Here are 10 questions to ask before you board your horse in order to pick the Charlottesville horse farm that is the best for you and your horse.
Many of my horseowning clients that are looking for a Charlottesville home to buy have decided that boarding their horse may be the best option for them. However it is not always easy to know what questions to ask in order to pick the best Charlottesville barn, particularly if you have never taken care of your horse yourself. Below is a list of questions that are important to ask of any horse boarding facility so that you can make sure that your horse will be receiving the best of care.
1. What do you feed and are there different feed options depending on the horse's needs?
2. What kind of hay do you feed?
3. How often will my horse's water be changed? The water should be totally changed for clean water at least once a day. Just topping off the buckets is not acceptible.
4. How much turnout will my horse receive and when will he go out? There should be a variety of options depending on what each particular horse needs.
5. How many horses will my horse go out with? Ideally your horse should go out by himself or with one buddy. Large groups increase the chance of your horse being kicked or hurt.
6. How often will my horse's blankets be changed? The temperature should be checked and your horse may need different weight blankets during the day with an additional layer after the temperature drops at night.
7. What people are authorized to be around the barn? Particularly at a barn in a development it is immportant for the horse's safety that there are not unauthorized people wandering without supervision.
8. Will you put on any protective boots, bellboots etc. that my horse needs before turnout?
9. Is there staff available that in experienced with bandaging, giving both im and iv injections and other basic medical care in case of illness or injury?
10. Is professional instruction and training available and what are the qualifications of the trainer? Find out what level the instructor/trainer has ridden or trained at. There may be a big difference between someone who has ridden at the national level vs someone who has only ridden locally.
The answers to these questions should provide a basic outline of what the routine at the barn will be like. As we look at homes for sale I will be able to give you names of good Charlottesville horse farms offering boarding that are located close to your neighborhood of choice.
Contact
View all of the Charlottesville Virginia homes for sale.
View my website Charlottesville Horse Farms or visit my other blog Charlottesville Real Estate Talk for more information on
Copyright © 2009 by Pam Dent, all rights reserved, "10 Questions To Ask Before You Board Your Horse".
Pam Dent
Great text and nice blog.