What are board prices in your area?

[Texarkana]

Maryland. In the past year I’ve had to board twice thanks to a surprise pregant mare:

I paid $840/month for full pregnant mare care (with an extra foaling fee). It was 100% all inclusive and included monitoring, grooming, anything needed to keep a pregnant mare comfortable. She also offers regular boarding which I think is a bit cheaper, but I didn’t ask the current rate. She has basic riding facilities and everything you need.

Then I paid $350/month for basic care at my friend’s boarding and lesson farm at weaning time. It included 24/7 turnout in a field with shelter, feeding 2x a day, plus fly spray/blanketing. I had to provide my own feed, hay, and all other necessary care items. But it was full care in the sense she kept them fed, watered, and safe. Her place has a nice barn with climate controlled tack room, an outdoor arena, and round pen. I would have been happy to be there full time back in my boarding days.

Neither place is “high end” but both provide top notch care and have everything you need to keep a horse in work most of the year.

[Rnichols]

I am in Northern California, about 1hr north of SF. Prices range, but really for a a decent facility you’re looking at $850+. If it’s a training barn it’s going up to be at least $1,000. With the cost of everything rising, I often wonder how the $850 barns even break even. I just went to the feed store today and spent almost $400 on hay and feed that will last 2 weeks for 2 horses.

ETA: in my area it’s also really hard to find a place with good turnout, there’s unfortunately just not enough room.

[SBrentnall]

Thousand Oaks, near Los Angeles. 12x12 stall is $1235 with alfalfa. Pasture is $610. Meadow, orchard and timothy hays are an extra $50-$60 per daily flake, per month. Parking a trailer is $100 monthly. The stall board only include 3 bags of shavings weekly, so everyone has to add an extra bag or two each week, at $15 per bag.

[Peggy]

Cerritos near the 91/605 interchange.

Box stalls are $575 which includes alfalfa hay twice a day and enough shavings.

There are pipe stalls also, some OK sized by SoCal standards, but I’m not sure of the price—they were just under $300 a year or so ago. That includes the same feed but no shavings, and you’re on your own for cleaning.

With either setup you can provide your own hay and leave it so easily accessible and with obvious portions and they’ll feed it. One of the training programs will provide hay at cost with an added fee for setting it out.

[J-Lu]

Central NC.

Board at my barn is now $425, I think, for mostly small turnout pastures and run-ins with temp-controlled fans. Pastures are very well maintained because BO is anal about grass. Dedicated stalls for inclement weather. Fly masks in summer and blankets, if wanted, in winter. Lighted arena, sturdy round pen. Stands for viewers. Trainer works out of the barn and has horses in training there. Does some onsite clinics. I think the barn has 4 borders, including me, and BOs have very large social gatherings, sometimes including local bands, usually once a year. We try to do multi-day clinic potlucks or feeding people doing the clinic. The environment is very friendly.

I pay less, I pay what I paid when i came to the barn 9 years ago. I now barnsit a lot and drag the arena and help keep the footing. That is in my best interest and hey, when else do I get to drive heavy machinery?

ETA: Some pastures are larger and there are up to 4-5 horses in the larger pastures. Often 2 horses in the smaller pastures (1+++ acres). My horse has his own 1+ acre pasture because, although we’ve tried, he doesn’t play very well with others in the past 5 years at feeding time. He’s fine at grain feeding but will run the other horse off of as much as 6 hay feeding stations and has cornered 3 horses. He used to do just fine with other horses but not so much since he’s used to his own pasture.

[Calvincrowe]

PNW metro area. Board is $850. Includes excellent orchard hay, grain/beet pulp, stalls well bedded, single turnout (unless mud is too risky for lost shoes) in paddocks or small pastures. I expect price will rise if hay, bedding, feed or labor goes up again. Hoping that hay prices stay same as last year or drop slightly though.

[WB_Mom]

Full board, 12 hr. daily turnout, fans in summer, extra $30.00/mo. in winter for blanketing, fly control system, feed through fly control, will hold for vet/farrier as long as it’s reasonable. Fed twice a day. Indoor and outdoor arenas and access to trails. BO was a large animal vet tech for years, a real plus. Recently raised from 450 to 500/mo.

[clanter]

Recently raised from 450 to 500/mo.

I was paying $450 a month in 1991 believing then I was getting a good deal for the excellant service

$450 in todays dollars would have been $200 in 1991

$1000 in todays dollar would have been $450 in 1991

so I really do not wonder why many boarding barns close these days

[KendraLW]

I am in North Dakota. At the barn I manage it is $200 for pasture board, $300 for pens w shelter, $375 for stall with daily turnout.

