K-J Equestrian

Borrowed this but it's 100% true

Just a friendly reminder as people start to look for new barns 🤗

✨ Full board is not full service ✨

“Full board” doesn’t mean your horse isn’t cared about. It also doesn’t mean your horse is the only one being cared for.

Most boarding barns are built on long days, consistency, and people who genuinely love horses. Every day starts early with feeding, hay, water, turnout, stalls, cleaning, and then repeats all over again at night. In between are vet visits, farriers, fence repairs, weather issues, maintenance, emergencies, and the hundreds of little things that keep a barn running safely.

And through all of that, we are watching your horse.

We notice when they don’t finish grain, when they seem quiet, when a shoe looks off, when they come in with a scrape, when they’re stocking up, or when they just don’t seem quite themselves. We care deeply about their wellbeing. But in a boarding barn, there are many horses depending on us every single day — not just one.

Sometimes boarders forget that while their horse feels like the center of their world (as it should), barn staff are balancing the needs of every horse on the property. That means time and attention have to be divided fairly and responsibly.

We try our best every single day to give excellent care while juggling schedules, weather, emergencies, and the unpredictability that comes with working with live animals. Horses don’t clock out on holidays, weekends, or snowstorms, and neither do barn owners.

What helps the most is partnership.

Owners who stay involved, communicate kindly, check over their own horses regularly, lend a hand when they can, and understand that we are human too — those relationships make barns stronger. A good boarding barn works best when it feels like a team effort, not a customer service transaction.

At the end of the day, most barn owners and staff do this because they truly care. We celebrate your horse’s wins, worry over their injuries, and lose sleep over their wellbeing too. We are trying. We care. And we appreciate the owners who see that.

When you get done with your day and you have to send out this message. Lol..... thanks guys, yall just making me not miss some of my stuff with Tanner. So sweet. ( oh the smells) 😄😁🤣😂

Love a mare

There wasn’t one specific comment that did me in, an anonymous contributor writes. There were years of comments. I had been at a medium-sized show barn for about 5 years. The facilities were beautiful. The horses always looked well turned out, shiny, muscular, and lovely. The barn offered full service to their clients, so if I was running late from work, not a problem. My horse would be ready and waiting for my lesson.

I grew up riding and showing. Riding has always been second nature to me, and was my calm. It took my mind off of everyday stresses and brought me joy. I was so excited to start showing on the A circuit again as a young advertising professional. I had spent much of my young life horse showing before I left for college and started my career. I was ready to do that again after getting my sea legs back in the local circuit.

Growing up, we rode whatever we could. I sat on lots of animals and was always confident in my ability. I would get the normal show nerves, but I was still the type that couldn’t wait until it was my turn to go in the ring. I loved when I would get to jump the bigger jumps in a lesson. I worked hard at riding and spent most of my time at the barn. The horse that keeps stopping? Sign me up—I wanted to be the one to change that. Short strided? Oh, got it, I’ll believe in the forward ride with all my heart. I was scrappy and gutsy.

Then I started taking lessons at the new barn. They found me a nice horse to get back into the 2’6 hunters, with plans to work up to the Adult Amateurs, and maybe even beyond. He was kind to me over fences. If I asked for one too long, he would just chip out. If I saw nothing, he would keep the pace until something showed up. We were having success and I was back in a normal spot for myself, holding my own, happy to get even a brown ribbon in a competitive field. I was feeling like myself back in my younger days.

But something started to change. When I moved on to my next lease, I was told over and over how amazing this mare was, what she had won in her day, and how she makes ‘Even so-and-so look like they can ride’. That was the first red flag. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until it was far too late.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2021/05/16/how-the-wrong-trainer-can-kill-your-confidence-a-cautionary-tale/