should i board my horse?

[rachel37]

i am planning on buying a horse and i was wonder if any one has ne info on boarding horses. would it be better to keep it on my own land or to board it. i also would like some info on the price of owning a horse on my own land. i want to make sure i am fully prepared for the responsibility before i just go out and buy a horse.

ne other advice on price,keeping , or just ne horse info would be appreciated thanx:)

~rachel~

[lneill84]

Depends where you keep it and how much you want done. The board at my barn was full, meaning everything was taken care of and was between $1400-1600 a month. Rough board, meaning you completely take care of the horse yourself, is not available around me. I liked having someone at the barn 24/7 and i had some wonderful grooms. You can find pretty much all options around you if you look. You need to figure out how much money you have to play with and then decide. You have to factor in exactly how much land you have, if you need to put up barn, fencing, ring, etc. Are you going to be happy and able to take care of the horses, twice a day, mucking, feeding, and turning out?

[DomBee8]

Hmmm, you made two of the same topic. Anyway, here it is again:

It all really depends on your situation. How much land do you have? What kind of condition is it in? What does it contain (fields, wooded areas, etc.)? How much time do you have to put into it? How much and how far away is the closest boarding stable? I think, depending on where you board, it cost about the same over all for either. A normal boarding fee around here is $200-$300, so when I talk about fees I'm talking from my perspective.

To keep a horse on your land you have to build and maintain all the fences and care for the horse yourself. You have to buy all the materials and either put it in yourself or pay someone to do it for you. When something needs repairing, you have to go out and do it. If your horse colics while your at work, your SOL. If your sick, you still have to go out and feed and care for the horses. If you go out of town, you have to find someone reliable enough to take care of your horses. And if you keep your horse at home, you must find a companion. Some people say "Oh, they are fine by themselves", or "I'll be with him/her everyday", or "I've got cats and dogs". No- they are not ok. You MUST MUST MUST have a companion. Even if your horse seems fine with being alone, it is not good for them and no horse should be put though it. So you will need to get another horse, or a pony, or a donkey, or a cow, or a goat, or a sheep. That will require more time, more feed, more money. You are in charge of finding your own feed and feeding your horses. May sound simple, but when you call and want hay for your two horses and they've already gotten a call from the riding stable with fifty-some horses, who do you thinks going get it? As a privet facility, you are at the bottom of the totem pole. You must know when to call the vet and farrier, how to give shots, how to care for your horse properly, and know what to do in emergencies. Also, keeping and riding your horse alone can get really really boring. Unless you have a friend to come over and ride with you, you probably won't have much fun.

I couldn't tell you how much fenceing costs, but I spend anywhere from $80-$100 on feed a month. My horse is an easy keeper, most people I know have to spend $120 a month. You have to worm your horse, which is about $8 a tube. You have to buy all the buckets, feeders, hoses, wheelbarrows, and pictchforks, which would cost about $200 and up. There is also the electric bill (if provided) and the water bill. Those can really add up in a month's time.

On the positive side, your horse will be there 24/7 and you can do whatever you want. You can set up the fields how you want, rotate the horses how you want, ride when you want, do whatever. You have total freedom. You can go on a moon-lit trail ride at 2 o'clock in the morning, nobody cares. It might even help you and your horse form a bond quicker.

At a public boarding stable, there will already be facilities, fencing, and companions provided. You won't have to worry about feed, and most stable schedule vet and farrier visits for you. Most also worm and give shots if asked. There will always be someone there incase something is wrong with your horse. It's much easier to keep a horse at a public stable because everything is taken care of. You can also meet some new friends and find some riding buddies.

The downside is that there are other people, and there are normally rules. You have to share the arena or the stable area with others and their horses, and that can get hard. Also they normally have rules about when and when not to ride, what you can and cannot do.

[LoneStar]

Hi,
I've always dreamed of keeping a horse at home on my own land but I think that in reality it's much easier, more practical and safer to keep it at a yard, particularly if it's your first horse. Even if you keep it on DIY livery and do everything yourself (which is cheaper), there are always more experienced people around to give you advice if your horse becomes ill or gets injured, or people to help out if you can't get down to the yard.
Like dombee said, on a livery yard, there are always people to ride with and you'll make loads of friends.
Good Luck!

[HorseWhispers]

Well, I pay $250/month for board and It is worth it. Huge arenas, Round pen, Miles of trails, Turnout. HEATED tack room. I LOVE boarding, I know nothing about having a horse on my own land, can't hlp you out there, srry!

[horsequazylady]

Hi...I've done both boarding and had my horses at home, and as others have said, there are perks for both. It really does depend on your situation. Where I am now, we have about 5 acres of pasture and a small sand ring. I mostly trail ride, so I don't need a deluxe ring or indoor arena. I really like seeing my horse and pony grazing from the house and I enjoy caring for them. There are other horsey people who live near me to ride with and ask the advice of..also, the vet can be gotten to come out in emergencies. The only real problem I have is when taking the horse out for a ride, the pony goes berserk! I have to lock him in the barn because once he tried to jump the fence and got only halfway, then fell. He was okay, but he was lucky. Like another poster said, pasturemates do tend to get very attached to each other and can be frantic when seperated. (The pony has gotten better about this after awhile, but I still lock him up, just in case). For me, this way works out the best...I like caring for my horses and seeing them daily and I have a horse sitter who cares for them when I'm away. Also my grain and hay are delivered (by a local feed store) and its not very costly (probably about $150/mo. in summer and $200 in winter....also adding in worming, shots, farrier and random expenses as needed.)

I've also done rough and full board in the past. Rough board was the most difficult because I had to do most of the work and drive there every day, which was tedious. I also did full board for awhile (which worked out good when I was sick). With the full board I got lazy about riding and visiting as often as I should..and I felt I sort of lost touch with my horse. I did like having the comradery of the other boarders but I never really felt like I had private time with my horse as there was always someone around (sometimes I like to sing to my horse :rolleyes: or talk "sweet" and felt a little silly).

Again, it really depends upon what your situation is. There are some really good, friendly stables out there where you can have a ball, but I've seen it go the other way too (things like your horse picking up stable vices, belongings going missing, not feeling your horse is "your own"........). I'd say if you are just starting out, boarding is probably your best bet. Then you can observe and learn more about all it entails. Hope I've helped...take care and good luck :)