I will be storing a cob-sized meadowbrook cart at a barn where my horse will be boarding in a few months. I will be putting the cart before the horse (moving the cart first!) It will be stored in an indoor arena in the corner under a cover. What fee would be appropriate for this? I am the only one storing a cart there so the farm owner did not know and asked me to suggest a price. I want to be fair to her but (obviously) keep it within reason. For a metric, I am in the Midwest and my board will be $450 for pasture board with shelter.
The barns where I stored my vehicle nEver charged me anything; but it was never in the actual arena. I would say something like $40-$50? Based on not seeing the set up or arena size. If itās not impacting others then maybe $30.
Iāve never heard of this .Iāve never been charged for storing a vehicle. Are boarders charged for storing their tack? I would consider my cart my tack. If itās not an overly large arena, I would think they wouldnāt store your cart there anyway if it would interfere with other boardersā use of the arena, so it shouldnāt be some kind of an āinconvenience fee.ā
If, once you have moved there, you wonāt be charged a storage fee, then maybe $30 a month? But if this is going to be a permanent charge, Iād go as low as possible. I donāt really think itās fair to charge you to park your cart in a corner unless other boarders are being charged to park their saddles in the tack room. But, thatās just my opinion.
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A cart takes up quite a bit more room than a saddle does. At my place (personal, no boarders) finding a spot that a simple cart fits that is not in the way of everything has been difficult. A saddle, not difficult to store.
I paid an extra 25.00 a month to store my fine harness buggy and it was no cost for my jog cart which was much easier to store.
Thanks all! I do think a cart is a bit more imposition than riding tack since it takes up space that could be used to store jump standards or other equipment that would be of use to more than one person. So I anticipated my board would be correspondingly a little higher since I am essentially requiring a little more space (much as boarders who also park a trailer are often charged a little higher than boarders without a trailer). You have given me some ideas of how to ballpark this.
I think a slightly higher board fee also compensates a little for the inconvenience of a driving boarder at a riding stable, since the other boarders have to be mindful of me (and I of them) in terms of scheduling. I donāt think this will be a problem at this barn, which is relatively small and quiet, but I just want to make sure that, as a driving client, I donāt end up being more trouble than I am āworthā to this predominantly riding stable.
Thanks again!
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Fair enough ā but I think the key here is that this appears to be a boarding facility, so they should have some accommodation for boardersā equipment. Iām not saying that boarders are free to take over a whole section of the place (incidentally, I know of one boarding barn where one person has taken up about a 7-foot section of the tack room!) , but if itās a large arena and sheās the only one, it shouldnāt be that much of a problem. A vehicle like a meadowbrook could possibly also be stored with the shafts up against the wall, and would take up even less room. Also ā are boarders parking their trailers there without charge? Some barns donāt charge. I also feel that if horse trailers are being parked at the barn at no charge, then itās a bit unfair to charge one boarder for a cart. But, I do understand where youāre coming from as far as difficulty. Perhaps this boarder can offer to put up a lean-to or something outside the arena so that the vehicle is out of the elements and out of everyoneās way. Might be a better solution in the long-term.
And you are the type of boarder why a barn owner can not just be nice and let someone keep something there for freeā¦
Because being nice to one person then requires the barn owner to bend over backwards for every other person who might want the smallest thing.
I also do not think the OP wants to park their cart outside in the driveway/parking area, like the trailers. Which is how the two would even be close to comparable.
The OP here is being very reasonable and expecting to pay a stipend because of the inconvenience of their cart.
I personally was thinking in the $25 range like someone else mentioned above.
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Itās all good, people. Different barns, different locales can have different thought processes behind how they do things. In my area, there are very very few places that are even willing to consider accommodating a driving client and there are more than enough riding horse boarders so I definitely donāt want to make myself a nuisance. I am in the northern midwest and it is a fairly nice show cart so I would prefer to pay a little extra to park with shafts up in the corner of the riding arena (its a very big arena) at least during the winter months to try to keep it nice.
$25 a month sounds reasonable - luckily my horse much prefers pasture board which is cheaper. The extra $25 monthly does not even bring the pasture board cost up to what full stall board typically costs in my area so it still seems quite workable to me.
Thanks for input!
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Iām glad you have that solution and $25 per month is probably reasonable. I guess Iāve been spoiled in the fact that in 35+ years of boarding Iāve never been charged a storage fee. I just hate being nickled & dimed to death. Enjoy your new barn!
Whoa, there. That first line was unnecessarily snarky and unfair.
You have no idea what kind of boarder I am. I pay my bills on time, I clean up after myself and my horse, I help out with chores. I donāt create drama. Iāve walked colicky horses while the barn owner tried to reach the horse owner. Iāve tacked up ponies for lesson kids. So please donāt try to paint me as some entitled B. I know how fortunate I am that in 35+ years of having to board, Iāve never been charged a storage fee. But I hate being nickled & dimed to death. Iām merely saying that IF boarders are not being charged to park their trailers (maybe they are ā we donāt know), then itās unfair to charge the OP a fee for something that takes up a lot less space. My suggestion for the lean-to or some such was not to put it in the parking area, but rather as an extension off a hay shed or the barn or the arena (outside, yes, but still protected from the elements). If the OP foresees staying at the barn for the long-term, it might make more sense for her to investigate that option.
Peace.
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Someone mentioned this earlier but as a former owner of vehicle and driving horse, I can vouch for the fact that not every boarding facility is open to the idea of a driving horse at their barn. Yes it can take horses time to get used to seeing horse/cart and other boarders may not want to deal with it. It is not the same as parking a trailerā¦ Finding a place that will accept the discipline, has decent room to drive and good care can be a challenge. Where I boarded and was not charged, two places had outbuildings that had room for my 4 wheeler. One allowed me to park it outside the barn where I covered with tarp during driving weather and took it home to my garage over the winter months. In all cases I would have been willing to cough up an extra bit of $ because the facility met all my needs.
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