Mystic Meadows Equine Centre

We expect a lot of emotional maturity from an animal that thinks a Walmart bag might be a mountain lion.

But here’s the funnier part…

We expect horses to regulate their emotions while half the humans riding them can’t regulate theirs.

Horse gets nervous → rider gets nervous because the horse is nervous → horse gets more nervous because the rider is nervous → rider says “WHY WON’T YOU JUST RELAX?!”

Ma’am. Neither of you are relaxed.

Calm horses start by being understood first.

Not excused.
Not babied.
Not protected from every uncomfortable situation for the rest of their lives.

Understood.

Before I ask a horse to calm down, I want to know why they aren’t calm.

Are they afraid? Confused? Overstimulated? Uncomfortable? Or have they simply never been taught what to do with that pressure?

Understanding the reason doesn’t mean excusing the behavior. It tells you how to train through it.

Sometimes the biggest thing we can teach a horse is:

“I hear you. I’m still going to ask this of you, but I’ll help you figure out how to handle it.”

That’s training.

Good training isn’t removing every hard thing. It’s teaching a horse what to do when things get hard.

Pressure comes on.
They search for an answer.
They find it.
Pressure goes away.
Confidence grows.

Eventually, instead of immediately reacting, they learn how to regulate.

But here’s where we humans have to hold up our end of the deal too.

You cannot white knuckle the reins, clamp your legs on, stop breathing, mentally write your own obituary and then wonder why Trigger has also concluded that everyone is about to die.

Your horse is reading you too.

Calm isn’t something you install by demanding “RELAX!”

Understand them first.

Then teach them how to handle the world.

🙌🏼

We need to have a realistic conversation about what boarding a horse actually costs.

Because sometimes I see boarding ISO posts and genuinely cannot figure out how people think the numbers are supposed to work.

Let’s use some pretty conservative numbers.

And for context, these are Ontario numbers, based on purchasing tested hay. Costs obviously vary depending on where you live, what forage is available, bale size, quality, and how your facility is set up.

Hay alone can easily cost $200 per horse, per month.

Now let’s say your horse needs grain twice a day. You supply the grain, supplements, medications, whatever goes into the bucket.

For the sake of some very simple math, let’s conservatively say preparing and feeding it takes ONLY 10 minutes per feeding.

That’s 20 minutes a day.
10 hours of labour per month.

At $25/hour, that’s $250/month in labour just to provide two feedings a day.

Add the hay and we’re already at $450/month.

That’s hay and ONE relatively basic daily service.

We haven’t paid for ANYTHING ELSE.

We haven’t paid for manure removal, stall cleaning, fencing, shelters, water, hydro, insurance, taxes, equipment, fuel, maintenance, repairs, snow removal, arena harrowing, drainage, pasture maintenance or any of the other expenses involved in keeping horses on a property.

And I think this is where a lot of boarding operations accidentally make the numbers look better than they actually are:

They don’t account for their own time.

If you spend two hours fixing fencing, those two hours have value.
If you spend your morning filling hay, cleaning troughs and maintaining paddocks, that time has value.
If you spend your evening changing blankets, bringing horses in or checking an injured horse, that time has value.

Every hour you spend working at your boarding facility is an hour you could theoretically be working somewhere else and getting paid.

Your labour does not become free simply because you own the property.

And obviously, there are economies of scale. Feeding ten horses doesn’t necessarily mean ten separate 10-minute blocks of labour.

Some facilities also have enough appropriate pasture to significantly reduce hay consumption during the grazing season.

But neither makes the cost disappear.

Pasture itself requires land and maintenance, and here in Ontario, grass certainly isn’t replacing hay twelve months of the year. The mortgage doesn’t stop in June. Insurance doesn’t stop. Fences still break. Equipment still needs maintaining. Staff still need to be paid.

And then I see what people are sometimes looking for:

Multiple feedings every day. Blanket changes. Boots on and off. Feet picked. Fly spray. Supplements given. Horses brought in and turned out. Stalls available whenever needed. Trails. An outdoor arena. An indoor arena. Good footing. Lots of turnout. Shelter. Constant forage. Someone keeping an eye on their horse.

And somehow all of this is supposed to cost a few hundred dollars a month.

Every single thing on that list requires labour, infrastructure, money, or all three.

Wanting those things isn’t unreasonable.

Wanting excellent care for your horse isn’t unreasonable.

But at some point, what you’re asking for and what you’re willing to pay for it have to exist in the same reality.

And this is also why boarding by itself is often not particularly profitable.

I’ve talked a lot about the lack of access to species-appropriate boarding, because it IS a problem. There are owners desperately looking for better options and unable to find them.

