Stir it up

The Hamper and I have moved to a new barn.

This was not a spontaneous decision, as I did give more than 30 days notice to our previous barn and did leave on excellent terms with the barn manager.

I thought about the move and did not take the decision lightly. Our previous barn was gorgeous, convenient and the barn manager was nothing but wonderful and kind to me. She will always be a friend and I will always be thankful for her kindness. It was wonderful to leave on good terms and I wish it was always that way.

Hampton immediately settled in well. He has a huge, airy stall
where he can see everything going on.

It was mostly a collection of little things that ultimately swayed me into moving. The biggest influence was that the new barn has an indoor. It isn't huge, but it's something. And if we have another winter like last, then an indoor is going to be vital.

There will also be more eyes on my horse, and more individual attention. At the old place, the horses were often left alone from 430pm until 8 am the next day. (Yes, the actual owners live on the property but are not involved with the horses). As we all know, horses are quite capable of disaster in a very short period of time.

Moving also opens up a few new opportunities for me and Hampton. They have a couple of extremely knowledgable instructors/trainers that come weekly. It will be nice to be in a more consistent program again, as I cannot keep driving back to Indiana for lessons all the time. I am hoping to limit my Indiana trips to maybe 2 or 3 times a year. The drive is worth it but it's an expensive weekend and time consuming.

Boarding costs will be about the same, and while the new barn is farther away, it is actually only 5 minutes longer in the car since I can just hop on the interstate.

Cute little grooming bays

The new place has a lot of renovation going on (the previous owners let it go to hell), but it's coming along and the new owners are great people. The property also connects to a rather large trail system in the area. I CANNOT wait to explore that! From what I have seen there are well-groomed trails and I believe 25+ miles.  The new place also has an aqua treadmill that is also getting an update. That will be incredibly nice in helping Hampton's fitness!

The other boarders seem like a lovely, laid back group as well. Unfortunately, there was some negative energy at the previous place that also had a part in my move. 99% of the boarders I would call my friends and are awesome. But there are just certain types of people I refuse to be associated with in any manner. (And trust me, I have a high tolerance for all types of cray cray). It's great to escape that and not have to be stressed all the time when I am trying to ride.

So a fresh start for us with new opportunities.

Cheers.