# Has anyone advice of setting up a farm for boarding horses?



## Murramarang (Dec 18, 2011)

Some background.....
I have been reading all the threads in this section of the forum for a long time now...and read Kens book etc etc. After a few years I think we have come to realize that we need to cash in on the skills and property we have - rather than starting into some new venture that we know nothing about. My better-half is a horse person. She has worked in barns and had horses all her life. I am a city person, no idea of horses other than what has rubbed off on me from my wife, but have been working on our farms for almost a decade - I can fence, set up the electrics ....and have all the business skills (contracts, marketing, taxes etc etc) to deal with that end of the business.

We also have a local friend who is an excellent dressage trainer.

So this is what we have...
We have a small farm in Maine...about 35-40 min drive from Portland. It has 1o acres of nice fields...but no fencing that would keep horses and only a small 'barn' (lets call it an equipment shed rather than a barn..although it has one stall and could have another. We have great access - off sealed roads - and not hard to find. The farm is nestled against forest land which people have access to ride along trails.

Here is our plan..
We will start building good fences this summer...a few acres at a time. Depending on how the $ hold out, we will put in a riding arena area (120 X 60) and a run in loafing shed to hold two horses.

We will then start advertising the place around the traps - local papers, Portland papers etc. We will provide hay and care for a fixed fee...and all other items will be at an extra charge (grain, blanketing)

Legal stuff....
We will need to take out some insurance to cover peoples animals etc and our own liability. We will need a solid contract for boarders that covers us for the "non-payers" etc etc.

OK...so some questions...

1. Should we start small...fence two acres and build a simple shed and test the waters? (I am all for this approach.....)
2. Should we cater for a specific market? ie. Dressage people or trail riders etc
3. Should we charge a level that places us in a niche (read 'expensive') market or go low ball and provide a place for city families?
4. Are we being stupid and should just keep working day jobs to pay for our farm-lifestyle? (kidding here....but it is an option)

All comments (positive and negative...gee...we will happily take advice from republicans and christians ) are very welcome.....as we see it, we are all in this ride together!

Gaz


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

You should post this on the Equine forum. Some of those posters have worked at boarding facilities or use them.

I think you need a level of proper behavior from any horse. You should be able to walk any horse you are boarding from the stable to a pen without worry (of course anything could happen). There are mean horses and you probably don't want the worry or the liability.

I think you need a hefty amount of money down with a new client and keep everyone paying ahead. If a boarder pays 3 months in advance then they get behind they have a little leeway. If someone can't pay for three months they really need to get their horse off your property. You can be nice enough to go right out of business. 

You might want to consider vet fees as well. You can hold money in escrow (sort of) to cover emergency vet fees. You might want to consider a good farrier coming in every 4 to 6 weeks instead of having some horses trimmed and others with skis for hooves. This would be worked into the monthly rate. Most farriers will discount their price when working several horses at a time rather than one or two.

You might consider only boarding horses and ponies that are in training with their riders. I don't mean young green colts, I mean animals with basic training that are going into a specialty or advanced training whether it be barrel racing or dressage, or that the riders need the training. This would mean you have more serious riders who are prepared to pay not only for boarding but for training as well. I think this will attract people with more money. It also means that young riders could start their own club and support one another.

Two acres isn't very big. How much time will the horses spend indoors, how much time outdoors? Are there trails? You need to develop a plan with the trainers.

The cleaner it is the more attractive an enterprise to anyone, but especially people with money. A coat of paint does wonders. 
Set up your water hoses so that you aren't dragging them around. The water faucets should be where you need them. 
The manure pile needs to be away from the people and set up for maximum aeration and composting. You can sell the composted manure to a different clientele.

Call the high school athletic department to find out if they have an equestrian team. The kids probably have to pay for everything from the horse/pony to tack to training and everything else. If you are friendly to the team you will always have someone boarding with you. One of our kid's friends was loaned a horse and you may be able to find sponsors for the kids who can't afford to take care of a horse themselves.

Consider horses for the handicapped. Look for an organization that matches ponies to kids in wheelchairs. This would not only provide a 'feel good' for you but get your name out and possibly get you a client or two if you are patient enough to cater to someone with special needs.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I don't know the first about horses or boarding, and I am a Democrat, so take my input with a grain of salt.

There have been threads about this topic before. One thing that always stuck out in my mind that someone posted many years ago was to post solid, set hours for when people could come and be with their horse. You might also want to set strict rules about who can come, and enforce those rules firmly.

IIRC, one of the posters who had tried the boarding business had a family who considered their boarding place to be a place to party out in the country every Saturday night. I wouldn't want someone coming to my place with 8 friends and three coolers of booze every weekend night because it was a cool place to party, and have them be adamant that they have the right to do so because they paid you $300 for the month. 

Also, how do you plan to deal with non-payers, and collecting past due boarding fees?


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## Twobottom (Sep 29, 2013)

Make sure you check out the cost of insurance first. It's a little pricey for horse boarding operations...and you are going to need it because horse people tend to be very picky and anal.


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## Murramarang (Dec 18, 2011)

clovis said:


> I don't know the first about horses or boarding, and I am a Democrat, so take my input with a grain of salt.
> 
> There have been threads about this topic before. One thing that always stuck out in my mind that someone posted many years ago was to post solid, set hours for when people could come and be with their horse. You might also want to set strict rules about who can come, and enforce those rules firmly.
> 
> ...


lol...I already have a reputation for being a republican and christian basher  Thanks - these are great comments from everyone...


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I used to do boarding and training when I had my farm. Usually I had around 15 horses at my place. Learned ooodles. It was pretty successful. 

There are so many things to consider - I could write a book. With your limited acreage you will not be able to have many horses so it will take longer for you to see any return on investment. Some people with smaller acreage have a horse of their own and take in one or two boarders to keep their own horse company. That's not necessarily a bad idea if it's done right and you have good boarders. People who are into showing and dressage will look for a place with an indoor arena as well as an outdoor one, especially in northern climates and the cost of that is significant (I know - I built one) and you have to have enough acreage to support enough horses to make it worth your while. 

It can really be tough to make $ boarding horses unless you are in a specialty and can command a higher fee. There is a lot more involved in it than a person might think. One friend of mine had space for cattle and there was team penning available on some days each month. Another barn a friend of mine boarded at catered to a show crowd that really wanted heated wash stalls, a lounge, all the bells and whistles. Places like that can command higher fees. 

If you have time and you are good at it you can make $ training but it takes a bit to build up a reputation and a good client base. 

One strong piece of advice if you should decide to go down this road is to have very specific rules, post them and make sure every client gets a copy. Have EVERYTHING written out. Who is responsible for caring for a sick or injured horse? If a horse needs emergency transport - who is responsible? Some boarders love to come out and give their horse an extra "treat" by diving into your hay supply. It doesn't take too much of that to throw your calculations off. If they want blankets on and off - who is responsible? Some boarders will think of you as a babysitter for their kids and drop them off to "spend time with their horse" and now you have a whole 'nother set of issues. 

Think about your lifestyle. How much do you want to be interrupted in your day? Is there someone home all the time? You really don't want boarders having access to your place 24/7 - so be specific about what it is you are offering. If they don't like it they can go somewhere else. 

I had certain things built in to my program. Deworming was one. I wanted to make sure it was done, done right and on schedule. So that was included in the board fee. 

Who is responsible to catch up and hold a horse for the farrier? What someone else thinks is reasonable and what I think is reasonable can be two different things. 

Lots to think about and I'm not trying to toss a wet blanket on anyone's dream, but I've been there done that and you need to go into it with eyes wide open.


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