Shady Grove Equine

03/10/2025

The Downfall of the Professional Horse Barn: What It Means for the Future of Horse Sports
By S.S. Johnson
The equestrian world is changing, and not for the better. In just six hours today, I witnessed the closure of five professional barns—facilities that once provided training, boarding, and lessons to riders of all levels. These were not fly-by-night operations; they were established barns, both English and Western, that had spent years building programs and serving their communities. Yet, despite their fighting dedication, they couldn’t survive the growing storm of economic hardship, difficult clients, rising costs, and overwhelming stress of it all.
This pattern isn’t new, but its acceleration is alarming. The barns that are disappearing aren’t just businesses—they’re the foundation of equestrian sports, responsible for shaping the next generation of riders and horse owners. Their loss isn’t just a blow to individual communities; it’s a looming crisis for the future of the horse industry.
Why Are Professional Barns Closing?
While every barn’s situation is unique, common themes emerge when we examine why so many are shutting down.
1. Financial Strain
Horse care has always been expensive, but today’s costs are reaching unsustainable levels. Hay, grain, bedding, farrier care, vet bills—everything has increased in price, yet lesson and boarding rates haven’t kept pace. Many barns are reluctant to raise prices too high for fear of losing their already dwindling clientele.
On the other hand, many horse owners and lesson riders are tightening their wallets, cutting back on non-essential spending. Unfortunately, for many, that means fewer lessons, delayed training, and skipping out on premium care. With barns unable to charge what they need and clients unwilling (or unable) to pay more, the financial gap is crushing small and mid-sized operations.
2. Poor or Non-Existent Clients
The equestrian world has always had its share of difficult clients, but in today’s economy, barns are dealing with a mix of entitlement, unrealistic expectations, and a general lack of commitment from many riders and boarders.
• Some clients expect premium care for bottom-dollar prices. They demand full-service boarding with quality hay, top-tier footing, and expert management—while paying rates that barely cover basic care.
• Lesson clients frequently cancel last-minute, show up late, or simply stop coming, often without notice. These no-shows cost barns money in lost income and wasted trainer time.
• Many horse owners no longer invest in training or education, leading to poorly handled, unsafe horses that barns are then expected to accommodate.
A barn can’t survive without reliable, respectful clients, and too many have found themselves dealing with the opposite.
3. High Stress and Burnout
The romanticized image of running a barn rarely matches reality. Long hours, physical exhaustion, and emotional tolls are standard. Many professionals in the industry are walking away simply because they can’t take it anymore.
• Barn owners and trainers often work 12- to 16-hour days, seven days a week, with little to no time off.
• Dealing with demanding clients, difficult horses, and non-stop financial pressures takes a serious mental toll.
• With rising costs and shrinking margins, many are questioning if it’s even worth it anymore.
There comes a point where passion isn’t enough to outweigh exhaustion and stress. More and more professionals are choosing to leave before they reach total burnout.
4. Location and Land Issues
Many equestrian businesses are finding themselves squeezed out of their areas due to urban expansion and shifting demographics.
• Land prices and property taxes are skyrocketing, making it nearly impossible for smaller barns to afford staying in business.
• As suburban sprawl pushes further into once-rural areas, neighbors who don’t understand horses are quick to file noise complaints, object to the smell, or push for zoning changes that make it harder to operate a barn.
• Fewer people have easy access to riding facilities, making it harder to attract new students or boarders.
Without land, there are no barns, and with each closure, the available space for horse sports shrinks further.
The Bigger Picture: What This Means for Horse Sports
The barns that are shutting down aren’t just random businesses—they’re the backbone of equestrian sports. These are the lesson barns, the mid-level training facilities, the family-friendly operations that introduce new riders to the horse world.
The problem? These riders are the future.
1. Losing the Next Generation of Equestrians
Upper-level barns cater to a specific type of rider: the elite, well-funded competitor. But not everyone starts out there. Most riders begin in small, affordable programs before progressing to higher levels. When those programs disappear, so does the opportunity for new riders to enter the sport.
Without beginner and mid-level training barns, fewer people will learn to ride. Fewer will move on to become serious competitors. And, eventually, the entire industry will feel the effects.
2. Decline in Horse Ownership
Owning a horse isn’t something most people do on a whim. They start with lessons, lease a horse, then make the jump to ownership. If lesson barns and mid-tier training facilities disappear, fewer people will take that first step, leading to fewer horse owners overall.
A decline in horse ownership means a decline in demand for everything that supports the industry—farriers, veterinarians, tack and feed suppliers, show organizations, and more.
3. The Sport Becomes Even More Elitist
Equestrian sports already suffer from an image of being exclusive and unaffordable. If only high-end barns survive, that image becomes reality. Riding will shift even further toward being a luxury activity for the wealthy, shutting out those without deep pockets.
Without accessible lesson programs and training facilities, the gap between those who can afford the sport and those who can’t will grow wider. And eventually, fewer people will care about preserving or supporting equestrian activities at all.
Where Do We Go from Here?
The future of horse sports depends on finding ways to support small and mid-sized barns before they disappear entirely. Some possible solutions include:
• Adjusting pricing to reflect actual costs – Barn owners need to charge what their services are truly worth, even if it means losing some clients.
• Reworking business models – Offering memberships, partial leases, or other structured payment plans can create more predictable income streams.
• Educating clients – Riders and horse owners need to understand what goes into keeping a barn running. Transparency about costs and expectations can help filter out problematic clients.
• Finding community support – Creating local riding clubs, hosting educational events, and partnering with organizations that promote equestrian access can help keep barns alive.
• Advocating for equestrian spaces – If we want horse sports to survive, we need to fight for zoning protections, affordable land access, and public awareness.
The loss of lesson and boarding barns is not just an industry issue—it’s an existential threat to the future of equestrian sports. If we don’t find ways to support these businesses, the ripple effects will be felt for generations.
For now, though, we watch as more barns close their doors, leaving behind empty arenas, unused stalls, and a sport that is quietly shrinking from the ground up.

