So I’m going to take the plunge and rent a barn and care for my own guys. I’ve done self care before and I’ve owned and been around horses for a few decades now. I’ve never rented my own facility before though. It’s just a small 4 horse set up with 5 pastures. I plan to just use square bales and the water troughs, water heaters, etc are already there. I’m thinking of using slow feeder nets spread around (hanging of course) in the pasture so there’s no issues with pecking order and less wastage of hay. Any thoughts on this? I won’t be spreading manure, I’ll be piling and then disposing of it. My horses live out, I will keep a bit of bedding around just in case we need to stall them in emergency. There are shelters in all pastures. I will rotate through pastures. Is there an ideal time frame for this? I’m not sure what my fly upkeep will be yet. I’m leaning towards predators since they are outside often. What else do I need to know and look for?
Get a good contract!! Stipulate who pays for what damages, and what is considered normal wear n tear versus negligence or willful destruction. Who is paying for utilities? Liability. Fence maintenance? Seeding/mowing/dragging. Is there equipment there like tractors? If not, are you responsible for renting and using for property upkeep?
Does the property have water piped to it, and would you have to get an account with the water company or is it shared, is it metered or split by percentages, are all the hydrants functional and well located or are you going to have to buy 300 feet of hose right off the bat.
Same with electric. Is the wiring in good shape? All the outlets work, circuit breakers sized for loads or will you be buying hundreds of feet of extension cords or paying for an electrician?
Do all the doors close and have all the locks been changed? Windows shut securely? Gates all in working order, troughs hold water?
Water and electricity are included. I will check doors, locks, gates, etc. Great questions on wear and tear etc. These are the things I needed help to think of! There are no tractors, etc involved. There is no arena, nothing to drag. It’s literally just barn and pastures.
[QUOTE=FirstChance;8514221]
There are no tractors, etc involved. There is no arena, nothing to drag. It’s literally just barn and pastures.[/QUOTE]
Laugh, there are lots of uses for a tractor that do not include ring dragging.
Yuuuuup!
Well that is why I was asking, so I can learn. Perhaps you can elaborate?
Go look at it in the rain. I’ve been at a few barns that were not designed for rain, oddly. One barn, basically the same set-up you’re describing but smaller, had each stall flood with several inches if water when we had a heavy rain. We used the barn as a run-in, so unless we wanted them to stand in the water, there was no shelter until it dried out.
You don’t HAVE to have a tractor, but you have to have some method to move the manure from point A to point B if you intend to pile and dispose of it. So a mini 4X pick up is a useful starting point if you already have one of those, for moving stuff. We had a VW squareback back in the day, with a roof rack, amazing what you can cram in those, just NOT manure, LOL. So think of something that will save your back. Mowing may be important to you, that needs something.
Drainage and weather are definitely important, does it turn into an oven due to the orientation, nice cross breezes or too windy? Need gutters? Areas around gates boot sucking mudholes?
Another thing to make sure your contract covers is what is the landlord allowed to do with/to your animals. You do not want to show up one day to find your landlord giving pony rides using your horses or having tossed some auction buy into the paddock with your horses.
On the tractor subject, there are lots of farmettes that do fine with out a tractor so do not worry too much about that, there is always another way to do things. Tractors just make so many jobs easier.
Tractor things: If you plan to pile and dispose of manure how are you going to have it removed? How are you going to manage the pile? How will you move hay around in any quantity?
check out your neighbors as well - friendly, other horse people? Farm folks that might do some of the work (e.g. overseeing pasture) if they have equipment?
Are you going to live on the property? If not, how far away are you?
Where are the lights if you are there in the dark?
I agree that manure management and pasture mowing are pretty important reasons to have a tractor available.
Horses won’t eat pasture if it gets too tall, ie. getting upwards to 3 feet,
so you will need to keep it properly mowed to maximize grazing.
And manure needs to be managed so as to control your fly population.
Also agree that a good contract is essential to spell out the terms for both parties.
Odd as it sounds, the point about the BO using your horses,
or throwing an auction find, out in the herd, is not that far fetched,.,
IT HAPPENS! :eek:
Check out the neighbors, consider that you’re keeping your investments there
(horses and tack), so it needs to be secure with locks,
sturdy fencing, and no trespassing signs.
Is anyone on site, or are you the sole care taker?
As far as seeing it in the rain, thats a good idea, but keep in mind,
no place is perfect in every kind of weather.
Lots of things to consider, but I’m sure it will work out fine.
Good luck!
Already mentioned in others’ posts, but how far away will you be?
Will there be any horse-knowledgable person(s) resident on the property?
Someone who could contact you in an emergency?
Even with my own 2 living 250’ from the house, they are not watched 24/7 & S**t does happen.
But at least I am there to attend promptly to whatever happens when I’m sleeping or away from the farm for errands, etc.
I do have neighbors with horses, but they work & are not always at home either.
Worst catastrophe to date was returning home from work to find one horse with a hoof stuck in the wire corner bracing for fencing.
I don’t know how long he was stuck, but there were several piles of manure & when I freed him he took some very stiff steps before walking out of it.
And one Winter I peered out my bedroom window (the only one with a direct view to the barn) & saw a streak of red on the beige barn wall.
Turned out to be be a minor cut on 1 horse’s eyelid from playfighting, but I was there in seconds when seconds could have mattered.
Also, you mentioned doing self-care before so can I assume you have vet & farrier lined up to take care of your horses in the new place?
Some farriers may not be willing to make the trip for just a couple horses.
TG mine does & just for barefoot trims, but I’ve been a client for almost 20yrs.
Vet farm call will now be 100% yours too, no splitting with other boarders.
Going to write a book… but I think I have the answers.
