Equine retirement farms: Business Plan tutorial please?

[mvp]

A friend of mine who is a guru of slowly studying and then manifesting great businesses has encouraged me to look into doing equine retirement. And my own beloved gelding now in Total First World Hospice Care is teaching me about this, too.

So I’m looking for a clue from you retirement farm owners about your business plans.

How many acres needed?

Knowing how much it costs to build and fence, did you look for a place that as somewhat developed?

What kind of higher-end horse community did you need (and how close) in order to have your place full/financially viable?

Does the business honestly pay its way-- at least the difference between the cost of living on that farm vs. a mortgage on a place you’d live in town?

Or is this business for someone with some family money/land or who would subsidize the horse hobby that was taking care of oldsters?

Any differences between running a retiree place and a place with foal pastures? I ask this last one because my own colt grew up on a farm that did both. I’m a big believer in horses growing up with others, but foal pastures can be hard to find. Perhaps there’s a market need for that?

Add whatever else you’d like. I do recall reading here about pricing things out and having a plan for collecting board from absentee HOs.

Many thanks!

[wood_snake]

I don’t have specific retirement/foal board experience but some ideas that might help.

It seems like a kind climate especially in the winter would be best for both the horses and the care takers and attractive to potential clients.

Good equine vet and farrier in the area.

Good frwy access.

Remember to figure in $$$ for farm upkeep and repairs as well as running the numbers for feed etc.

Require current credit card on file and use it immediately if board has not been paid. Write this into your contract.

I think an existing farm will be cheaper then building from scratch.

I think many people are willing to ship some distance for an idyllic retirement home so I’m not sure if being close to a horse show hub would be that important.

I’m sure you’ve thought of all this. I would just really study the numbers and try to plan for unexpected events.

My biggest piece of advice? Never lose sight of this is a BUSINESS. Make decisions accordingly.

Good luck. I’ve certainly heard of a lot worse ideas when it comes to starting a horse business. I think there is a need.

[Lady_Eboshi]

The simpler you keep it, the higher your profit margin will be.

The amount of land needed depends on your preferred management style; stalls vs. run-ins, 24/7 turnout vs. in at night, etc. You’ll need to have at least a couple of stalls for medical confinement or slow-eating oldsters, and preferably have them open onto a smaller grass paddock; mine is 50 x 100.

Temperate weather is not a necessity, but the longer the growing season assuming you have enough acreage for them to eat all grass, the higher your profit margin, here again, will be. More grass/less hay is ALWAYS a bonus!

You will have to decide if you’re doing complete retirees with no riding, or allow some, whether on your place or on any trails nearby. I allow this but find folks pretty much default to mostly just coming for grooming-and-carrot visits. In either case, however, you’ll need the appropriate insurance which is not expensive.

Make sure the zoning allows for a “commercial” horse operation, and your nearest neighbors aren’t yuppies who expect a farm to never have dust, flies, mud, machinery, or the occasional backhoe. Make sure you have enough WATER–sounds crazy, but I’m really, really glad my Artesian well is a deep one; a friend of mine had to get a “Pool Water” truck in to water hers several summers ago and was not amused!

I don’t think it’s necessary to be in a high-traffic “horsey” area, but that certainly helps, and I’d second what someone above said about easy access to vets, farriers, vans off the turnpike, etc.

Here’s where many people drop the ball: You MUST get your name out there! And online–Google is God and nobody uses the phone book anymore, or charity ad listings. Post tons of pictures, make sure you’re on NewHorse, DreamHorse, EquineNow, all those other boards that’ll happily have your ad go viral for free.
Also post your info at every feed store, tack store, Tractor Supply etc. in a 50-mile radius. However, even to this day, the VERY BEST customers come by word of mouth.

Let the care you’re giving your own oldster be your best recommendation to prospective clients!

BTW, “retirees” are more frequently owned by “not-riding-right-now” owners than actually “retired” for soundness issues. Be prepared for some turnover as people’s life situations change rapidly; there IS some rolling with situations.

Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have!

[Kwill]

Having a farm on a route commonly driven by commercial shippers I think would be a plus. No hassle getting horses to you.

