Since not everyone that loves horses has land, barns, stalls, arenas, and or time to care for the horses, boarding is a necessity. Knowing this, one should also know boarding facilities come in all shapes and sizes, much as the horses that reside in these centers do. I have been a patron in many boarding facilities over the past 24 years, as well as boarded my horses through out the US and Canada at horse shows and let me tell you, the differences from place to place are staggering.
What I have learned about caring for horses is that the horses just want to live as close to free as they can be. Knowing this I have tried to provide the most natural setting for the horses short of thousands of acres and no fencing ;-). The second most important thing I have learned is that the horses digestive systems are far more delicate that ours, thus I studied equine nutrition and changed my feed systems over the course of the years.
Knowing that moving and slow feeding quality hay are critical components for the horses, we have moved our herd out of the stalls I once though were so comfy for them and into paddocks with shelters. For the horses that do reside in stalls we provide 6-7 hours of turn-out a day, with fellow herd members if possible. Then there is horse feed, the expensive processed grains I use to feed are things of the past, my nutrition education lead me back to basics, slow feed quality grass hay, supplemental minerals as needed and fresh, clean, non frozen water sources 24/7.
Horse Feed is a multi-billion dollar business, and the marketing would have ones head spinning as to what to feed, thus going back to what a horse would eat in the wild seems the best fit for our herd. There are exceptions, and those horses that have special needs are attended to. Let’s start with fat supplements (we prefer a balanced omega 3:6 ratio, coconut oil), when hay quality suffers due to weather and harvest conditions, we seek mineral supplementation too. Then there are some horses with allergies, digestive ulcers, parasites, metabolic disorders and more.. For that I studied to be an herbalists, we treat the afore mentioned conditions with herbs.
So far I have covered the very basic needs of the horses being met, quality slow feed nutrition, fresh clean water and plenty of time out to move and socialize with a herd. Some other components of a boarding facility are knowledgable staff providing care, safe fencing/shelters, on site management. Fencing varies, but after rescuing many horses injured on T-Posts and wire, I would recommend steering away from facilities that have this type of fencing, too risky. Ideally the fence would be structurally sound, free from sharp edges and tall enough to prevent attempted escapes. Staff should have top-notch knowledge in the areas digestive distress,(early onset), lameness, hoof care, skin disease, basic TPR (Temperature, Pulse Respiration) and be handy with a stethoscope to listen for proper gut sounds. A staff that can identify situation at onset can save a horse life.Keep in mind the cost of lacerations, colic treatments and surgery for horses kept in unsafe fencing cared for by non qualified staff.. the month board rate can be a bargain compared to repeated vet bills for sick and or injured horses.
Cleaning your horses stall/paddock/pastures is a big one, as we know parasites are deadly to horses. The facility would ideally clean stalls twice a day and paddocks and pastures daily. The manure should be removed from site to keep the fly population away from the herd. Manure piles being kept roughly 1/8 of a mile away from herd would be great. Stall bedding would be shavings and not saw dust, the saw dust particles get in the horses lungs and can cause respiratory infections and even disease. I also suggest horses not being in stalls when they are being cleaned and re-bedded to avoid excessive inhalation of stall bedding material.
Now I move to amenities, these are all over the place and considered personal preference optional. Things to look for are size of arenas for your intended use, quality of footing in the arenas and how often is the footing maintained(watch out for dusty arenas). Small arenas place horses in the position to always be in a circle or lots of tight turns, this can cause joint pain and ultimate lameness. The larger the arena the better for the horses and the more expensive they are to maintain, thus will be more expensive to board in.
Trails, show facilities, parks to ride in? These are great amenities for your horses, arena riding can quickly turn horses sour, what horse doesn’t want to get out in the open spaces, climb hills and explore? If you board near trails or have trails on-site and are close to show facilities, these are premiums that affect the board cost.
Next, how close to town is the boarding facility, metro locations are going to be more pricy than those in rural areas. How much time do you want to spend in the car driving to and from your boarding facility? Second to the drive time is the location, are the roads safe if a horse were to get loose? Facilities in major traffic areas have risk considerations to think about.
So you can see that there are many things to consider in a boarding facility, looking for a facility that is best for the horse, vs looking for what is best for the human will always ensure your horse is in a safe place, with great care, proper nutrition, safe shelter/fencing and plenty of time outdoors with a herd or at least a buddy.
Keep in mind that if you are to compare apples to apples, you must consider all aspects of the facilities. Boarding in each region have vast price ranges, small private facility at $200 a month to massive facilites in a metro region with all the amenities at $1,000 and more. Find what suits your horses needs and you will not go wrong. Keep in mind your horse is there 24/7 and his or her needs should always come before anything els.
Zuma's Rescue Ranch 