Just have to vent.. I'm never boarding again!

[2LaZ2race]

This post is not critical, but giving props to those barn owners that can do boarding.

I own a small farm and my last boarder just left and I don’t think I can ever do it again. I tried doing full care, self care, partial… every situation ended up with me getting taken advantage of and barely (if at all) breaking even financially.

It was astounding to me how little people were willing to pay (for full board). The unacceptable level of care they would provide (for self care), and the struggle I faced far too often between not enabling their bad horse keeping and not letting the horse go without. (never an abuse situation but having a blanket left on a hot day, or dirty water, etc).

I hope I was never a bad boarder and I give much respect to barn owners that can do it… for now I’m just going to enjoy the peace and quiet (and lack of drama) of solitude!

[DoubleDown]

I built a small 5 stall barn last fall, and only have 2 horses now. I built it that large thinking that someday I would have that many. Anyways, I was really surprised at how many people asked me if I was going to board! This is my first time having my horses at home, and after boarding for so many years, I’ve been very quick to say NO! Cost wouldn’t be that much of an issue as I work for a farm supply chain and get things cheap, but it’s the drama I’m not willing to deal with! I don’t blame you for saying no more!!

[Tee]

I am going to start looking for property this year (I want to bring my horses home and I’m pretty sure the city would frown on them in the backyard . Picky, picky.) I’ve had several people ask me if would board other horses, and my answer is no way in hell. There are a couple people at the current barn that I know, and they take good care of their horses. But random boarders? Nope.

[longlanefarm]

I don’t blame you. I also built more stalls than needed (4 for 2 horses) thinking I could possibly open one or two stalls to a boarder. As luck would have it, a close friend of mine had a massive change in her life and went from a full on farm “of her own” to having nowhere to go with her horse and mini donkey AND she had just signed on to become a traveling nurse.
I, of course, offered my place for her two girls. She pays me moderate board and I do full care as if they were my own. Even though she is a very close friend we agreed that she would sign a boarding contract as if she were anyone else.

I would certainly not deal well with most other boarding situations. I wouldn’t be able to watch someone care less for their horses than I do for mine and would end up doing what you did, OP, changing dirty water, removing blankets, etc. Small things that add up quickly.

It sounds like you deserve a much needed break. And you might decide to make it a permanent break!

[cutter99]

I have had my horses at home for 20+ years and have had one boarder for a very short period of time (an elderly horse who was in a bad boarding situation, and whose owner needed to move him quickly in order to regroup before euthanizing him). I will never ever board for anyone else.

[16_Hands]

The barn I’m at I generally like but the owners are very “hands off” on the self-care horses. such as, there is one little mare that the owner hardly ever comes out and this poor little mare has had a sheet and a blanket on during the recent hot, for us that is, weather. If I owned the barn I would talk to the owner and make sure the blanket gets removed. Another horse is very thin and no one knew how thin until the blankets came off. This horse’s owner competes in gaming on her and this horse is a 3-4 on the Henneke scale. If she’s competing she must have noticed how thin this horse has been getting. And, if they can afford to game and own a trailer, they certainly should be able to afford quality hay. Oh well, it’s never easy.

[Hopeless]

I just started boarding again. For about 25 years I kept my horses in my backyard, but now … here I am again boarding. It is a drag. I found a nice enough place, but of course I would do things differently if they were in backyard. I like to be able to check on them and have more control over their feed, but what can I do. Congratulations on your new place!

With the extra space you might check into a local rescue and do some fostering.

[Abbie.S]

I honestly, having had to board my horses my whole life in some capacity, feel boarding is like dating. You have a try and few on for size to know what you like, compromises are always going to be made and often times even the slimiest of operations start off having gotten you completely smitten!

Jokes aside though, I do wish there was “an app for that”. For real - BarnMatch.com?

I once visited a prospective boarding farm shortly after college. I had a horse that was quite low maintenance and really preferred to live out, didn’t get fed hard grain and was rarely blanketed. After the tour the owner told me she was skeptical about offering me a boarding contract because she was concerned I was “too low maintenance”.

