# Does anyone here board horses to make money on their homestead?



## dmaggio07 (Sep 6, 2014)

I just recently purchased my first homestead. It's a small farm house with a barn on a separate lot across the street from the house. The barn is on almost two and a half acres it has 3 stalls all about 9X10. I'm just looking for some advice. I have never owned a horse but have friends that do. Thank you in advance for all your help.


----------



## SSacres (Mar 13, 2011)

I considered it once, for about a minute. Decided I didn't want the responsibility, liability and any drama that could be generated by the person boarding. I have kept a couple horses short term for people I know.
You might want to check your local ordinances, 2 1/2 acres is not much, here you have to have 3 acres for the first horse and another 1/2 acres for every additional horse.


----------



## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

having to board my horse led to burn out completely. not worth it!!!!! someone will always be unhappy.


----------



## dmaggio07 (Sep 6, 2014)

Ok thanks guys. Where I live the town says my property can support 3 horses. The previous owner said he used to have horses. I am trying to figure out a way to make a little extra money off the property. Any other ideas? The property is hilly and has pretty big rocks around so planting any crop would be difficult. It's really set up for animals. I'm also planing on getting a milking cow in the spring.


----------



## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Most horse people aren't inclined to board at a facility where the owner doesn't know horses unless maybe they live very close and can do self-care.


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I would check the price of insurance, most people give up when they get prices, and going without can cost you everything you'll ever have. Horses are accident prone and riders often get hurt as well.

If that doesn't scare you off, in most parts of the country the price of feed is high, and hay is hard to find this year. Bedding is expensive as well. Those stalls are pretty small,12 x 12 is normal. Fencing is expensive if it isn't already fenced, if you have barbed wire it isn't safe for horses. 

Then there are the people. Some are great, others are a problem. You have to feed the horse even if you don't get paid and borders have been know to just leave the horse. I don't think you will get many borders when you aren't experienced, and you don't want to do self care, too many don't do very good care. I wouldn't want to do it, it can be more trouble than its worth, and you won't make much money, if any.


----------



## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

My mom did.
More accurately the property was a horse farm first and a homestead second.
23 stalls, 12x12 or 12x14.
Large arena and ten acres of pasture fenced in barbed wire.
Full care including: daily turn out, six week hoof care, all vaccinations and worming, we would stand them for the vet if needed.
Fed and watered twice a day including grains and supplements.
Training and daily workouts were available for extra cost.

300/month for the first horse, 250/month for each additional horse.

She didn't make real good money at it, but it kept the mortgage and the feed and care bills for our personal animals paid.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

If you aren't an experienced horseman/woman, I strongly suggest you find other ways to utilize the property. How would you know to watch for colic, to know what is necessary for feed, hay, winter care, injuries, etc? Horses are fragile animals, an untreated colic or choke can be fatal, and injuries are to be expected at even the best facility.

Please don't try boarding, you are asking for a nightmare.


----------



## dmaggio07 (Sep 6, 2014)

What would be a good way for me to into horses? I'm young 25. There is lots for me to learn I know. But it sounds like you almost need to be a vet your self I your going to own horses. When I said I wanted to board horses I meant 1. I would like to have 2 horses of my own for a total of 3. Which in my area the town says 3 is ok. I thought it would be good for my other horses to have the companionship. But it seems very intimidating getting even 1 horse. My friends have had horses for 20 years and has only ever had one sever problem with her horse. I thought if I spent lots of time with the horses I would learn their behavior and when something was wrong they would act differently then I would know to call a vet to come check out the horse. Is this wrong for me to think like this?


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

If you want to get into horses, I'd find a place where you can take lessons and even lease a horse. That way, you can find out what all is involved in horse ownership B4 you get one so you can see for sure if this is what you really want to do. Many people want a horse, then get one, get all the equipment, tack, trailer, land, etc only to find out in a few years that they don't really want the horse. It's more time, money and responsibility than they want. I heard it said that if you get a horse and are out w/in 7 years, it's just a phase. But if you own them past that, it's a life style. I've had horses for 11 years now, guess that means it's in my blood.


