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Post by schwung on Oct 16, 2008 11:51:56 GMT -5
Foxridge is run down? That is so sad. It used to be a showcase facility that hosted CDI** level dressage shows.
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Post by ecaitlynn on Oct 16, 2008 12:02:18 GMT -5
I've heard that. It's rundown now. I think the new owners are trying to bring it back, but there's a lot that has to be done. Also, no grassy turnouts to speak of.
Beth Thompson
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Post by ecaitlynn on Oct 16, 2008 12:04:06 GMT -5
I gather Tower Lane has quite the waiting list -- I know of someone who has been on the waiting list for 2 years. I also think you may have to be training with one of the trainers to board there. I put a call in to them, but haven't heard back.
Beth Thompson
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Buena
SAFE Volunteer
No horse will ever teach you as much as your first horse.
Posts: 1,929
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Post by Buena on Oct 16, 2008 12:38:26 GMT -5
I've heard that. It's rundown now. I think the new owners are trying to bring it back, but there's a lot that has to be done. Also, no grassy turnouts to speak of. Beth Thompson The turnouts I saw last year when I was hauling in to ride in the covered and outdoor arenas all had plenty of grass. If you haven't visited the facility, you should probably go take a look. There is also a guy advertising on CL for boarding out in Enumclaw near Fell Hill. The prices sound very reasonable and it also looks to be close to trails. www.google.com/search?q=anthonyhaskins%40msn.com+horse+board&hl=en&filter=0Looks like his posts have been flagged recently, but I have seen his listings off and on for months. Good luck in finding a new and perfect facility with turnout this time of year. It will be very difficult as many places that have turnout will not have grassy turnout because they may be trying to save their grass from damage over the wet months. Here's another listing from CL: seattle.craigslist.org/skc/grd/878455715.html
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Post by ecaitlynn on Oct 16, 2008 13:00:12 GMT -5
I did go out and talk with them about boarding there. I didn't consider the turnouts to be large enough or grassy enough. Also, the stalls were very dark and dank.
Where Dixon is currently located he does have grass turnout even in the winter, although the owner is careful to maintain the pastures. That's why she does not allow horse owners to turn out horses without her permission.
I'm just about settled on a decision to have Dixon in pasture board during the spring and summer months and then move him to a stall for the colder months. As long as he can continue with his training in that kind of arrangement, that's what I will do. I'll consult with his trainer as to how that might work.
Beth
Beth Thompson
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Post by drsgjunky on Oct 16, 2008 13:30:33 GMT -5
Yep..
Foxridge sold a few years after the last CDI**. Jill Brown has since moved on. It's owned by a person who has no interest in horses and leases the facility. Several people have leased it over the years.
It's had little to no maintenance for years and all the lower outdoor arenas are overgrown with cattle turned out. Outside of the outdoor FEI arena, there were three/four other hogsfuel arenas. All that is pretty much gone.
The FEI ring, which won USDF awards, was in sad shape last I saw. The general grounds around the barn/home look good. The barn itself was never anything fantastic. Nothing an upgrade couldn't fix.
Nothing would thrill me more than to whip that place back to what it once was.
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shekaberry
SAFE Volunteer
SAFE Volunteer Coordinator
Posts: 1,521
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Post by shekaberry on Oct 16, 2008 14:19:24 GMT -5
That is so sad. I had been to shows at Fox Ridge in the late 90's and the place looked like a movie set. The grounds were so well maintained and the paddocks were all grass, the rings were all kept in remarkable condition. The facility could have been a park!
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Post by drsgjunky on Oct 16, 2008 14:59:05 GMT -5
That is so sad. I had been to shows at Fox Ridge in the late 90's and the place looked like a movie set. The grounds were so well maintained and the paddocks were all grass, the rings were all kept in remarkable condition. The facility could have been a park! As least the barn and area around the house still looks about the same. I do miss sitting at Foxies and watching the warmups and roaming the gounds. It was a comfortable relaxing place to go watch some fantastic horses. Quite a treat seeing those horses strut their stuff. But as usual, it's a money pit and I think it became to much with the horses, training and shows. I miss my trainer. Let's raid the place and fix it back up! I have the tractor/mowers. I drive by all the time. It's a nice reminder.