At this point, I won’t own another horse until I can have it on my property. While I absolutely agree there are a LOT of wackadoo owners, there are just as many nutty BOs. It’s a two-way street, which is why the truly good barns and subsequent BOs are worth every penny and then some.

[OneTwoMany]

@2LaZ2race

This post is not critical, but giving props to those barn owners that can do boarding.

I own a small farm and my last boarder just left and I don’t think I can ever do it again. I tried doing full care, self care, partial… every situation ended up with me getting taken advantage of and barely (if at all) breaking even financially.

It was astounding to me how little people were willing to pay (for full board). The unacceptable level of care they would provide (for self care), and the struggle I faced far too often between not enabling their bad horse keeping and not letting the horse go without. (never an abuse situation but having a blanket left on a hot day, or dirty water, etc).

I hope I was never a bad boarder and I give much respect to barn owners that can do it… for now I’m just going to enjoy the peace and quiet (and lack of drama) of solitude!

Totally agree with this. Boarding is a tough business. Customers want to pay as little as possible for a specialized service and the use of a specialized facility. On the one hand, this is understandable. Monthly board can be a car payment if not a mortgage payment. But precious few boarders appreciate all the work and the expense that goes into running a boarding operation.

Kudos to the folks that run successful boarding operations. You are a special group!!

[JB]

I suspect small private farm owners get taken advantage of much more often than “official” public situations. Somehow they don’t see the small setup as serious, so they don’t take it seriously.

Costs can also be much higher per acre/square foot for the smaller owner, not to mention time.

I boarded a friend’s horse when she hit a rough spot, and it was as big a win for me, as I had 2, and my mare did not handle being alone, so it was impossible to take my gelding anywhere. #3 solved that problem, and he was a very easy keeper and easily managed.

But, I ended up taking ownership of him, by default, not long into that situation, and thankfully it was no big deal. But it could have been.

So nope, never again.

[Guilherme]

You have just aired one of the “dirty little secrets” about the business of amateur horse ownership. Boarding is almost never profitable (and when it is it’s almost always marginal). Folks have Cadillac-sized demands backed with a Yugo-sized checkbook. And then grouse continually if their every wish and whim were not immediately woven into the care of the horse they are boarding.

OK, the above is “over the top.” The number of boarders who fall into that category is likely in the 10-20 percent range in any given facility. But that small minority will eat up the vast majority of the barn owner’s “discretionary” time.

There is a reason why boarding operations are closing nationwide at a disturbing rate. Most of that reason is that we are not bringing in new participants in number sufficient to replace the Boomers who are aging out. This is true in many activities, I’m told. But the prima donnas and drama queens now assume outsized influence as they stand out even more as normal folks move on.

G.

[warriorhorse]

I have boarded at a small privately owned smaller farm,never again would i do so. I would never board horses now for anyone friend or not. Been there done that and never works out last boarder i let stay here was a nightmare was here for a year and half. Owner never came out and horse was a real PITA,only good that came from it was owner payed her board bill on time without fail.

Have 3 stalls and 1 horse have no plans to have a boarded horse or another horse to own for myself. Current horse is perfectly happy being alone so that’s how it will stay. I like having control of my horse and his feeding, when and how much he’s stall kept,and how much bedding is kept in stall. How much pasture time he gets ,and the kind of feed and hay i want fed. Currently not feeding any kind of bagged feed, horse is much calmer being off bagged feed.

[Sweetums_Mom]

I understand…Here is what I wrote over a year ago: [h=2]The Perils of Being a Barn Owner[/h] Jan. 27, 2017, 11:04 AM
Well, after years of reading all the drama associated with boarders, BO’s, BM’s, etc., I now have my own drama. I’m not going to elaborate as that’s not the point of this. I just wanted others to know that no one is immune…and I’ve been reading about new BO’s discussing getting boarders and would it be worth it. Money’s not everything.

