Lincoln Equestrian Stables

That freshly harrowed pasture is chef's kiss 😗🤌

🐴 The $300 Horse Boarding Problem

If you own a horse, this post might make you uncomfortable — but it needs to be said.

As someone who has spent years feeding horses before sunrise and cleaning stalls long after dark, I’ve watched this pattern happen over and over again.

You see the ads everywhere.

“Full care board – $300/month.”
Hay 24/7. Grain included. All the amenities.

And you wonder…

How are they doing it so cheap?

Because the truth is — horses aren’t cheap to care for.

Even if someone grows their own hay there are still costs:
fuel, equipment, repairs, labor, land, and time.

So when board is that cheap, something usually gets cut.

Maybe it’s feed.
Maybe it’s stall cleaning.
Maybe turnout quietly disappears.
Maybe water buckets only get filled once a day.

It doesn’t happen overnight.

It happens slowly… until one day someone sees your horse and says:

“Wow… he looks thin.”

You go home, look at old photos, and realize they’re right.

So you move your horse to a higher-end barn.

Now board is $700… $800… sometimes $1,000+ a month.

Your horse looks great again — but now you’re working so many hours just to afford it that you barely get to see them.

And that’s when people start leaving the horse world completely.

But there’s a third option that often gets overlooked.

Small private barns.

Not the mega barns.

Not the ultra-cheap barns.

The quiet, middle-of-the-road places where the owner does the work themselves because they can’t afford employees.

The places where your horse isn’t just a stall number.

Where feed is adjusted individually.
Where someone notices if your horse doesn’t finish dinner.
Where care is personal because the barn is small enough to truly manage.

These barns often sit half empty because they’re not flashy and they’re not the cheapest.

But many of them offer the best balance of care, affordability, and peace of mind in the horse world.

Sometimes the best place for your horse isn’t the cheapest or the fanciest.

Sometimes it’s the place where you can walk out to the pasture after a long day, breathe, and simply watch your horse be a horse.

❤️

And if you’re lucky enough to find one of those small barns that truly cares, hold onto it.

Those places are usually run by people who love horses more than profit, who do the work themselves every day, and who treat every horse like part of their own herd.

Small barns are the heart of the horse world.

⸻

Now I’m curious…

Horse owners — what matters most to you in a boarding barn?

• Price
• Quality of care
• Amenities
• Quiet environment

And barn owners — what do you think is the biggest challenge in horse boarding today?

👇 Let’s talk about it.

*Please note we are currently full*

We are a small facility with a focus on quality individualized care. Run by an Equine Performance Therapist we have a focus on soundness of mind and body in our horses. Located on 46 acres, we have a 100x180 sand arena with attached round pen, heated shared tack room, and a 4 stall barn currently under construction. Horses are hand fed 3 times daily or in free choice slow feeders with TESTED high quality hay.

-The mini pen is available for mini horses and donkeys in a dry lot with secure no-climb fencing, they are on low sugar hay hand fed 3x daily and medication/additional feed is included if needed. This is a great option for metabolic/laminitic prone ponies or those requiring more care, available at $170 plus GST a month.

-The main herd is seasonally provided a water and herb buffet and rotationally grazed over 10 acres. Slow feeders in the winter.

-We also run a dry lot track system specialized in rehabilitating metabolic and laminitic horses. They are fed tested low sugar hay 3 times a day in an enriched space with room to move. This is also a great space for obese or "pre" metabolic horses that just need to lose weight. Limited grazing and daily treatments are available.

-Lastly our hard keeper/broodmare/young horse group on free choice with grazing during the summer.

All horses have options for additional feed/medication/grain regardless of which group they're in. Rehabilitation horses and mare and foals are welcome as well. We have an amazing team of veterinarians within 10 minutes and a skilled farrier on rotation. Located 15 minutes West of Stony Plain on fully paved roads.

Scott built us this awesome pole holder so I can finally keep my poles from being burried in the sand! It's definitely helpful having handy people around.

Golden season is upon us ✨️

Here is why we require a negative coggins test for all new horses!

Most equine owners know that a negative Coggins test is a document required to be able to transport their animal across state lines, enter them in a competitive event, or board at someone's barn. But what does the phrase "negative Coggins test" actually mean?

A "Coggins" is a blood test that can only be performed by USDA-approved laboratories and checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) antibodies in the blood. EIA is a potentially fatal blood-borne infectious viral disease that is primarily transmitted by biting flies, particularly horseflies—which means that your animals are at risk even if they never travel or live in a closed herd.

The clinical signs of disease can vary dramatically from an acute infection to an inapparent form, but what is important to know is that it produces a persistent infection. Once an animal tests positive for EIA it becomes a lifelong source of disease transmission, so the owner can only choose between quarantine for life or humane euthanasia to ensure that large outbreaks of the disease don’t occur. There is no vaccine and no treatment for EIA.

Take-home message: While a Coggins test is a necessary travel document, don’t forget that it's also first and foremost a way to identify and remove EIA carriers to keep the disease under control.

To learn more about EIA, visit our website at: https://aaep.org/resource/equine-infectious-anemia/
or visit the Equine Disease Communication Center's website: https://www.equinediseasecc.org/

May on the farm 💕

Such a tragic loss for the horse community in Alberta, Dr. Conrad will definitely be missed.

It is with heavy hearts we share the news of Conrad’s passing on January 20, 2025.

Conrad was the heart of Momentum, and this practice would not be what it is today without his vision, hard work and leadership.

Above all else, he was an exceptional dad and husband, and our support continues to be with the Wilgenbusch family during this difficult time.

Thank you for your support and patience as we navigate this season.

Service details to follow.