A good vet I think would be ideal, but someone who wasn’t too pricey.

A good contract and payment plan … you don’t want to get stuck paying for retirees.

Cheap land and lots of pasture and outbuildings. Access to really good inexpensive hay in big round bales. Maybe have a feed mill formulate a less expensive senior feed for you, and of course lots of beet pulp.

The ability to buy vaccines and other medications and give them yourself. Vet should only come out for things you can’t do. Probably need a stock of banamine and colic medicine …

And I think most importantly a practical attitude of when it’s time to put the horses down, and be able to communicate to the owners. Especially in cases of say, bad founder or something where the horse is in constant pain. How much pain meds are you willing to give these guys? What is the extent of care you are willing to do for an old horse, possibly blind, lame, or with other problems?

What about the bad actor who can’t get along with people/other horses? Will you accept those kinds of horses that take specialized handling or separation?

Worst case, though, is owner asks for horse to be put down because they don’t want to pay any more, and you are forced to carry out their wishes. That would be heartbreaking.

I wonder if you can take a large retainer kind of thing up front, calculating a yearly cost, rather than billing monthly? Kind of a horse endowment – that way the owner relinquishes financial responsibility for long periods of time, and you could give a discount for this? Just a thought. You could reimburse if something happened to the horse.

What happens if the owner wants to visit? How often can they come, when can they come? Can they ride? You aren’t running a boarding barn.

Old horses take a lot of care, it’s a great idea, but you have some specific issues you will need to think through. Good luck!

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=Kwill;7769541]
Having a farm on a route commonly driven by commercial shippers I think would be a plus. No hassle getting horses to you.

A good vet I think would be ideal, but someone who wasn’t too pricey.

A good contract and payment plan … you don’t want to get stuck paying for retirees.

Cheap land and lots of pasture and outbuildings. Access to really good inexpensive hay in big round bales. Maybe have a feed mill formulate a less expensive senior feed for you, and of course lots of beet pulp.

The ability to buy vaccines and other medications and give them yourself. Vet should only come out for things you can’t do. Probably need a stock of banamine and colic medicine …

And I think most importantly a practical attitude of when it’s time to put the horses down, and be able to communicate to the owners. Especially in cases of say, bad founder or something where the horse is in constant pain. How much pain meds are you willing to give these guys? What is the extent of care you are willing to do for an old horse, possibly blind, lame, or with other problems?

What about the bad actor who can’t get along with people/other horses? Will you accept those kinds of horses that take specialized handling or separation?

Worst case, though, is owner asks for horse to be put down because they don’t want to pay any more, and you are forced to carry out their wishes. That would be heartbreaking.

I wonder if you can take a large retainer kind of thing up front, calculating a yearly cost, rather than billing monthly? Kind of a horse endowment – that way the owner relinquishes financial responsibility for long periods of time, and you could give a discount for this? Just a thought. You could reimburse if something happened to the horse.

What happens if the owner wants to visit? How often can they come, when can they come? Can they ride? You aren’t running a boarding barn.

Old horses take a lot of care, it’s a great idea, but you have some specific issues you will need to think through. Good luck![/QUOTE]

I have had the “worst case” you mention above, an owner who wants their horse put down not because it has to be, but as a matter of financial convenience. I can assure you many of us ARE NOT “forced to carry out their wishes!” In that situation I now say,

“Your horse is your property. You can put him down if that’s your choice. But you will take him off my premises to do so, because I believe the ethical use of euthanasia is to put a quick end to suffering at the natural end of life; therefore I will not be part of killing a HEALTHY animal as a matter of convenience where alternatives exist.”

After that little speech, to date no one has ever done it! :winkgrin:

Not everyone here will agree with me on that, but my vet and I are on the same page and stand as a united front. Plus, you don’t make any money killing your customers. :rolleyes:

The questions about pain meds, etc. that you bring up are good ones; and every barn owner has to formulate their own Standard of Care based on their own experience, conscience, and input from your veterinarian. Sometimes this gets into the opposite problem, where you are getting very uncomfortable with the amount the horse is suffering (or the management problems have become more than you want to deal with) but the OWNER can’t let go and wants to keep him going at any price. Here again, you have to “cowboy up” and say “My barn, my ethical comfort zone.” Another way of dealing with excessive demands is to significantly raise the price.

