Yes!
And in Oregon, lots of the old, too-small, bad-footing covered arena-ed places got sold to marijuana growers.
Think outside the box, OP!
1 Like
I have zero firsthand experience with this myself, but I hear from friends who own big facilities that after lessons/sales, “passive” rentals or facility use are the best income generators.
Most of these ideas have already been mentioned:
Renting out the arena space— full day or to individuals/small groups for an hour or so.
Renting out a block of stalls/paddocks.
As for some of the other ideas you mention, here’s my experience:
Schooling shows— I don’t know anyone who heavily “profits” off these directly because they are soooo much work. Any money you net doesn’t offset the headaches. But maybe there are people who don’t have this experience?
Clinics— if you are just providing the space and another organization or the clinician is managing the patrons, it’s like any other rental. If you are coordinating all the details, it becomes more work on your end.
Short term layovers— this depends. It sounds like your location is good. Offering dry stalls or small paddocks may be low overhead enough to generate some profit without too much demand in your part.
Retirement and/or layups: this can be tough because retirement or layups are generally more expensive to manage and more labor intensive than a healthy, younger horse… but people often think they should be paying less. You have to price accordingly for it to be profitable, but it can take awhile to build your reputation to convince people to pay for what you are offering.
I think first you need to determine what level of work and traffic you are willing to live with. Especially if you intend to live in the apartment.
If you board some horses, will you be doing all the work? What is your cutoff in number you can manage and still have time for your horses? If you would have to get help for more horses, what number would you need at the board rate to have the help paid for? Also, would more horses mean more capital improvements immediately?
Schooling shows require devoting the facility to the show for the duration and bringing in lots of strange horses. Consider parking, judge costs, time taking entries, insurance, jumps if needed, etc. And you and boarders would be inconvenienced if not showing.
I have boarded at barns that rented out blocks of stalls. You would need to screen carefully. One “trainer” was always behind on payments (to BO and everyone) and some providers refused to come to the barn as they considered it her address. Her horses were also hard on the facilities and the beginner lessons were hard for me as a boarder to ride around. Another was a trainer in a very different discipline and some of the methods were questionable. He left without notice, suddenly removing that income stream for the BO.
I know several indoors rent to both riders and dog training groups. Usually it does not take enough time to be a problem for “home” riders - but probably not a big revenue stream either.
Layover board sounds like a possibility as long as you have secure stalls away from your own. You might have them coming in at odd hours, Unless you become a regular stop for a commercial carrier, not too reliable though… Therapeutic board would depend upon your time and qualifications = is there a local vet that would recommend you?
SO first decide if the living and horsekeeping possibilities of this site make sense for what you want. Personally, my ideal would be to be okay with no additional income. Then try to find a trainer with just a few horses (like 2-4) that you or someone you know is familiar with and respect. Write a solid contract. If not, I would try to find a couple of good boarders (depending on the labor situation). I could offer arena rental for various (non-destructive) purposes early on as well. Anything more would be wait and see.
1 Like
I was coming here to say the same thing-doggy day care! People pay $40 a day. You can let them have group play in the arena. You could even seek a dog trainer to come work with them for an additional fee. Where I used to live, fancy dog boarding facilities were being built. I am not saying they do a good job but take a look at Pet Paradise for example. Your facility lends itself to a really good business that could be lucrative without putting a ton of money into it. Pet owners usually supply the food and beds. You would just need to have a daily schedule and clean up poop.
4 Likes
As Ann add on to doggy daycare, Get a groomer to work out of your place once a week for baths, nail trims, etc giving facility a small per dog cut of the fee.
As a professional who had a beloved doggo, I would gave loved this.
1 Like
General comment.
A lot depends on:
are you looking for a hands on home based small business or do you already have a job and just want creative fairly passive income?
How much privacy and personal use will you want for yourself and your horses?
If you have a job do you feel comfortable giving strangers access to your property while you are not there? Do you feel OK having doggie daycare in your arena 3 times a week without you there? Strange dogs on your horse property: what could go wrong?
If you only feel ok letting day use folks onto your property when you are there, how does that eat into your own horse time?
Trailer and RV storage can be a passive income stream.
5 Likes
I may be the minority here, but you couldn’t pay me enough to deal with a bunch of other peoples’ ill behaved dogs. Props to those who can.
Another idea, if you don’t want boarders; renting out the stalls for storage. There’s a barn locally to me that does this. It’s $100 a stall, whatever you want to put in it, nothing hazardous or flammable. All the stalls have locks on the doors. It’s mainly used by construction people who need to store wood, machinery, or other materials. The draw of it is that it’s significantly cheaper than the actual facilities that offer it, and the access is easier since they can back their truck up to the barn. Unlike those mega storage facilities that have hallways and elevators.
Depending on your area, that might be a needed service.
15 Likes
The one thing that would put me off retirement board is the fear of people abandoning horses. It happens enough with healthy, rideable horses I have to imagine it’s worse with retirees (especially in times of economic uncertainty), and then you end up having to pay for their care.
4 Likes
This has been a really great thread with tons of ideas I wouldn’t have thought of!
Currently I have a WFH, non-horsey (corporate) job so am around almost all the time, but do enjoy my privacy and some non working time so am leaning towards more passive ideas (storage in stalls, boat/ RV storage, short term/ day arena rentals, etc).
The point about abandoning retirees is a good one, I would hate to have to deal with that (and SO is such a softy we would end up keeping anything that landed with us).
It’s been a long while (10 years?!) since I’ve been on the hosting side of a schooling show, but for a while I was at a barn (a few different ones actually) that held schooling show series (4-6 shows) that reportedly brought in a decent amount of money. Those barns weren’t doing lessons, only board and many boarders showed and the shows were kept as straight forward as possible which may have been why they were seen as a net benefit.
