Hi all. Anyone have a small barn where you discount board for help and what does that look like. Have a small 2 stall barn with my own horse who is not rideable. Nice pasture but no riding rings etc. Some trails nearby. Would like to take on a boarder (aquaintance) to do self care and also care of my horse…feeding 2x day, turn in out etc, cleaning stalls. I have a busy job and travel… if I had someone taking full care of my horse would be helpful. Also someone who can take care of a few things fence repair, mowing the pasture , picking up bedding and things. What would be a good exchange rate for this kind of thing?
Honestly, based on how much you expect them to do around your place, that doesn’t have any amenities, it does not sound like a break-even proposition, it sounds like you should be paying the boarder some amount.
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Do you have a barn sitter for when you travel now? If so, I’d use whatever rate you pay them as a start to figure out how a boarder/worker arrangement might look like. No one in my area is paying much more than a few hundred bucks for a backyard barn/pasture with not much in the way of amenities.
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Thank you. I was feeling this way as much.
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Maybe a hire with boarding bonus would be a good exchange.
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So for a backyard, no amenities but a barn with stall, total self care what is the going rate? I’m sure location has something to do with it.
The couple people I know who have done it make sure it covers the cost of hay/grain/bedding for the most part so they are not coming out of pocket. They may add in a little extra for their time and wear and tear, so whatever the going rate in a given area for that type of stuff.
What you are asking for sounds more like hired help that needs to be properly compensated unless they are ok with something like free board. 2X a day every day (or even MOST days) is a lot to ask of someone unless they live next door AND expecting them to pay you board.
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And fence repairs, mowing, picking up supplies for both horses…
This sounds like hired help, not “free board if you help out a little”.
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Completely agree!
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This is just so dependent on location, but expecting someone to do all the work? Every day? That’s a lot.
To start, consider how long it takes and what a reasonable hourly rate for that work is in your area, and compare that to what a reasonable board rate is for your type of set up is in your area.
Also note that it can be awfully tough for anyone to show up twice a day, especially for not a lot of work. They’re having to fit that in around whatever “real” job they’ve got, and whatever family obligations exist.
Best bet is probably someone who lives very nearby. Do you have any neighbors who might be interested?
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You can offer self care board for one horse, they provide and do the work for their horse, then pay them additional for taking care of your horse.
Two separate transactions imo.
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though don’t forget that you may need different insurance if you have a boarder. That cost should be accounted for.
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That’s a really really tall ask to find someone who wants total self care plus an extra horse to worry about and no amenities. It feels like it would be something where at a minimum they would get free board and provide just hay/grain/shavings.
If you’d have to pay someone at least $20/am and $20/pm to bother coming out that’s $1200/month. I get that it may only take you two minutes to dump grain but for someone driving the time commitment is real.
For a genuine long term partnership I’d waive board and then split shifts. Maybe they have to cover 30 and you do 30. A month out or two weeks out or whenever you set your days and they have the others. You need to have a plan for what if you both have conflicts. Do you split the rate for your preferred barn help? Only two people means fewer people to tag team.
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I’m a busy non-horsey professional that has run a successful boarding co-op for a few years now, so a very similar situation as you but with a lot more amenities, and to be honest your place sounds too small and your max number of boarders too few to make it work. We have done it with as few as two of us, but that only worked with 24/7 turnout, and it was very hard on us both. Currently we have five members and seven horses. I consider that ideal, and it’s very sustainable.
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Man I was just pondering this as well because of my current situation with my donkeys, but I have a four stall barn and only my two mares (right now), but I have a full arena with jumps, putting in a XC field soon, an exercise track is in progress, trails a mile down the road, hosting clinics on farm, and I’d just have to tweak my current insurance a little bit… I work but am home to feed and muck and do all the things 99 percent of the time, I am going out of town this coming weekend overnight and the new barn sitter is charging me a whopping $30 each feeding so $60 total and she lives literally next door to where I work so I KNOW her commute isn’t worth that much gas 
In my situation, I’d still be charging board. In OP’s? I’d be paying the boarder and getting insurance. OP would be better served boarding out her horse and then finding someone to lease her property IMO.
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That’s not a bad idea at all.
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Thank you. Yes I agree with you and should be looking for more of a paid help position with free board. I appreciate your feedback.
Thank you. That’s a thought. I do think with everyone’s feedback I realize I need to hire with a free board incentive. The prospective boarder only lives minutes away but doesn’t negate the amount of help I am asking. Glad to have everyone’s feedback. I didn’t think of insurance !
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I love this idea. Unfortunately my place is too small.
Thank you. Yes…I like your suggestion on calculating the work. Prospective boarder is minutes from me but it still is a lot to ask
