A decent article on the subject IMO
GREAT article!
Everyone should read this article.
I couldn’t agree with this more. Well done…especially the part about subsidizing someone else.
Haven’t had a chance, (because I have farm also) to read all of the comments just skimmed some. I thought this one was pretty spot on;
"Well having been a horse owner for 40+ years and always had them boarded out. My dream was to be able to have my horses on my own property I would even have these happy little dreams where I was shoveling my own horses poop and everything was grand! So I got married and my husband was great and made my dreams come true. He got us a beautiful place in Fallbrook, we moved the horses in and I started living my dream…NOT! The horses had to be fed, watered, stalls mucked 3 times a day, (I know I’m a bit anal with the stall mucking) Needless to say my lifelong dream was slowing turning into a nightmare. I missed having a life. I couldnt be gone for 2 long cause it was always time to feed the horses plus I missed my horsey friends back at the barn. Well I lived the dream for a year and then moved the horses back to the boarding barn! So for all you barn owners, stall muckers and stable workers out there I say “KUDOS” you are all Gods in my book! :o)"
After working for the last ten years to keep a fence around my horse, my life’s goal is to comfortably be able to afford to board him. It is definitely easier said than done in this part of the country!
I am deeply thankful for the concept of “full care boarding”. Without it I could not own a horse.
Horses in active work are more like “full TIME care”. It’s not only the feed and mucking, it’s also the daily extras they all find a way to need, plus the occasional ills and injuries. A dedicated barn manager who is deeply knowledgeable about horse care is worth their weight in gold.
:):):)
Very good article.
People used to look at me like I was crazy when they’d drive in and ask about boarding and I’d say $1000/month. That was when I had horses of my own on the farm. Now, with no horses of my own, anyone that drives and asks gets told $2500/month. I just keep hoping no one will be willing to pay that, especially now with winter coming on.
I actually love having my horses at home.
I enjoy the work involved, I LOVE living on our farm,
and I LOVE ‘living the dream’ .
That said, I think the article is 100% accurate as to the costs
and expectations involved in boarding situations.
Everytime someone asks to board on my private farm,
for exactly one minute I weigh the pros and cons,.,
then I come to my senses and say NO!:no:
Having my horses here - priceless
Having a boarder here - No way!
What I am willing to do for my own horses, on my own time,
is one thing,…,
But the prospect of having to do it for a boarder is not fun, just as worrisome,
and not rewarding.
Boarders do not realize all the minutes in one day that go into the
daily care, before anyone gets to ride.
They do not realize when a horse is sick and needs to be monitored 24-7 like a baby (even thru the night hours when they’re in bed)
and that someone else is up checking their horse.
Filling water tubs, hauling and draining hose,.,
Buying and stacking hay, buying and unloading grain,.,
Scheduling, and meeting, vet and farrier,.,
Cutting pastures and trimming weeds,.,
Keeping the ring maintained,.,
Keeping truck and trailer maintained.
The list is endless, and my stuff isn’t brand new,
but it is functional, well maintained and works properly.
(and not to mention, properly insured).
Horses are an expensive hobby, and require a real dedication of their care.
This article has addressed this reality in an excellent, well written manner.
Even though the work is only 40 minutes per horse, your work day is usually 13/14 hours. You feed early in the morning, dress, turn out and muck stalls. Bring them in at dusk and then go back out later for their evening feed. Still can’t relax because you have to go to the barn for night check and another flake of hay. This is especially hard when the wind is howling and the snow is flying.
Holy moly! Many boarders do, actually, realize what it takes to take good care of their horses, and are profoundly grateful for a good barn, and are realistic about the financial responsibility of horse ownership.
The article does not address, unless I missed it, the BM who is not realistic about the lifestyle/business model of a boarding barn, such that the care suffers because the BM is unable/unwilling to adhere to her own contract. It is the BO/BM’s job to know in advance what they need to charge to provide care as contracted, and the boarder’s job to ask questions before signing up, and then to pay the board bill as per the contract.
[QUOTE=SharonA;8421334]
Holy moly! Many boarders do, actually, realize what it takes to take good care of their horses, and are profoundly grateful for a good barn, and are realistic about the financial responsibility of horse ownership.
The article does not address, unless I missed it, the BM who is not realistic about the lifestyle/business model of a boarding barn, such that the care suffers because the BM is unable/unwilling to adhere to her own contract. It is the BO/BM’s job to know in advance what they need to charge to provide care as contracted, and the boarder’s job to ask questions before signing up, and then to pay the board bill as per the contract.[/QUOTE]
Sigh. Not a great article, rather another adversarial one. That won’t make the business go forward. At the very least, the author has not described me as a boarder.
