Unreasonable?

I'm getting to thinking maybe it's unreasonable to expect a healthy and happy, functional sport horse in the surroundings I've given him. Maybe all the other horses are a little off, a little sick, a little NQR, too, but they just don't show it as obviously as Barokko - they just have a few off days, where he acts like it's the end of the world with the same problems.

Lets see, what am I asking him to deal with:

No turn-out. I do what I can to get him out of the stall several times a day besides riding - I turn him out in the arena every day (but it's only somewhere between 15-60 mins of free time), handwalking him, lunging, HorseGym... But it's nothing compared to what he would get out of even a few hours turn out :/

Limited social contact. He's with a friend when I turn him out in the arena, and during the day he has one neighbour he can touch muzzle with.

Hay problems. First off, he never gets the recommended minimum amount of hay every day (barn policy, I don't have a say). Secondly, the quality of the hay ranges from OK to really horrible. Right now we're in a really horrible phase, most of the bales are moldy, and yes, they feed it anyway ("we throw out the worst ones"). I supplement with beet pulp and lucerne to give him some more roughage, but I can't replace the foraging behaviour he should be getting from picking the hay out between the straw etc. Also, all the moldy hay makes the air in the barn very dusty and unpleasant to be in - and hey, he gets to breathe it in all day long!

Horrendous footing in the arena, very very hard, and at the same time slightly damp, so it gets slippery - it'll be replaced completely next week, however, so hopefully that issue will become a non-issue.


I've found a small barn nearby where we live. It's partly self-care, they pay a guy to feed mornings, turn the horses out, clean the stalls, and feed lunch. The boarders (7 stalls) take turns letting in the horses, and then you feed the evening meal yourself. Weekends are self-care. They have good turn out (6 hours in winter, 8+ in summer), silage hay (so less risk of mold & spores), owners buy and prepare their own feed (so he can get the exact diet I want him on, instead of having to compromise). It's about 20% cheaper than MAK.

Negatives of that barn are of course a little extra work, and that it's again a different barn from where I work - but it's in walking distance from home, which helps a lot with time issues. They don't have a covered arena, but they do have a small outdoor that's rideable even now after tons and tons of rain, and it's within riding distance to HRK with large arenas, lots of shows, and several different trainers for both dressage and jumping. They don't have the awesome access to Dyrehaven MAK has, but it does have trail access to both Jægersborg Hegn and Rude Skov.

I've signed up for a stall there, the BM said there could realistically be an opening in time for summer, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. I'm so tired of people never doing things the way I want them done, maybe it's time I do more of it myself - plus the cheaper board means I can get away with a few less private lessons, and so be more flexible with my time.