Boarding also buys you other benefits. A large barn with more acreage to ride on is a lot more fun than riding circles around your home pasture everyday. Qualified instructors may be more accessible. You also get to socialize with other riders. If you would like to compete, but do not have a truck and trailer, a large barn may offer transportation. Being a herd animal, your horse will be happier stabled with other horses.
Another point to consider is the environmental concerns of urban sprawl. Horse owners have been accused of being major contributors to this problem by taking up a large number of small tracts of land. Fewer barns on larger tracts are a more efficient use of land. For example, say five horse owners own two horses each. They each purchase five acres of land. That takes twenty-five acres for ten horses. A twenty-five acre farm could support twenty horses.
Obviously, where to keep your horse has no right or wrong answer. Our circumstances often leave us no choice in the matter. If you chose to keep your horse on your own property, be sure to check out all the zoning ordinances in your area. If the horse is for a child under the age of 18, look for a 4-H horse club in your area. They provide great information, and a great opportunity to socialize with other riders. For more information on the 4-H check out the Agricultural Education, Communications & 4-H Youth Development site provided by Oklahoma University.
If boarding out is the best option for you, look for the same things you would look for when choosing a riding instructor (see Working with Professionals Part I). Try to find a barn that has no more than one horse per acre. Make sure all horses are required to have a current negative coggins test. Ideally, they should all be on the same worming and vaccine schedule. Check for the quality of hay and grain being fed and their feeding schedule.
The best of both worlds may be to live in an equestrian community. Equestrian communities are neighborhoods developed for horse owners. Some are condominiums with a central barn and riding areas. More commonly, they are subdivisions of three to fifteen acre tracts that are zoned for horses and usually share some common riding areas. Owners keep and care for their own horses on their own property, but get to share in some of the camaraderie and attract professional services like a large boarding barn. Eureka! I hope these developments will become more common.
