Barn Hunting Woes

Finding a new place to board is always difficult for me. I don't know why, maybe it's just intimidating. Or maybe I'm just scared of putting my horses in a less than stellar situation. I'm also a little terrified of ending up in a barn full of dramatic dressage divas (also known as DDDs). I've been incredibly lucky in avoiding that in Albuquerque and Phoenix. The jumper barn I was at in Parker (Denver) was also fantastic.

We will be living in Aurora. See the problem?

With us getting ready to move back to Denver in just over a month, I figured that I better start getting the boarding situation figured out now. I've had trainers recommended, but none are close enough to me.

I think my requirements are pretty realistic?

1. A trainer or allowed to bring a trainer in. I'm pretty independent and don't need to be babysat, but I obviously want/need to continue my education.

2. Stalls w/ runs, paddocks w/ shed, or large turnouts. I HATE for my horses to just sit in a stall all day. I don't care if it's show season, I prefer for them to live outside as much as possible.

3. Good footing.

4. Good/safe stalls and fencing.

5. A trainer or barn manager that doesn't tolerate, and ESPECIALLY doesn't join in on, barn drama bullshit. My dressage horses are my escape, I mostly just want to be left alone or be around laid back people. #noassholes

6. A cross country course or large jumping arena (a place to go gallop). Even I get bored out of my mind being stuck in a dressage arena all of the time.

7. Knowledgeable, experienced staff.

8. Covered or indoor arena. Because I'm a huge wimp when it comes to extreme weather, plus it rains a lot in Denver.

9. Good ventilation and light if they are kept in stalls most of the day.

10. Must be within thirty minutes of us. I don't have enough time to drive further than that on an almost daily basis.

With those requirements, I have about four different options.

A. Fancy Horse Park

Pros:
•Great facilities with about everything you could ever hope for.
•Home to several large shows (showing Indy at the home court would be very, very nice AKA I might actually not die).
•Did I mention it would damn near be perfect?
•About a twenty minute drive from the track.

Cons:
•Cost- It would cost me about $800 more a month than I'm paying now to keep both horses there. I can do a lot of things with that money (a show a month for both horses, 8-16 lessons depending on the trainer, a couple of clinics with both horses, etc.)
•They only have one dressage trainer and about five H/J trainers. This may or may not be a good thing.
•The price might give the fiancé a heart attack.
•The chances of being surrounded by high maintence DDDs increases immensely.

B. The Jumper Barn

Pros
• This place takes phenomenal care of the horses
•Offers a multiple horse discount
•I really liked the jumper trainer and have absolutely no problem taking lessons from him again
•Jumper trainer already knows Indy (he warned me when she was three that she was going to take a lot more time and patience than most horses #rightontarget).
•Great facility with all the amenities, stalls w/ runs, and turn out time in huge pastures.
•The board is more expensive, but it covers everything from grain and supplements (they have an awesome feed program) to turn out to two lessons a month.
•Zero risk of DDDs.

Cons:
• I'm afraid that this place will make me want to convert to jumpers. The temptation is real.
•If I do find the time to show, I won't have a trainer there to coach me.

C. The barn I took a lesson at last year.

Pros:
• I really liked the trainer.
• A super awesome lady that I know from home boards and rides there.

Cons:

•The facility is also a horse rescue, which is great for the horses being rescued. However, rescue horses coming in means a large increase in the chances of diseases also coming in. It would be bad enough to have Winn and Indy get sick, but I can't risk our entire livelyhood by taking the chance that I could bring something from there back to the track.
•They have a lot of kid camps. I don't mind a few kids at the barn here and there, but when you get about thirty of those little buggers in one area, they turn into crazy gremlins running running around like a bunch of crackheads. I prefer serenity whenever possible.
•I don't necessarily love the facilities and the BM's wife chasing/running her horse around a hundred miles in the arena next to where I was taking a lesson didn't impress me. Beefs handled it fairly well, but Indy would probably plant my ass if that happened.

D. Barn that seems great, but I don't actually know much about.

Pros:
•The facility looks functional and nice.
•Affordable
•Only twenty minutes away from the track.
•Dressage trainer and eventing trainer based there.

Cons:
•I don't know anything about the place or trainer or who to ask about it.

Anyway, I'm thinking B and D are my best options right now. If anyone has any info about trainers in the Aurora/Parker, CO area please let me know.