A Little or a Lot
My two horses and I are currently in a “DIY” boarding situation, where we can rely on the barn owner for twice daily feeding of hay, watering, and keeping us apprised of our horse’s well being and general condition. However, we are usually responsible for buying our own hay, giving additional feedings such as lunch hay, pellets or concentrates, cleaning manure from the pens or finding someone to do that, and being there for the farrier or vet. If we can’t do these extra tasks for some reason or another (travel, work, etc.) than we have to pay extra, or ask a fellow boarder to help out. This is just one way of managing horses, as opposed to having your horses at home where you must do all the chores almost all of the time and maintain the property to boot, or a “full service” barn where everything is done for you and you usually just have to show up and ride. I’ve done various combinations of the three in my 40+ years of owning horses.
I like to have a hands-on approach with my horses’ care and management, and while I sometimes complain about not having enough time or energy to get the chores done, our current situation is pretty ideal. I surprised myself, when I first brought my horses to this barn, in that I really didn’t know what worming schedule to implement or how much hay I needed to buy, and I needed to update my knowledge about equine nutrition and management. Previously, when I first immigrated from Canada to southern California, I was at a full service training barn that was somewhat “fancy”, but where I effectively lost touch with my horses care. Prior to that, in Canada, I had my own ranch for more than a decade where I called all the shots but it sure was a lot of work for one person. However, back then I was in a different personal space, different horses in a very different environment, and my resources differed from what I have now. I’m not sure I would be able to go back to having horses at home again, although it’s something I often dream about.
The horsing arrangement you have with your horses depends not only on your available time, money, and support system, but also your goals, whether you like hands-on or hands-off, and your experience. Keep in mind that experience is built from learning, mistakes, and time. There are advantages and disadvantages to each arrangement in keeping your horses. DIY tends to be more social if you need to lean on other boarders a bit to share tasks, chores, and knowledge. A full-service arrangement is less time intensive for you but I find you can get out of touch with care and time spent with your horse. It’s also more expensive. Having your horses at home can be tremendous if not rewarding work, but a bit lonely at times. Know your goals with your horse and your life and check your limitations (time, money, support). Sometimes, there is not much choice in what arrangement you pick if you want to keep horses in your area with limited options, and it can come down to “making the best of it”. Good planning, a good support network, and being organized with your time will all help you in making the best out of your current arrangement and leave time for you to reach the main goal: spending time with and enjoying your horses.