Those two scenarios above, while not rare, will not be something you deal with daily; most horses between the ages of 15 and 28 or so will be no different to take care of than any others. Many are very low maintenance indeed on good pasture or hay. Here in the Northeast you need a minimum of 1 to 1 1/2 acre per horse; depending on your fees and expenses you’ll have to figure out how many you need to keep to make a comfortable living. It’s a great job for a retired person because it’s a lot more supervision and “being there” than hard physical work as long as they’re mostly all living outside, and you won’t have the brutal hours and travel expenses that go along with teaching and training.

This is a growth industry, BTW; with slaughter now socially unacceptable, and many vets now strongly discouraging putting them down just because they’re old or not in use, many, many people are seeking a reasonable balance between good (not necessarily fancy) care and affordable price for boarding. There are also an increasing number of older people who want to HAVE a horse, but due to physical or nervous limitations don’t really want or need to RIDE. They can be among your most loyal, dedicated and delightful customers to have around.

Of course I let people come and visit their horses, all they want!
It IS a boarding stable, like any other, but since I like things low-key I intentionally target the lay-up and retiree business rather than lessons, showing, or training.

[Fairfax]

And therein lies the problem

“Your horse is your property. You can put him down if that’s your choice. But you will take him off my premises to do so, because I believe the ethical use of euthanasia is to put a quick end to suffering at the natural end of life; therefore I will not be part of killing a HEALTHY animal as a matter of convenience where alternatives exist.”

Many owners have been charged and horses seized as the horses were going down hill…but still had that spark in the eye…and could still trot around a paddock or field.

Look at the “other” retirement home that was dissed on this forum…go back and read all of the complaints…alleged and urban legended and the accusations against the owners because some people who had never visited the farm did not agree with … leave the horse to a natural demise.

There were COTHer’s who were planning protests…called media…animal welfare and rights groups and generally called the couple senile, insinuated they had alzheimers and so on.

After reading that thread…IF you decide that you could withstand an assault like that, daily, in public…then you should proceed.

There will always be a group of malicious individuals who will stab you at every opportunity because they can…on the internet…

[BeeHoney]

I have posted about this subject on another thread, but retirement boarding is not a great business. It’s attractive to people starting boarding businesses because they think they will have a bunch of sweet old pasture puffs to care for (easy) without owners coming and going and invading privacy, requiring fancy riding arenas, causing wear and tear, having daily demands, etc.

The reality is that there are several big problems with retirement board.

People don’t want to spend a lot of money on their retired horse, they are looking for a very low monthly payment. It is very difficult to have any profit doing low end boarding. Low end boarding generally does NOT cover items like decent fencing, nice pastures with adequately sized run in sheds and a respectable barn with an appropriate number of stalls. Owners expect to pay less on a monthly board bill for an animal that they aren’t using and enjoying, but the BO is still going to have to pay the same for the tractor/mower, the fencing, the land, insurance, etc.

Also, customers don’t want to spend a lot on vet bills, farrier, dentist, blanketing (if necessary) etc. or any other “extras”, even something like a charge for your time on Christmas eve taking care of their colicking horse. Customers are often out of town, which can make bill collection more difficult. Simply taking credit card information does not guarantee payment. People can cancel cards, etc.

If you do run into payment/abandonment issues, retired horses generally have very low value and can’t realistically be re-sold to recoup board money OR even just to get them off the feed bill. Retired horses are at relatively high risk of being abandoned by their owners, and one abandoned horse that needs a vet bill or even just to be fed and cared for through the winter could be a very expensive business loss.

Out of town customers don’t have to see tough realities like a struggling older horse that needs some extra care, it can be easy for owners to refuse to pay for extras that the horse needs. Clauses in boarding contracts don’t 100% insulate BOs from this issue. It’s not easy to evict retired horses with absentee owners no matter what your contract states. It’s too easy for an out of town owner to ignore phone calls and messages. An iron clad contract still requires time/effort/money/legal bills to enforce.

