I have the opportunity to take a position of barn manager at the facility that my daughters are currently at. Our current barn manager is retiring and leaving behind her job which was not only manager, but ranch hand and sole operator of the entire facility. She does everything from feeding, cleaning, ranch upkeep, to answering phones, ordering hay and bedding, the whole 9 yards! I can easily answer some of these questions myself from the experience I do have, but many things that a manager does often go unnoticed. What duties does your barn manager or a typical manager have? Does the facility you are at have a manager and a ranch hand, one to run office tasks and another to run facility duties such as stall cleaning, fence mending and the in between? I’m very interested to hear from managers with experience about their daily production. I have plenty of research to do and a handful of people to talk to before I move forward with anything, as a long time reader here I finally have a reason to use this wonderful forum as a resource for this opportunity. Much thanks in advance!
Barn Managers can have a variety of tasks and responsibilities. It depends on the facility. Ultimately the person who pays the BM’s salary defines the job and the responsibilities. If you are hoping to learn more about the specific position you are considering, you may ask to shadow the current BM for a day, perhaps more. No doubt you’ll learn a ton about that specific job and whether it appeals to you.
Some farms separate the office work from the more physical work like stall cleaning and fence mending and assign the tasks to two different staff members (or more). However, if the current BO employs one person to perform all these tasks, the likelihood the BO could be convinced to hire two people to replace one retiring BM is probably not high. Mid-line barns generally don’t make a lot of money on their endeavors and hiring an additional employee is often not a realistic option if there isn’t additional income to offset the expense.
Do get a complete job description from the employer along with all the duties required. Talk to the person currently filling the BM position to understand what the position entails and shadow them for a day if possible. If you accept the job, there is nothing wrong with offering suggestions on how to improve the operations, but don’t expect every suggestion (or maybe any suggestions) to be adopted. Be prepared to perform the exact job the departing BM is performing unless there is a very strong reason to believe otherwise.
Let us know what you decide!!
When I was assistant barn manager here were my duties:
- managed the interns (assigned them tasks, ensured tasks were done correctly, trained them)
- mucked/bedded stalls
- fed
- turned in/out
- blanket changes
- fly masks on/off
- managed nutrition plans for all horses
- informed boarders when any supplements they provided were low
- managed farrier schedule
- performed visual check on each horse, including checking for shoes. if shoes were missing, add to farrier schedule and notify owner. If any injuries were detected, treated if minor and notified owner. If anything more concerning was found, stabilize if necessary and notify owner.
- managed vet schedule
- managed deworming protocol and schedule
- cleaned shared spaces, including bathroom
- ordered feed
- ordered bedding
- checked fences
- rode horses (both hacks and training rides)
- provided additional services per diem (hacks, training rides, body clipping, sheath cleaning, grooming, etc)
- addressed injuries
- ordered hay and round bales
- set round bales in fields
That was all I can think of off the top of my head. I know I did more.
This sounds like a big job that takes physical health, strength, and organization. What does it pay?
I would not advise anyone taking a job like this unless they were very comfortable handling a variety of horses, had good handyman skills, was very strong and fit, and had good horse keeping skills. Do you know how to recognize common horse ailments, when to call the vet and when to doctor at home? Can you evaluate hay type quality and value?
It would be rough being tossed into a job like this without a mentor unless you had already done this work before. If you grew up on a ranch for Instance that would be really good prep.
If this person is the main or sole responsible adult on the property then they need to be able to catch escaped horses, help cast horses, spot colicky horses, monitor condition of horses and adjust the feed, spot lameness, etc.
Who else is on the property and what do they do? Who does the books and pays the bills?
This one sounds like a ranch hand, not a manager. Also sounds like it’s anything but a 40 hour week. Don’t get fooled into thinking its flexible and will get you more time with your kids either. Unless you move them into a stall.
If you want to explore it anyway please shadow the retiring BM and for longer then one day. And stay with her all day from the minute she arrives on the property to when she drives home. Ask her to track any phone calls, texts, tweets or e mails she receives during her off time and be sure they are time stamped,
The biggest setback is it sounds like you have the sole responsibility for care if all the animals? And this pays how much?
Know it sounds lime like an opportunity to learn more about management of horses but it usually works out as how many board feet of fence rails, what kind of nails, elementary traclor repair and the cheapest way to get a load of ________ delivered to repair_________ within 24 hours. Oh, if it snows or ices up, you do that too. Don’t want a boarder slipping on untreated ice in the parking lot and suing.
That’s true, it’s probably a ten hour day 24/7, and on call for midnight emergencies. If you are considering it just to be part of your daughter’s riding life, I wouldn’t advise. Better to get a part time job in the nonhorse world so you can afford to take lessons alongside your daughter!
Assuming that it could work out in a fair manner, It would seen nice for the barn manager position to be divided between two people (they would have to have excellent communication skills and be outstanding team players). This could be done by working different days or by working two shifts. Being a sole barn manager to me sounds like it might keep someone with two kids busier than they might want to be.
No amount of pay is worth the hassle headache of running a boarding barn. Whinny owners who think their horse ,needs bedding up to horse’s knees. Find another way to spend time with daughter. It’s a burn out job if you love horse’s. You’ll hate them and people after managing a boarding barn.
You won’t be able to go watch your daughter at shows because you will need to be on-site feeding and cleaning.
Can you shadow the current BM for a while and see and experience exactly what a few weeks of her life are like? That way you can learn from her and also see what her hours are and how physically demanding the job is.
I don’t know what age category you fall into, but stall cleaning and other farm tasks take a toll on a body, especially once you hit your 30’s. You won’t feel it at first, but you could feel it years later when you don’t need/ want to!
Not only do you need to be comfortable around all types / sizes of horses, you need 100% excellent people skills and be able to handle stress and emergency situations ( people and horse related).
How will you take time off? Vacations? Are you able to have staff (even if part time)?
Dealing with boarder questions and equine injuries are perhaps the two most unpredictable things that can really blow up your schedule. Also colics and such. Some barns expect owner’s to deal with these types of things, but even at those barns you will likely have to assist until the owner can be reached, or if they are away.
