NancyM - can you get event insurance to cover just the days that you hold the clinics? I used to get a $1 million liability policy for $150/day when I rented a covered arena for 1-2 day sport horse inspections. It was required to indemnify the entity that owned the facility, and I rolled the cost into what I charged the participants. This was some years back though and I am sure costs have gone up.
Yes, that was what I was thinking.
Yeah, it’s going to become an issue soon, especially around the suburbs. Board costs are going to skyrocket just because of the lack of stalls available. We have seen it coming for a long time, but now all the barn owners who inherited their farms or bought them cheaply way back when are retiring, and their children don’t want to run a boarding barn, especially when someone is offering them a million plus dollar check for it.
1 Like
Are you in the Triangle area of NC? They are definitely going to have a boarding and lesson shortage in the next few years. 
Unfortunately around here the rate of horse ownership/ riding seems to be decreasing in proportion with, if not faster than, barns closing.
No, I’m in Virginia. Seems like a common issue country wide though.
All my friends down there that own smaller private barns are selling out and getting out of horses.
Triangle boarding prices are going to skyrocket. I’m actually looking at property in the area for building a small facility just for my own horses. I have a feeling we will be moving south to take care of my husbands parents sooner than later.
1 Like
need a “s” on that million …when you have a block of land setting in the middle of a few million people the offers to buy your place are continuous …the land is priced by the square foot
Yeah, it certainly an be in the millions. Even the smaller farms around here are in the 1.2 range.
1 Like
Agreed. I can think of two facilities that have closed down in my general area, one was a very large 40 - 50 horse operation that was taken over by a construction business (who probably didn’t want to deal with all the comings and goings of boarders) and the other was associated with a property that was purchased by Justin Bieber. I’m sure there are more, I’m just not well-connected with local happenings like barn closures (unless it directly affects me).
It does make me think towards the future, and having horses at home, but small hobby-type farm properties anywhere within a 4 or 5 hour radius of me are prohibitively expensive and/or just not very common so …?
1 Like
Would someone with their own large animal veterinary practice be interested in such a situation? An apartment to live on-site, and stalls and facilities for client horses in for treatment or observation (I’m just brainstorming here, I have no idea what a vet practice requires in terms of set-up or equipment).
1 Like
I agree. They might also treat the horses in a way that you don’t agree with and then you have to see that every day in your own home. I once boarded at a place where a trainer rented some stalls. He was pretty abusive to the horses. The farm owner turned a blind eye so most of the boarders left in disgust (myself included).
1 Like
I have 4 senior horses on 6 acres and it’s plenty of room for them to wander, run, etc. But I wouldn’t add many more because I like to do rotational grazing. In my experience, people want to pay less to board senior horses but I find they are more work to keep healthy and happy. But if you’re in an area with a rich horse industry, you may be able to charge for luxury board. I see that my seniors really benefit from a quiet farm with individual care and consistent routine and i hope people would recognize the value of that.
3 Likes
That’s what they should do at the barn I board at now. They tore up the footing the last time they worked it and one end is now so deep you run the risk of straining a tendon. The other end and across the center is packed down hard. I don’t think these people really know what they’re doing.
