This is an awful boarding facility. The board rate is very appealing - $650 a month, but do not be fooled. You get what you pay for. Also - keep in mind that unless your horse is an easy keeper who can subsist on the cheapest grain on the market, you'll be paying extra for your grain, so factor that into your monthly costs. As for me, I thought I was paying less than other barns because the facility is not that nice. The barn is old and dark, the fencing is old and not well cared for, the footing in the rings is really deep sand, and the "tack room" is just part of the hay loft. Like many boarders, I figured I could compromise on these things to save myself some money.
And to be honest, I could have dealt with all that, if the care had been good. Unfortunately, I was lied to and misled when I moved in. I given the impression that the staff cared a great deal about the horses and their well being. That was lie #1. I was assured that the horses could have as much hay as they would eat. That was lie #2, because the horses are fed hay once a day in a small haynet, and there is a padlock on the hayloft, in case you get any ideas about helping yourself to more. I was also told that since one of the barn managers lives on the property, night check is done every night. That was lie #3. If your horse is supposed to get an extra meal at night check, it will be hanging on his door in the morning. If he's supposed to be wrapped or unwrapped, he'll be exactly they way you left him. The lies go on and on. To sum it up, when you move in, everything will be "no problem." And if you're not there to catch them in the act, nothing will get done.
The horses have no daily schedule to speak of. They are fed two meals a day (usually), but not at any set times. If you ask the staff - they'll assure you they feed breakfast between 6am-7am, and feed dinner around 4pm. In reality, there's a 3 hour margin, give or take. Some days they eat breakfast at 10am. Some days they eat dinner at 2pm. Those are the days that should really concern you. Since there's no night check, your horse could potentially go 20 hours with no hay or grain. This frequently happens in really cold weather when the horses don't stay in turnout all day. Can you say colic?
In general, to say there is a lack of attention to detail would be a huge understatement. If your horse loses a shoe or cuts himself in turnout, no one will notice. As for bell boots/turnout boots, unless your horse lives in them, he's not going out in them. They won't be put on and taken off (although you'll be told they're happy to do that for you). If your horse is sweating under his blanket when he comes in from turnout, that's his problem. If you're away and your horse needs something, like a blanket change, better ask a friend to check on him. When your Smartpaks come, if you don't put them in the feed room yourself, the barn managers will just shrug at you when you realize two weeks later your horse hasn't been getting an supplements (not that he'll get them every day even if they are in the feed room). You're pretty much on self-care, to sum things up.
Speaking of which, if your horse requires supplements or even more importantly medicine, he might get it sometimes, if the staff feels like it. When I moved out, the Smartpaks left in my drawer gave me no clues as to the rhyme or reason behind their practices, but clearly supplements are fed on a "once in a while" basis. But don't worry, they will assure you that they gave it to him, and that you are the mistaken one. If your horse needs to be iced or wrapped, good luck. If you notice it wasn't done, they'll blame it on some confusion in your instructions. Your handwritten, detailed instructions.
In all likelihood, at some point you'll be told that your horse is dangerous. Don't worry, your horse hasn't been ruined and he's not having a mid-life crisis. He's just afraid of the barn staff. If you get him out of there, in a few weeks he'll start acting like himself again. My horse, for example, cowered at the back of his stall for weeks after I moved him when someone went in to pick it. He's coming around now and isn't afraid of people with pitchforks anymore.
Another issue you'll face is the barn managers' dogs. Some of them are by nature very sweet individuals who had the bad luck of ending up with their current owners. The others range from poorly mannered and annoying to aggressive and dangerous. Since they're given free run of the farm, your safety will be at risk every time you exit your vehicle during daylight hours. Don't like dog bites? Don't board here. Also - in case you have a problem with the smell of cat piss - try not to leave anything out on top of your trunk upstairs. The cats have absolutely no shame.
You might notice some odd things happening - a horse might be left in a stall with a chain over his nose all night. A horse might be left in turnout until almost midnight. A horse might be left in turnout all day with a grazing muzzle on so he can't access the automatic waterer. You may show up mid-morning to discover no one has been in the barn yet, and the horses are in their stalls with empty bellies screaming for food. You better not dare complain about these things - you'll get screamed at, and if you're lucky, evicted on a few hours' notice!
No one, and I mean no one, leaves there on good terms. They either leave in a huge hurry because they now fear for their horses' safety and their own due to the barn owner's threatening behavior, or they go quietly, with a whole host of silent complaints that they dare not voice. I chose option #1. I am trying to focus on the fact that my horse is out of there now and everything is going to be okay. I only wish I hadn't paid these poeple almost $8,000 on board. Talk about a rip-off.