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Sep 20 11 8:42 AM
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Sep 20 11 8:44 AM
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Sep 20 11 8:49 AM
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Sep 20 11 8:54 AM
Sep 20 11 9:02 AM
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Sep 20 11 9:04 AM
I live in Fort McMurray, with my horses. There are no barns of any kind here. The closest board/stable is at Grassland which is a full 2.5 hours South. There are a few barns around Lac La Biche/Plamondon. You have four options within 2.5 hours of Fort Mac.1. Buy an acreage in either Saprae Creek or near Anzac (about an hour's commute) and build your own fence and shelter. This is what I did. I am happy. I trailer five hours to Edmonton for vet and farrier. I went to Olds college to learn to trim on my own. The closest I have been able to find hay is at Grassland, and my husband and I trailered it ourselves. You can have hay delivered if you pay the full commercial trucking rate for a semi-load and can find a farmer who will load it onto the truck for you. No, I will not board your horse. I'm sorry. You wouldn't be the first person to ask, with a note stuck in my doorway or an unsolicited visit as soon as you saw that I had horses. Or followed me home when you saw me riding. People get desperate to bring their horses up. I understand. My husband and I did NOT easily afford our acreage and it is very tough to maintain/upgrade it with the hours we work. Just FTR.2. Suck up HARDCORE to the members of the Clearwater Horse Club. They are very insular and expect to be treated a certain way. Their waiting list is from 3 to 5 years long, although they might not tell you that until you dig around. You can suck up VERY hard to an existing member and become an Associate Member, which allows you to board your horse in that person's coop. Typically Associate Members are treated as indentured slaves, and it is not uncommon for them to be dismissed at the whim of the full member. There are some very nice people in the club, but they are very quiet and try not to rock the boat...and are usually not interested in Associate Members. If you choose to become a member, get used to biting your tongue. I've seen horses there who have NO hair on their backs from rainrot, horses living in falling-apart ATCO trailers with pieces of vehicles all around, been treated to the sight of a five year old TEARING around the arena helmetless and unsupervised on a full sized horse...needless to say, I am not a member. When you get to the top of the waiting list, you will probably be offered what they call a "tear down"...meaning a disgusting wreck of a barn/structure that YOU are responsible for upgrading, at your expense. This will cost in the area of $10-$20 grand, depending on how much work you can do yourself. Remember, basic contract labour in Fort Mac comes at a huge premium, if you can even get it...it's easier to just learn how to build something yourself.3. Suck up hardcore to someone who has a horse lease. These are about five minutes from the Timberlea area (where most of the housing is.) The leases are crown land, lent on disposition to keep horses. There are 16 leases. VERY primitive, no power and no water. Usually people put a generator out there, and we used a propane trough heater and a large insulated trough that my lease-mate hauled water in her truck to fill. You get about 6 acres depending on the lease, and whatever facilities the person has built. Since it is a crap-ton of work, most people treat their leases like cabins or second homes, and unless you and the people enjoy spending ALL your free time together working on it...there is usually friction. And you can be booted any time. People can sell the lease rights, so you'd take over the lease. Typically these lease rights are offered for $15K-$30K. And people DO pay that for them. Some are beautifully maintained, some are wrecks of ATCO trailers and tangled barbed wire. Someone might be willing to share with you.4. Be very, very nice to Joe and Nicky at the Tour North Ranch. They do take on a few boarded horses. This is no full-care facility, but the horses are checked daily and they have a round bale in winter with access to clean water. There is an outdoor riding arena with rodeo/Western stuff, and a few small outbuildings that are kind of done up like an "Old West" town. They do call in a farrier from somewhere. This is out by the airport (quite near me) and they have been improving the property a lot. They offer wagon rides and hold the annual rodeo there. We do have a rodeo, shock of shocks. People haul in from all over. The stock contractor is from Lac La Biche, I think.There is ONE vet in Fort McMurray who will even come out to see a large animal, and he's a great guy. Not enough horses to have a full practice though, so he mainly does small animal. He will come out for $100, which is not too bad. I use him for emergencies, but he makes his money in town...it's easier for me to just schedule my vet visits around shows and rides when I am in Edmonton anyway. Ditto with shoes, my one horse needs pretty serious shoes, so I'm not keen on "whoever" will agree to come to Fort Mac. They might be great, they might suck. 10 hour round trip and the cost of trailering lets me pick the performance farrier I want in Edmonton. They usually meet me at my vet's place.After you leave Wandering River (2 hours south) there is NO FARMLAND. That means no hay, no farmers, no nothing. It is NOT horse country. You will import EVERYTHING. From wormer to halters, get friendly with Greenhawk. The bugs up here can be hard on horses. My two current ones are ok, but I brought a young Clydesdale up last Spring and he had a terrible allergic reaction. The vet who did the post-mortem suspected that he probably had a heart condition accelerated/precipitated the full congestive heart failure...about three weeks after I brought him home. The vet said that it is rare, but he had seen similar reactions in a few cows in the Grassland area. That's anaphylactic shock brought on by an overload of bug antigens (or something to that effect.) The Clearwater Horse Club destroyed 100 horses about 15 years ago when they were contaminated with EIA. Yup, EIA. Unheard of in this region. One imported horse will virtually INSTANTLY contaminate the entire population due to the bugs here. Sorry I don't have better news MissPardonMyFrench. I moved up here 5 years ago, and I had spoken to someone at the Clearwater Horse Club who for some reason decided to reassure me that I could make some arrangement with a kindly member to keep my horses. That is NOT the way they operate. If you find a member there who you can pretty well get along with, it's a decent arrangement. Private paddock, which is picked of manure daily (I guarantee if you're an Associate member, that will be YOUR job.) You can use the community pastures for turnout, but only during daylight, horses must be brought up every night. The pasture is nice. They have an indoor arena, which is pleasant, if small. It is located on the South end of town, in a newer mobile home park, and if you lived there, it could be quite nice to have a horse at the club.