Lastly, retired horses often need just as much or even more care than any other horse. They need to be fed and checked, see the farrier, they often need daily medication for things like Cushings, some need limited grazing/drylots, they might need special feed or expensive high quality hay to keep their weight up, etc. And it doesn’t matter what kind of horses you are boarding, you still have the 24/7 responsibility if a horse gets sick or a tree falls on the fence, etc.

All this having been said, there are a few retirement facilities out there that seem to do okay. I think if you already own the land and facilities and equipment and aren’t doing anything with it otherwise and don’t have enough riding facilities to do riding horse boarding you could potentially put together a reasonable business plan. However, I think the idea of going out and buying a property specifically to start a retirement boarding business is not a viable business plan.

[lawndart]

[QUOTE=mvp;7769233]
A friend of mine who is a guru of slowly studying and then manifesting great businesses has encouraged me to look into doing equine retirement. And my own beloved gelding now in Total First World Hospice Care is teaching me about this, too.

So I’m looking for a clue from you retirement farm owners about your business plans.

How many acres needed? at least one acre per horse

Knowing how much it costs to build and fence, did you look for a place that as somewhat developed? yes

What kind of higher-end horse community did you need (and how close) in order to have your place full/financially viable? my main market is almost 4 hours away. If they wanted their horse to live on a small lot, they would look closer to home

Does the business honestly pay its way-- at least the difference between the cost of living on that farm vs. a mortgage on a place you’d live in town? can’t answer this one, as I’ve always lived way out

Or is this business for someone with some family money/land or who would subsidize the horse hobby that was taking care of oldsters? My in-laws love to tell me that I couldn’t do this without my DH. They are right, but it is because I need his muscle, emotional support sometimes, and always his encouragement. Not his money :lol:

Any differences between running a retiree place and a place with foal pastures? I ask this last one because my own colt grew up on a farm that did both. I’m a big believer in horses growing up with others, but foal pastures can be hard to find. Perhaps there’s a market need for that? I would think there is a real need for foal pastures too, but you would have to do research for your area.

Add whatever else you’d like. I do recall reading here about pricing things out and having a plan for collecting board from absentee HOs.

Many thanks![/QUOTE]

First, I’d like to thank you for posting this question on here, and not e-mailing me pretending to be a potential customer. This takes up my time, and makes me cranky. Just had one last week (People, I google everyone’s name who contacts me, and if you are manager of a barn…well) You are also putting this information out there for others to access later.

I agree with what the others have posted, Lady Eboshi, Kwill and Wood snake. I don’t agree with the ‘farther south for climate is better’ opinion, every horse I have here likes the cooler weather. The worse days are the hot, humid and buggy days. Usually then, everyone here is in a building, trying to beat the heat. Thankfully, we don’t have a big bug problem here, so if they can get into a building (and they all can) they are fine. You might want to keep your equine numbers equal with available shelters for both heat, and cold.

I have a horse that has been here 11 years. I love him, as do his owners. They live in Florida, but chose to keep him with me. He would NOT do well in the heat. Since some of these retirees live a LONG time, START as you mean to FINISH. Meaning keep the relationship friendly, but professional.

Have a plan for the dead and dying. Here it is still legal to bury horses, but you need the perfect spot for that. Preferrably out of view of any neighbors, because trust me, they see you bury more than one, they might start to protest. A arrangement with a backhoe ahead of time is key, because they rarely die on schedule.

You won’t get rich off of this business, that is for sure. However, it is very satisfying to see a field full of oldsters grazing, or playing in the snow. It allows me to work from home, fill in at my DH’s business, and ride during the week to avoid the crowds at the State Parks.

I have never had an issue where a client argues about keeping an old horse alive. They know I love them, and certainly would not suggest putting them down unless it was clearly necessary. I keep them updated frequently when a horse is having some type of health issue. Otherwise, a monthly update seems to be enough, along with the ton of photos I post on FB.

Having a really good Vet, and Farrier who are patient with Oldsters is very important. Thank Gawd mine are very good, patient, and have a sense of humor, because sometimes you need all three!

