Policies & Rules

Horse Care Feed Schedule

Horses are fed at 7:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 4:30 pm. If you think your horse needs more or less food, let us know so we can cater to your horse's special needs. We feed a grass/alfalfa hay mix along with various grains designed for your horse's nutritional needs.

Horse Worming

All our horses cared for are on the Strongid C2x daily wormer from spring to fall. We are on this program because it provides excellent parasite control and aids in better digestion of food, which means healthier horses. This program requires all horses to be biannually paste wormed in addition to the daily wormer. We use ivermectrin in the fall and spring. For this program to work, we require all new horses to be paste wormed when they arrive. The next day, they receive the daily Strongid C2x wormer. Their turn out schedule is limited to the all-weather paddocks for 2 weeks. Depending on your horse's arrival he will put on the same worming program already in progress. This way we are providing the best insurance regarding our existing worming program.

Additional Horse Care Information

The barn hours are 6:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Trailer parking is on the north side of the property.
Vehicles left for any length of time should be parked on the gravel away from the front door of the barn.
You are welcome to use the lounge and the refrigerator.
The tack room allows one saddle rack and one tack box for each stall.
Horses are not allowed to be turned loose in the outdoor or indoor arenas. The mirrors are real and the possibility of a horse hitting and shattering the mirrors is probable. Furthermore, when the horses roll in the arenas it displaces the sand and causes unevenness.
If you need to lunge your horse, we prefer it in the indoor arena.

Turn Out Philosophy

Management's objective for the 4 pastures is to have grass for the horses to eat from spring to fall. During parts of the year, these pastures may be closed for fertilizing, grass growth, erosion control, weather, etc.
We turn out horses Monday through Saturday. You can always check your horse's turn out schedule on the board in the grooming stall.
Turn out time can vary depending on the weather. When it is 15 degrees Fahrenheit and below, we do not turn horses outside.
Our pasture ground is primarily clay, so we turn out when the footing is dry enough to insure grass integrity and shoe longevity.
On Sundays, the weekend employees work half days and horses are not usually turned out. If you see an empty paddock and you would like to turn your horse out, you must remain on the property.
Horses are not to be turned out and left unattended at any time.

Horse Care Security

The tack room has a manual lock. The gates close at 9:00 pm and open 6:00 am.

Horse Shoeing Care

Mike Finn comes every 5 weeks. Clients are expected to leave a check payable to Gray Horse Farm. If this is not done, Gray Horse Farm. The check can be left in the office. If this is not done Gray Horse Farm will automatically assess a Handling Fee to your bill.

Illinois Horse Care Rules

Everyone must sign a release form before riding. NO exceptions.
No smoking.
Anyone under 21 years of age must wear a hard hat.
Jumping is permitted only in a lesson.
Dogs are not allowed on the property.
Horses are not to be turned loose in either arena.
No riding in the aisle way.
Clean up after yourselves and your horses.
Turn off arena lights when leaving.
Keep arena gates closed when riding.
Proper footwear is required when riding.
Be safety conscious at all times.

These rules are in place for the safety of all riders and horses. Let's Ride!!

Handling Fee and Late Charges

Any services paid by Gray Horse Farm on behalf of your horse will require payment due on receipt of bill. There will be a $30.00 fee for any returned checks.