Doesn't Recommend

hunterequitationgirl

Joined 2 years ago

Worst Boarding Facility!. I don't know where is begin. I had two horses there a couple years back and eventually had to move them because you could see their spines and every single rib on them. The stalls are small, no windows except the outside ones, dusty, dirty, disgusting. The barn was never clean, the arena was hard dirt and extremely dusty, you would have to stop working your horse after 5 min because your horse would be coughing so bad, the washracks were never clean, the water never worked half the time, just a terrible place to keep your horse. They offered pasture board at the time when I was there. It was maybe 3-5 acres with about 15 horses on it. Bremuda grass would die off in the winter and would be fed hay but one hay bale NEVER sufficed!!! My horses got so skinny I just decided to bring them up every day and feed them grain because the barn wouldnt put anymore bales out. The owner got extremely upset with me and told me I could not bring my STARVING horses up to feed them anymore. That is when I had been pushed too far and moved my horses out IMMEDIATELY. The owner is cheap, heartless and just wants your money. RIDICULOUS!!! The worst boarding facility I have ever stayed at!!!!!

Doesn't Recommend

tallyho15

Joined 3 years ago

Negligent, Lazy Management and overpriced. Where to begin? As many others have stated, it is a very impressive looking facility and that along with some false advertising about a great XC course and "dedicated" management it SEEMS ideal. Here is what they don't tell you:

Barn owner is incredibly unpleasant and difficult to deal with, and there are so many "barn rules" that you will inevitably be charged for doing something wrong eventually regardless of whether or not it is stated in your contract (which it won't be).

You must buy hay onsite and unseen---and for three months in winter the hay was strawlike and unpallatable, we even paid to have it tested and results came back as "no nutritional value". This combined with a lack of turnout undoubtedly contributed to expensive treatment for ulcers for my horse.

On top of being straw, I did find a mangled piece of rusted barbed wire in one of my bales one month and barn owner refused to replace even that bale.

My horse also went three days without food because nobody bothered to call and tell me I was out of feed. Several boarders throughout the course of one month had found their horses with day-old injuries that nobody bothered to notify them of. I witnessed one horse being dragged to be turned out basically on three legs and I personally had to bring him back in and call the owner.

You basically overpay to rent a stall.

This is why nobody stays there long and there are 20 stalls filled out of 100. The owner literally does not care about your horse, he's too busy thinking of ways to nickel and dime you. This barn's saving grace is the on site trainer whom I trusted to keep an eye out for my baby since I knew nobody else would.

Until a professional with horse experience and people skills decides to take over this facility, I cannot and will not recommend it.

Doesn't Recommend

Unhappy7295

Joined 3 years ago

Owner has no people skills. 100 stall barn on 41 acres...mmmm...no wonder they don't turn out. More dangerous for horses to be kept in for several days at a time..they tend to run more, tear up pastures and hurt themselve. But, you can't tell him that. He only cares about his precious pastures. As for the barn..nice barn, but come on..closes up windows, doors air tight beginning in October. Very unhealthy for the horses.Anygiven day in the winter you can walk thru the barn and hear them coughing..dusty, blow aisles with blower which creates more dust, barn smells very bad of urine. Covered arena was recently leveled, but footing is DIRT..yes, DIRT and very hard on horses feet as it hardly ever gets drug and is very hard. Round pen has very deep holes in it and wouldn't think of lunging in there. Also wood border on bottom which a few horses have gotten stuck under and injured. There are black walnut trees in pastures which are lethal to horses. The owners are the culprits of the gossip. Could go on and on but think you have probably gotten the point. Go visit, take a tour and if you are a perceptive person you will see right through them.

Recommends

HorseLuvr2

Joined 3 years ago

Comments to BEWARE. Normally I wouldn't respond to a review about a service or place of business because everyone is entitled to their own opinion or may have had a different experience at a facility. After reading this review I felt like there should be some clarifications made. I am not an employee of the barn, but someone that has boarded there for 5+ years.

I have been nothing but happy with the service that I have received and even though I don't agree with every single decision that has been made, I can understand where management is coming from and know that they have my horse’s best interest at heart. Every person that works at this facility takes the time to make sure that your horse is well taken care of. The few times that my horse has gotten sick or injured, management notified me immediately. This is not something that I can say of other facilities that I have boarded at. All charges are made clear in the boarding agreement and changes to said agreement require that all boarders re-sign the contract.

Yes, the horses stay in the day it rains and the day after if the ground is too wet. This is something that not all facilities do but that is the reason that the pastures stay nice and grassy. This also prevents deep mud from forming at the gates and water troughs which saves the horses from loosing shoes and pulling muscles. The owner had the Dept of Agriculture soil test the pastures before he opened them. To me that shows a great commitment to making sure the facility is the best that it can be for your horse.