Don’t skimp on Food Quality. I no longer will get mill ground feed, because the consistency and quality are not there. An Oldster needs good food, formulated for his body, teeth, and activity level.

Personally (and the others might disagree here) I like my herds smaller, and on smaller pastures that are rotated frequently. In a bigger herd (mine are all between 2-6 in a herd) the submissive, or a horse that suddenly cannot keep up can get seriously hurt, or pushed out of the group enough that it cannot get enough food or water. Lot easier to see that happening in a small herd, than a large one.

Plan for that one horse that doesn’t get along with anybody. While some will adapt over time, there is always one that won’t. Have that separate paddock just for him/her. It could also double as a quarantine paddock.

I also have two small recovery paddocks for those coming off of an abcess or illness. They don’t always want to be back in the herd right away, even if they are dying to get outside. Mine double as introduction paddocks as well. That way they can see other horses, but not necessarily have to interact with them.

I also second Lady Eboshi that WATER is very, very important. If you have a power outage for 24 hours, no big deal. But more than that? You had better have a plan to get those horses water every day. We do have a backup plans for water for the cows and horses on this farm, and a backup plan to the backup plan.

Finally, don’t get caught up the name game. I’ve had some Better known horses here, and quite frankly, those horses are IMO usually owned by the wealthier set. Those are ALWAYS the last to pay, and the first to quibble about it. I would treat a backyard horse the same as if I was taking care of Gem Twist. I expect to be paid promptly by either owner.

The last I counted several years ago, there were over 100 retirement farms in the Northeast, make sure your area needs another one.

[Crockpot]

Agree with Bee Honey. Take lady ebola’s advice with grain of salt-based on previous posts including one where she had a fit because someone wanted to visit her horse’s grave a few times . Then there is the fake altruism- see last sentence:

“Your horse is your property. You can put him down if that’s your choice. But you will take him off my premises to do so, because I believe the ethical use of euthanasia is to put a quick end to suffering at the natural end of life; therefore I will not be part of killing a HEALTHY animal as a matter of convenience where alternatives exist.”

After that little speech, to date no one has ever done it!

Not everyone here will agree with me on that, but my vet and I are on the same page and stand as a united front. Plus, you don’t make any money killing your customers.

and below- charming-:

If a horse has been with me 7, 8, 9 years and becomes a high-maintenance geriatric, I’ll happily take care of him through his last natural day, because by that time his owners have paid me enough for a condo in St. Barth’s But ~new~ horses coming in to board must be basically healthy and pasture sound.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=BeeHoney;7770024]
I have posted about this subject on another thread, but retirement boarding is not a great business. It’s attractive to people starting boarding businesses because they think they will have a bunch of sweet old pasture puffs to care for (easy) without owners coming and going and invading privacy, requiring fancy riding arenas, causing wear and tear, having daily demands, etc.

The reality is that there are several big problems with retirement board.

People don’t want to spend a lot of money on their retired horse, they are looking for a very low monthly payment. It is very difficult to have any profit doing low end boarding. Low end boarding generally does NOT cover items like decent fencing, nice pastures with adequately sized run in sheds and a respectable barn with an appropriate number of stalls. Owners expect to pay less on a monthly board bill for an animal that they aren’t using and enjoying, but the BO is still going to have to pay the same for the tractor/mower, the fencing, the land, insurance, etc.

Also, customers don’t want to spend a lot on vet bills, farrier, dentist, blanketing (if necessary) etc. or any other “extras”, even something like a charge for your time on Christmas eve taking care of their colicking horse. Customers are often out of town, which can make bill collection more difficult. Simply taking credit card information does not guarantee payment. People can cancel cards, etc.

If you do run into payment/abandonment issues, retired horses generally have very low value and can’t realistically be re-sold to recoup board money OR even just to get them off the feed bill. Retired horses are at relatively high risk of being abandoned by their owners, and one abandoned horse that needs a vet bill or even just to be fed and cared for through the winter could be a very expensive business loss.