Sep 20 11 9:22 AM
sarcastabitch wrote: I live in Fort McMurray, with my horses. There are no barns of any kind here. The closest board/stable is at Grassland which is a full 2.5 hours South. There are a few barns around Lac La Biche/Plamondon. You have four options within 2.5 hours of Fort Mac.1. Buy an acreage in either Saprae Creek or near Anzac (about an hour's commute) and build your own fence and shelter. This is what I did. I am happy. I trailer five hours to Edmonton for vet and farrier. I went to Olds college to learn to trim on my own. The closest I have been able to find hay is at Grassland, and my husband and I trailered it ourselves. You can have hay delivered if you pay the full commercial trucking rate for a semi-load and can find a farmer who will load it onto the truck for you. No, I will not board your horse. I'm sorry. You wouldn't be the first person to ask, with a note stuck in my doorway or an unsolicited visit as soon as you saw that I had horses. Or followed me home when you saw me riding. People get desperate to bring their horses up. I understand. My husband and I did NOT easily afford our acreage and it is very tough to maintain/upgrade it with the hours we work. Just FTR.2. Suck up HARDCORE to the members of the Clearwater Horse Club. They are very insular and expect to be treated a certain way. Their waiting list is from 3 to 5 years long, although they might not tell you that until you dig around. You can suck up VERY hard to an existing member and become an Associate Member, which allows you to board your horse in that person's coop. Typically Associate Members are treated as indentured slaves, and it is not uncommon for them to be dismissed at the whim of the full member. There are some very nice people in the club, but they are very quiet and try not to rock the boat...and are usually not interested in Associate Members. If you choose to become a member, get used to biting your tongue. I've seen horses there who have NO hair on their backs from rainrot, horses living in falling-apart ATCO trailers with pieces of vehicles all around, been treated to the sight of a five year old TEARING around the arena helmetless and unsupervised on a full sized horse...needless to say, I am not a member. When you get to the top of the waiting list, you will probably be offered what they call a "tear down"...meaning a disgusting wreck of a barn/structure that YOU are responsible for upgrading, at your expense. This will cost in the area of $10-$20 grand, depending on how much work you can do yourself. Remember, basic contract labour in Fort Mac comes at a huge premium, if you can even get it...it's easier to just learn how to build something yourself.3. Suck up hardcore to someone who has a horse lease. These are about five minutes from the Timberlea area (where most of the housing is.) The leases are crown land, lent on disposition to keep horses. There are 16 leases. VERY primitive, no power and no water. Usually people put a generator out there, and we used a propane trough heater and a large insulated trough that my lease-mate hauled water in her truck to fill. You get about 6 acres depending on the lease, and whatever facilities the person has built. Since it is a crap-ton of work, most people treat their leases like cabins or second homes, and unless you and the people enjoy spending ALL your free time together working on it...there is usually friction. And you can be booted any time. People can sell the lease rights, so you'd take over the lease. Typically these lease rights are offered for $15K-$30K. And people DO pay that for them. Some are beautifully maintained, some are wrecks of ATCO trailers and tangled barbed wire. Someone might be willing to share with you.4. Be very, very nice to Joe and Nicky at the Tour North Ranch. They do take on a few boarded horses. This is no full-care facility, but the horses are checked daily and they have a round bale in winter with access to clean water. There is an outdoor riding arena with rodeo/Western stuff, and a few small outbuildings that are kind of done up like an "Old West" town. They do call in a farrier from somewhere. This is out by the airport (quite near me) and they have been improving the property a lot. They offer wagon rides and hold the annual rodeo there. We do have a rodeo, shock of shocks. People haul in from all over. The stock contractor is from Lac La Biche, I think.There is ONE vet in Fort McMurray who will even come out to see a large animal, and he's a great guy. Not enough horses to have a full practice though, so he mainly does small animal. He will come out for $100, which is not too bad. I use him for emergencies, but he makes his money in town...it's easier for me to just schedule my vet visits around shows and rides when I am in Edmonton anyway. Ditto with shoes, my one horse needs pretty serious shoes, so I'm not keen on "whoever" will agree to come to Fort