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

Self care for people with horses might be an option. Then as you felt more comfortable you could add more options - ie do a feeding or whatever. Boarding is not easy money generally for the amount of work it is. I have a retiree here who helps pay the bills for the horses but I am a life long horse person. To learn about horses take lessons as a starting point. There are also online free courses that are interesting too.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

dmaggio07 said:


> What would be a good way for me to into horses? I'm young 25. There is lots for me to learn I know. But it sounds like you almost need to be a vet your self I your going to own horses. When I said I wanted to board horses I meant 1. I would like to have 2 horses of my own for a total of 3. Which in my area the town says 3 is ok. I thought it would be good for my other horses to have the companionship. But it seems very intimidating getting even 1 horse. My friends have had horses for 20 years and has only ever had one sever problem with her horse. I thought if I spent lots of time with the horses I would learn their behavior and when something was wrong they would act differently then I would know to call a vet to come check out the horse. Is this wrong for me to think like this?


Here's a good example of why you should not just go get two horses, and then expect to be around them enough to recognize when something is amiss. 

Adam is a coming 19 year old Thoroughbred gelding that has been with me for 2.5 years. He is one of the most stoic horses I have ever seen, he has had some serious issues and never turned into a different horse or acted any differently, other than maybe being a little tired at times. Never cranky, nothing. Very solid. But to me, he was just not his USUAL mild self for a couple of weeks. He had something wrong, but nothing I could put my finger on. Then a bit of nasal discharge, which he never has, and I knew enough to get him checked out. Turns out that one of his molars had rotted on the INSIDE, but there wasn't any indication of it when looking at it from the outside with my vet, until we did radiographs and found that his sinus was fully involved and the tooth had rotted up into his gum line and infected that plus his sinus cavity. It was pretty major surgery to removed the tooth, it wouldn't come out by pulling it. 4 days at the vet after surgery, then a big ol sick boy at home for 5 days before taking him back down for one sinus clean out, and now it is watch and medicate for another week before staples come out. And I have had horses for over 40 years and know what to look for, but even I didn't catch the issue right away with that big gelding. 

What I am saying is, yes, you can come to know horses, but don't just go get a couple and expect to do it that way. How will you know the difference between gas and a vet needed colic? Go to a good lesson barn, lease a horse for a year or two, go feed it daily, twice a day, groom it, ride it, vet it, get a farrier out every 5-6 weeks or as needed, get used to hauling the horse around and loading/unloading it a lot, then lease it for another year to make sure that is really what you want. Then go get one if you are still interested


----------



## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

Is there a difference in the name meaning, boarding and renting a stall, pasture and you do all the care of your horse? When in texas with our first I paid for a stall on a large fenced pasture. But I had to show up am and pm to water feed turn out put in and do all his care. No one was around to do it for me. Had to bring in all his feed hay pine bedding buckets rake pitch folk wheel borrow ect ect ect. that was in the late 80's have things changed?


----------



## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

I have boarded horses in the past. It really isn't a good way to make money, because the extra insurance you should carry for a boarding horse (versus one you own) is fairly expensive. It covers you in case someone (a boarder) gets hurt on your property and/or horses get off your property and cause damage. Now that I am not boarding horses, I don't carry an equine policy specifically, but have a large umbrella policy. However, there is still an inherent risk to having horses because they can and do get out, and if they do...can be trouble.

That said, I did find boarding as a way to offset my own horse expenses...so while I didn't *make* money, I was able to slightly decrease the monthly expenses that I was spending anyway, because I made a little bit of money. (As I said, the insurance part sort of tips the scale on that one, but in theory, it might help.)

I do agree that people are not going to be very willing to want to board with you if you have no experience caring for horses. Even people that have ridden for years in a lesson program may not know how to recognize a sick horse, or know what to do in an emergency.

Hard to say the best way to jump in -- I just went ahead an bought a farm and bought a horse (had taken a few years of lessons) and a pony. I don't think it's impossible to imagine caring for horses even with only a little experience -- IF you have good support systems -- vet, farrier, friends, trainers, AND you have the money (and are willing) to pay them. I was lucky to find a lot of people nearby and willing to help so it has worked pretty well for me. And, I read everything about horses and horse care I could find to help me learn faster.