And if board ranges from $350 to $3,500 per month for full care, how do you justify picking $500 as the price from which you’ll make calculations? And all the list of stuff at the top that the boarders don’t pay for… muck forks and such? They certainly do! Every horse pays for his share of a rake that was bought initially or will be broken in the future.
And the author makes no mention of what happens for some savvy BOs: They have the boarding business so as to afford a better facility to ride in themselves than they could have done had they financed their own small barn and hobby farm.
There’s nothing morally wrong with that strategy; it’s not a criticism of the BOs who do it. In fact, it’s one of the only reasons I’d ever board horses. It would be one of the few “pay offs” (that might not pencil out in the long term) to boarding that there can be in our current economy.
But it does mean that BOs aren’t victims of HOs who won’t pay and have no clue about costs or BOs’ efforts. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable of HOs to want all that TLC for their horses. If you want to blame someone, blame these high-maintenance animals combined with the way we cage 'em up! The need for almost constant work and supervision is the nature of the beast.
Great article! Thanks for posting it
LOL I do layups @ $25/day and that is not worth it!!!
Thank you SharonA and MVP!!! While boarding I was amazed by the BO/BM’s lack education on the care required to fulfill the contract WE agreed upon. When we had the horses at home we didn’t think we gave them extraordinary care, ie. water at all times, consistent hay supple, rodent control, and facility repairs as needed. While boarding we had ALL of these problems! I even initiated a clean up day at one facility. To help get rid of the rodent problem we cleaned out the hayloft: old hay 2’ deep, 30’ wide by 100’ long! I asked permission of both the BO and BM, making sure not to step on anyones toes. The was grateful and helped us; the BM was clueless. I could go on, on, on…
Having worked at more than one 30-stall-plus barn for many years I can truthfully say I am so glad I no longer do it.
I am so burned out worrying about which horse what ailment, what person, whatEVER! Who kicked whom, who needs special supplements, following behind the newbie to make sure things actually got done the way the BO wants them done…all to the detriment of my relationship with my own horse.
And the permanent injury resulting from said work.
Done. Done. Done.
My horse and I are much happier for it.
Personally I think it is a great article. I don’t see anything adversarial about it, unless you resent the fact that a boarding barn should make a profit. Based on many years of experience, I can say that boarders who understand the economics of a boarding barn are few and far between. Realistically, boarders who think they are subsidizing the BO’s personal horses or “personal” farm are much more common, as are people who think that board price should primarily be based on the cost of feed/hay/bedding with a little something for labor.
There are many small business owners that choose to run a business that they themselves are interested in. I know fitness nuts who own health clubs, lovers of gourmet food that own restaurants, etc. Just because a person has an interest in the subject of their business in no way changes the fact that it is perfectly normal and reasonable for them to organize their business so that it generates a profit. Boarding barns are no different. It’s ridiculous to think that the “pleasure” of owning a nice facility should count as compensation for the enormous investment of money, responsibility and work that a BO puts in…any more so than you would expect a restaurant owner to count getting to eat in their own nice restaurant every night as adequate compensation for their investment and risk.
Workin’onit, your post brings up an interesting point. Many people look at boarding prices and do understand the costs of hay, feed, bedding, labor to clean stalls and do turnout, manure disposal, etc. However, it is less common for people to understand that boarding fees also have to cover facility maintenance–including projects like replacing rotted fenceposts, cleaning up leaves in the fall, keeping the entrance looking nice, and YES, cleaning the hayloft, disposing of old hay, exterminating vermin, etc. When I say “people” I’m talking about both boarders and BOs. BOTH of whom can be unrealistic about what it costs to REALLY manage and maintain a facility, not just provide horse care.
Also, there’s a lot of pressure on BOs to keep costs down, so yes, there are facilities that base their prices on a model that deliberately leaves out extra money and labor for maintenance, repairs, and seasonal cleaning. IMO, no, it’s not a good thing, but I think facilities like that wouldn’t exist except that there are many people for whom the savings in boarding costs is worth dealing with a certain level of mess and disrepair.
