Help - Does Anyone Know Anything About Northern Michigan?????

[Ineedawhiskey]

Hello All,

I have just accepted a job offer in Boyne Falls, Michigan. It is the northern part of the state; not too far from Mackinac Island (yeah...horses only!) and the Canadian border. While I know it is great for winter sports (the number one ski destination in the Midwest) and boating on Lake Michigan, I don't know much about the horse scene. I have heard that it is great for hiking and riding; there is a shore-to-shore horse trail that is 250 miles long that passes through the area.

We are planning on taking our horses and the Internet research I have done shows some reasonable horse boarding in the area...however, I just don't know much about caring for horses in that type of weather...if anyone has any experience/contacts/information it would greatly appreciated!

Thanks All!

[Deb Taylor]

Ineedawhiskey,

You're going to love the weather up there! I had horses in the southern part of Michigan but in a very cold, lake-effect snow area. One of the nicest things is that you won't have the mold and fungus to deal with like we do in FL. You also may have less flies and gnats, but watch out for those mosquitoes!

The humidity is much lower and it is way easier to breathe. When you sweat, it actually evaporates :) The best riding season is in spring, summer and fall which is nice because it doesn't conflict with the winter deer hunting season. You can ride in the winter snow but you may need to put some vasoline on the sole of your horse's feet to keep the snow from balling up. In the winter, I stalled inside a cozy barn at night (straw bedding and a pitchfork beats sawdust and a manure picker for warmth everytime.) But otherwise I would let my horse's grow fuzzy winter coats and never blanketed.

Hope that helps a little. To me the best of both worlds would be Michigan in the summer and FL in the winter :)

Deb

[Ineedawhiskey]

Thanks Deb! I will make sure I have plenty of vasoline around the barn!

I have seen several barns advertising pasture board. Is that practical with a 3-sided run-in shed? Do you need shoes all the time?

I am SO looking forward to the summer and fall experience...I just have to get the horses up there comfortably. I'm debating between hauling them myself or getting a carrier. How did you get your horses down here?

Thanks, Christina

[Deb Taylor]

Christina,

I would not keep a horse in upper MI in a 3-sided shed during the winter unless my horse was head huncho and I knew he could get inside as needed. The open side of the shed needs to face south or southeast to avoid the prevailing (bitter) Canadian winds from the northwest. I personally would not attempt it in Winter, but the rest of the time would be no problem. It would be a good temporary situation and give you time to locate a cozy barn for the winter nights. Shoes depend on terrain ridden. I never shoe if I can help it.

I have the name of a great horse shipper! (I had to ship a mare from Milton to PA and by the time I figured gas etc it was nearly as cheap to have her hauled by a professional!) Her name is Denise Brookneal in LA and she makes regular runs in this 1/2 of the U.S. She typically waits until she has a small group on a particular route and then coordiates the run. She provided my mare with a box stall (most want to put them in a standing stall but for such a long trip I refused), took excellent care of my horse and kept in touch with me the whole way. If you use her, tell her that I recommended her....just remind her of a small bay Morgan mare with an injured hoof that she hauled from the FL panhandle to a college town in PA last Fall. The following website address is to her profile on UShip. (You can also post an ad on UShip and haulers will bid on hauling your horses.) Denise will be hard to beat in price though and excels in the horse care. She really cares about the horses and set my mind at ease. Hope that helps! Deb

The link does not seem to be working so just type in uship.com/profile/brookneal

[Ineedawhiskey]

Thanks Deb! I might do that - look for pasture board when I first get there and then locate a nice indoor barn with indoor arena for winter.

I will contact that shipper right away - thanks for the tip!!!

BTW, anything else you can think of let me know!

Christina

[Cooper]

I lived in Upper Michigan for 5 winters (that's the way you count when you've seen snow in every month of the year), but that was above the bridge (as the Yoopers say you'll be trolls...living below the bridge). Lots of great trails and pine forests, and the great thing about winter is once it gets cold it stays cold, none of the slushy damp weather you get in the midwest. I did a lot more winter recreation there than I did growing up in Ohio. Skiing, snow-shoeing, skating, and hiking. Good luck and have fun.

[Ineedawhiskey]

Thanks. We arrived yesterday morning and it was 38 degrees at 6:00AM!!! I am SO cold already....

Do you by any chance have any good suggestions for troll horse boarding? I've visited a few barns, but nothing perfect yet...

Thanks