In the future, I might consider boarding again; but it would be in very specific situations -- e.g. retirement care or long term layup, for example. I would want to minimize the number of other people (boarders) that could make my life problematic, leave gates open, or just annoy me.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I remember very well my my dad asked me when I moved back to WI after spending 10 years on a huge horse boarding stable in AZ.
He ask me Are you going to start a boarding horses now that you are back in WI?
And my Answer was this:
*
ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO WAY~!!!!*
I had a belly full of some people that wanted to have their horses boarded. SOME should not even OWN A HORSE to start with. And it is those few people that spoil it for the sincere, and good horse people, that may have to board their horse for one reason or another.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Forcast said:


> Is there a difference in the name meaning, boarding and renting a stall, pasture and you do all the care of your horse? When in texas with our first I paid for a stall on a large fenced pasture. But I had to show up am and pm to water feed turn out put in and do all his care. No one was around to do it for me. Had to bring in all his feed hay pine bedding buckets rake pitch folk wheel borrow ect ect ect. that was in the late 80's have things changed?


Self care is what you did. Full board is when the barn owner does all feeding, feed and hay purchase, maintenance and upkeep, etc.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

aoconnor1 said:


> Self care is what you did. Full board is when the barn owner does all feeding, feed and hay purchase, maintenance and upkeep, etc.


 The stable I worked at and lived on the property had around 125 boarders.
about 100 of them were on Full Board and the others were self care.
But at this stable which was in the middle of the Phoenix Metro in Tempe/Mesa border even those on full care www ONLY provided the Hay made sure the waterers were in. That was all.
So even those on full care still had to Feed their Own supplements IF their horse got them, came and blanketed their horse, and even had to do the cleaning of their stalls.
We Did No Cleaning of stalls, even if they were on full care. I sort of liked that. LOL
I fed all the full care horses before I went to work and after I got back, and then if I had the time I played and worked some with my Shetland pony I had brought from WI. 
While in AZ I trained him to pull a cart that way I could have fun with a pony while others had horses.
I did lease a Arabian mare for two years from a friend, so I could go on rides. Now this mare was mine years before, so I had fun riding her once again and in the mountains. 
And BTW the horse pictured in my avatar is that same mare at 7 months old in my house. LOL


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Around here, we'd call that partial care.


----------



## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

I did for a few years and then decided that it wasn't worth it. Most boarders are a pain. Also, I agree that if you don't know horses then you don't need to take on the responsibility of caring for other people's horses. I would highly suggest volunteering your labor at a barn so that you can learn everything you possibly can about horses and horse management. When I was a teen, couldn't afford lessons, so I worked for them. The knowledge I gained was invaluable. Blessings, Kat


----------



## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

We call full self care "rough board" and that is how the horse that I help with is boarded. We have 7 stalls and so each horse represents one day a week. That day of the week that you sign up for is the day you go and feed all of the horses (owners put the grain in a bucket on the door the night before) and then put them out in their paddocks where the owners have already put out hay and water. This makes it nice because then you just need to go down once a day and you can go at the end of the day, ride, do your stall, any other chores that need doing and then put your horse up for the night. The owners of the property know nothing of horses so they make sure one of the boarders is the barn manager and it works out really well. Just an idea.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

arabian knight said:


> The stable I worked at and lived on the property had around 125 boarders.
> about 100 of them were on Full Board and the others were self care.
> But at this stable which was in the middle of the Phoenix Metro in Tempe/Mesa border even those on full care www ONLY provided the Hay made sure the waterers were in. That was all.
> So even those on full care still had to Feed their Own supplements IF their horse got them, came and blanketed their horse, and even had to do the cleaning of their stalls.
> ...


What stable was it? I am from the Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area and grew up around several large stables, two of which I worked at some in exchange for apprenticing with their trainers.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

aoconnor1 said:


> What stable was it? I am from the Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area and grew up around several large stables, two of which I worked at some in exchange for apprenticing with their trainers.


