Barn Owner asking for board early

[rockonxox]

If you can afford to pay early pay. If there are no issues with your horses care and you like being at the barn and have no concerns other than the BO asking for early payment then I wouldn’t get unhinged about this request. BO is going out of town and may not have resources to deposit checks before their return. She is being proactive. Went about it the wrong way, sure, there should have been a 30 days letter vs the 5 days and if I were the BO I’d say “if you can pay early it would be appreciated” instead of a demand… but in the grand scheme of things, if you can afford to pay the 4 days early, just do it. This isn’t the hill I’d die on.

There is no problem explaining that you are unable to pay early and will pay per usual on the 1st. Say she didn’t give you enough notice to make arrangements for early payment (which in reality she didn’t) and wish her a good vacation.

[DunByMistake]

I find the responses on this thread extremely ironic.

There are plenty of people saying that this the BO should have better budgeting and cash management. I also have my sincere doubts about the availability of lines of credits to cover shortfalls for boarding businesses.

On the other hand, there are posts on this board almost every day about boarding and the overwhelming consensus is that boarding barns make no money and barely cover their costs. If a business is barely covering its costs, there is little to no money left to save every month. You can argue that barns need to charge more but no one wants to pay more either. If there’s no money left at end of month to cover next month’s bills, then how is BO supposed to cover that without receiving board revenue? Assuming this is her full time job, she probably isn’t able to pay herself enough to cover costs personally either and then be reimbursed.

[Jealoushe]

@Palm Beach

Yep, until a mistake is made. Like you send the wrong amount. Or it’s send to the wrong person. What is the process of getting a refund? Who do you call?

You can cancel on your end, and they need the password to accept it Wrong person cant deposit it.

[ASB_Stars]

@RedHorses

On November 26 leave your check dated December 1st.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

Great idea, but illegal as hell- at least in PA

[Kiwi19]

@Jealoushe

You can cancel on your end, and they need the password to accept it Wrong person cant deposit it.

Except in cases where the person is set up for auto deposit. Have to hope they send the money back!

[Crazy4aOTTB]

Thank you all for your responses! I didn’t not expect so many. I had already had a bad day & the BM had just sent a super long text of gripes (messy barn, people not picking up poop, things going missing) to the entire barn in a group text an hour before. So instead of responding to her immediately I reached out to COTH to see if I was over reacting. Now that I have slept on it I did the following…

I spoke with the BM today & explained that I do not get paid until the last day of the month. I told her I would be happy to deposit it into her account if she would like to leave a deposit slip. She politely said not to worry about it & she understood so problem solved.

after reading the responses I thought I would address a my financed since it seemed to be troubling people…I have no trouble affording a horse & consider myself financially stable with a decent size emergency savings fund. However I only keep my monthly paycheck in my checking account. If I over spend my bank will pull funds from my money market to cover the debt. However I only get 2 freebies a year after which the bank charges 8.00. December 15th will make 1year since I have been at this barn & I have left board checks early (dated 1st) that we’re cashed before I got paid. So I had to stop doing so.

For me this situation struck a nerve because I have a habit of giving, being over accommodating. This has gotten me in trouble in life & at my last boarding barn when I felt used up physical,mentally & even financially. So at this barn I am trying to learn from my past mistakes & just be a good boarder, pay my bills on time clean up after myself & horse & stay out of doing extras around the barn.

[TWH_Girl]

@Crazy4aOTTB

Thank you all for your responses! I didn’t not expect so many. I had already had a bad day & the BM had just sent a super long text of gripes (messy barn, people not picking up poop, things going missing) to the entire barn in a group text an hour before. So instead of responding to her immediately I reached out to COTH to see if I was over reacting. Now that I have slept on it I did the following…

I spoke with the BM today & explained that I do not get paid until the last day of the month. I told her I would be happy to deposit it into her account if she would like to leave a deposit slip. She politely said not to worry about it & she understood so problem solved.

after reading the responses I thought I would address a my financed since it seemed to be troubling people…I have no trouble affording a horse & consider myself financially stable with a decent size emergency savings fund. However I only keep my monthly paycheck in my checking account. If I over spend my bank will pull funds from my money market to cover the debt. However I only get 2 freebies a year after which the bank charges 8.00. December 15th will make 1year since I have been at this barn & I have left board checks early (dated 1st) that we’re cashed before I got paid. So I had to stop doing so.

For me this situation struck a nerve because I have a habit of giving, being over accommodating. This has gotten me in trouble in life & at my last boarding barn when I felt used up physical,mentally & even financially. So at this barn I am trying to learn from my past mistakes & just be a good boarder, pay my bills on time clean up after myself & horse & stay out of doing extras around the barn.

