How to Tell if the Boarding Stable is a Good Place for Your Horse

On your first visit, the scheduled visit, you may not get a chance to do all of these things but if don’t get a chance to do them on your first visit, definitely make time to do them on your second visit.

Check water buckets – The water buckets should be clean with no scum around the edges and they should be full of fresh water. If the buckets are totally dry or if the buckets are scummy and look like they have never been cleaned, that is a warning side that your horse might get bad care at that stable.

Check the barn aisles – Are the barn aisles swept clean or raked? Those little touches say a lot about the quality of the care at the barn and if the barn aisles are dirty or look unkempt, it is a sign that the stable staff aren’t on top of things.

Check the feed area – This is a safety issue as well as a cleanliness issue. Horses lack the ability to throw up, so if a horse gets loose and manages to get into the grain room or the hay storage, that horse will quite literally eat until it bursts. The grain area should be swept clean with no signs of rodents or pests and all the grain should be safely stored in covered airtight containers.

Most stables use a large bin with a lid or large plastic garbage cans with tight fitting lids to store grain. The hay storage area should be clean and the hay should be stacked in an orderly fashion.

Check the tack room and equipment area – The tack room door should have a secure lock to protect everyone’s belongings. Be sure to ask if the tack room is kept locked all the time and who has keys. Horse tack and equipment is expensive and can be worth a lot of money so the security of the tack room is important.

Check the stalls – The barn shouldn’t smell dirty and the stalls should all be clean. If it looks like the stalls haven’t been cleaned in more than a day and the bedding doesn’t look fresh then that is a barn that you don’t want to keep your horse in.

Look at the horses in the barn – Are they healthy? Do the horses have shiny coats and seem content? Are they friendly and relaxed? If the horses look dirty or seem nervous or on edge then you don’t want to keep your horse at that barn.