Barnstorming Tour, presented by MDBarnmaster: Hideaway Horse Center in Brandywine, Md

This new weekly series invites readers to send in photos and a description of your barn (or where you board). What do you like about your setup? What would you change? There are some fabulous barns out there, from big and extravagant to quaint and workmanlike. Tell us about yours! It doesn’t have to be fancy or dressed up, in fact some of the “bare bones” no-frills barns have been my favorite for horsekeeping. Send us an email about your barn, with attached JPEG photo(s), to [email protected] with “Barn” in the title.
************

–

The indoor arena at Hideaway.

I once read on an equine-related message board that it was “irresponsible, impractical, and impossible to keep a horse on a shoestring budget.” When I read that, my first thought was ‘wow, alliteration really does drive the point home.’ My second thought was, ‘this lady’s never been faced with, sell or eat off ramen for the rest of your life.’ Or maybe she had, and had picked the right one.

When I was 17, freshly graduated and ready for the world, my mom finally said enough was enough, and decided I was paying for my horse now. For the last 7 years, I’ve never been financially secure, and always just afforded to keep my boy in oats. And seriously, the dude eats A LOT of oats. And by oats, of course I mean high performance feed 3 times a day because he has the ability to shed more weight than Kirstie Alley before a Jenny Craig photo shoot. Through college, and even trickier, life after college, I’ve managed to survive by the skin of my teeth. The skin of my teeth and getting vet bills paid for my birthday, and sending Smart Pak wish lists with the actual supplements on them for Christmas.

Now, knowing what you know, you’ll see why I love the barn I’m at. When I moved to the Washington DC area a year ago, for a job I no longer have, I couldn’t believe the prices I was faced with in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Seriously, 750 dollars a month for a barn without an indoor? Extra money for turnout? Premiums for hot walkers? Have a trainer at your barn who hasn’t managed to disgrace themselves? Tack on an extra 500, just because.

The aisle at Hideaway. Plaid is looking into the arena in either anticipation or just thinking about carrots. Or maybe both.

Now, knowing what you know about prices in my area, you’ll see why I love the barn I ride at. Number 1, it’s 30 minutes from my house. No more treks on I 66 to Middleburg, where I’m not sure why the lane is closed, or why people stop to merge. No more hunching over the radio when the traffic report is playing, making bargains with the devil to get me there with no red lights.

On top of that, the board is so reasonable. So reasonable in fact, that when they told me what it was, I had to keep my poker face on. Inside I was all ‘HOLY CRAP DO THEY KNOW WHAT YEAR IT IS?’ but outside I was all ‘Oh well, you know, I should be able to manage that.’

It’s not fancy, nor am I used to being anywhere fancy. It’s clean, it’s safe, and my horse is well taken care of. And guess what? You can feed whatever you want. Literally. Is your horse gluten free? They have a feed for that. Wants protein but no fat? They have a feed for that. Want people to not call The Humane Society on you because your horse’s ribs show even though he eats all day? They have a feed for that. And all at no extra charge. I was like a kid in a candy shop, a great candy shop where I couldn’t eat any of the candy.

They have an indoor arena, with mirrors, which is great for people who ride by themselves and haven’t seen themselves in the mirror in a year and then oh crap what is happening to my shoulders? The outdoor arena is new, and while the footing is a little too deep for my lazy bones Thoroughbred, it drains well and can be used at almost anytime. They also have a grass arena with some “cross-country fences.” I like to use them as training tools. As in, if you jump this with no problem, real cross-country fences will seem sane and great.

The outdoor arena at Hideaway.

They run a summer camp, which is torture on some days, and fine on others, as long as I’m riding in a group that knows how to pass on left. Many days I’m oh so glad I spent all that time working on collection and bending, because it’s really called into play when trying to maneuver around six kids on ponies. However, the school horse aisle and boarder aisle are separated by the indoor arena, so barring a few instances when I’m hosing my horse off and some kids with their moms come by ‘Look Timmy the horse is getting a shooower!’ the interaction is kept to a minimum.

The stalls are older, but kept in good shape, and the barn lets in a lot of light, but keeps most of the heat out. Fans are standard in every stall, and again, there’s no extra charge during the hot months. A mother-daughter team runs the barn, and they’re there all the time. The daughter, April teaches hunter-jumper lessons and at camp, but they bring in people every month if you want more jumping, or dressage lessons.

Now, knowing what you do, you know why I love my barn, Hideaway Horse Center. It’s close, defies rush hour, and keeps my boy happy and healthy.