As I was saying in my last post, Jaina is going to be paid off by the middle of this month, which means that I’m allowed to move her to a new stable. I’m kind of mixed on this, but I’m leaning towards moving her to this particular reining barn.
About my current stable:
Right now I’m at a mostly self-care barn, and Jaina has a “large” 24 x 48 pen. The barn typically requires boarders to feed and clean on their own – it’s basically just a facility rental and that is it. The barn manager does feed and clean for me, but I have to buy my own hay. It’s not that hard, I just call the hay guy, leave a check in my shed, and he just delivers it when I’m not there. The ranch has a very “self care” type feel to it though. Lots of people just stop by and clean and feed and leave. People are there are odd hours throughout the day, and there isn’t a popular time where everyone is out riding and socializing. Jaina has made friends with her corral neighbors, and I have made friends with a couple of the owners there and the barn manager…but for the most part it’s a rather lonely experience when I go out there. There are beautiful trails attached, but no one goes out on them. The only people who ride, ride either in the arena or around the ranch. I’m not one of the “cool kids”, so I feel like I’m kinda solitary.
Positively though, Jaina’s pen is huge and it’s not that expensive. Moving her will definitely mean she gets cut back to a standard 24 x 24 pen again. I know she’ll be fine, but I can’t help but be kind of sad about that. I don’t want her to be bored in a little corral. I also have my own tack shed that I cleaned out and painted to make it really nice. I have a rug in there, and a table, and lots of places to hang my things. The new ranch doesn’t have this kind of thing… =(
The new place:
The new place is a full-service boarding facility. Before getting Jaina, I leased a couple of mares from there and liked what I saw for the most part. The pens are smaller and the tack storage is less convenient. However, it’s a reputable barn known for training of reining horses. They have a lot of boarders and it’s very active with a lot of people out there to talk to and ride with. It is surrounded by the Tijuana Valley trails that go to the beach, so I could ride Jaina to the ocean. I have a friend who boards on these trails as well, so I could meet up with her and go riding. This facility has regular events such as Cowgirl Camping, trail shows, BBQ’s, and other events that make it sound fun. I would be able to take lessons with one of 3 different western trainers, and there are supposedly plenty of people to go out trail riding with. They have a long sliding track, two round pens, some small turnouts, two big huge arenas, nice wash racks, hot walkers, and the managers live on site to care for the horses.
I’m aiming to move on March 1st. I think I’m going to pay for a month at my old place in case I want to come back. They said they’d trailer her for me and we could do a 30- day trial to see how it goes. I’m really eager to start taking lessons with Jainahorse and start working on something. Plus, the trails there are AWESOME and I’m really excited to be at a place where they have events and a more social atmosphere. It’s only a 15-20 min drive from my home, so it’s nice and convenient. Here is the ranch website.
I just need to get her paid off and figure out if this is exactly what I want.
About my current stable:
Right now I’m at a mostly self-care barn, and Jaina has a “large” 24 x 48 pen. The barn typically requires boarders to feed and clean on their own – it’s basically just a facility rental and that is it. The barn manager does feed and clean for me, but I have to buy my own hay. It’s not that hard, I just call the hay guy, leave a check in my shed, and he just delivers it when I’m not there. The ranch has a very “self care” type feel to it though. Lots of people just stop by and clean and feed and leave. People are there are odd hours throughout the day, and there isn’t a popular time where everyone is out riding and socializing. Jaina has made friends with her corral neighbors, and I have made friends with a couple of the owners there and the barn manager…but for the most part it’s a rather lonely experience when I go out there. There are beautiful trails attached, but no one goes out on them. The only people who ride, ride either in the arena or around the ranch. I’m not one of the “cool kids”, so I feel like I’m kinda solitary.
Positively though, Jaina’s pen is huge and it’s not that expensive. Moving her will definitely mean she gets cut back to a standard 24 x 24 pen again. I know she’ll be fine, but I can’t help but be kind of sad about that. I don’t want her to be bored in a little corral. I also have my own tack shed that I cleaned out and painted to make it really nice. I have a rug in there, and a table, and lots of places to hang my things. The new ranch doesn’t have this kind of thing… =(
My current tack storage
The new place is a full-service boarding facility. Before getting Jaina, I leased a couple of mares from there and liked what I saw for the most part. The pens are smaller and the tack storage is less convenient. However, it’s a reputable barn known for training of reining horses. They have a lot of boarders and it’s very active with a lot of people out there to talk to and ride with. It is surrounded by the Tijuana Valley trails that go to the beach, so I could ride Jaina to the ocean. I have a friend who boards on these trails as well, so I could meet up with her and go riding. This facility has regular events such as Cowgirl Camping, trail shows, BBQ’s, and other events that make it sound fun. I would be able to take lessons with one of 3 different western trainers, and there are supposedly plenty of people to go out trail riding with. They have a long sliding track, two round pens, some small turnouts, two big huge arenas, nice wash racks, hot walkers, and the managers live on site to care for the horses.
I’m aiming to move on March 1st. I think I’m going to pay for a month at my old place in case I want to come back. They said they’d trailer her for me and we could do a 30- day trial to see how it goes. I’m really eager to start taking lessons with Jainahorse and start working on something. Plus, the trails there are AWESOME and I’m really excited to be at a place where they have events and a more social atmosphere. It’s only a 15-20 min drive from my home, so it’s nice and convenient. Here is the ranch website.
I just need to get her paid off and figure out if this is exactly what I want.
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1 comments:
Does it have a lighted arena or round pen? I couldn't tell from the website. If it does, then go for it. You'll ride a ton more because you will have time in the evenings. That's one thing I really miss about my other barn.
Bigger barn tends to mean more drama. Weird, but true.
As one of the not cool kids, I know exactly what you're talking about. And yet, you can, eventually find horse geeks to hang out with.
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