Mac. They might be great, they might suck. 10 hour round trip and the cost of trailering lets me pick the performance farrier I want in Edmonton. They usually meet me at my vet's place.After you leave Wandering River (2 hours south) there is NO FARMLAND. That means no hay, no farmers, no nothing. It is NOT horse country. You will import EVERYTHING. From wormer to halters, get friendly with Greenhawk. The bugs up here can be hard on horses. My two current ones are ok, but I brought a young Clydesdale up last Spring and he had a terrible allergic reaction. The vet who did the post-mortem suspected that he probably had a heart condition accelerated/precipitated the full congestive heart failure...about three weeks after I brought him home. The vet said that it is rare, but he had seen similar reactions in a few cows in the Grassland area. That's anaphylactic shock brought on by an overload of bug antigens (or something to that effect.) The Clearwater Horse Club destroyed 100 horses about 15 years ago when they were contaminated with EIA. Yup, EIA. Unheard of in this region. One imported horse will virtually INSTANTLY contaminate the entire population due to the bugs here. Sorry I don't have better news MissPardonMyFrench. I moved up here 5 years ago, and I had spoken to someone at the Clearwater Horse Club who for some reason decided to reassure me that I could make some arrangement with a kindly member to keep my horses. That is NOT the way they operate. If you find a member there who you can pretty well get along with, it's a decent arrangement. Private paddock, which is picked of manure daily (I guarantee if you're an Associate member, that will be YOUR job.) You can use the community pastures for turnout, but only during daylight, horses must be brought up every night. The pasture is nice. They have an indoor arena, which is pleasant, if small. It is located on the South end of town, in a newer mobile home park, and if you lived there, it could be quite nice to have a horse at the club.
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Sep 20 11 9:31 AM
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Sep 20 11 9:32 AM
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Sep 20 11 9:33 AM
There is no private Arabian barn here. There are a bunch of people at the horse club who are linked to a barn in Saskatchewan, and a few more who have horse leases.If you have friends in the horse club, it isn't a bad deal...like I said, there are many nice people in it, and I am sure they would be willing to take on someone they already knew. You may get lucky.
Posts: 1647
Sep 20 11 9:36 AM
It's pretty presumptuous of you, Sarcasta, to just assume that the OP was going to beg you to take on her horse.
Sep 20 11 9:37 AM
Sep 20 11 9:40 AM
Sep 20 11 9:41 AM
TheRealCharleyHarvey wrote:This town or whatever it is sounds awful. It's pretty presumptuous of you, Sarcasta, to just assume that the OP was going to beg you to take on her horse. Good luck, OP, finding somewhere!
Sep 20 11 9:44 AM
I will check the other options that you have suggested, if me and my hubby stay in Fort Mac we will likely be purchasing our own property and putting up an small barn and arena asap.
Sep 20 11 9:45 AM
Sep 20 11 9:49 AM
The OP has a good chance, if she really does have connections. She might be able to get into the Horse Club with someone nice. That could work out for her. There are even some nice little barns in there (a "barn" is usually one or two stalls, tack room, hay storage.) It's that whole new-members-get-teardowns that can be rough. If you know someone important in the club though, it's a very different story. I didn't know anyone in the club, and instead of telling me the truth, they kind of strung me along and I ended up really, really frustrated.
sarcastabitch wrote:I will check the other options that you have suggested, if me and my hubby stay in Fort Mac we will likely be purchasing our own property and putting up an small barn and arena asap. I just saw this. LOL. You better do some more research. You can't build a RIDING arena on ANY of the acreage properties...even if you were independently wealthy. The land-use and architectural by laws don't allow a building that size. Just so you're aware, the acreage properties within 20 minutes of Fort Mac start at $900,000. That's mine, btw, with an older 2 storey house on 3 acres. Nothing else in my subdivision is advertised at less than a million, and for nearly TWO million, you can get the house that sits on FIVE acres! Whee!Buying just the acreage, which is now sold in 2 acre parcels ONLY, those lots are up to $320,000...unserviced. Enjoy the fun of stick-building, I hope you and your hubby are construction contractors.OMG. I can't get over it. You're going to build an arena. Good luck with that. I'm sure you're the first person who ever had THAT idea...
Sep 20 11 9:57 AM
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