What Does "Full Board and Training" Mean in Your Area?

[phippsie62]

Where I live, “full board and training” contracts (where they exist) typically promise three lessons and two pro rides per week. In terms of horse care, barns do the turn-out and blanketing, clean the stalls, and provide two or three feedings per day of their choice of feed. They will also administer supplements provided by owners, and they set up routine vetting and farrier work. A few do a lot of shows, some A rated. More often, a barn’s show schedule is more modest in terms of type (mostly local) and number.

As far as special care–hand-walking a horse on stall rest, for example, or getting down on hands and knees for daily treatment of an infection like scratches–most barns rely on boarders for most of that, as they do not have sufficient staff or time. (Some barn managers lack the knowledge to address such problems anyway.)

It is not unusual to find promised services mostly delivered, but not always if there’s a show or some other conflict that takes the trainer or manager out of the barn for a time. Barns are chronically short-staffed, presumably because staffing is expensive and most barns run on the slimmest margins.

A typical monthly charge for board and training is $1500. The highest-end program I know of charges $2650. (This is the type of place where trainers make all the decisions and boarders have very little say: If the trainers decide you need a new tack trunk, they will order one for you without consultation, and you will find the cost appended to your monthly bill.)

I am curious to know what horse owners pay in other parts of the country, and whether owners get more services from barn staff than is generally the case here, or whether there are places where the services in “full board and training” are fewer than those I’ve described. Thanks!

[anon510129]

I’ve worked for two A barns, one in the Seattle area and one in LA. Definitely upper-end barns, and the price for board and training reflected that (closer to that $3000 mark). Both barns operated essentially the same:

1. at both, everything was handled by the trainer or staff. From cuts, to hand-walking, blanket, turn out, vet/farrier, etc.

2. Barn A had grooms, barn B did not. Price was $2500/month board & training at barn A. I think it was about the same at barn B, but I’ve forgotten since then.

3. Both- clients really don’t have a say. It’s assumed that you chose that particular trainer for their particular program.

4. Barn A was far more organized than B in terms of schedule. At A you got two trainer rides, three lessons and on Sunday there was no staff or trainer but you could do whatever you wanted with your horse. Graze, ride bareback, jump small cavalettis. Barn B, if you didn’t show up your horse got ridden by one of us. It was mostly two lessons a week and trainer rides the rest of the days.

in general I am not a fan of nickel and diming. I have my horses at home, but the barn I take lessons with charges extra for theraplate, magnetic blankets, etc.

I’d rather pay more for all inclusive. If someone bought a tack trunk without my consent I’d leave. Medication for my horse is a different story. A call is always appreciated regardless

Hope that helps!

[Calvincrowe]

In the PDX area. Medium sized program. Full training and board includes a mix of lessons and pro rides, based on need of horse and rider. All scheduling of vet, farrier, chiro/massage handled by trainer. Day to day care of horse is all inclusive: turn out, blanket changes, feed/cleaning, mane pull and show prep, etc. done by staff. No grooms so we tack up and groom on our own (oh the horrors! :lol:), clean our own tack, etc. Show entries done by trainer as well. Price range is $1200-$1500/month. There are quite a few half lease situations on our barn as well, which helps with expenses. Definitely not the “order you a trunk” kind of program, but blankets are sent out for washing and you are given a bill.

[cab222]

At our barn in central TX (mid-size doing 8-10 A shows per year) the training packages are separate from the Board. Full training is $995 and includes 10 lessons per month, unlimited training rides, clipping, mane pulling, holding for farrier, vet etc. Board varies depending on which facility you use but at the top end is $875 month and includes feeding/stall cleaning, turnout, blanketing in the winter, and an hour daily in the excerciser. Vet and farrier scheduled, and coordinates all show entries. Tack up and grooming handled by riders except when at shows. All show costs billed separately.

[blondewithchrome]

@cab222

At our barn in central TX (mid-size doing 8-10 A shows per year) the training packages are separate from the Board. Full training is $995 and includes 10 lessons per month, unlimited training rides, clipping, mane pulling, holding for farrier, vet etc. Board varies depending on which facility you use but at the top end is $875 month and includes feeding/stall cleaning, turnout, blanketing in the winter, and an hour daily in the excerciser. Vet and farrier scheduled, and coordinates all show entries. Tack up and grooming handled by riders except when at shows. All show costs billed separately.

Wow, $995 for 10 lessons plus unlimited training rides is a GREAT deal. I could imagine that would cost me about the price of 10 lessons alone in my program, absent ANY pro rides!