Hay must be bought through the barn and the prices are competitive. It is a little more than what you would pay at the feed store, but you don't have to spend the time, gas or hassle of loading and unloading hay. Even if this was not a mandatory service I would still by my hay though the barn because its one less thing that I have to worry about! If the hay is ever moldy it is gladly replaced, which has only happened to me one time with one bale.

Shavings have become an issue, not just at this facility but all barns. With the building market slowdown, this has left fewer shavings that can be produced. Management has done everything in their power to make sure that ALL boarders get the shavings that they are guaranteed in their boarding contract. Even though the price of shavings has risen, management has not passed the difference onto boarders. This has been somewhat of an adjustment for some people in how they clean their stalls but not unreasonable. I still have a pile of shavings left at the end of the week. I understand that not all horses are clean and require more shavings than others but with careful cleaning no one should run out.

The pastures were not originally designed for pasture boarders and there is some cover under trees in poor weather.

The cross country course was not built by the owner and there has been no up keep of the fences. The CC course was only open under former management. There is no cantering in the pastures to keep them nice but there is a former pasture that is open for cantering/running. Management even cut a maze though the pasture for boarder’s enjoyment.

The management has worked very hard as of recently to improve the arenas. The owner recently had the indoor arena professionally leveled. The indoor does get dusty at times but it is regularly watered and dragged. There is no lunging in the indoor for many reasons: it makes the arena unlevel, it takes up available riding room and can make the indoor to crowded for riders. There is a round pen that is normally empty for anyone that wishes to use it. The outdoor arenas are very nice and actually where I prefer to ride. They are large enough for three people to ride very comfortable without interfering with other riders.

I would recommend this facility to anyone and know a lot of current and past boarders that would agree!

Doesn't Recommend

HorseLuvr

Joined 4 years ago

BEWARE- Worst Management I Have Ever Seen!. I do NOT recommend Tyson Equestrian (and neither will anyone else if you ask around). Find anywhere else! Though the property and facility are beautiful to look at, your horses will rarely see it.

Management under Wayne Tyson is awful- not professional, very uncooperative, not personal, and he will add numerous extra fees and conditions to your board after you've signed your soul away. If you confront them and ask about the mystery additions, they will make up an answer.

They will keep your horses in for 4-5 days per week to "preserve the pastures" even if it is sunny and bone dry out. You can only buy hay from them (crazy up charge, goes "missing" and is often moldy and they won't exchange it).

Stall shavings won't come in on time, if at all. And if they do, he won't give you enough of them.

Pastures have NO shelter if you keep them pastured 24/7.

There is a CC course, but it is only open 1 weekend per month, and in my while there, I never even saw it open once (and you CANNOT canter on it or in the fields).

You can only lunge in 2 (often flooded and dangerous) areas, the huge covered arena has a very dusty footing, the outdoor arenas are small and flood easily, etc. I could go on forever...

Just ask around, if anyone has heard of this place- it's guaranteed that they will NOT recommend it. I ignored the rumors and was happy to leave when I could. It only gets worse.

********* EDIT **********

As a a response to the feedback below, firstly that "All charges are made clear in the boarding agreement and changes to said agreement require that all boarders re-sign the contract," it may be required, but Wayne Tyson DID NOT ever have me or many other boarders that I can name, re-sign a contract when mystery charges were added. In fact, thank God I requested copies of my contract because after being asked later, Wayne Tyson's section of the contract stating the facility's tasks and responsibilities had mysteriously gone missing according to his files.

I, personally made management aware of 2 sick horses down in stalls where vets needed to be called out. I was actually told to call the owners and tell them their horses seemed sick because "they were busy" at the moment.

For nearly $300 to pasture a horse (not including feed, hay, etc.)- Tyson can afford to make shelter. Whether or not the facility was originally built for it, pasture boarding is now an option, and the facility should have been properly accommodated for this boarding option in my opinion. And they do not all have trees.

Also, a CC course should not be advertised if it is not available for use. So they have broken fences in the pastures for aesthetic value?

Commenting on the rest is not worth my time. If you enjoy calling lawyers and police officers out with you in order to be given permission to leave by Mr. Tyson, even if you have paid everything, and if you enjoy being threatened to have your horse sold if you try and trailer your horse to a hunter pace or trail ride, be my guest.

I guess this is why 15+ horses have left the property within around a 2-3 month period. Coincidence.

Don't take my word for it- ask around! Everyone will tell you to stay FAR away from Tyson.