Being a good boarder isn’t difficult, but you wouldn’t know it by the way people move their horses around from barn to barn. Most people probably think that if they pay their board on time, they’re set. But many barn owners will tell you that paying board at the first of the month is less important than having boarders who make for a pleasant environment. If you follow some suggestions for good boarder etiquette, you’ll find a happier place for you, your horse and your barn’s owner.
- Clean up after yourself. Though you are a paying customer, remember that you are also a guest. Clear your grooming area of your items and sweep up after yourself. If someone uses a grooming stall before you and didn’t clean up some manure droppings, don’t be petty and think that since your horse didn’t do it that you’ll leave it. Be a team player and clean it up.
- Don’t get involved in barn politics. For some, running a boarding facility is a business, but for others, it’s a hobby and an escape from their former work lives. Neither wants to be involved in petty disputes or barn politics. Nothing raises the ire of a barn manager or owner like suggestions of inferior care—especially when it’s muttered from boarder to boarder instead of being brought directly to management. Being a good boarder means not getting sucked into rumor spreading or whisperings among each other. If you have a problem, go directly to management and ask politely about the issue.
- Share. You’ve heard the classic term “ring hog”? Share the riding area with other boarders and don’t make others feel as though you want the entire ring to yourself.
- Ask. If lessons or a clinic are going on in the arena and you wish to ride, ask if you may enter and ride while the lessons are going on. Most of the time the answer will be yes, especially if you’ve been polite enough to ask.
- Be a part of the family. It’s easy to get wrapped up in just being concerned with your own horse, running in, doing your thing, and running out. Try to take the time to get an overall look at the other horses. If your horse’s water bucket is empty, don’t just fill hers. Check the other horses’ buckets too.
- What you give is what you’ll get. Great barn environments have boarders who help each other out, especially when things are looking low. For example, it’s a Sunday, the tack shops are closed and someone’s horse has come up lame with what looks to be an abscess. You still have the soaking boot, Epsom salts, drawing poultice and diapers from your horse’s last abscess. Offer to help them. It’s not only courteous to help, but you never know when you’ll need their help later.
Being a good boarder doesn’t mean keeping your mouth shut or walking on eggshells when you have a concern. It does mean respecting others’ property, being a pleasure to be around (at least a courteous member of the barn family), and not stirring up problems.