[joiedevie99]

Around here full board is roughly $3250-$4000/month. You get all care and 5 or 6 rides or lessons per week. Different trainers have different mixes - some allow you to choose all lessons, or all rides.

Care includes everything - grooming, tacking, cooling out, lunging, wrapping, treadmill, turnout, medicating, trimming, supplies, etc. Body clipping and prescription medication cost is usually extra.

Barns typically have 1 groom assigned to 4-6 horses.

[Eventer2483]

I love this. But I do have to say as someone who is involved/oversees every aspect of my horse’s care (apart from picking the stall and turning him in/out), this also gives me hives thinking about it!! Haha.

[streamline]

Sounds about right. I’ve known places that did 1k for board, fed 3x a day with 2x stall cleaning. Training/pro rides were 1500 a month, and then separate for grooming, supplies where purchased by stable manager. So probably in that 3k a month range per horse. That was a few years ago.

Right now all I pay for is hay, trims, whatever regular vet stuff and whatever random junk I buy. I tell my husband to yell at me to lift my hands up and be soft when I ride.

When I told him that’s how much the average is for fancy horse board he about fell over. He also thinks horses should live outside 24/7 no blankets etc. Very western. Not the fancy western either. The working ranch horse livestock western.

[kenyarider]

Pacific NW varies. Most of the barns close to Seattle/Eastside range from $3050 to $1300. The only difference in service is the price and how much ego the trainer has about his/her abilities. That is full board/training with some doing pro rides and 3 lessons a week. I have had amazing training where I can get 4 lessons a week and I ride the other day on my own, mostly because I need some down time. I think it depends on what people are willing to pay for and put up with. I have seen a lot of pretty unqualified trainers charging a lot of money for very poor results and I have seen highly qualified trainers charging a fair amount and producing amazing results. I have seen BNT charging outrageous amounts and producing good results. In my opinion trainers need to be licensed just as hair stylists, plumbers, lawyers, real estate agents and others are. It is time to realize that we are no longer the “wild west of buyer beware” in the horse industry. It is not really a sport any longer, but an industry, just like skiing. Just my opinion.

[GoodTimes]

I used to groom and did a stint as a BM at an A barn. This was 8+ years ago so I imagine prices have gone up.
The barn itself was owned by a wealthy amateur and there was a resident trainer.
Full board applied to everyone. $900/month got you turnout, booting and blanketing, fly spray, scheduling and holding for vet and farrier, administering medications, dewormer and treatments, laundry, blanket storage. Grain, supplements, hay, stalls cleaned in the am and picked in the pm. Night check. Three staff plus the BO lived onsite.
The resident trainer considered full training to be 4 sessions/wk, a mix of training rides and lessons. I think that ran somewhere around $500/month.
Horseshow costs weren’t included.

Roughly 50% of the boarders were trainer clients. The other half were either older adults or older horses who didn’t lesson or show.

The higher end barns around here charge $1500-2500 per month. Some all inclusive, some a la carte. Most also head to Florida for the winter. If you head south you’re still required to pay 50%-100% of your board at home in order to keep your stall.

[kwpn_01]

I’m also from Ontario, Canada, a bit farther north and some of these prices are on par with what you’d see up here / some are a little outrageous.

We have two major show barns in our area (I’m at one of them) and everything is charged on an “as needed” or “pay as you go” basis. Depending on which barn you reside in (at my current barn), base board is $600 tax in or $770 tax in per month. This includes grain 2x daily with supplements (that you provide), stall cleaning, turnout with blanketing/booting/fly masking, holding for farrier/vet/dentist, deworming and night check. Lessons are $30/hour and you typically receive 1-2 per week (let’s say on average, 6 per month so an additional $180). You can opt in for therapeutic treatment (use of the magnetic blanket, which guarantees you 4 uses/week), which is an additional $75 per month. Most of us opt in for this at the beginning of show season. Training sessions are $25/ride, and when my mare was on full training, she received 4 rides/week. So training board at my barn, lessons included, runs you about $1,350 per month (obviously not including the cost of any farrier visits, vet bills, and other miscellaneous costs).

At the other barn in the area, they charge a flat training board rate of $1,200 per month plus HST. This guarantees you 4 pro rides per week, not including lessons. Their base board is a bit more expensive (I believe around $750 plus HST for individual board and blanket/booting services) and I’m unsure if they do holding for the vet and farrier (I would assume).

Obviously, this does not include any showing fees and only on the occasion that we have enough clientele to make the trek to Ocala, do we go down to Florida. Most of us can’t take more than 2 weeks of work off at a time and it is a VERY far trek for us (~24 hour drive, at best, not including rest stops).