Right now I have three to consider.
The first one is RS, the place we moved from. The pros are: it has everything we need; great care, indoor and outdoor arena, round pen, and trails etc, and it has job opportunities as well. The cons are: it can get really windy out there, a lot of the people are kind of judgy and snotty, and it always seems to be busy.
The second one is a high end cutting barn barn. From the pictures that I have seen it looks great! The pros are: indoor arena, great facility, well known trainer, etc. The cons are: it gets windy, it is more expensive than any of the barns we've stayed at, the horses would have a smaller pen than any of the other places, and no trails within riding distance. I will know more about it soon after we have taken a tour.
The third one is more of a private place. I took lessons out there when I first started riding. The pros are: it is really quiet, we would at most times have the place to ourselves, the horses would have a really large pen (right about the size at The Ranch or bigger), they have what we need (a lit outdoor arena, roundpen, and lots of trails), it is closer to home, and the weather seems pretty decent. The cons are: no indoor for winter, it is quite rocky, since there aren't many boarders around I don't feel as safe, and our opportunities for different things would be minimized to almost none.
Reading back on these it makes it seem like RS would be a fair choice, besides having to deal with those kind of people again. We'll just have to see.
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| Ava after a ride in our "almost" saddle |
I trimmed Ava's feet the other day, and it was hard work! I think she feels much better though, she was being kind of a butt beforehand.
My BO also had a saddle for me to try out that he was considering selling. It was an old bull-dogging saddle and when I placed it on Ava's back it seemed to have also meshed onto her back. I was so happy, I was going to try it a couple more times then buy. Although, sadly the next day after riding in it my BO tells me, as he's laughing, that he sold my saddle. First I thought he was joking but no... I was so pissed off at him and now leaving won't be as hard as before... Anyways, I did my best not to let it ruin my time down there, every minute needs to be savored.
Thats tough with choosing which barn. I can say though that when I switched from a barn with snobby people to a barn with supportive and nice people, it made the world of difference. My riding has improved a million times, and its a much better AND safer environment, since with nice and supportive people, its easier to ask for help, discuss things and make sure things are right. Its definitely a tough choice to go between the pros and cons of each barn though!!
ReplyDeleteThats really cruddy of the BO. I'd be so angry!
The barn I board at is a private residence and I'm usually the only one there because of my work schedule. It's really nice, I must say, because I always have the arena to myself but it gets a little lonely every now and then. I always have to be extra careful when I ride and I am never without my cell phone just in case.
ReplyDeleteChoosing a barn isn't easy, but I'm sure you'll choose the best one!