To be considered for boarding at the Copper Caballo, we will ask you to provide a thorough behavioral profile of your horse. If we believe your horse's temperament will harmonize with those in the current herd, your horse will be accepted on a probationary period of one month. As most domestic horses are largely unsocialized, this first month is crucial to a horse's success in integrating into the herd, and learning to speak his native language. New horses are introduced very slowly and methodically using a series of specially designed "Introduction Games" developed by Rebecca Clum. With our unique focus on barefoot hoof conditioning, maintenance, and rehab, all horses accepted for boarding are required to be barefoot upon, or soon after, arrival. For horses that come in shod, we work with a highly skilled holistic hoof trimmer Ivan Neel, who has seen many horses with chronic hoof issues to soundness through regular trimmings. He will remove the shoes and set up a custom maintenance schedule. This website represents our philosophy of horse management, and reflects our standard of care. We invite you to read it thoroughly when considering boarding with us. Situated on one acre in south Gilbert, we are conveniently located around the Higley and Riggs Rd area. Monthly boarding rates are $275 - $300 with multiple horse discounts available. Please contact us by email to be placed on our current boarding waiting list.
• Please note that we do not offer a traditional riding arena. The non-grass pasture is irregularly shaped, and is better utilized for trust-building and fine-tuning work rather than traditional circling. Most riding organically takes place in the fields, neighborhood, and pathways. |
Unlike traditional boarding stables where horses typically receive only two to three flakes of hay per day fed in two large meals, here we do not limit the amount of hay the horses choose to eat in a day.
Horses are genetically hardwired to be "trickle feeders", not the "fasters and gorgers" that traditional horse management styles treat them as. There is a vast mountain of research validating free-choice forage as the only option in maintaining healthy horses, and not one study or sliver of research endorsing large infrequent meals as an appropriate way to feed horses. So why, then, has it become "traditional" to feed our horses incorrectly? A simple misunderstanding, that's all. We feed our dogs twice a day, we feed our cats twice a day, even we can remain healthy eating twice a day. But then we're predators, so are dogs, and so are cats; all perfectly equipped to handle large, infrequent meals and fasts between feasts. Horses are prey animals with millions of years of genetics inside a body designed perfectly for eating small meals while constantly "on the run". For such a huge body, horses have comparatively tiny little stomachs that don't hold a whole lot. The food only stays in the stomach for about an hour before moving on. What that means to your horse is that roughly one hour after he eats, he's famished, his tummy's growling, and his metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Not only is your horse then uncomfortably hungry for 18-20 hours out of the day, but then 4-6 hours after he has eaten, caustic stomach acids begin to creep up and flood his stomach. That spells ulcers and colic, and a whole host of digestive disorders. Constant grazing buffers the stomach acids. Which in turn promotes the healthy growth of "good bacteria" in the intestines and hindgut, leading to a more thorough utilization of nutrients, and ultimately, increased health and vitality. The constant chewing of forage also allows the horse to better grind down his own teeth (though teeth should still always be checked by your vet at least once yearly). We hold the belief that providing for this basic biological need for the continuous uptake of forage is our absolute obligation as good equine stewards. "Anything that is worth doing, is worth doing well" - Source Unknown So exactly how much hay can a horse on free-choice hay eat in a day? It varies, but generally it's about 35-40 pounds each! As most horse owners know, hay is the single most costly upkeep expense of horse ownership, especially in the Southwest US where 85 pound bales currently run between $12 and $15 a piece. But caring for horses is a privilege, and caring for them properly is a pure joy. And we believe that no matter the cost, there is no substitute for excellence! Have more questions about free-choice hay? We know you do!
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• Full turnout 24 hours
a day, every day, with
no stall confinement