With Joe as my barn shopping liason, we've looked at one barn so far this week, and he is going to look at another one tonight or tomorrow, hopefully.
Here are the details on Barn A:
Description: This facility offers full care with orchard grass hay, 12 x 12 enclosed shed with 34 x 40 dry lot pen, daily turnout on a gorgeous pasture that is STILL green this far in the year (a big deal in this area), use of an 85 x 200 groomed arena, and access to miles and miles of trails from the property. It is about 22-30 minutes from my house, depending on traffic.
Pros:
- They will feed grain/supplements provided by owner
- Good quality hay fed twice daily
- They will blanket and unblanket
- They will hold your horse for the vet/farrier if needed
- Clean facility in good condition, all the horses look happy.
- Small number of boarders (8 horses), all adult owners.
- Joe got a really good "vibe" from the place and, despite not being a horse person, was really enthusiastic about it.
- He talked to one boarder, who was out there riding, had been there two years, and said it was her favorite place she'd ever boarded her horse. This lady sent me an email that night asking if I had any questions. Color me impressed.
Cons:
- Expensive (towards the high end of what I am willing to pay)
- Limited winter turnout
- Mostly a western barn, so I might be the only english rider there.
-No round pen
Conclusions:
I really like the sounds of this place. I am interested to see the next barn, but I have a good feeling about this one. I think the pros far outweigh the cons... and I'm worried someone else will snatch up my spot, so Joe had better hurry and visit Barn B :)
Photos:
Thoughts? Any tips for things I should look for or ask that I might not have thought about? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated, as it's been a really long time since I've done this.... :)
I love barn A. Pasture makes me drool a little.
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