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Post by cat67 on Oct 16, 2008 16:13:26 GMT -5
This is why I refuse to board... I only ever found ONE barn that was up to my every standard. (White Birch Farm in Marysville, it is absolutely fabulous, but not close at all to Pierce County!) Yes. I have to say, the only boarding facility I've ever been thrilled out of my mind with is Paradigm Farms, where my old girl lives. But that's in Tennessee! Most of the time I try to board, I end up tearing my hair out about dry buckets, buckets with nastiness growing in them, crappy hay and not enough of it given (I want mine to have a HUGE PILE in front of them, not two scrawny flakes), stalls not cleaned every day, not enough bedding, not enough turnout, and just no common sense (if the temp drops 30 degrees and it starts sleeting, for god's sake bring my horse in or at LEAST march your butt out there and put a blanket on her, why is this tough?) etc. Having been on both sides of the boarding equation, the overall problem is that maintaining a boarding facility is too cost-prohibitive unless you have training, lessons, events, etc. With the price of real estate, you will NEVER make ends meet on board alone. So you must have a trainer. Well, we're all familiar with the fact that all horse people (except us and our friends) are crazy, right? Finding the perfect match of barn owner and trainer is HARD...probably as bad as finding a husband you can get along with, LOL! Lots of barns have high turnover as a result and that doesn't look good either, or make boarders happy. And the trainer sets the tone of the barn. Let's face it, if I found a lovely facility but they had some rope-twirling NH trainer, I couldn't deal with it. They'd think my methods were crazy, I'd think theirs were, and we'd clash. So you have to find that barn that fits your discipline/personality, too. A casual trail rider won't be happy at a show barn where people sneer at her fuzzy horse, and a show rider whose head explodes every time she sees a tom thumb snaffle won't be happy at the trail barn. Right now, I have a self-care situation for my horses. It costs $80 a horse for the space. Hay and grain are running me around $150 a horse. Wood pellet bedding is running me around $50 a horse. OK. That's $280 right there and I guarantee you, the $80 a horse for a stall would not actually pay anybody's mortgage. If I were going to try offering full care, where is my profit margin? I haven't been paid for my labor yet and there's turning out, turning in, blankets on and off, watering, scrubbing buckets and tanks, feeding, mixing supplements, etc. etc. The world is full of people who want to pay $350 a month or less and get all of this. I can tell you, it's not financially viable. Even a small boarding facility is going to be a $4000 or more monthly mortgage. Where does the money come from? It's no wonder so many facilities are run down or trying to scrounge by with not enough help or are "rationing" hay and bedding. It's not a good thing but I think we're going to see more of it. The high prices for hay and bedding are hitting everybody hard.
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Post by drsgjunky on Oct 16, 2008 19:31:05 GMT -5
Well Cat.. I think you summed up the whole boarder/owner/trainer scene nicely. I do agree about the costs to the barn owner. I know three stables up for sale that folks felt it would pay the mortgage. Not going to happen. I guess if you can be snuckered into buying one of these places, you don't know how to use a calculator. Clue one. I feel the pain for the barn owners as much as I do boarders. Love that description between the casual trail rider and show person. Maybe you should cut-n-paste this on the blog.
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Post by lbanimals on Oct 16, 2008 21:12:52 GMT -5
The key to this is to have your own home/barn....and find a single sucker to full care board there. Between all of the work you have on your own horses.....what's one more? I paid $325/month at the last place (in Tennessee!) and considering they had 5-7 other horses of their own.....it seems like a minimal amount of work and expenses for them. One extra stall when they are already cleaning 5-6 others. One extra mouth to feed, one extra horse to bring in and out of the pastures.
Once you start getting a bunch, it becomes a lot of work. But I think they got a bargain on my crazy little horse. I just figured out today, I paid about $5500 in board over the time I was there.......they had the standard grain, cheap local mixed grass hay. Nothing fancy at all. I cleaned out her bucket every so often (they sure didn't do it!).
I think if you can find a single horse to "retirement board" on your personal farm....that is the way to go. And for Foxy, she basically got treated like one of their own horses rather than one of many "clients" at a big boarding barn. They made good money off us and she got a year and a half to chill out.
I could see where it would be hard if you had a big expensive farm and lots of horses.....between feeding and cleaning and maintenance of barn and maintenance of fields.....you would be hard pressed to make enough money. But if you have your own place and your own group of horses.....1 extra is a bit of pocket change.
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