>>>> ... and I both keep horses at home and board. I think it is probably easier to have them at home because I can monitor them by looking out a window. I'm probably an atypical boarder because I feed my own horse (at a full care facility) twice a day and bring him into his pen from pasture every night. In addition to going there to ride several days a week, I end up at the boarding facility as many as four time a day. Fortunately, it's so close I could walk if I weren't so lazy.
I think it's "easier" for me to keep mine home too, Nancy, but that's because I'm a worrywart and I want to be sure things are done right. I just want my horses where I can SEE them. I would count you as only a boarder-of-convenience, for lack of a better term. My cousin has always kept his horses at home, but a new facility opened up just down the road, and he decided to board his new horse there, while keeping the other three at home. He was debating building a new barn, plus the boarding facility has a covered arena - when you count how much it would have cost to build the barn and how convenient it is to have access to a covered ring, it just makes sense for him. But, he's still had his horses at home for 25+ years, so he knows the ins and outs of horse ownership, as I'm sure you do too. Of course, if the management of this boarding facility changes, I'm sure that horse will move right back home and the new barn will be up in a flash! People who ONLY board don't usually grasp the issues of pasture management, worming rotation plans, finding hay sources - many don't even have to deal with routine vaccinations - just pay the bill the barn presents you with. And that's not getting into fence maintenance, reseeding pastures (Cary's project du jour), harrowing manure, disposing of manure, buying tractors and bush-hogs....my, my, my, what WOULD we do for entertainment if we didn't have horses!?! Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.2/985 - Release Date: 9/2/2007 4:32 PM