01/30/2025

01/28/2025

Soooo thankful for upper 40° weather and sunshine😍🤩🤗it was so fun being able to get a few worked this afternoon FINALLY after weeks of ice, snow, and single digits every day🥶

01/22/2025

Here’s to the owners who are outside every couple of hours to monitor their horses’ health in these frigid temps.

Here’s to the owners who are checking waterers for ice. Here’s to the owners who are freezing their fingers to hang up their hose, or bringing hoses inside their house to keep from freezing.

Here’s to the owners switching blankets, double blanketing, or cleaning out shelters for their unblanketed horses. Here’s to the owners who are worried if their horse is staying warm enough with or without their blanket.

Here’s to the owners who are throwing countless flakes of loose hay out while making sure the round bale feeders don’t go empty.

Here’s to the owners praying that equipment starts, and hydraulics work smoothly. Here’s to the owners who figure it out when the equipment fails you.

Here’s to the messy mud room, filled with winter bibs, charged heated vests, boot dryers plugged in, and headlamps charged. Here’s to the countless pairs of gloves you have to swap out each time you venture outside.

Here’s to the rigorous training schedules, riding lessons, and busy barn coming to a halt. Here’s to putting the health of the animal’s first.

Here’s to the part of horse management that isn’t so glamorous. Thank you for all you are doing for the safety and wellbeing of your horses during this time.

Here’s to all of us ❄️🩵

01/19/2025

I just shared some cool graphics from AAEP on cold weather facts. I know my people all know this but because of the cruel cold snap that is starting this evening I just need to repeat a few things.

1. Water. Horses need ALOT of it, especially in the really hot or really cold weather. They don't like to walk to the water tank when their sheds are nice and comfy and sheltering them from the wind. We won't even talk about the footing in most of our turnouts... Encourage your horse to drink.
Add table salt, plain old table salt (not electrolytes), to their grain or vitamin mineral ration. Think the potato chip reaction.
Take them a bucket of warm water.
Make sure your tank heater is working well. Go break the ice off the tanks multiple times daily in the next few days because even the heated tanks may get iced over in the upcoming temps.
Make a mash out of their daily grain. Hot water over feed or hay pellets softens the pellets quickly, adds some water to their diet and prevents the salt you just added from sinking to the bottom of the pan.

2. Hay. Keep it front of them. Horses generate more heat from digesting hay than they do grain. Even if your horse is a little on the plumper side now is not the time to skimp on the long stem forage. The rationing can resume once the temperatures are a little more reasonable (closer to the 20s).

3. Do not make major changes to your horse's diet or routine in the next 3 days. It is not the time to switch to round bales or start a new grain. It is not the time to stall your feral brumby who doesn't drink well inside and always stresses in the barn. It is ok to do a little pampering (see warm water bucket tip in #1).

Questions? Give the office a call. In the meantime I'll be outside convincing the vet truck heater that it really does want to work in this weather.

01/14/2025