Boarding At Thistle Hill

Thistle Hill Farm offers complete board and care of horses in a relaxed rural setting on 98 acres. Horses are fed four times a day by a full time staff. Horses are turned out in pastures and paddocks either for day or night turn-out dependent on the weather, and client preference.

The 10 x 12 box stalls are rubber matted and bedded with peat moss. Stalls are cleaned at least twice daily. The indoor arena has a groomed sand footing. Well-maintained trails begin at the barn and go for miles through our farm and neighboring state land. We are located on dirt roads so footing for hill exercise and conditioning is ideal.

Feed

Our base feed for boarded horses is Nutrena SafeChoice. We feed first and second cutting hay of the highest quality. We produce about 1/3 of our hay needs right on the farm. We will add special feeds as horses require at the owners expense.

Daily Routine

Daily routine begins at 5:15 am when horses are fed hay and water. Grain is fed at 5:45 am and horses out on pasture are brought into their stalls. The outside paddocks are cleaned and water and hay are replenished. Horses on day turn-out are put out around 6:30 am. Stalls are cleaned and set up, barns are swept and hay brought to barns. Horses in paddocks in the winter are fed hay. In the summer horses enjoy large 5 to 10 acre pastures.

Lunch is fed between 11:30 and 12:30 and afternoon chores begin at 2:00 pm. Stalls are cleaned and horses are hayed and watered. Grain is fed at 3:00 pm and horses turned out for evening and night turn-out at 3:30. Late night barn check and the last hay feeding is done between 7:30 and 8:30pm.

Hoof Care

We have a certified farrier, Lee DeLisle, who works well with our performance veterinarian, Dr Carol Vischer Safron, here every Monday and horses are put on a 6 week schedule unless otherwise noted.

Supplements

We feed supplements according to owners wishes but we request that they be packaged either as SmartPak shipments directly to the farm on our barn buddies account or prepackaged into daily baggies for ease of feeding.

Vaccinations and Routine Veterinary Care

Horses boarded at Thistle Hill routinely receive spring vaccinations through the Equine Clinic at Oakencroft or the Cobleskill Veterinary Clinic. All Veterinary costs are at the owners expense but we do the service of scheduling spring and fall shots for clients.

Teeth

Twice a year Dr Todd Behre an equine dentist is available to our clients. Todd is nationally known for his equine dentistry and it is a privilege to have him come to Thistle Hill Farm. We will be glad to schedule dentistry for our clients at the owners expense.

Fees

Boarding at Thistle Hill Farm for 2010 is $425.00 month. Additional fees are charged for private turnout and special care. Special feeds and veterinary charges are at the owners expense. Transportation when available is $2.50 per loaded mile.

We do not charge for emergency holding or care but for routine veterinary procedures if you are unavailable we charge $10.00 per hour.

Leg wrapping and long term care for injuries are handled individually between the owner and our staff.

Injury Care Policies

When your horse is boarding at Thistle Hill Farm, we treat your horse with the best care and respect possible. In the event of an injury we have several policies in place:

For a minor cut or abrasion, we will clean and examine the wound and notify the owner. We will then proceed as the owner wishes.

Should a more serious injury occur we would intervene immediately to the best of our ability and call the nearest veterinary service. We will then call the owner.

In cases of colic we will take vital signs – heart rate, temperature and gut sounds - and call the nearest veterinary service and proceed according to their direction. We usually administer 10 cc of Banamine IV in accordance with our veterinarian's direction and we then call the owner.

Training At Thistle Hill

Trainer Christine Cornwell trains horses at Thistle Hill Farm for dressage, eventing and pleasure with a focus on correct flat work as the foundation for all riding disciplines.

Training is based on the ideals of classical dressage and positive reinforcement. The specific goals and desires of the owner, in concert with the horse’s confirmation and ability, help direct the desired outcomes for the horse and rider team.

Owners of horses-in-training are encouraged to take lessons and learn to enhance their partnership with their horses. Horses in the Sport Horse Rehabilitation program can also enter the fitness rehabilitation program, where Dr Carol Vishcher Safron and Christine Cornwell work together to create a fitness program individually designed to re-develop an injured sport horse. A wide variety of price packages are available; please contact us for details.