Does your barn charge to hold horses for the vet?

[Alliteration]

In my barn, I include holding for the vet as part of my boarding cost as long as you’re using my vet and appointments are scheduled through me. If a boarder wants to use a different vet, I tell them it’s up to them to schedule and be there for the vet.

I was talking to a lady at the feed store the other day and she says her barn manager charges her to be there for the vet. Now, I am not one to nickel and dime my boarders, but there have been times when I’ve had to spend 2+ hours of my day off at the barn holding a client’s horse while it gets stitched up or something and the thought has crossed my mind that I should be compensated for giving up my one day off. I’m not talking about routine shots/teeth/coggins twice per year, but for the non-routine stuff that disrupts your day.

Thoughts?

[luvmyhackney]

Mine does/did if I can’t be there. Its one fee for pre-scheduled visits and an hourly rate for unscheduled.

[HJdaydream]

IME it depends on what kind of program the barn offers. If it’s a full care show type facility where training is included, then no, holding for the vet/farrier etc is not an additional charge.

If it’s a boarding barn only where the care provided is limited to stalling cleaning, turnout, and feeding, then yes, you would be charged to hold your horse for the vet- if that service was even an option.

[Redlei44]

@HJdaydream

IME it depends on what kind of program the barn offers. If it’s a full care show type facility where training is included, then no, holding for the vet/farrier etc is not an additional charge.

If it’s a boarding barn only where the care provided is limited to stalling cleaning, turnout, and feeding, then yes, you would be charged to hold your horse for the vet- if that service was even an option.

Agreed. “Full care” usually includes holding for vet and farrier. Partial care, board-only, barns that are generally set up with a la carte billing, etc. usually charge separately for it.

If you are the only person available to meet and hold for the vet, and the vet calls are getting onerous, it’s certainly an option to transition to charging for that service. IME, full care barns have multiple staff (like trainer, barn manager, head groom, working student, etc) who are available to cover days off.

[mmeqcenter]

I agree that it varies based on the type of barn, but the terminology differs from place to place.

“Full care” is the standard term for basically the only board type available in the Columbus, Ohio area. That is standard stall board that includes turn in/out, feeding, feed and hay, stall cleaning, and bedding, did not include training, and typically holding for various appointments was not included either. However, in many other places, “Full care” describes a board type that includes much more than it does in central Ohio.

I would expect holding to be included with something like training board and consignment.

At my barn that I own, I charge to hold for routine appointments, whether or not it is with my service provider during my appointment. I have a small, basic boarding barn. Just because they’re using my farrier doesn’t mean my catching and holding six horses instead of two isn’t a huge time-suck on my day. I also have a full-time, non-horse related job (work from home), so however long my “lunch break” is to hold horses means I have to work that much later into the evening.
However, if I have a horse in on consignment, I do not charge that owner, as I consider that part of training and consignment care.

For emergencies, I will hold/care for a horse for up to one hour without charging. I understand ish happens, therefore I allow enough time for the horse owner to get to the barn, or have someone else get to the barn for them, to take care of the horse. If they are unable to do so, I charge an hourly fee for any time I have to spend after the first hour.

[MsM]

IME the larger barns tended to charge for holding as well as blanket changes and other services. The smaller barns often included holding for farrier (if needed) and routine or emergency vet with the barn vet as part of the more personal service that was their draw vs the fancier amenities of the big barns. Smaller barns were also more liberal in allowing other farriers and vets though they may not offer to hold for them. I know my current barn owner feels it is just not worth the effort of keeping track of additional services. YMMV and, as a boarder, I would understand if she felt she needed to charge (though it would mess up my automatic payment setup! :winkgrin:)

[demidq]

The last barn where I boarded charged a hefty monthly board fee that included everything- blankets, feed a la carte, vitamin and flax added to feed, blankets, fly masks etc as well as holding for vet and farrier. Present barn is much lower key, I provide feed and supplements, and there is a surcharge for feeding, blankets, fly masks. They also charge for holding for vet and farrier as well. It is still an excellent value!

[GucciJumper]

Everywhere I have been has charged for vet/farrier appointments. The only exception would be holding for an emergency vet until the owner can get there.

[2tempe]

Our barn is full care but not a show barn. They do not charge for vet or farrier assistance. Or any extras. But most boarders are pretty hands on.

[Alliteration]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

I think going forward I will continue to hold for farrier and routine vet (shots/Coggins/dental) at no charge. It’s only 2x per year and maybe a total of 4 hours per year out of my life. And I know more about what each horse needs than their owners do. Plus I have a great rapport with my vet and don’t mind seeing them and spending time with them. I learn a lot from them so I feel it benefits me personally. I am the one scheduling so I do it at a time that’s convenient for me so it’s not a huge inconvenience.

My farrier takes longer, but that’s because we generally wind up chatting for an hour after the horses are done. He’s cute, too.

But I believe going forward, I will start to charge for non-routine stuff. I have one day off per week (Saturday) unless I’m going to a show, then I have zero days off per week. It’s just me and a weekend working student and while she’s great at doing her job, she is not experienced enough to be the liason to the vet.

