But my horse is boarded out?

By Alexa Linton, BSc, DOMP, EST

I know this is going to be a barrier and a question for many of you who are thinking about a more species-specific way of horse-keeping, so it felt appropriate to give this topic some space to work through it. 

I will say right off the bat, that I’m with you! My three mares are in a boarding situation (self-board, no other horses), so in the back of my mind I am always considering the impermanence of being in a boarding situation. My hope is that within the next two years we will buy a little acreage of our own (may my upcoming online course be super popular!), but until then, my situation has given me much food for thought that hopefully can be of value to those that also have their horses in boarding situations. I know there is many of us in the same boat!

Some things to consider if you are boarding your horse and would like to make some shifts: 

1) What type of board are you in? Full, semi, coop, self board? 

2) Is there wiggle room in your horses space? Meaning, do you have permission to add things, take things out, make it more workable for your horse? Could you potentially add obstacles, sand, another feed station to promote movement and increase enrichment to your horses area? Could you move the water to add a little more movement?

3) Is there wiggle room around their care or the set-up of the facility as a whole? Meaning, is there opportunities to move towards “track life”, such as more group turn out, more enrichment, more varied forage opportunities, changes in footing? 

4) Are you willing/able to start a conversation with the owner/manager of your facility about some potential beneficial changes for your horse/all the horses? 

5) If there is wiggle room and openness to change, how much are you willing to invest in shifting your horse’s living situation, knowing that your situation is impermanent? 

I’ve never owned my own property (although like many of us, I dream of it several times daily!), so I’ve gotten quite proficient at creating horse spaces that can easily be moved and set up in other spots. I also give myself a time, energy and financial budget of how much I willing to invest in someone else’s property. My deciding factor is the health and happiness of my small herd. 

For example, at our previous boarding situation (coop-board with lots of wiggle room about how I set up a one acre rectangular paddock/field) I had impermanent step in posts, T-posts, and electric tape, and rubber mats I could take with me. I also invested in an impermanent Shelter-logic shelter and 54 Mud Control grids with a 20 year warranty. Every October for three years I would invest in one truck load of footing (about $450) and a day of tractor work to prep for winter. This paid off in happy hooves and high and dry horses.

In the situation before that, where I lived on property for 9 years and essentially had free rein, I invested in gutters to improve water control, as well as drainage piping, drainage rock and footing. I was able to split some of this cost with the landowner as it made a great difference in other parts of the property as well. Overall it was a great investment in my horses health for the time spent on property.  

 

What if there is little to no wiggle room? 

 

​The sad reality is, if you want your horse to be living a life mimicking that of a wild horse, you’re going to have to make some shifts. If the boarding facility you’re at isn’t open to a change, it may be time to consider changing boarding situations. I know this isn’t always a possibility, depending on where you live and the situations available. When it comes to creating a track system, moving towards a more independent scenario can be very helpful, although it will definitely mean more work on your end, especially if you’re currently in full board. 

 

What if there is wiggle room? 

 

Great! Remember, you’re often going to have to budget a little extra for these shifts, although fingers crossed you’ve got an amazing barn owner/manager who is as excited as you are to move towards more species-specific horse keeping!

Here are some of the shifts I suggest as a starting point: 

  1. Add an extra feeding/forage station. Place it as far away from your water and shelter as you can (and yes, it may have to come in on rainy days, but soaked hay can be good too). If possible, add a different type of hay or forage (straw, Teff or a low sugar hay) in slow feed nets ensures your horse has access to forage at all times, without having to worry about weight gain.
  2. Add differing footing. A sandpile is always a fave. Leave it as a little pile and watch your horse climb, sleep, lounge, and yes, sadly, use it as a washroom (but who can blame them?). It’s not a huge investment for a lot of happiness. You can also dig up some good dirt and add it in to a small area (good micro-organisms). 
  3. Add obstacles. Got some extra branches hanging about? How about some old fence posts or tire or two (no rims)? Use them as enrichment in your horses space! Add a hay ball, some fun games, or some DIY enrichment activities.
  4. Increase herd turn out time or work with your barn mates to find good matches for full time group turn out. You’d be amazed how much happier horses are…together. Head to the integration section to learn more about how to facilitate successful and lower stress herd introductions 
  5. Add a mini water buffet. Use two extra small buckets with select herbs/supplements to build choice into your horses hydration. Head to the enrichment section for more details on how to make this happen.

Wishing you the very best of luck! Leave a comment if you’ve got more ideas on how to make a boarding situation the best possible for the horses living in it.

Remember to keep having conversations, even if they feel hard or uncomfortable, and keep advocating for your horses needs! It’s worth it. And you’d like more ideas and support check out my new online self-study course Build Your Track System (on the West Coast)

A few pictures below of one of my boarding situations…