I would read about other BO/BM’s with problems and just think that I could deal with this or I would be able to schmooze things along. I thought that I could get along with everyone or, at the very least, tolerate and be patient. Guess not. I was tolerant and patient (from my point of view naturally) but that wasn’t enough.

I thought that communication, discussion before boarding, explanations, lots of questions on both sides, would be enough. Nope. So, beware all future BO’s, be careful and don’t think it won’t happen to you. I was arrogant and thought all would be well. I am still boarding but will take no more and I plan on enjoying my horses and those of my, now very select, boarders.

[HPFarmette]

In my career I have been the executive director of a large day care center for children. I always felt as if running a boarding barn would be worse that than…but I was lucky enough to board at one very fine family farm.
I now have my own farmette. Not really big enough for anything but my own equids.

[scrbear11]

I started boarding horses three years ago. We have five stalls, plus ample room for field boarders. In July, 2017 I had 10 horses on the property. I’m down to 5. I won’t ever board horses again. I have never felt so belitted, used, abused, taken advantage of, in my life.

My three remaining boarders are absentee for the most part, pay on time, trust my judgement. One of them will leave in September. The remaining two horses will probably die in my care (geriatric beasties). No more.

[JBD]

I had someone walk into my private barn and ask if I would board her horse. She lived in my neighborhood and I recommended a boarding barn that is visible from my place.
“Oh, no, she charges a lot”. Haha, wait until you see what I’d charge.

[Kyrabee]

I don’t blame you. It is sad though. Open land and options are disappearing around here quickly. I have decided that when the current horse is gone (hopefully not for a few years as she is 16, I am 62), that that is it…no more horses. It is so hard to find a good place. I have no problem paying…IF the services I am paying for is provided.

Susan

[kathy_s]

@JBD

I had someone walk into my private barn and ask if I would board her horse. She lived in my neighborhood and I recommended a boarding barn that is visible from my place.
“Oh, no, she charges a lot”. Haha, wait until you see what I’d charge.

Lol! I have a 3 stall barn and 2 horses. I also have a nice, small covered arena and 3 acres of pasture. Several people have asked if I would allow them to board their horse here, and I always say no. I don’t want the hassle, and lack of privacy.

[2LaZ2race]

@Tee

I am going to start looking for property this year (I want to bring my horses home and I’m pretty sure the city would frown on them in the backyard . Picky, picky.) I’ve had several people ask me if would board other horses, and my answer is no way in hell. There are a couple people at the current barn that I know, and they take good care of their horses. But random boarders? Nope.

Honestly, my friends were the worst boarders! I feel like instead of seeing me as someone trying to run a business I was just a friend who already had a farm with my horses… so what’s one more? Many of my friends who wanted to do self care didn’t understand why they had to pay anything! “Well I’m providing the hay and grain, what is it costing you?” :eek:

I also feel like friends are able to push the limits a bit more because they knew I didn’t want to kick them out as easily as I would a random person. I had a friend who FINALLY moved her horse, and she left all her stuff she couldn’t take to the new barn (they only allowed 1 tack trunk). So I’m left with saddles, rubbermaid containers and her TRAILER. When I asked her to move the trailer she didn’t understand why it mattered… umm, I’m not a self storage place, and even they get paid! :lol:

I also think the unfortunate thing in my area is so many farms have indoors, so if you don’t have an indoor they expect board to be so minimal. Obviously I see the value of an indoor, but not having one doesn’t make my mortgage any less. It is what it is and I have to break even.

[Wyndwolfe]

My husband and I have a home on 12 acres. We saved for years so that I could have my horses in my back yard, and I have never regretted it! At the same time, having boarded for a number of years before I got my own property, I can say without hesitation that I will never board anyone else’s horse, no matter how good a friend the owner is. It is not about the cost. Too much can happen. Too much risk that the owner will find something about my property or my horsekeeping to disagree with. I would rather deal with someone being angry because I won’t take their horse in, than being angry because something happened to their horse on my watch.