Out of town customers don’t have to see tough realities like a struggling older horse that needs some extra care, it can be easy for owners to refuse to pay for extras that the horse needs. Clauses in boarding contracts don’t 100% insulate BOs from this issue. It’s not easy to evict retired horses with absentee owners no matter what your contract states. It’s too easy for an out of town owner to ignore phone calls and messages. An iron clad contract still requires time/effort/money/legal bills to enforce.

Lastly, retired horses often need just as much or even more care than any other horse. They need to be fed and checked, see the farrier, they often need daily medication for things like Cushings, some need limited grazing/drylots, they might need special feed or expensive high quality hay to keep their weight up, etc. And it doesn’t matter what kind of horses you are boarding, you still have the 24/7 responsibility if a horse gets sick or a tree falls on the fence, etc.

All this having been said, there are a few retirement facilities out there that seem to do okay. I think if you already own the land and facilities and equipment and aren’t doing anything with it otherwise and don’t have enough riding facilities to do riding horse boarding you could potentially put together a reasonable business plan. However, I think the idea of going out and buying a property specifically to start a retirement boarding business is not a viable business plan.[/QUOTE]

Almost every single point you raise can be managed before it arises by setting your place UP to make a profit from the get-go, meaning keeping it simple; having a VERY CLEAR idea of what kind of management you offer and what kinds of horses fit into that scene; and CAREFULLY screening potential clients to eliminate the insolvent, the uncaring, the nuts, and the dirt bags. I’ve been in the business 22 years now and have had only 3 concerning lack-of-payment issues in all that time, all of which were situational and amicably resolved.

You’re not doing “rescue,” you’re not footing the bill for boarders yourself, and if you don’t cave to the “sad stories” and desperation cases, and KEEP YOUR BOARD PRICES PROPORTIONAL TO THE GOING RATE IN THE AREA, you should be able to make a decent living. Charge what you need to make for the services you offer and be clear what you’re willing to do; for instance, any history of grass founder is an automatic no-go to come in here. I simply do not have, nor want to build, dirt-lots or single turnouts. For that reason I also do not take ponies.
I do not accept incoming “hospice cases.” If a horse has been with me 7, 8, 9 years and becomes a high-maintenance geriatric, I’ll happily take care of him through his last natural day, because by that time his owners have paid me enough for a condo in St. Barth’s. :winkgrin: But ~new~ horses coming in to board must be basically healthy and pasture sound. It is rare that I have more than 1 in 20 who is any kind of a “project” beyond ordinary feed and care.

A solid boarding contract pre-empts the “abandonment issues.” You also have to be hard-core enough to not “collect” anything someone no longer wants. Most of this is situational, comes up rarely if at all, and can best be dealt with by networking a solution for the outgoing client.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=Fairfax;7770006]
And therein lies the problem

“Your horse is your property. You can put him down if that’s your choice. But you will take him off my premises to do so, because I believe the ethical use of euthanasia is to put a quick end to suffering at the natural end of life; therefore I will not be part of killing a HEALTHY animal as a matter of convenience where alternatives exist.”

Many owners have been charged and horses seized as the horses were going down hill…but still had that spark in the eye…and could still trot around a paddock or field.

Look at the “other” retirement home that was dissed on this forum…go back and read all of the complaints…alleged and urban legended and the accusations against the owners because some people who had never visited the farm did not agree with … leave the horse to a natural demise.

There were COTHer’s who were planning protests…called media…animal welfare and rights groups and generally called the couple senile, insinuated they had alzheimers and so on.

After reading that thread…IF you decide that you could withstand an assault like that, daily, in public…then you should proceed.

There will always be a group of malicious individuals who will stab you at every opportunity because they can…on the internet…[/QUOTE]

Fairfax: If you are running your place properly these issues should NEVER even come up. Humane laws exist to remediate situations where basic needs are not being met, and they SHOULD be tough. Standards of care are based on the community norms, veterinary protocol as recommended by the AAEP, and the expectations of your client base.

I have had exactly ONE phone call in 22 years, and it was asking why all the horses weren’t blanketed. :rolleyes: The call was made by a non-knowledgeable person.

