Horse boarding in Livingston area (Paradise: how much, maintenance, fence)

[mmurphy61]

I may be relocating to the Livingston area and am trying to research boarding facilities and costs. I'm from Ohio and would like to hear from those who know about horsekeeping in Montana. I may be bringing my 2 thoroughbreds with me.
Thanks in advance!

[rangerider]

I'm an hour west over the pass, so the rates are going to be higher here in the Gallatin Valley. I have a little side business boarding horses, and depending on how much care they want or need, I get about $75 a month per animal, a bit more if I need to pay attention to trimming feet, shots, worming, etc. and a bit less in the warm months. But I just take average animals and owners, no high dollar, high strung, or high maintenance horses - don't need to be stitching them up after they discover what life outside a barn or corral is like. The price of hay, and subsequently boarding, has about doubled here in the last five years, so I think you can go from around pasture price, maybe $40-$50 a head for open grazing to "the sky's the limit". I know of one outfit that gets over $500 a month, and I imagine there's some that beat that. Very nice facilities, no doubt. The price you pay kind of depends on the animal and the level of care and facility you want.

I have been around some horses that came from different climates, and I wouldn't think Ohio blood would do bad here. It is less humid and that makes the winters a bit easier on them. If you have good shelter and good hay, a good selenium salt block, and proper mineral most horses will winter fine and even pick up a little weight if not being used. Overall, if someone is pasturing in the winter, most grasses in the Shields and Paradise valleys are pretty nutritious, and after a break-in period yours should do well. We have some wild critters around here that might panic them if they're out in the open; the solution for that is to find someone that has some old bear, coyote, or lion hide and hang it over the corral fence a bit at a time. I've had pretty good luck with new animals doing that, but it has to be done in stages and with the idea that they can get away without panic. I've had a wolf or two drift up from the south and scare the @#$% out of both my mine in the last three years. I'm gonna assume if you've open pastured you know about shaking pebbles in a coffee can being associated with a can of oats - that saves you a whole lotta legwork it they get out.

Good luck to you if you decide to come out this way...

[mmurphy61]

Thanks, Rangerider, for the info. That gives me a good start!