As horse owners who aren’t able to keep horses on their own property, we’ve all had to find a place for a new horse or move a horse from their current barn to another. Here’s a checklist of things to keep in mind when finding a new barn for your horse.
Three horses interacting in a paddock
At some point, owners who aren't able to keep horses on their own property all had to find a place to board their horses or move a horse from their current barn to a new one.
© 2008 by Louis New window.
Boarding Check list
Health Related
Veterinarian – Who do they use as a vet? Does your vet service this new barn?
Feet – Who do they use as a farrier? Does your farrier service this new barn? How are the feet of the other horses in the barn?
Horse Weight – Do the horses look well fed or are they skinny?
Water – Do they have an automatic watering system? If so, are the dispensers clean? If not, is there ample water and are the buckets clean?
Feed – Do they carry your brand of feed? Is the feed and hay high quality? If not, will they order it for you or do they have something comparable. Is it stored in a clean and dry place?
Medication – Does your horse require special medication or supplements? Is there an additional charge?
Turnout – How are the paddocks? Are they well maintained? Will they without broken boards or nails? Will have a paddock buddy or turned out alone – or with many horses? Is there a run-in shed? Are the paddocks cleaned? How long will they be turned out every day? Are they turned out at night or during the day? Does your horse have issues with being turned out next to mares or geldings? What type of fencing do they use and is it secure? Is turnout grassy or muddy?
Bedding – Do they use shavings, sawdust, straw or something else? Are you satisfied with the depth of the bedding?
Stall Mucking – How many times a day do they muck stalls? Can you pick out the stalls if you choose to help?
Coggins – Do they require a Coggins test prior to shipping in? (They should!)
Owner Information – Is there a sign outside each stall with the name of the horse, veterinarian and other information in case of emergency.
Read the complete article with multiple areas covered by additional checklists: https://equineinfoexchange.com/images/stories/Horse-Boarding-Checklist/Horse-Boarding-Checklist.pdf
Does this list look important to you? You can print it out to take it with you when you visit a potential barn. Or, just download it to view it for your phone whether you’re connected to the internet or not. Are we missing anything? If so, email us at info@equineinfoexchange.com and we will add your feedback. This document is designed to help everyone!
Stay tuned! We’re launching a new service in our Horse Boarding section! You will be able to easily find any horse boarding location on a clickable map with links to all the information you need. Find your barn then check it out!
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Press release by Cathy Cimino - Edited