[Lady_Eboshi]

Crock:

That woman was off the rails irrational and had been a difficult client for many years. When I took her as a client, I had a lot less experience. What was posted at that time was only 1/10 of that whole story. Fortunately, the situation was resolved without a restraining order, which was what my lawyer recommended. These kinds of things do happen (rarely!) in any horse business.

So maybe it’s time you stopped the inexplicable, vindictive stalking and trolling regarding things you really know nothing about.

They who criticize ought to be able to perform: Please, tell us about YOUR experiences managing abandoned horses, difficult clients, end of life care and how you go about getting paid! Or is your place powered by lofty altruism alone which enables your clients’ horses to eat rainbows and poop butterflies? I’m sure you have SO much to teach us . . . :lol:

[Crockpot]

[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7770084]
Crock:

That woman was off the rails irrational and had been a difficult client for many years. When I took her as a client, I had a lot less experience. What was posted at that time was only 1/10 of that whole story. Fortunately, the situation was resolved without a restraining order, which was what my lawyer recommended. These kinds of things do happen (rarely!) in any horse business.

.[/QUOTE]

lol. That’s not at all how it went the first time you described it- but carry on.

Your warm heart shines through in all your posts- just the place you want to send your beloved old horse who ‘gasp’ may even have some health issues!. haha

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=Crockpot;7770089]
lol. That’s not at all how it went the first time you described it- but carry on.[/QUOTE]

If I had a dollar for every poster who’s used COTH to vent at one time or another about a crazy boarder, trainer, SO, BF, BO, BM, or DD I’d be out of the boarding business and living on St. Barth’s myself.

[BeeHoney]

Boarding is a high cash flow business. I have many clients who probably think they have bought me many condos in St. Barth’s. Sadly, all that lovely cash seems to vanish into thin air every month after I pay the mortgage, the feed guy, the hay guy, payroll, the insurance company, have the tractor serviced, buy a few fence boards, etc. Sigh.

Lady Eboshi, re: charging board that is proportionate to other places, I’m uncertain as to how that can work. For many barns, board is a break even deal or even a loss leader and money is made on lessons, training, sales, and even appreciation of the real estate the business is run on. With retirement boarding, there generally aren’t too many extra services that make money. So if you make your income from boarding, you need to either charge higher prices or be saving money in some other manner. I think that some BOs already own and maintain a farm property and therefore fail to count the cost of the facility and maintenance when figuring out “profit.” Many small BOs also fail to correctly count the cost of their own time and labor.

Lady Eboshi is completely right that a clear and ironclad contract is important, but a contract is not perfect protection if you have to hire a lawyer or a bill collector to enforce it. It can be a stressful and expensive mess to have to resort to the legal system.

Screening clients is probably even more important, but that’s a skill that takes some time and experience to master. EVERY owner of an older horse talks about how much they love their old horse and want the best for it, etc. Maybe my skills aren’t up to par but the worst boarding situations I’ve had have come from retired horses where people (or their spouses!) got tired of paying the bills every month, year after year for a horse they weren’t getting anything out of.

Whatever Lady Eboshi’s experience has been (and it sounds to me like she is quite good at selecting clients), I think it would not be realistic to assume that someone starting up a boarding business for the first time would have the same skill/luck.

[ReSomething]

Well, just for real world cost comparison I have an elderly horse with Cushing’s and enough arthritis that he used not to be able to lift a hind for the farrier. He gets Pergolide at roughly $1.25 per day, Previcox every other day at $85 per 120 tablets, ten pounds of TC Sr daily, about five pounds of Standlee cubes daily, soaked, and about a third of a bale of hay daily. He also gets a half a cup of oil, there are 32 of those in a gallon of oil with prices ranging from $6 a gallon of Canola to $20 a gallon for Cocasoya, Rice Bran, Flax or Linseed.
Farrier visits about once a month for a $25 trim, he has a pair of $100 padded hoof boots, one Cashel fly mask per year and a medium weight blanket. He needs to be clipped at least once annually and dulls two blades to do it, so add the cost of one blade, and bathed or rinsed at least twice a month in the summer as well as fly sprayed at minimum once a week.

So, in addition to the overhead of the facility you’ll have to factor in the cost of his feed and the extra time he takes to be taken care of.

