Other Details
Don't overlook the details when choosing a place to keep your horse. There's much more to good horse keeping than just providing food and shelter.
Does the stable practice good safety habits? Look for a neatly kept barn with things such as water hoses coiled up and out of the way of horses and people. Aisles should be clear of debris and not used as storage areas. Grain should be stored in an area separate from the horse stalls, behind a latched gate or door, and neatly kept in rodent-proof storage bins. Find out whether the driveways are clear of junk and quickly cleared of snow in the winter.
Are the stalls constructed safely and without protrusions that could injure your horse? Look for feeders for hay and grain that are appropriate to horses. They certainly don't have to be fancy, but they should be without sharp edges or holes. Are the stalls clean on your visits? Stall doors should open and close with ease and latch securely.
It's nice when boarding stables put name cards on each stall door telling who the horse is, what she eats, any peculiarities such as allergies or unusual habits (such as the ability to unlatch a stall door), and how to contact her owner in case of emergency. Name plaques aren't an absolute necessity, but at the very least, the barn management should keep such detailed records on hand in the office for every horse.
Do the horses get ample water in their stalls and out in the paddocks or pastures? The stable should have a good plan for providing ice-free water in the winter and for ensuring an ample supply of fresh water in hot weather. Look for clean water buckets and containers that are large enough for the number of horses turned out together in one area.
Are there places in the pasture for horses to get away from flies or cold wind? A nice row of hemlock, spruce, or thickly planted shrubs will block the wind during the coldest times of the year if they are placed in the right spot. Tall pines and hemlocks and other evergreens can provide some overhead shelter from light rain and snow. In the peak of fly season, horses need either a place to escape to or plenty of attention with fly sprays, sheets, and masks. Is the pasture run-in big enough for the number of horses turned out there? Typically, one horse can guard a surprisingly large area, leaving no shelter for any other horse. Horses can be switched around so that those that don't compete so much with each other can share.
Will the facility add supplements to your horse's feed at your request? Some boarding stables charge extra per supplement per day. Twenty-four horses that require an average of two supplements each added to their feed twice a day, can add up to a lot of extra time for caretakers.
What about those times when your horse needs medical attention? Will the barn management call a veterinarian for you if you can't be reached? When ongoing care is needed, can you pay someone to fill in for you if the horse needs to be walked three times a day or needs a bandage changed and you can't make it out to the barn to do these things yourself every day?