The LO will do all normal maintenance of fences and the barn, driveways, etc. They will mow, re-seed, and drag the pastures on a regular basis. They have a designated area in a good spot for the manure to be piled and they will remove and spread it regularly. The water and electric are included in the rental fee. There is no lease, it is month to month. The barn and pastures would be mine solely and I would be responsible for all care/maintenance of the horses. They are happy to help in case of emergency/weather. They did used to keep horses on the property themselves but do not any longer due to injury. They just like to see the horses outside their window and to pet them (if that was ok with me.) The barn is set about 1/4 mile back from the road. There is no visibility to the barn and the horses from the public. The doors, gates, and locks are in good shape. The stalls are MASSIVE. They were built with belgians in mind. They are probably 14x14, possibly larger. The stalls are well drained and have matts. All water buckets/troughs are in great shape and have heaters in them. The property is at the top of a hill so I don’t think rain will be an issue. My horses are predominantly outside anyways. Stalls will only be used in emergency situations. There is a sawdust storage area attached to the barn and a separate barn about 30’ away for hay and trailer storage. There are multiple pastures that can be left open or closed and used in rotation. One of them is nice and flat and I will use as a riding area. There is access to many trails on the property and it’s near public trail systems as well as easy access to the highway to travel. There is a frost free water hook up just outside the barn door. There is a dry lot between the barn and the pastures. There are run in sheds in each field and one attached to the barn in the dry lot. I am not responsible for reasonable, normal wear and tear. If my horses break something I am responsible for replacement/repair which is completely reasonable to me. the only thing that it does not have is a tack room. I was thinking I could use one of the extra stalls to store my trunks in and put up some of those over the wall blanket/tack hangers. I do have a farrier that will come there and the vet is not an issue either. I don’t split vet calls now as I use a different vet than others where I’m at now. I’m sure I’m missing something… point out the holes for me!
Yeah, the part about NO lease. I would never engage in a rental without a lease, even if the term is month to month. The lease protects both landlord and tenant. I would run from this arrangement without a lease.
[QUOTE=FirstChance;8515350]
Going to write a book… but I think I have the answers.
The LO will do all normal maintenance of fences and the barn, driveways, etc. They will mow, re-seed, and drag the pastures on a regular basis. They have a designated area in a good spot for the manure to be piled and they will remove and spread it regularly. The water and electric are included in the rental fee. There is no lease, it is month to month. The barn and pastures would be mine solely and I would be responsible for all care/maintenance of the horses. They are happy to help in case of emergency/weather. They did used to keep horses on the property themselves but do not any longer due to injury. They just like to see the horses outside their window and to pet them (if that was ok with me.) The barn is set about 1/4 mile back from the road. There is no visibility to the barn and the horses from the public. The doors, gates, and locks are in good shape. The stalls are MASSIVE. They were built with belgians in mind. They are probably 14x14, possibly larger. The stalls are well drained and have matts. All water buckets/troughs are in great shape and have heaters in them. The property is at the top of a hill so I don’t think rain will be an issue. My horses are predominantly outside anyways. Stalls will only be used in emergency situations. There is a sawdust storage area attached to the barn and a separate barn about 30’ away for hay and trailer storage. There are multiple pastures that can be left open or closed and used in rotation. One of them is nice and flat and I will use as a riding area. There is access to many trails on the property and it’s near public trail systems as well as easy access to the highway to travel. There is a frost free water hook up just outside the barn door. There is a dry lot between the barn and the pastures. There are run in sheds in each field and one attached to the barn in the dry lot. I am not responsible for reasonable, normal wear and tear. If my horses break something I am responsible for replacement/repair which is completely reasonable to me. the only thing that it does not have is a tack room. I was thinking I could use one of the extra stalls to store my trunks in and put up some of those over the wall blanket/tack hangers. I do have a farrier that will come there and the vet is not an issue either. I don’t split vet calls now as I use a different vet than others where I’m at now. I’m sure I’m missing something… point out the holes for me![/QUOTE]
What I bolded:
- Even month to month should have a lease that states all of the above.
- How often will they reseed, mow, drag. Your definitions of necessary may be different.
- What is “regular” to them for spreading. You should get that in writing.
- I would want to know and get in writing what “normal” maintenance of fence, barn, driveway.
There is a contract, there is just not a time limit on how long I have to stay. There is a notice clause. I actually prefer it this way for the moment so I can see how this works for us and if it doesn’t we’re not stuck there forever. We are discussing the timing for those things, though for some degree it depends on weather and how things grow. We’re thinking that a maximum time frame is the best way to go. They don’t spread in winter, they spread 2-3 times in the spring through fall depending how much the horses produce. I’m really not that concerned about this as the location is away from the barn and my horses are out 24/7 for the most part. The pile should be minimal. The driveway we talked bout plowing and snow care. It’s also their house driveway so I don’t think this will be an issues but I will get those things in writing too! I’m appreciate all the input on this. I knew you guys would have some great ideas!
I only see two possible gaps:
- Do you trust them to do the pasture work without you there? There’s no real way of knowing this except building trust with them, but I’ve boarded at a place where the fence fixing dude (hired by landlord) routinely left gates open. Yay we have repaired fences. Boo we have no horses, they left by the gate.
- Where do acts of God or nature fall into the equation? Are there trees? What if one takes down a fence? Or lands on the barn? What if you need pest control of some sort – wasp nest, fire ants, moles?
Good questions! I will check into those things. I think the best thing would be to just stall the horses when they are doing pasture work or rotate them to another pasture. We did touch on pest control in regards to flies, but I did not think of the other. I will ask. Thank you for the good ideas!
This will sound strange ~ but best know where you can go next if things go ‘south’ !
- as well as the legal steps involved in your departure ~
Enjoy your barn !
BE SMART ! BE SAFE !
