Would you board at a place like this?

[472]

When I was little, I took a few limited amount of lessons and trail rides at a particular barn. I loved it. And now that I'm older with my own horse, I'm debating on boarding there. Especially since I'm trying to get more into the discipline they specialize in (endurance)

However, I have some mixed feelings...

Cons:
-Some of the barn's riders have been accused of questionable care management of THEIR horses. It was big enough to spread across the equestrian world and onto several facebook groups that had nothing to do with the barn. While most boarders there seem fine, it gave the barn and the owner a bad name...
-The barn does not allow horses to have shoes. They only allow barefoot or hoof boots. I find this odd. Shouldn't I have a say over what I do with my own horse?

Pros:
-The trails are AMAZING.
-I would get to learn with some of the best (not to mention I might be able to hitch a ride to the places they go).
-Not too pricey

Thoughts?

[missy b]

The shoe issue gets to me. I've rarely had horses that could go barefoot. And especially I would expect endurance horses to have shoes?!

I would call and talk to the owner/manager. I just can't understand the barefoot thing. That's just nuts.

[Silver Wasp]

Sounds okay to me, especially if they specialise in the discipline you are interested in.

For the scandals, there are scandals everywhere you go, and people like to gossip and spread rumours- social networking sites like facebook allow them to do this very easily. People love to gossip about the juicy negative points of those around them- rarely will you hear someone saying how well another rider takes care of their horse.

As for the bare foot thing- I have no problem with that, as all my horses have been bare foot. I see no reason to change what nature intended- if horses were meant to have shoes nailed to their hooves, they would have been born wearing shoes. Wild horses run free over rough ground with no shoes, and are sure footed. I have read about many barefoot horses completing endurance rides with their hooves in similar to better shape than horses that have been shod.
However, some horses do need shoes as they have very weak hooves due to wearing shoes their whole riding life, so banning those from the stable does seem a little odd, although a horse with soft hooves really isn't a good choice for an endurance horse.

If you have a problem with the barefoot thing, I suggest you ask the barn owner about their reasons for banning shod horses. I would like to know that reason too, just out of curiosity...

[Silver Wasp]

Seems like quite a good place to board,some horses go better without shoes.

[justagirl]

I would consider it, IF you found a horse that could do endurance barefoot. I don't know much about endurance, but the few endurance horses and horses that do a lot of trail work all had at least front shoes.

[Miss Luke]

I would look elsewhere. Management that pokes its nose into issues that are none of its business, such as shoeing or not (which should be up to the horse's owner and farrier) yet turns a blind eye to potentially harmful or abusive practices clearly has its priorities mixed up. Also, the "scandal" suggests that this place is prone to "barn drama." Who needs that??