As someone who boarded their horses for over a decade, I wanted to share some of the things that I have learned over the years. There are numerous boarding barn red flags to watch out for in order to ensure quality care for your horse.
All the red flags I will list are situations/observations that I have personally witnessed over the years. Some of them may sound a bit ridiculous, but I assure it, they all happened!
1. Not providing water in the winter
This first one is crazy, I know. But we have boarded at barns that did not provide heaters for water tanks in the winter. Since we live in Northeast Wisconsin, the water tanks would constantly freeze. When we voiced our concern, the barn owner’s response was to say that the horses will eat the snow if they get thirsty. Seriously?
Horses don’t typically want cold water and definitely don’t want frozen water. Not to mention, horses that are used to having water available are most likely just not going to drink. This can lead to numerous issues like dehydration and impaction colic.
Access to water in the winter months is extremely important and every barn should have it. It’s just common sense.
2. Not feeding hay during turnout
Horses are grazing animals and require a slow and steady intake of feed throughout the day to stay healthy. They should never go more than two hours without hay.
One barn owner’s excuse for not providing hay in the pens was that they wanted “to keep the pens clean”. Having clean pens does not take precedent over the well being of the horses in your care. Your convenience is not more important than equine welfare.
3. Inadequate hay feeding
As previously mentioned, horses are grazing animals. It is my firm opinion that horses should not be fed on a universal per “flake” basis. Horses are individuals and should be fed as such. None of this “2 flakes AM/2 flakes PM” for all nonsense.
Along with this point, hay nets/slow feeders are a huge green flag for boarding facilities. These slow down consumption and limit waste which is beneficial for everyone involved.
4. Inadequate turnout space
While any sort of turnout is a plus, turnouts that are too small are not the greatest. Horses need room to run around freely — meaning no sharp turns and enough room to open up for at least a short amount of time. Barns that do not provide adequate turnout space should worry you.
The issue I would more often see is overstocking. This is where the barn would have a large turnout area, but have way too many horses in said area. In fact, one barn that I worked at for a while would have over 12 horses in a less than 1/4 acre space during the winter. Not very ideal for anyone involved – equine or otherwise.
Observe the size of the turnout areas and the number of horses in each area to determine if there is enough space for your horse.
5. Not providing turnout at all
This is one of those boarding barn red flags that really makes my blood boil. Horses are outdoor animals — evolved to be outside 24/7 (with access to shelter, of course). Aside from injury/sickness, there is NO excuse for not turning out your horses. Even in the aforementioned case, a smaller turnout should be provided (unless veterinarian orders say otherwise).
Horses are not inside animals. Period. Anyone who tells you that horses prefer to be inside is lying to you and themselves. As mention previously, human convenience is not more important than horse welfare.
In other words, if you don’t see any turnouts — RUN.
6. Extremely muddy turnout
When visiting a boarding barn, make sure you observe the turnout footing. When pens aren’t cleaned for an extended period of time, the manure begins to mix with the soil. If this continuously happens, the soil’s water retention capability increases.
What does this mean? It means that every time it rains, a cesspool of manure and mud appears. It also means that the pens will have a difficult time drying out. Muddy conditions are bad for horses’ hooves and muscles, leading to soft hooves and possible muscle strains. Not to mention the flies!
Of course, some mud is bound to occur. Horses are destructive to their environment. Just pay attention to the depth and severity of the mud in the turnouts.
7. Flood prone landscape/barn design
Alongside the previous point, it is important to observe the layout of the boarding facility’s property. Is it in a gully or valley? Is it near a creek? Marshy area? You would be surprised at the number of farms that we have been to that have been built in swamp/creek areas. Now that I think of it, I think it is all but one.
These areas can be prone to flooding during heavy rainfall. This leads to the possibility of unsafe conditions in the paddocks and flooding in the barn. Moisture in the barn leads to mold which leads to respiratory issues in the horses that live in said barn.
8. Barn lacking proper ventilation
When discussing musty barns, it is also important to recognize whether or not there is proper ventilation in the boarding facility you visit. Lack of ventilation can lead to an excess of dust and musty air which in turn leads to equine respiratory issues.
Multiple facilities that we have boarded at would seal up the barns tight in the winter. I understand the need to prevent water pipes from freezing, but there are a ton of better ways to do this without compromising equine health. Sealing up barns completely leads to an increase of dust collection and stale air, neither of which are good for the equine respiratory system.
Look for vents in the roof/walls and/or ask the barn owner how they handle the barn during the winter months.
9. Lack of cleanliness
Now, I understand that a barn is going to be a bit messy. It is a barn after all. However, I believe that the overall cleanliness of a boarding facility can really show you how much care/involvement the owners have.
This may be a bit nitpicky but pay attention to an abundance of spilled feed, dirty water buckets, dusty tack rooms, etc. You are looking for signs of extended neglect, not recent messes. All of these indicate to me that the owner’s have little care for the appearance of their business.
Of course, I am not expecting a barn to be spotless but it should be clear that routine cleaning and maintenance occurs.
10. Owners never around
Many boarding facilities advertise that they have “on-site owners”. However, I’ve had owners that claim this but are pretty hands off when it comes to the barn operations. There is no real benefit to having owners on-site if they are not active on the property.
The only real way to check this one is to speak with current boarders if possible. Obviously, the owner’s themselves aren’t always going to give you the full picture of their involvement.
11. Barn owned horses in poor condition
Often times, boarding facility owners will have a lesson program and/or horses of their own. Observe the condition of these horses closely. Look for any malnourishment, injury, and other signs of neglect.
It is my opinion that the way an owner cares for their own horses is a great indicator on how much they will care for yours. Some may say that they will care more for yours since you are paying them, but shouldn’t they care simply because they love horses?
12. Poor stall footing
There are numerous things to check boarding stalls for (if they are provided). What I mainly look out for are uneven floor mats, urine soaked bedding underneath said mats, and hazards sticking into the stall (nails, screws, hooks, etc.).
This point goes along with the cleanliness bit in a way. Stalls that have any of these things show me that owner is inattentive and is lacking care about the well-being of the horses they are responsible for.
13. Poor arena footing/upkeep
I’ve been to numerous facilities that drag their arena once a year. ONCE a YEAR. Still blows my mind. Sand would be banked up in the corners and along the sides creating an uneven and hard surface.
Maintaining arena footing is crucial in providing a safe/productive working surface for riding your horse. Arenas are often one of the bigger selling points of boarding facilities. Shouldn’t the owners put a little effort into their upkeep?
Final Thoughts
When looking for a boarding facility for your horse, always remember to trust your gut. If something smells wrong, tastes wrong, and feels wrong, it’s probably wrong. Stay safe out there and happy hunting!
Thank you so much for reading about our list of boarding barn red flags. Let me know if any of the information in this post surprised you! Do you have any of your own boarding barn red flags? I’d love to hear from you.
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