I've been considering moving Ava, again. I enjoy the fact that my current barn is so close and the other boarders are friendly, supportive people, but there are drawbacks to where I'm boarding at. My problem is that there aren't that many barns close to me that will allow my trainer to come in to give lessons. Which, as a business person, I find.... odd. I get that trainers don't want competition on their home turf, but that means some barns are completely inaccessible to me since I'm not willing to trailer my horse every week 45 minutes away.
The point is... I need to find a new barn. There is one about 20 minutes north of my house, but the indoor is TINY. A cute little postage stamp of an arena. Very nicely cared for, but it'd be five steps, turn, two steps turn, five steps turn.... We're getting to the point in our training where we need a bit more space to be able to help Ava. I've learned some really good exercises that would be fantastic to use on Ava... like the one Roz was having us do in the clinic where you do a ten meter circle, shoulder-in, half-pass to the quarter line, then shoulder-in down the quarter line. I have to have a bit of space in the arena so *I* don't freak and start snatching reins and getting tense. Okay, fine. So really the issue is me. :p haha
There's a new barn going up in my little village, but they don't currently have anything. Supposedly they'll have an indoor built by August, and then hopefully by winter they'll have stalls. (Doesn't that seem a bit backwards to you?) I'm leery about it since no one I've talked to knows the owners, and there's no history on them to help me know whether my horse would be well taken care of, or not. That and it's advertised on Craig's List. I've never had good luck with anything on Craigs List.
I'm debating taking Ava back to my trainers barn. The downside is that it's a good 40 minute drive from my house. My work is even farther south (by 20 minutes). I'll have to work out the mileage and drive time soon to figure out how feasible this will be. There are numerous times that I have to work late, and I only have so much will-power to force myself to go ride after a long, exhausting day. I'm not sure I could convince myself to go ride if I know it's an hour drive just to get to the barn.
But on the plus side, my trainer is there! And that's a HUGE bonus. That opens up a lot of possibilities for me that I won't have by boarding anywhere else. And I know the owners. They take excellent care of the horses. The indoor is huge with good footing, and the outdoor is wonderful to ride in (also very huge).
One of the big reasons I moved from my trainers barn was because I was scared to ride Ava without someone standing near the ring (so when I fell off they could call 911). So every time I wanted to ride, I either had to take my husband (who is the epitome of grump master), or coordinate with another boarder to ensure someone else would be in the ring with me. Which was downright obnoxious, so if you combined that with a 40 minute drive, it just sucked. But I'm not scared of Ava anymore, and I'm perfectly fine riding by myself now (without needing someone standing there holding my hand).
Plus, I'd get to ride with the Mary's again! I love those women! :)
The point is... I need to find a new barn. There is one about 20 minutes north of my house, but the indoor is TINY. A cute little postage stamp of an arena. Very nicely cared for, but it'd be five steps, turn, two steps turn, five steps turn.... We're getting to the point in our training where we need a bit more space to be able to help Ava. I've learned some really good exercises that would be fantastic to use on Ava... like the one Roz was having us do in the clinic where you do a ten meter circle, shoulder-in, half-pass to the quarter line, then shoulder-in down the quarter line. I have to have a bit of space in the arena so *I* don't freak and start snatching reins and getting tense. Okay, fine. So really the issue is me. :p haha
There's a new barn going up in my little village, but they don't currently have anything. Supposedly they'll have an indoor built by August, and then hopefully by winter they'll have stalls. (Doesn't that seem a bit backwards to you?) I'm leery about it since no one I've talked to knows the owners, and there's no history on them to help me know whether my horse would be well taken care of, or not. That and it's advertised on Craig's List. I've never had good luck with anything on Craigs List.
I'm debating taking Ava back to my trainers barn. The downside is that it's a good 40 minute drive from my house. My work is even farther south (by 20 minutes). I'll have to work out the mileage and drive time soon to figure out how feasible this will be. There are numerous times that I have to work late, and I only have so much will-power to force myself to go ride after a long, exhausting day. I'm not sure I could convince myself to go ride if I know it's an hour drive just to get to the barn.
But on the plus side, my trainer is there! And that's a HUGE bonus. That opens up a lot of possibilities for me that I won't have by boarding anywhere else. And I know the owners. They take excellent care of the horses. The indoor is huge with good footing, and the outdoor is wonderful to ride in (also very huge).
One of the big reasons I moved from my trainers barn was because I was scared to ride Ava without someone standing near the ring (so when I fell off they could call 911). So every time I wanted to ride, I either had to take my husband (who is the epitome of grump master), or coordinate with another boarder to ensure someone else would be in the ring with me. Which was downright obnoxious, so if you combined that with a 40 minute drive, it just sucked. But I'm not scared of Ava anymore, and I'm perfectly fine riding by myself now (without needing someone standing there holding my hand).
Plus, I'd get to ride with the Mary's again! I love those women! :)
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