Glad it worked out okay. And please, no apologies. You don’t owe any of us an explanation for how you manage your finances.

[clanter]

December 15th will make 1year since I have been at this barn & I have left board checks early (dated 1st) that we’re cashed before I got paid. So I had to stop doing so.

admittedly it has been nearly 30 years ago that we boarded a horse…but even in the dark ages we just had a credit card on file (well they actually had the card) that the barn debited each month …and that was in 1991

The reason we went that way were several, barn was 900 miles away, barn owner did not have to wait for money, pay farrier, pay vet and I could actually challenge any charge if I saw fit and the horse could buy lunch every now an then for the staff… but this was easily done then before this age of electronic transfers being done from a phone

[Angela_Freda]

I hate group admonishment of behaviors, like not cleaning up poop, etc when I am not the culprit, nor are half the people on the group admonishment.
Direct it to the culprits.

Glad it worked out OP

[trubandloki]

I too hate group communications that make me feel like I am being blamed for something I did not do. But, I accept them as the way things are done and I get why they are done that way.
In the above barn example it allows the barn owner to send out one communication and they know they have hit everyone involved and it is a reminder to those who do not make a mess.
It also lowers the chances of Messy Boarder A sending the barn owner a response like “Did you not see that Messy Boarder B did not clean up their manure in the wash rack last week on Tuesday? I missed one pile and you are blaming all the barn’s mess on me.” Messy Boarder A can see that everyone was informed and can go about their happy life of denial that they make most of the mess at the barn.

[MsM]

Regarding payment methods: My bank allows me to set up automatic payments from my (interest bearing) checking account. (I can also do credit card payments not on auto as the totals change each month. ) For big companies, the money goes right to them. For my BO they mail a check. I have mine set about the 23rd so that she gets it in plenty of time and it helps her cash flow. I do keep enough money in the account not to worry as part of my “small unexpected expense” fund. (The regular savings account doesnt pay much in interest anyway) I really like not having to worry about remembering the board bill!

[rothmpp]

Some BO are more comfortable using the variety of electronic options available than other BOs. My current one is happy to accept money via Venmo or Zelle. She’ll invoice via PayPal but does not like to take payments that way.

The previous one was one of those “send me a check” types. That was problematic to be sure it got to her on time, without sending it so early and having her cash it over a week early sometimes.

OP - thanks for explaining for those here wearing their judgey pants. As you had even said in your original post, you had the money to cover via savings, but many of us do the same thing - leave just enough money in a account to cover the bills and transfer the rest into a money market/savings/investment account. I agree that poor planning on her part to make sure her bills were paid did not constitute a emergency on your part. Had she let you know in the beginning of the month that this was going to be a thing, you would have had an opportunity to make the deposit changes to cover the change in the date.

[BeeHoney]

It’s interesting to read the responses of people who would feel put out by a BO asking for payment a few days early in the setting of a vacation/ holiday situation, with snippy asides about the boarding contract.

It’s a good lesson for a BO to read stuff like this. I think a lot of BOs do MANY extra little things (and big things) that are not included in the boarding contract for their clients ALL THE TIME, either without asking to be paid or with charges that don’t begin to offset the inconvenience of the situation. For example, nothing in my boarding contract with my clients obligates me to ruin my Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner by staying at the side of a colicking horse, yet that’s where I (and many other BOs/BMs) would be if that happened.

I think it is incredibly short sighted to refuse a BO a small favor that in all likelihood has been outweighed by things they have done for you. Your BO’s alternative is to raise their rates significantly so that they have a larger cash reserve in place. Another alternative is for your BO to buy cheaper hay. Did any of you even stop to think that this is the time of year when many BOs face the extreme seasonal cost of securing hay for the winter?

As a practical matter, any BO who “plans their finances better” is going to end up raising their rates. Hay, bedding, and labor are all increasing rapidly in cost. Be careful what you wish for.

[Gainer]

@js

I would pull the amount out of savings and pay early as BO requested. It’s only 4 days, once you are paid you can transfer the amount from your checking account to your savings.

Four days early isn’t worth getting too upset over, two weeks or more would be different or if BO started asking constantly for early payments then that would be different.

This. I once had a barn owner that, every month, would ask me to pay my board (multiple horses) 2 weeks early because he couldn’t afford to buy feed.

Turned out the guy had stiffed every feed store, farrier, vet, etc. to the point that no one would give him credit. He also spent all the deposits he collected from clients on his personal stuff. Needless to say, I left shortly after.

He’s still doing the same thing many years later.