[QUOTE=BeeHoney;8421795]
Personally I think it is a great article. I don’t see anything adversarial about it, unless you resent the fact that a boarding barn should make a profit. Based on many years of experience, I can say that boarders who understand the economics of a boarding barn are few and far between. Realistically, boarders who think they are subsidizing the BO’s personal horses or “personal” farm are much more common, as are people who think that board price should primarily be based on the cost of feed/hay/bedding with a little something for labor.
There are many small business owners that choose to run a business that they themselves are interested in. I know fitness nuts who own health clubs, lovers of gourmet food that own restaurants, etc. Just because a person has an interest in the subject of their business in no way changes the fact that it is perfectly normal and reasonable for them to organize their business so that it generates a profit. Boarding barns are no different. It’s ridiculous to think that the “pleasure” of owning a nice facility should count as compensation for the enormous investment of money, responsibility and work that a BO puts in…any more so than you would expect a restaurant owner to count getting to eat in their own nice restaurant every night as adequate compensation for their investment and risk.
Workin’onit, your post brings up an interesting point. Many people look at boarding prices and do understand the costs of hay, feed, bedding, labor to clean stalls and do turnout, manure disposal, etc. However, it is less common for people to understand that boarding fees also have to cover facility maintenance–including projects like replacing rotted fenceposts, cleaning up leaves in the fall, keeping the entrance looking nice, and YES, cleaning the hayloft, disposing of old hay, exterminating vermin, etc. When I say “people” I’m talking about both boarders and BOs. BOTH of whom can be unrealistic about what it costs to REALLY manage and maintain a facility, not just provide horse care.
Also, there’s a lot of pressure on BOs to keep costs down, so yes, there are facilities that base their prices on a model that deliberately leaves out extra money and labor for maintenance, repairs, and seasonal cleaning. IMO, no, it’s not a good thing, but I think facilities like that wouldn’t exist except that there are many people for whom the savings in boarding costs is worth dealing with a certain level of mess and disrepair.[/QUOTE]
I thought the article was GREAT, a needed reality check for both boarders and BO’s alike. The above post expands on that theme usefully as well.
For 20 years before I became a BO myself, I was a working student and then a boarder, so I’ve certainly seen all the issues from both ends of the pitchfork and checkbook. IMO, relatively few misunderstandings and “dramas” happen in stables that were set up from the get-go as businesses. They tend to have contracts, rules, and a culture of conformity that keeps “special snowflake-ness” to a minimum. At least, the “special” wannabes get a smart correction on their bill, and quickly learn maybe flying in formation isn’t so bad. These places tend to have BNT’s or at least an experienced, strong personality running the place, and the prevailing attitude of boarders is “Lucky just to BE here, sir!” 
If you don’t like it, lump it and leave. You’ll get a shrug. Their program works, it’s a perpetual motion machine, and they’re not changing it for YOU.
Based on what I see here on COTH, the places with all the misunderstandings and bad feelings tend to be the NON-professional barns, regardless of size. These are a dime a dozen, and too often consist of an ammie with another income who thought she was going to subsidize her competition career but really hasn’t got the slightest clue about putting together a business plan. She low-balls the price, allows barter and work-for-board, tends to make what should be a “business” relationship personal, plays favorites, then feels used when she’s taken advantage of by diva-wannabes and Special Snowflakes. These are the people who at the end of the month can’t find the hay money and have only the dimmest idea why, so they blame it on the boarders and start cutting corners. They tend to get ugly-tempered when they find out how much WORK this all really is, and that they’re not going to get rich!
That said, I’ve also known tiny “backyard” barns with one or two stalls to let, sometimes on a co-op or dry-stall basis, that are some of the sweetest deals with the least friction anybody could ever want.
I think it all comes down to CLEARLY STATED EXPECTATIONS on both sides, preferably in writing, on which both parties then deliver as agreed.
It never ceases to amaze me how boarders think a meager $500 per month per horse should entitle them to royal treatments. It amazes me even more that there are BO who are willing to subsidize boarders for their hobbies, month after month.
Seriously, Motel 6 will cost you $1800 a month, and that is ROOM only.
[QUOTE=BeeHoney;8421795]
…unless you resent the fact that a boarding barn should make a profit.[/QUOTE]
This is the problem. You can even see it in other similar threads. Successful BOs scrutinized for having a nice house or taking a vacation. There’s this requirement that BOs live in poverty and wait on their boarders hand and foot because they are getting the privilege of taking care of someone else’s horses.
I thought the article (and BeeHoney’s post) was very well written. It got right to the point that most boarding barns are actually subsidizing the horses they board.