[FalseImpression]

I am in Ontario,Canada, one hour west of Toronto
Our retired mare has been at the same barn for 15 years. It is mostly a retired barn and two owners ride. Horses are a two year old mustang cross through to a 32 yo Cleveland Bay and our mare 31 yo. All others are in between. Most in their 20s. Board now is $425/month with daily turnout in big fields with only 2 horses. They are kept inside in the winter when weather is really bad. Home grown hay in round bales in nets in the fields or in slow feeders in the stall. My daughter helps with chores twice a week and our board is reduced, except in the summer months when the horses stay out 24/7. I would never move my mare as she is so well treated by the barn owner. Outdoor ring but no indoor. Trails around the fields.
My daughter’s other horse is at a barn closer to Toronto and she pays about $475 a month for outdoor board (he hates a stall), because she works one full day a week and her lessons are paid in exchange of work. Her friends pay closer to $800 for stall board. Indoor arena, outdoor arena and trails.
One boarder at our mare’s barn has two horses. One is at our barn the other at a show barn close by. Our friend worked at our barn 4 days a week 5 days a week (3 hours) so she could afford the increase to $1600 at the other barn. Two arenas, small turnouts, etc. Crazy.

[quietann]

North Shore MA will run $1200 and up for full board, decent care, and an indoor. The last place I was at was $1500, and it really was nice. Turnout 6-7 hours per day, was called full day but obviously not. That was my worst complaint. (Well, OK, the boarder whose horses took 1/3 of the available stalls, who didn’t like me and was a right b*tch about it was also a problem.) Now in North Metro West area and prices are about the same, $1200 and up. Southern New Hampshire is usually a little less expensive.

There are a number of less expensive barns south and southwest of Boston, but I know very little about them. I honestly do not know how any full care barn in this area can get by for $750 or less. I assume lots of cutting corners.

[TatteredDaydreamer]

In SE PA board went up this year to $1,200 a month for full care with decent turn out, an indoor and excellent care. Full training board is $1,800 a month now. I’m hopeful that with all the rain we are finally getting, prices won’t be increased again. Those are the prices for pretty much all full care barns in our area.

[lightningevent]

Also Central NC, although I think a bit further east than @fivestrideline, and this is right on for the averages around here as well.

I pay $300/month (+provide my own feed) for pasture board at a private farm and consider myself crazy lucky - I’m picky af and absolutely would not consider most facilities priced in this range, but this one is immaculate and literally 10 minutes from downtown in a major city.

[fivestrideline]

Hmmm if they’ve got an opening and are anywhere near the Triad, PM me I’m definitely not horse shopping, no sir (sarcasm), and my trainers’ places are full (or too long in stalls - this is my main obstacle).

I’d pay a pretty penny these days for quality care 24/7 turnout with shelters. Though my contacts in the h/j community here are great, I know my horse (and the theoretical second one) do SO much better on turnout. I won’t put horses I own at some very nice places just because of some management reasons- no matter the price.

[lightningevent]

Sadly the Triangle, not the Triad and operating on a one-in, one one basis right now - I got lucky and snagged the last spot.

I’ve honestly never been at a property with better management - pastures are dragged every two weeks, rotated as needed, feeders are paid well (and are all boarders), the jump field is mowed + edged weekly, and outside trainers are encouraged.

[quietann]

I honestly would not design a new facility now without 24/7 turnout as an option. I can’t tell you how many people are looking for it.

[fivestrideline]

@quietann

I honestly would not design a new facility now without 24/7 turnout as an option. I can’t tell you how many people are looking for it.

Haha I’m so tempted to set up a boarding barn with that in mind - I think there’s demand and more horses = my horse doesn’t get irreversibly herdbound . Except I’ve run barns before and I’m just not ready for that. Maybe someday, if I want to offset the costs of more horses

[fivestrideline]

@lightningevent

Sadly the Triangle, not the Triad and operating on a one-in, one one basis right now - I got lucky and snagged the last spot.

Let me just move to the Triangle. Sounds like a dream!

[Paint_Party]

I’m in north central Arizona. My horse is in the show barn. Breezeway aisle with pavers. Fans and overhead fly spray system in summer (we’re up high and a good 2 hours from Phoenix, so never ungodly hot), blanketing in winter. Hot and cold water in indoor wash racks. Fed twice a day plus slow feeder hay bag hung mid-day; supplements included. Lots of turnout available. Two seasonal large grass paddocks. Great footing in arena. Access to tons of scenic trails but must haul out to trail heads. Board includes 3 weekly lessons and a schooling ride (if needed): $700.

[hillary_again]

I’m moving!

I’m a n the SE part of Phoenix. Covered pipe corral, 12’x24’. Horses are fed hay twice per day, up to 10lbs grass or alfalfa per feeding. Anything else, owners provide, fed up to twice per day. Big property, by Phoenix standard, like 30+ acres: 5 arenas, 2 round pens. $600, blanketing and fans are extra.