But I think this HAS to be part of that conversation too.

We cannot ask boarding facilities to provide increasingly individualized, labour-intensive, species-appropriate care while expecting the people providing it to subsidize our horse ownership.

Horse ownership is a luxury.

The people feeding horses twice a day, breaking ice and shovelling in February, fixing fences, maintaining arenas, cleaning troughs, managing pastures, filling hay, changing blankets and monitoring horses deserve to be paid for their labour.

If we want better boarding options, those facilities have to be financially sustainable.

And sometimes that means accepting that good horse care costs more than we wish it did.

🥰 courtesy rules in a barn are the easiest to remember.

For most horse owners, the barn is their happy place. The place they go to take a deep breath, spend some time with their horse, and catch up with their barn friends.

While the barn can act as an escape from day-to-day obligations and chores, it’s important to remember that there is a whole staff behind keeping the barn a clean, functional place so that you and your horse are able to spend time together and enjoy each other’s company.

While barn staff doesn’t expect riders and boarders to chip in on the big things, like blowing the aisle or dragging the arena, small things can add up, and are much appreciated! Take a look at our list of “little thing” that make all the difference.

Sweep Up After Your Horse: Did you pick your horse’s feet out in the aisle? What about if you clipped your horse and now there is hair everywhere? A quick sweep will clear the aisle and make work for staff a little easier.

Close The Gates: When you take your horse in from the paddock, make sure you close and secure the gate behind you. When gates aren’t secure they are more likely to break, which can be a costly expense for a barn owner.

Leave Things Where You Found Them: This applies not only to any items that you use around the barn, but also to any open or closed doors. Remember, there is always a reason for the way things are at the barn so yes, you have to put those scissors back in the same spot!

Make Sure You Put Your Things Away: Whether it’s tack, brushes, or your boots, make sure that you put away all of your items before leaving the barn.

Fold Your Blankets Neatly: There’s not much worse than stuffed blankets in front of a stall. Neatly fold your blankets and sheets before hanging on your horse’s stall. Don’t know how to fold a blanket? Just ask!

Turn The Lights Off: When you’re the last one leaving the barn or arena, make sure you shut the lights off. It’s also important to really make sure you need the lights on. If there’s natural light, maybe think twice! Electricity bills add up fast.

And For Goodness Sake…Pick Up Your Horse’s Manure!: …I don’t think we need an explanation for this one.

Next time you’re at the barn, keep this list in mind. Chances are that just by doing one of these “little things”, you will make your barn staff’s day!

📎 Save and share this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2023/06/19/respecting-the-rules-its-the-little-things/

Our mares field has room for 1-2 more that can be on full time pasture with mix of alfalfa hay ☺️

Our TB geldings pasture is FULL following the arrival of the last one July 1st.

All pastures have 2 shelters.
Fresh water & mineral/salt provided.
Physical hands on checks everyday.
Blanketing options are offered.

Requirement to board is min 1 lesson or 1 training ride per week.

Private facility, mainly adult boarders with a few mature older youth sprinkled in! Everyone here is very much a team and we take great joy in that 🥰

We enjoy a variety of different outings- trail riding, obstacles, will be doing some dressage and open shows this year for non HJ riders!

Safe, supportive environment for developing young horses with guidance.

EC certified Comp Jump Coach.
EC certified IOB as well on site!
and.. an excellent youth/beginner adult instructor that has been brought up under Celine with the same values for safety & foundation 🙌🏼

🧐 Have you ever been told you’re doing it wrong?

Your half pass aids aren’t correct.
Your flying change isn’t how it’s taught.
That’s not what the book says.
That’s not how I was shown.

Trust me, I hear it all the time.

Now here’s a little news flash… horses don’t read the textbook. 🐴

Yes, there are fundamentals to good training. The training scales exist for a reason and the basics matter. But beyond that, we’re dealing with individuals, not machines.

I’ve ridden horses that needed me to be quieter. I’ve ridden others that needed me to be clearer. Some need more support, some need less. The aid that unlocks one horse can completely confuse another.

If there was only one correct way to ride every horse, we’d all be producing identical results. But we’re not. We’re working with different minds, different bodies, different strengths, and different challenges.

Sometimes I think we spend too much time worrying whether we’re following the rulebook perfectly and not enough time asking the horse in front of us what they actually need.

The best riders I’ve met aren’t the ones who can recite every aid from a manual. They’re the ones who can adapt, listen, and communicate with the horse they’re sitting on.

So I’m curious…

What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given that completely went against what you were originally taught? 👇

Our horseback riding camps are not full! Want a fun summer plan? Let us introduce your kiddo to riding with some great school horses and teachers!