1 Like
There are additional costs for liability insurance if you host outside horses and riders for profit…and liability for boarding plus a trainer operating on your property is something you should price out before planning on making “extra profit” of the property.
Obviously, liability insurance will be required for storage but you aren’t too likely to get sued because a boat bit some kid or an RV got lose and tore up the neighbors lawn.
Need to also check with local municipality and county for any restrictions on operating a horse boarding/ training, doggie day care or passive storage business on the property.
3 Likes
I also think that running a schooling show mostly filled by enthusiastic boarders with some outside participation is a relatively easy thing to organize once you have your system down. It makes the boarders happy, and you can price it to make a profit.
Running a schooling show at a new unknown venue with no boarders is a much harder sell. You have no captive customers.
Where I live, most of the schooling shows are based in barns with trainers and boarders in that discipline (either dressage or h/j). One series is based on empty riding club grounds, just outdoor arenas and a food shack, but draws competitors from the riding club members (they do different disciplines on different days). Another dressage series is based in the gorgeous amenity indoor arena plus lounge that was built for a horse oriented subdivision.
I don’t know of any schooling show based in a modest barn with no boarders or trainers.
1 Like
What did the current owners use the property for and why are they selling? It would be valuable intel to have if they tried one of the ideas you’re considering and if/why it didn’t work out.
3 Likes
I don’t know about this barn, but the amount of barn owners who are aging and close their boarding business is very high right now. I’m moderately concerned we may see a boarding crisis in the next few years because of it.
In my area alone, there’s been about 4 farms that sold to developers, one 50 stall boarding barn that sold to a private individual who no longer does boarding, one who sold to a dog kennel/grooming business, and only one who sold to another equestrian to continue on the boarding business. And that’s just in the last 2 years.
2 Likes
Undoubtedly!
Thinking back to the last 5 barns I boarded at (over the past 15 years since much of that time I rented or owned):
Two were sold and no longer board horses at all; one of those was partially subdivided and developed.
Another one has an owner in their 60s and fighting cancer: how long is that barn going to keep boarding? The owner is already scaling back.
One stopped boarding to people who aren’t part of their training program.
The only one still actively boarding horses is owned by people who are relatively new to horses and thought it would be a good business endeavor. They are still open, but I wonder how long until they burn themselves out.
3 Likes
And those that continue to board are going to cost $$$ as hay and other essentials become pricier.
I’m glad I had my horses when I did, cause I sure couldn’t afford any of it now.
3 Likes
I’m interested in this thread. Because my situation here has apparently changed. I am fairly remotely located, and out of the major area of hunter/jumper riders- which is fine, I ride alone for the most part, and can ship to wherever I want to go, and have always showed alone anyway. I like riding in clinics from horsemen I respect, and before moving here, was a big supporter of clinics in my area. Since moving here 14 years ago, I’ve brought in lower level clinicians, pony club types, and younger coaches, suitable to set jumps for me and point out some of my major riding sloppy habits, and suitable for other lower level h/j riders in this area. It’s worked well, we have been getting good help and input, which has been very helpful, and I have a handful of local riders to often participate in what I organize. We have an indoor arena, with jumps, and an outdoor grass arena, and round pen, and pens to overnight those who travel a distance to get here. I have NOT been charging for use of the facility, so as to NOT make a profit at all from these clinics, just Horse Council membership for everyone, and the coach has insurance to teach. I do this to get coaching in this remote area myself, and have some fun with local friends.
But apparently, I have now been told that I need insurance to do this, whether or not I make money off these clinics. So things have to change, and I have to attempt to operate this farm to make enough of a “profit” to at least cover these expenses. Which means… charging people for use of the facility, for “drop in” use of the arena, for clinics that I organize, and I am considering offering riding lessons (which I don’t usually do, haven’t done for decades- but I actually am a “certified coach”- which apparently doesn’t go away even if you don’t use it).
Since it is a lightly populated area, and not a lot of “English” riding, this isn’t going to be a big money maker, but that’s OK, it’s not my major source of income. And western riders are OK too, as long as not barrel racing to ruin my footing. Horse Council membership will be necessary (as it always has been). And I have a good liability release form.
I don’t think the dog agility idea would work here, not enough interest locally. Another arena not really in our neighbourhood does “trail” obstacles, which is apparently popular with some, but not for me. I could bring in coaches in branches of equine sport different from what I do, but that wouldn’t benefit me other than usage fees, which would be questionable in amounts to make it worthwhile.
Anybody have any input or ideas for me on this subject? My “promotional” skills are limited, self promotion is not really my style. I’m more of a “doer” than a “talker”.
1 Like
You can probably teach beginner level riders basic horsemanship skills in western tack and certainly ground handling. There are a few differences but at lower levels, its basically safety oriented.
Might not be your first choice but theres always a need and it would pay a little for relatively very low stress sessions.
when we went from backyard stable to boarding my attorney and CPA both suggested I separate the “farm” from personal assets. Wasn’t any big deal to have the farm incorporated which then provided a firewall between the horse actives and my personal assets.
We had the farm corporation lease the ground/buildings and any assets used by the farm from us.
(as for liability waivers even a great one may not be of much good, usually minor’s rights can not be signed away by a parent and if something you know or Should Have Known causes injury the liability waiver may just be worth nothing )
2 Likes
Yeah, many use an LLC to avoid commingling business and personal liabilities and funds. OP can rent the apartment from the LLC for example. Need a lawyer and/or a good CPA to set it up.
that know the ins/outs of farm/ranch law and taxes