For example, today was my day off. I’ve traveled to the barn 4 times today (so far) to check on a horse that has been a bit colicky. The vet was out this morning and did the Colic protocols, (tube, Banamine, etc) but having to drive to the barn to check on this guy every 4 hours has basically taken up my whole day. I can’t really get anything accomplished. And the owner is “too busy” doing yard work (building a deck) on his day off to make it out.

Thank you again.

[mmeqcenter]

@Alliteration

But I believe going forward, I will start to charge for non-routine stuff. I have one day off per week (Saturday) unless I’m going to a show, then I have zero days off per week. It’s just me and a weekend working student and while she’s great at doing her job, she is not experienced enough to be the liason to the vet.

For example, today was my day off. I’ve traveled to the barn 4 times today (so far) to check on a horse that has been a bit colicky. The vet was out this morning and did the Colic protocols, (tube, Banamine, etc) but having to drive to the barn to check on this guy every 4 hours has basically taken up my whole day. I can’t really get anything accomplished. And the owner is “too busy” doing yard work (building a deck) on his day off to make it out.

Thank you again.

OMG you don’t even live at the barn, you have to drive there? Then absolutely yes I’d for sure be charging.

If people want other things to be a higher priority than their horse, that’s their prerogative, but it doesn’t mean it’s the BO’s responsibility to spend all their time at no charge.

[Renn_aissance]

If the horse needs holding for an appointment, and I can’t be there, I expect to be charged for it. That’s staff time.

ETA: I realize I should clarify. I mean if the horse literally needs to be held. If the nature of the appointment is such that it is safe to tie the horse for the vet or farrier, and the horse ties well, I expect the horse to be tied for the appointment, and if that’s the case, I wouldn’t expect to be charged unless I am asking for on hand staff time to relay information back to me- in which case I’m asking them to provide a service. My horse’s vision is not what it used to be and if something startles him he pulls back, so I stopped cross-tying him. Since ground-tying for the farrier with no supervision next to the feed room is perhaps not the safest endeavor (more for the feed than the farrier, who’d think it’s funny) when I cannot stand with the farrier, I am then asking for the farm to provide a service by standing with him for me.

[seriously1]

My barn is a full care barn that does not include extra charges.
As a general rule, I prefer to be there for the vet or farrier anyway (no way if my horse was colicky would I be staying at home)

[gottagrey]

all the barns I’ve been to do not charge extra for holding for vet or farrier. they believe that this is a service that should be part of the care as long as you used their vet and farrier. Current barn has a couple of different vets coming and if one of us can be there for our vet, great, if not the barn manager is happy to do.

[2tempe]

@MsM

IME the larger barns tended to charge for holding as well as blanket changes and other services. The smaller barns often included holding for farrier (if needed) and routine or emergency vet with the barn vet as part of the more personal service that was their draw vs the fancier amenities of the big barns. Smaller barns were also more liberal in allowing other farriers and vets though they may not offer to hold for them. I know my current barn owner feels it is just not worth the effort of keeping track of additional services. YMMV and, as a boarder, I would understand if she felt she needed to charge (though it would mess up my automatic payment setup! :winkgrin:)

Yes, our BO agrees with the “not worth it”.

[Schatzi09]

I don’t charge to hold for vet or farrier. Since I’m the one that sets up routine appointments for all the horses I don’t think it’s fair to force an owner to be there or be charged. If it’s an emergency, I still prefer to be there since I’m also the one seeing the horse every day and I like to be able to ask questions to the vet rather than get answers second hand from the boarder.

[Fellbutbackup]

Yes. At an hourly rate.

[joiedevie99]

Every full care show barn I’ve been at has handled it at no charge - even if its a middle of the night emergency. That said, I’m always there too. At the normal boarding barns my retirees live at, I’ve always been charged.

[kashmere]

Routine yearly vet appointments - vaccine, teeth, etc. my barn schedules in groups with the two main practices used by the boarders. Boarders do not need to be there, but we can be if we like. It ends up being more efficient to just have one person managing the horses than trying to work around a ton of owner schedules, so that’s the reason for doing it this way. Of course, if an owner needs to be there or wants to be there, the schedule is managed as best as possible to allow that OR the owner is welcome to schedule their own separate appointment that they are fully responsible for.

Emergency vet appointments I have never been charged for if I cannot be there (luckily few and far between), nor for any of the immediate extra care surrounding an emergency. Anything that stretches into an ongoing significant time requirement would like be charged in some way, but a few days of wrapping a leg, for example, my barn owners are likely to consider part of the standard of care they provide.

Farrier-wise, most folks in the barn use the same farrier and most of those horses don’t need holding - farrier comes, does his thing, leaves his own bill for the owners. Other farriers used by folks can do the same, but they need to work directly with the owner to bill, since only one guy has a lockbox for cash etc. at the barn. If your horse needs to be managed through a farrier visit, that will fall to one of the two pros, and is charged at the hourly lesson rate. Ditto for a non-emerg vet visit - I can’t imagine not being there for something like rads or a lameness eval, but if an owner isn’t able to attend or doesn’t want to, they are charged for that time for one of the pros/BOs to do it for them.

[MDMom]

As a border, I’ve had both, barns that charge and barns that don’t. As a barn owner, I don’t charge if I schedule the appointments with the barn vet or farrier. If someone wants to use an outside vet or farrier, either they have to hold and clean-up after the service or I charge.