[SMF11]

As always, I think BeeHoney said it best. I go out of my way fairly frequently for boarders, and if I were in a bind and needed a favor from them that they could do without much trouble, I would expect them to. I find in life what you put out is often what you get back. If you are helpful, respectful, friendly etc, that’s what you’ll get back. I have that kind of relationship with my boarders. If I didn’t, I would ask them to leave. Life’s too short to deal with unaccommodating, unfriendly, unhelpful people. Luckily I haven’t had to do this because I screen prospective boarders very carefully.

[Arlomine]

I’m a BO
Most of the posters were just icky.
We get asked all the time to postpone cashing checks for people. Shit happens, and if someone gives me some advance notice I really don’t mind, nor do I impose the late fee. It’s a FAVOR, people.
Unless you’re in a truly shitty barn, it would probably only take you a few seconds to think of the very many favors your barn owner has done for you, like pulling blankets and fixing the loose straps when it’s not included in board, loaning you ALL kinds of tack, first aid and other equipment, bringing your horse and when they are having a melt down, even though we are in the middle of something else. Holding your horse for the vet or farrier when we were not scheduled to do so. Taking care of your horse when you are out of communication.

I agree that the BO. Plus have added a “thank you so much for the favor accommodating my schedule”

you our guys were all so eager to call foul, and the BO in question turned out to be a reasonable person.
Ugh.

[candyappy]

@Angela Freda

I hate group admonishment of behaviors, like not cleaning up poop, etc when I am not the culprit, nor are half the people on the group admonishment.
Direct it to the culprits.

Glad it worked out OP

My BO would leave notes up in the barn when the issues reared their lovely heads. We all found them quite amusing as he had a flair with whit and humor, but the point was made. Since he didn’t know who the offenders were it was addressed to all.

If you aren’t an offender it shouldn’t bother you, but they have to let everyone know so the offender can hopefully comply. Ours always did.

[Zenyatta]

If you have the money, take it out of your savings and pay early. What’s the big deal?

;)

[Texarkana]

I feel like I need to repeat:

I don’t inherently have a problem with helping out a BO, or a BO asking for a favor. I am not ungrateful to them. It’s a thankless business. I am always willing to lend a hand, especially to people who I value and respect.

I also understand there are 1,001 reasons why a BO might need to change the payment date.

BUT…

I have a huge problem with a barn owner changing the payment date with less than a week’s notice. I especially have a problem when it comes in the form of a mass text with not even so much as an “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.” A smiley face emoji does not negate the fact that you have messed up and need a favor ASAP. Favors are just that- favors. They aren’t compulsory demands.

We all make mistakes. I am not one of those “holier than thou” people who thinks I am infallible, therefore everyone should be infallible. But I do believe there is a right way and a wrong way to approach money/business situations, and this instance was the wrong way. Is it an earth-shattering request? No. But it is completely unprofessional.

I feel lucky to have rarely encountered the likes of some barn owners described in this thread who think it’s OK to treat their boarders like ATMs. As a result, I have been more than willing to help them out however possible- by choice. Just like they have helped me out when I was in a bind- by choice.

My farrier doesn’t make me pay for shoeing in advance of services because there are going to be hard times ahead. My mom & pop feed store doesn’t ring up next week’s order in advance because they will be closed for the holiday and need to get to the bank. There is a responsibility of a business owner to accept responsibility for THEIR business.

Had the barn owner written a professional communication in October notifying the boarders of the change in payment terms for November, I wouldn’t have blinked. Had the barn owner accepted responsibility for the mistake and politely and humbly asked for the favor of early payment without warning, I also wouldn’t have blinked. But thinking it’s cool to randomly change the due date with little to no warning chaps me, even if I’d begrudgingly pay it.

If you are a barn owner who thinks it’s copacetic you run your business by whimsically demanding early payment from your boarders when you are in a bind, you need to rethink your business model. Just like if you are a boarder who thinks it’s fine to demand services from your BO that you are not paying for, you need a reality check and a good barn owner to set you down.

This whole thread illustrates one of the many reasons why boarding can suck so much from both parties’ perspectives.

[sophie]

@candyappy

Since he didn’t know who the offenders were it was addressed to all.

If you aren’t an offender it shouldn’t bother you, but they have to let everyone know so the offender can hopefully comply. Ours always did.

^^this.
Our BM as well as the barn workers often remind people (lessoners, boarders etc) of things like pick up your horse’s poop, don’t leave the hoses on the hydrants in winter, etc. etc. on the barn’s FB page. It’s addressed to everyone so that everyone knows about it and no one is singled out, altough there are cameras in the barn and she could easily know who the culprit is.