I feed 3 and a bag lasts me a long , long time too. I will see if feeding it makes any noticeable difference this time to see if I buy it again.
1 Like
About a year ago, the boarding facility raised board $150/month. More than half the barn left. Some because they built or bought their own place for their horse(s) and some because they did find places slightly less with the same amenities. I moved to a retirement place that was the same amount but everything was included (extra food, annual shots, trims, etc.) I was charged for medications and vet visits (injuries/colic). It made sense but now, that has gone up $150/month and I am coming to the conclusion that I may have to euthanized instead of compromising my family’s financial well-being. I did find a place local that seems to work that is MUCH less expensive and with the extras I will have to pay again, may be what I was paying. So I’m taking the leap and praying it will be good.
ETA: I do understand why board needs to go up but its heartbreaking because I doubt I’ll ever be able to own again with prices continuing to increase.
9 Likes
A little diversion here, but still relates to cost of horses. I hesitate to post this in case TSC (Tractor Supply Co) is listening, but I am curious to see if others have experienced this.
My regular feed/shaving store has been having a hard time sourcing the fine flakes so I started buying 40lb bags of stall pellets @$8.50/bag, which they quickly ran out of due to all the fine flake people now buying their pellets. So, I went to TSC and picked some up at $6.79 per 40lb bag. I was recently at a different TSC and same bag was $5.79 per 40lb bag ($1 per bag cheaper). I don’t see a difference in any of the 3 different sourced pellets except the price. Both TSCs are relatively close to each other (maybe 5-10 miles apart). I asked and they’ve been that price at both stores for a long time, so this isn’t a sale price or something new. The cheapest one has a little sign next to the pellets that says, “great price!”, the other store doesn’t have this sign lol.
So, my question: is it typical for TSCs to have things regularly priced differently at different stores? I guess I never thought to check two stores that are relatively close to each other for price differences before. A $1 per bag savings adds up quickly, and of course $2.71 difference from the pellets with a horse pic on the bag adds up even quicker.
5 Likes
Yes! I recently learned this at our local TSC! Prices, pellets in particular, are different between locations. The man in front of me showed the cashier his phone- I asked if there was a coupon or something, and he said “no, they said they’ll price match”. Because of the town I live in, prices are higher than other locations.
3 Likes
yes, at least we have seen that happening But they have price matched to the lower price when we questioned them. There are 13 around us, and Often there are pricing differences
1 Like
Yes but holy cow I pay $7.49 for the same shavings in Maryland. I haven’t seen them for $5.79 anywhere I have ever lived!
1 Like
in Fort Worth the TSC fine or flake shavings are $5.29 one at a time, however go to the next TSC out the same road just five miles the same shavings are $6.29
(fine shavings are Not discounted for bulk purchases at either)
the 40 pound bag of wood pellet bedding is $5.99 at the first store whereas same product at the second is $6.49
They were when I bought them a few months ago. I bought a pallet and they were discounted at the same rate as any other bulk purchase.
same here as we bought two pallets of the Fine last month, at that Time there was a 5% bulk discount however Today according to the TSC web site there is not a bulk discount offer on Fine shavings now
When I was at the web site I was randomly selected to answer a survey which I did, the last question allowed me to specifically tell them that in these times of runaway product pricing I and others are checking pricing from multiple vendors Before making a purchase, also noted their pricing for the same commonly purchased product could vary 20% between stores just a few miles apart which makes me to be hesitant to make Any purchase at TSC without researching the cost first
1 Like
Oh wow. That is crazy.
That $200 pays for the nicer facilities and maintaining them and a trainer, so no they are not undercharging. Amenities are not free, they are not even cheap, heck they are barely “affordable” for some people.
And people ask if I want to board 
This is why NOT.
12 Likes
lol I missed that clarification - OP’s barn is almost DEFINITELY undercharging.
It’s like saying “this car is overpriced! I could get one for $2k less but that one doesn’t have cruise control or heated seats!”
3 Likes
I really think self care and co-op barns are going to have to be a thing if normal folks are going to own horses.
The labor and property cost are sky rocketing and becoming harder and harder to find.
Boarding barns might have a chance to stay open if the owners don’t get so burnt out so quickly.
9 Likes
I’ve been thinking about this when I think about reopening, but it comes with it’s own sets of stressors as well. Keeping people honest about using only their supplies, making sure they have enough of so that the horse doesn’t go without, making sure they are cleaning enough to not damage the stall or make your barn smelly etc. etc. Having the rules is one thing, and making sure people follow them is quite another.
I shied away from it at first because the thought of those stressors alone made me crazy. Having to kick out a horse you really care for because their owner is negligent gives me anxiety. Maybe there are some absentee BOs that can do that, but I am not one of them.
9 Likes
Co-op is what happened where I am now. It was going to be converted to self care but several of us banded together to make it a co-op instead as none of us can make it out every day to do care and couldn’t deal with having to source/store our own hay. We have managed to make it work, but I sure do miss the days where I handed the barn manager the check and that was the end of my responsibilities for feeding/cleaning. We are going to have to do another barn cleanup day as that isn’t included either.
A facility with good amenities (.i.e. covered arena and attached run to stall) and quality hay is probably $1000 a month with additional required lesson/training rides. My horse isn’t young and has had two significant injuries with downtime a year each along with the super fun ground rehab. I can’t handle the thought of some up and coming trainer thinking they know better than me and breaking her for good this time. We also don’t need weekly lessons… what gets covered in lessons often takes a couple of weeks to get. So we persist where we are!
5 Likes
Yep, same here in Buffalo. Barns are increasing prices (which they should! it’s hard work, the price of everything is going up, and people need to be paid fairly for their work!) and paychecks aren’t rising to match them. My barn has increased annually, with a letter about how much shavings, hay, etc have gone up year over year comparison. The boarding options that are left are often sub-optimal in one way or another (turnout, hay quality, etc) but it’s the best that’s available. The general inflation rate is going up so much that anyone who isn’t already very very wealthy is being priced out of the sport. I’ve been thinking about this lately- my horse is in his middle teens, and I love him to pieces. I would do anything for him and would never think about selling him, ever. But once he’s older and needs to retire, I for sure won’t be able to afford a second horse for riding. And once he’s gone, I don’t know if I would be able to purchase or support another horse. Who knows what the market for horses, board, supplies, etc will look like in a few years time?
10 Likes
Your board goes up every year? Maybe it was time.
I’m just wondering how many horses will end up at Sherman.
I’ve boarded at a place like this. Board went up like a Cost of Living raise at your job, I think 3% or such a year. Of course, inflation in the last couple years is something like 20% or more, but the business plan seemed to work. It avoided major price hikes or multiple surprises through the year, you just knew board was going to be $X starting in January.
5 Likes
Well…once in awhile hay or whatever COULD go down. I’ve been at barns with hay surcharges, but I am somewhat surprised barns around here still do it. The 2 I knew of went out of business.
1 Like
True - but COL hasn’t gone down in decades.
Personally I’d rather a known $50 increase than a sudden $100-$500 increase (seen it happen). Or worse, a sudden shutdown of the barn.
I’ve paid hay surcharge and inflation increases. Both worked fine - the hay surcharge was nice because it did go down some months but it was harder to budget than the latter.
6 Likes
