So I trust, but verify – I want to make sure my horse is getting the care I’m paying for. I also understand that every horse has a different personality and perhaps some vices. It sucks when you’re the owner of a sweet and talented one but your horse is judged solely by that one vice. Horses won’t all excel under a “one size fits all” mentality of care and management, either – whether that comes to feed or turnout options or what have you. It takes communication, and maybe a bit of trial and error, to figure out a way of life that’s balanced for one horse and for all the horses living under the same roof.
It takes a village to take care of horses. It really does. And in order for that to work, it comes with some give and take on all sides of the equation. I’m grateful for the friendships and knowledge being at a boarding barn has personally helped me gain. But at the end of the day, I am and will always be the advocate for my horse first.
This hot take originally published in the Heels Down Spark in April 2021. Get more conversation starters in your inbox every weekday morning by subscribing to the Spark now.