Keeping Your Horse with a Friend or Neighbor
Aside from boarding at a stable, another viable and common option is to keep a horse with a friend who already has a horse or two. Usually, the financial arrangements work great for both of you. Your friend will probably charge you a lot less than the going rate at the local boarding facility. He might charge just enough for his time and to cover the feed costs for his own horses.
Dogs and horses don't always mix. Some dogs love to chase horses. If the pursuit is hot enough, they can chase them right through fences, causing all sorts of damage. Your dog can get hurt as well, so teach your dog early on that the horses are off limits. Never take your dog to the barn unless you have permission from the owner.
As with a boarding facility, your friend would probably be the one doing all or most of the work, since he will want to clean stalls and such according to his own schedule and standard of care. Unlike a boarding facility, the two of you are free to agree on a different arrangement, depending on your situation. If your friend is close enough to your home, you could share feeding responsibilities. In exchange for relatively cheap (often referred to as “rough”) board, you could offer to provide all your own feed and to muck out your own stall. Of course, the owner of the barn will have the final say in how any arrangement is set up.
Aside from cost, there are several advantages to boarding your horse at a friend's house. For one thing, you have a built-in riding buddy. Also, during hay season, you can chip in and help each other bring in the year's supply. In addition, you have someone to help you as you learn about caring for a horse if you are new to horse keeping.
There are, however, some disadvantages to consider before you decide to board at a friend's house:
If this person has been a friend for a while, you could run into a disagreement or financial dispute that could end your friendship.
If the person was not so close a friend in the past, you may find you simply don't get along as well as anticipated, and you may be faced with having to move your horse as a result.
In a setting more private than a boarding stable, you may sometimes feel like you are intruding on family activities when you want to go see your horse.
You may not get a lot of the perks that a full boarding stable offers, such as access to a bathroom, a riding arena, and some of the anonymity that comes with the larger arrangement.
It all depends on the situation. Many people have multistall barns at their private home and board the horses of friends or neighbors. The barn is usually a bit away from the house and has a rustic bathroom, and the situation can work out just fine. The important thing is to communicate openly with the barn owner and be up front about your needs and expectations. Be businesslike in your dealings, and by all means, pay your bills on time. Money issues generally cause the most grief in such situations.
