For a host of reasons, Ron and Patti Hengst couldn't wait to bring their Quarter Horses home.

“Now I can see my horses while I drink my coffee in the morning, and I know what kind of care they're getting,” Ron Hengst said.

Like lots of other horses, the Hengsts' animals were receiving full care at a boarding barn two miles from the couple's home. But a revolving staff and overgrazed pastures made them think about moving their horses from that facility.

Karen McCormick, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, clinical assistant professor of equine medicine at the University of Tennessee, said things like choosing a boarding barn and deciding when to leave a facility are very subjective. Still, she said, there are certain aspects of horse care an owner should consider when deciding to leave boarding barn or stay put