Hopefully a variety of people are reading this – some of you are boarders, some private property owners, some barn owners, or maybe you just like horses. If you are currently a boarder, you can probably think of all the reasons why you’d like to stop boarding. If you are caring for your horses on your own property, you may be thinking “those boarders don’t realize how good they have it”. Pretty much the concept of the grass being greener on the other side. There are pros and cons to each different living arrangement for your horse(s).
Boarding:
Pros
- You don’t have to perform all the daily care of your horse
- You don’t have to pay the high price of horse-worthy real estate
- You usually don’t have to pay for repairs from normal wear and tear
- Someone else is responsible for the day to day expenses (manure disposal, electricity, water etc)
- You can make friends with other boarders – having someone to ride with is very nice
Cons
- Someone else is responsible for the care of your horse (can be a good thing or a bad thing)
- You don’t have a say in how things are done – you need to abide by the barn rules
- Dealing with an overcrowded barn/arena
- Less choice in what is fed to your horse
- Sharing space with other boarders
- Can be very expensive given your location
Caring for your horse at home
Pros
- You have complete control over your horse’s care
- You usually save money compared to boarding
- You make your own barn rules
- Freedom to visit your horse whenever you’d like
- Making your own feeding schedule
Cons
- It is hard to take vacation unless you have money and someone reliable to care for your house/animals
- You are responsible for manure clean up and disposal
- You pay for all the water and electricity used at your barn
- You’re responsible for repairs and costs associated with damage caused by your horse(s)
- No barn friends to keep you company riding
There are obviously pros and cons to boarding versus keeping your horse at home. And the pros and cons may vary based on who you ask. A lot of people are really happy boarding and leaving that responsibility to someone else. I on the other hand, was fed up with the poor care that was provided and the high cost I was paying. I wanted to buy my own hay and make all the care decisions for my horse. I’m home quite a bit to take care of her, but it is worth it and I love our house and life here! Before we bought our house, we were driving to the barn every evening to feed Dede a 4th meal (mostly because they didn’t feed enough hay). It is so nice to be able to walk out our door and feed her whenever we’d like!
Consider the pros and cons of boarding versus caring for your horses at home and what appeals to you. If you travel a lot, I don’t think that having your horse(s) at home is cost efficient or easy. But if you like to stay home and know someone who can care for your house/horse(s) then it is usually a great way to save money and enjoy much more time with your horse(s).
Random thought – I say horse(s) because I currently just have one horse, but I know a lot of horses could never be comfortable and happy as the only horse on your property. Our horse, Dede is unusual because she is very independent and has never minded being alone. When we moved her to our house, we always wondered if she would be ok on her own, and she never had a problem with it.
Back to the point – you need to evaluate the pros and cons for yourself and your horse(s). Consider how much care you want to provide and how much work you want to do yourself. You will need to do a lot of physical labor outside so you need to decide if you want to/are willing to do that work. There are also a lot of investments if you want to have a usable horse property. Building a barn, arena, adding footing, fixing fences, etc, are all expenses that you may incur and should be financially prepared for.
Weigh the pros and cons or yourself and your horse(s) and decide what is best for all of you! Now that I’ve gotten to have my horse with me at home, I wouldn’t have it any other way in the future!
Leave a Reply