Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Silly Horses and How Far is Too Far?

The horse I posted about last week now has a shoulder full of stitches :( It seems he was kicked by another horse, poor guy (or, maybe he was being an ass, who knows?). So, no riding and no turnout for him for a little while. I feel so bad for him, with all the wet weather we've had the bugs are still in full force. It must be so annoying!

On another note:

I just recently heard back from someone who advertised a lease for their horse. It is a different stable from where I ride but the price is very good and he sounds like a nice horse. I would have the opportunity to come out and go for a trail ride with him first. They are having a new indoor arena built which should be finished this week. Also trails. Sounds really great.

The only catch is it will take almost an hour to get there, which will make it difficult to go during the week. My question to you guys is: How far do you or would you go to ride? I know, most of you have your horses at home! My lesson barn is only about 20-25 minutes away and it's great. I'm not sure how reliably I could do a 1 hour drive after work.

5 comments:

HorseOfCourse said...

I believe that is depending on how interesting the horse is, lol!
The indoor arena is a bonus, especially when the autumn is approaching.
It is an hour plus compared to the lesson barn. That is extra time, yes, but sometimes we waste an hour anyway. Watching TV as an example.
Do you have any problems with rush hours and queues?

I would go and check it out.
- See what kind of horse it is. Does the horse suit you? Do you like him?
- Access to the indoor arena. Will you have access when it suits you, or will it be much booked with others, where you might not be able to use it?
- Trainers. Do the have any good trainers there, if you want some instruction?
- Trails. What do they look like? Do you share them with many others (bikers etc)?
- What kind of impression do you get of the barn? Does it seem like nice people? Do the horses look good? Is it tidy in the stable and in the surroundings?

If you like what you see, I would say it is worth another hour’s drive. But that is of course depending on if you have the time to spare in the first place!

Chelsi said...

Good question! That is one I've been asking myself. Last year I drove an hour and 15min one way to take lessons once a week. That was really far to go but it was only once a week and my trainer was so awesome I felt it was worth it. But if I wanted to get to the barn 4-5 days a week I'd say a half hour would be my limit...but I'd be much happier with 10-20 minutes. If I only rode twice a week I'd go 30 minutes. But for the right horse I'd go further...LOL...so I guess there is no real answer it all depends on the reward waiting for me at the end of that drive:)

Once Upon an Equine said...

Does the horse have to stay at the current barn for the lease? Would they allow you to lease, but keep the horse at the barn you ride at now? I think a long drive would be difficult.

RuckusButt said...

Ah, good questions Horse of Course. All yet to be determined. I would go and see the place and ride the horse before making any commitments. I looks to me like a private property, not a commercial barn, so arena time probably won't be too hard to work out. Of course, that also means trainers won't likely be as available. But I'm looking for something I can enjoy, not a start-from-scratch project.

Horse Crazed, I tend to agree with you. But yes, much depends on the horse and the arrangements. I have a wedding shower/bachelorette party this weekend and the wedding the next, and my husband will be making a brief appearance before heading out again (sigh), so I'm not sure when I will get out to "test drive".

Once upon - I quite like my lesson barn but to pay board there is more than I can do right now. It would be around $1000 a month, with 1 lesson/week. I just can't justify that right now with a new house.

Argh!

RuckusButt said...

that is "it looks to be..."