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/l/t1.0-9/10373522_794277767272253_3877788287882804529_n.jpg?oh=7d8ccaeecbde857eaf26b29316a0787d&oe=54C4178B

This is what he looked like June 1st, and it is extremely hard to keep him looking like this. If it’s too hot, he won’t eat, if there are too many pesty flies, and in fact right now he is thinner with some muscle loss in the croup.

My friend keeps a few retirees and we laughingly agreed that he would be a loss leader at her farm, basically $400 board would just barely cover her feed bill.

[Lady_Eboshi]

What I meant by “proportionate to other places in your area” means that you value your own services, expertise and facility enough that you don’t under-price what you’re offering in relation to full-service barns with active programs.

For instance, near me the going rate for full-service, in-stall board with a resident trainer and an indoor arena STARTS at around $1,200.00–and the sky’s the limit.
Lendon Gray was getting $2,500.00 per month over ten years ago. If that’s what people are used to paying, retirement board at $500 or even $750 sounds like one heckuva bargain.

In other parts of the country, where even full-service training board barely rises above $450 a month, and you’d have to price retirement at half of that, it may well BE impossible to make even a subsistence living even if you already own the land.

I would advise the OP to do some comprehensive assessment of the following:

(1) Average price local full-board barns charge and services provided;

(2) Local demand for retirement board (ask vets, tack store help, farriers);

(3) Find out how much people are willing to pay in your area for retirement;

(4) Figure out how many horses at that price would make the numbers crunch;

(5) Assess your present facility’s feasibility and suitability for this business model.

I agree with what others have said that if you have to go out and BUY land, and build all your necessary fences and barns, you’re going to be deep in the negative-number zone. But an existing facility that’s a bit rustic, lacking rider amenities and an indoor, might work just fine–especially if you already own it.
Enough pasture is really the operative requirement.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=ReSomething;7770332]
Well, just for real world cost comparison I have an elderly horse with Cushing’s and enough arthritis that he used not to be able to lift a hind for the farrier. He gets Pergolide at roughly $1.25 per day, Previcox every other day at $85 per 120 tablets, ten pounds of TC Sr daily, about five pounds of Standlee cubes daily, soaked, and about a third of a bale of hay daily. He also gets a half a cup of oil, there are 32 of those in a gallon of oil with prices ranging from $6 a gallon of Canola to $20 a gallon for Cocasoya, Rice Bran, Flax or Linseed.
Farrier visits about once a month for a $25 trim, he has a pair of $100 padded hoof boots, one Cashel fly mask per year and a medium weight blanket. He needs to be clipped at least once annually and dulls two blades to do it, so add the cost of one blade, and bathed or rinsed at least twice a month in the summer as well as fly sprayed at minimum once a week.

So, in addition to the overhead of the facility you’ll have to factor in the cost of his feed and the extra time he takes to be taken care of.

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/l/t1.0-9/10373522_794277767272253_3877788287882804529_n.jpg?oh=7d8ccaeecbde857eaf26b29316a0787d&oe=54C4178B

This is what he looked like June 1st, and it is extremely hard to keep him looking like this. If it’s too hot, he won’t eat, if there are too many pesty flies, and in fact right now he is thinner with some muscle loss in the croup.

My friend keeps a few retirees and we laughingly agreed that he would be a loss leader at her farm, basically $400 board would just barely cover her feed bill.[/QUOTE]

You’re quite right about that; I’ve got one old sweetie who’s 34 and has me wound around his proverbial finger–he gets ANYTHING he wants or needs, and I don’t even bill his equally lovable owner any extra. The other 15 or so who are pasture-air-ferns carry a few like him quite handily.

[ReSomething]

LE - My 16 year old pony is an air fern - my neighbor’s 22 +year old mare is well fleshed, but we’ve talked about how age is often an excuse for why a horse looks poorly when really they can look like my old guy if the ration is increased properly.

How many of the elders do require the significant care, percentage wise?

[ReSomething]

And mvp, you’re up in OR now? There is a component of both Nor and So Cal’ers that would look to the north for a pleasant retirement for their competition horses, just need to start networking with trainers.