[manentail]

What do you look for most?

What kind of services do you look for in each?

[morgansnmind]

I've boarded my horse in a partial care twice and full boarded at several different places. I actually like partial care if I'm close to the barn because I don't mind doing the chores but when I full boarded I loved that I could spend all my time with my horse.

Right now I'm in a partial care place. If I put grain in the scoope, hay out by the stall the night before they will feed in the mornings and then later they turn the horses out. Turn in, mucking, buying hay/grain, anything other than morning feeding and turn out has to be done by the owner. Have to provide your own stall mats also. Boarding is only 125

I think if I was to board a outside horse at my new place I would do full board because I like to have things done my way and I like having stalls clean (pee spot sweeper here. I boarded at another self/partial care place where the BO only did turn in/turn out and it was not nice. It matters what kind of people you get. Some people didn't clean stalls everyday..some people didn't always feed their horses so other people took pity on them and fed from their own hay.
Hope I wasn't rambling too much.

[Dalemma]

I have been on both sides of the fence with this one........I have boarded at full care stable.....which I really liked. Now I have my own place and have room for a couple of boarders and from the view point of the stable owner I would not do anything other than full board.

Dalemma

[mvp]

I'm with Dalemma with respect to the what a good stable owner would want.

I have done partial care, but I found the facility and general standard of care to be higher when the stable owner is involved with the day-to-day are and *supervision* of all the horses on the place.

I pick the barn where all animals look like mine in terms of weight, turn out schedule, vaccinations worming and farrier work. Most of the time, I can't be at the barn enough to meet my own standard of care! So I want someone to do the day-to-day stuff that I can't.

I really don't want full grooming and tacking up. That strikes me as unsafe among other things. Before I swing a leg over a horse, I want the "hands on" opportunity to see where is mind and body is that day.

It's really great when you find a BO who shares your views of horse care. The details of that aside, it gives you another helpful "team member" involved in taking care of your horse and making good decisions. I appreciate the help.

[merrygoround]

Having seen both, I've found that the care is better in full care. In partial care there is always someone who doesn't show up, doesn't clean their stall, doesn't deworm, etc. etc. This can turn the whole barn into something quite shabby.

[cowgirljenn]

As a horse owner, I want partial care. I prefer taking care of my own horses, and when we weren't in a position to own land, I liked partial care.

However, if I owned a stable - I would want to offer full care. Then I would know everything was done up to my standards. I know the barn manager where we did partial care would be pulling her hair out when people wouldn't show up to feed, would have thin horses, etc.

I did board at a Co-op barn once. It was the best - there were three of us, and we took turns feeding. Everyone did their own stall cleaning and turn out/bring in. We helped stack hay, etc. One person got money off board because they did maintenance. It was a unique situation, though, with three responsible people who did the right thing by their horses and were dependable..

[TrakHack]

The place I board offers both, and I'm in the full care barn. I'm not able to reliably get to the barn every day, so partial board or self care isn't a realistic option for me (boarders are responsible for everything except morning feeding, and they need to set out their horse's feed the night before).

The most important thing for me about being in full care is having a caretaker I completely trust. I'm not at a show/lesson barn, so full care is feeding, turnout and, stall cleaning. I get a phone call if my horse eating or behaving at all out of the ordinary, and I really appreciate that. This barn is also very flexible with turnout arrangements, and my guy goes out with the "pasture board" horses 6-8 hours a day. That kind arrangement was difficult to find. It's not the newest or fanciest facility in the area, but the horses are all healthy and happy.

A people-related huge plus is being at a drama-free barn. The people who board are largely pleasure riders and many have been there for 15+ years and board multiple horses.

[Rhyadawn]

Partial care only works for people who are around enough to do it. I have never been in that boat, so haven't had to look for barns that do that sort of thing.

In full care board I want a barn manager who is knowledgable, BO who is on the property at night and does a late night check. Proper cleaning and maintanance of property and barn. Good hay and feeds, adequate water supply, and acess to good farriers (ie I can bring in my own).

[manentail]

lets keep this thread going, I like the answers I'm getting, very informative.

[King's Ransom]

I like the full-care barn where I have Cooper now -- but primarily because the trainer, barn owner and stable manager are all reasonable people and easy to get along with. There are some things that I want "just so" for my horse, and they do go along with it. They don't think I am being picky or silly. And they haven't charged me extra either. We talk about it, and they say, "Sure, that makes sense," and then we make an agreement about who does what.

For his "extras," I do them myself on the weekends when they are short-staffed. But, the other times, they help me out. They even helped with the 3x daily eye drops for Cooper, and never charged me an extra penny.

I know I am lucky. These folks are reasonable, they truly love horses, and they are happy to have me there. They really make the barn experience a pleasure!

So I am getting the best of both worlds, and I really love it.

[Chall]

I pick the barn where all animals look like mine in terms of weight, turn out schedule, vaccinations worming and farrier work

In partial care there is always someone who doesn't show up, doesn't clean their stall
These. Add to that someone who is on partial care because they can't afford their horses and you end up feeding their horse or feeling really miserable.
I am not happy unless all the horses around me are happy, well fed, cared for.
Full care though does not have to mean stalled though. Both my horses are on 24 turnout but under full care.

[Wayside]

I've only ever boarded at full-care facilities. Although I enjoy caring for my horse myself, there are always at least a few days a year that I absolutely can not make it out to the barn, for reasons such as weather (up here in blizzard land) or illness. My barn owner is kind enough to let me do some work for a discount on board, though, which is fabulous.

[ReSomething]

I pick the barn where all animals look like mine in terms of weight, turn out schedule, vaccinations worming and farrier work

In partial care there is always someone who doesn't show up, doesn't clean their stall
These. Add to that someone who is on partial care because they can't afford their horses and you end up feeding their horse or feeling really miserable.
I am not happy unless all the horses around me are happy, well fed, cared for.
Full care though does not have to mean stalled though. Both my horses are on 24 turnout but under full care.

Agree with all of it, and if I were to board I would want full care 24/7 pasture , with the use of a stall/ private type run-in so the old guy can eat in peace or shelter from the weather, but it is more healthy for his joints to be outside and moving about.

[TrakHack]

I was in a 24x7 pasture board situation, which I wanted to help keep my guy's joints moving (he's 23 and in semi-retirement), but the round bales being fed were poor quality and it just didn't work.

A big plus to the stalled full care with 6-8 hours of turnout a day is that my horse is always in his stall when I get out there in the evening and I don't have to take a hike to catch him. And, if I don't get out for several days I know he's not going bonkers in a stall 23 hours a day. It sounds bad, but my reality is that there are some weeks I can only get out on the weekends, and when I can go after work I am much more likely to do so if my guy is hanging out in his stall under his fan in the heat of summer or snoozing in the cold and dark of winter just a few feet away from my tack locker.

High quality basic care and trust trump all but convenience is important, too.