? BEDDING
SUPPLEMENTS
TURN
OUT
SECURITY
A few other things you want to keep in mind is the farrier
and veterinarian. Can you continue to use your own or
do they want you to use theirs? What about their staff?
Are they competent, happy and focused or does the
barn have a reputation of having a revolving door? Does
the barn provide laundry room access? Do they provide
tack box storage and tack room accessibility? What’s the
security level of the barn? Is the farm gated, have security
cameras and/or have someone living on the property?
Pay attention to the environment. Do they have a radio
blaring 24/7? This can be very stressful on some horses.
According to Kentucky Equine Research, barns that have
radio noise contributes to stress, which leads to ulceration.
It was also documented that talk shows caused even more
stress then music.
At most show barns, lessons are going on all day. So another
question you want to ask is do they have multiple
riding arenas? Having more then one arena can alleviate
congestion, and confusion, while allowing the rider taking
the lesson to give their undivided attention to the trainer.
Another thing to be very weary of is double boarding.
This is where your horse shares a stall with another horse,
meaning when your horse is turned out, another horse is in
your stall. This is not a common practice but does exist. You
want to make sure that what you are paying for and what
your expectations are, are being meet.
You can’t be afraid to ask questions about the facility and
the management that you plan on leaving your horse
with. This is a huge decision that needs to be well thought
about. You also need to question yourself, as to what is the
purpose of you the boarder, and the barn you’re choosing
to board with? Ask the trainer and/or owner what is the
purpose of their barn? Do they look at all horses equal or
are they only focused on theirs and your horse is secondary
in the grand scheme of things. I had a trainer once tell me
that her horses were her main priority and that the boarders
horses were just there to keep the lights on. Needless
to say I didn’t stay there very long after that. Also keep in
mind that some show barn’s include everything in the full
board and others are a’ la carte. Customer service is key
to any effective show barn and there needs to always be
cohesiveness in communication between you the boarder
and the person you’re writing the checks to every month.
This is an expensive sport that has a wide variety of people
in it, all having their own opinions about how they care for
the horses. Remember you are interviewing each other to
ensure it’s an equal fit.
By sharing some of my subjective experiences from running
a successful show barn, and being a long time boarder; I
am hopeful that this article assists you in making an informed
EE
decision that allows you and your horse to continue
on your blissful journey.
Photo 1
72 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
EE
Real Life Rider:
COMPARIN2G Different
17” Saddles
Here is an interesting comparison of Amber, who is
5’ 8” and wears a size 26” breech in 2 different 17”
saddles. Amber is a busy trainer, who frequently
hops on her client’s horses in their saddles to demonstrate
an exercise. She was kind enough to let us take
a few candids for our series.
In the first photo we see Amber in a Devoucoux
Socoa 17” with a 2 flap. While the seat looks great
the flap is small overall. It looks a hair short and she
needs bit more knee roll in front of her knee.
In the second photo, we see her in a CWD SE03 17”
2C flap. The C is CWD’s forward flap, which many
people assume they need if they are tall. In Amber’s
case, despite being tall, the flap is the wrong shape
for her leg and also may be a bit short. We can also
see that the seat is too big for her, despite measuring
a 17”.
While both saddles are a 17” seat, the surface area
of a Socoa is less, so the seat looks right, however
the best flap for her would probably be a 3A - slightly
longer with a touch more forwardness. In the case
of the CWD, she could either select a different seat
model, or go down to a 16.5”, and go up a size in
the flap to a 3 and select the standard L shape,
which would fit her leg better.
Photo 2
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