What is pasture boarding

Stall boarding specifies that your horse will be housed in a stall. It is up to you to make sure you understand how much time your horse can expect to be inside. Some facilities are not in a location that allows for extended turnout—especially some urban boarding barns.

Paddock boarding is similar to stall boarding, except instead of a stall your horse is kept in a paddock with a shelter. Some facilities will house them here all day, while others still offer turnout in a larger, grassy pasture.

Pasture boarding is probably what your horse would choose! The horse is kept in a pasture all day with access to a run-in shed for protection in inclement weather or the hottest, sunniest part of the day. These facilities may or may not have arenas, trails, and other features, so do your homework.

Self care boarding is exactly what it sounds like. The facility offers the physical space, but all of the care tasks need to be done by you. You have to come and feed, supply the feed and hay, scrub and fill the water buckets, arrange for the vet and farrier to come, clean the stalls , bring in shavings, and turn your horse out. This option is more labor intensive, but is usually cheaper. Partial care is a hybrid of full and self-care boarding. This can be a good option to save a little money, but requires more work on your part.

Often, with partial care, you are expected to supply the hay, feed, and bedding, but the barn provides the housing space and has staff to feed on a schedule. Some require you to clean the stalls and may or may not supply bedding.

You should find out what they expect you to provide and what they need you to do before signing on. This is a bit newer in the grand scheme of horse boarding, but as our equine partners live longer more people need to consider what to do with them in their golden years.

There are facilities that specialize in senior horses, or horses that cannot be ridden or worked. Due to the special needs of older horses, it can be a great choice to board them somewhere that understands how to care for their needs. Some even include the handling of the horse when it passes away or needs to be euthanized. Some can send the horse for cremation while others offer burial in a special part of the property.

Board cost varies a lot based on the labor the facility provides and the amenities offered. Check out our article about average horse cost state by state. Location is one of the biggest variables when it comes to cost. If the boarding barn is in an expensive area you can expect to pay more. The amenities they provide, and the overall quality can all change what you can expect to pay. It makes sense, when you think about it. Full board at a fancy barn in New York City is going to be a lot more expensive than full board at a small, casual barn in remote Montana.

Part of that is the actual cost for the facility to exist and another part of the cost of feed, bedding, labor, to name a few. It helps to prevent obesity, and the act of moving increases the circulation in your horse's hooves.

Additionally, moving regularly can help to keep your horse's digestive system functioning properly. Image source: hiseffigy via Flickr. When horses are kept in stalls and are separated from other horses, boredom and separation anxiety can occur. Stalls aren't natural for horses, and some horses tend to stress quite a bit when they're kept in stalls for significant amounts of time. By removing the stall atmosphere from your horse's life, you may reduce his stress and boredom.

Image source: ljv via Flickr. If you want to bring your horse home and set up a system where you can care for him yourself, creating a pasture board situation is easier to initially set up than it is to build a barn with stalls.

Group pasture boarding is cheaper than private pasture boarding because more horses can be kept in the same area. Pasture boarding is not the best choice for every horse, but it is a great option for some. The positives of pasture boarding simply cannot be denied. While there are many positives associated with pasture boarding, there are some negatives that you should know. Boarding your horse in a pasture is the lowest cost boarding that can be found. It requires less upkeep for the facility, and they can board more horses in a pasture as opposed to stalls.

The cost of pasture boarding varies greatly by location, food needs, and level of care. High scale facilities may charge more, but they may offer more amenities. There are several important things you should consider before pasture boarding your horse. You will need to find a horse boarding facility that checks of the right boxes on your list. If you have a senior horse, you should make sure that the facility you choose specializes in senior horse or at least separates them from the younger herd.

Older horses cannot defend themselves or escape injury as easy as younger horses can. Horses in a pasture setting will naturally set up their own hierarchy with certain horses establishing their dominance over the rest of the herd. While this is great for the dominant horses, it may not be as wonderful for the more submissive horses. Sometimes dominant horses will bully other horses in the pasture, stealing food or biting them in extreme cases.

Some horse boarding facilities will limit the number of horses per pasture while others may not. We asked three experienced horse keepers to share their views on the pros and cons of keeping horses in stalls or out in the field. Spoiler alert—although their programs vary, they all want their horses outside as much as possible, even in weather that would keep you indoors. Here, they explain why and offer some tips on finding the right balance of barn time and field time for your horse.

Owners or barn managers are more likely to notice health issues with horses when they lead them in and out of the pasture and can inspect them closely. The schedule is really for the convenience of owners, trainers and riders. Malinowski says. In the past, when Camie showed her horses, they were in the pasture 12 hours a day and in box stalls the other The daily schedule provides a built-in opportunity to inspect each horse.

Because the farm true to its name is on a hill, she says the horses build fitness as they move around their paddocks. All-day turnout also helps older horses stay limber, countering the effects of chronic arthritis, and it promotes hoof health. Research supports the positive effects of extensive turnout.

Various studies link pasture time to benefits ranging from stronger bones, better respiratory health and reduced colic risk to lower stress levels and improved trainability.

Are there downsides? These are the main worries:. Risk of injury: Horses can get hurt frolicking in the pasture, but the experts we talked to say horses that are out consistently generally learn to take care of themselves. Making sure that turnout areas are safely and securely fenced and free of debris, holes and other hazards will go a long way to minimizing injury risks.

Barefoot horses are less likely to slip on snow-covered or frozen ground, Beth says; otherwise, horses need winter shoes with studs or borium for grip in those conditions. At Biscuit Hill, horses go out in rain, snow and every kind of weather except lightning and extreme conditions like a blizzard. Individual horses may need special consideration, of course.

Lost shoes: A horse is much more likely to throw a shoe in the field than in his stall. But staying on top of his shoeing schedule can help keep shoes on. So can bell boots. The problem is solved, of course, if the horse can go barefoot.