It really did not have a Stable Name. LOL

It was owned by and called just by the stores name, "Watson's Flower Shop" LOL
We converted two old green houses into stabling. 
Where the green houses were, there are condos now. :grump:
Janice is still doing some horse training and her daughter Wylene is going around the country putting on clinics since she won 2 Mustang Makeover competitions. Wylene is this weekend doing a clinic in Mesa. Wish I was there. LOL


----------



## msscamp (Sep 8, 2014)

This is an interesting thread - thank you to everyone who responded. We board horses, and our clientele is mostly kids who are on the local college rodeo team. I didn't realize there was anything between full care and self care. That's good to know!


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I have boarded horses and it's not nearly as fun as one might think. Ultimately, you do need a solid horse background because most that board have limited experience so somebody needs to know when to call a vet. 

Liability insurance is high for anything that relates to horses and humans so you'll never make gobs of money and given the economy, you're apt to end up with a few that just can't pay their bills so you have to be prepared to deal with that as well. 

You also have to understand that if you like your privacy, you may not enjoy people coming in and out of your yard whenever they please.


----------



## msscamp (Sep 8, 2014)

The cost of liability insurance is is going to depend on where you live. Some states - Wyoming being one of them - have laws on the books that prevent people from suing if they get hurt participating in an at risk activity. Horseback riding is an at risk activity. Our insurance company requires us to obtain waivers from every boarder, but it's just a formality. 

As far as horse boarding being fun? I think not! It has it's advantages in that you get to meet new, responsible, and interesting people, but it also has it's downside. Most of the kids who board with us have herd bound horses so, every time they take 1 of 2 or 3 of 4 horses out to go do their thing, I get to listen to that other horse raise bloody hell the entire time the other horse(s) are gone. I've spent a fair amount of time trying to find an "escaped" horse because the kids don't have the sense to fasten gates, and I didn't hear the trailer come in to pick up the last horse. There is also the issue of trash being blown/kicked out of the pick-ups that the kids never seem to notice, hay and baling twine being scattered to kingdom come, bales of crap hay that have been set aside and left for me to deal with, some of the kids not being nearly so diligent about feeding their horses regularly once they are away from their parents, stuff disappearing out of the barn, boarders who screw with the settings on the waterers thereby causing them to run over and impact both runs on either side, chasing them down for the rent, the list goes on and on.


----------



## Convoy (Dec 2, 2012)

My sister does but she also has them sign a contrct with 10 pages that specifically makes it so they wave all liability. All extras like treats, vets etc are the responsibility of the owner. Then again she's a lawyer so also knew how to make the contract 100% legally binding.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Depending on what state you live in most contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on. 

I'm only familiar with NY, here you can have a 20 page contract done by a Supreme Court Justice and there's still a very good chance you'll be sued if someone gets hurt on your property. I don't board, my acreage is fenced and posted, and I still carry a $2 million dollar liability policy.


----------



## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

After seeing what it's like for my neighbors, I would never board horses. It's masochistic. Among all th e other things people have mentioned, you can get stuck with horses after people stop paying for their board. Then you either have to provide all the medical care, farrier work etc. for those horses or you risk get turned in to animal welfare because you have neglected horses on your property. It's hard to sell them when they officially belong to the people who haven't been paying boards for many months. My neighbors got stuck with a bunch of horses 2 years ago when they had that awful hay shortage and the price of hay skyrocketed - not a niice situation at all.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Contracts are my professional area of expertise and the more pages and clauses you include, simply means a greater chance of an omission or loophole because the become too specific.


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

If you do get sued it will cost plenty to defend yourself, even if you are totally in the right, and have all kinds of signed agreements.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

msscamp said:


> The cost of liability insurance is is going to depend on where you live. Some states - Wyoming being one of them - have laws on the books that prevent people from suing if they get hurt participating in an at risk activity. Horseback riding is an at risk activity. Our insurance company requires us to obtain waivers from every boarder, but it's just a formality.
> 
> As far as horse boarding being fun? I think not! It has it's advantages in that you get to meet new, responsible, and interesting people, but it also has it's downside. Most of the kids who board with us have herd bound horses so, every time they take 1 of 2 or 3 of 4 horses out to go do their thing, I get to listen to that other horse raise bloody hell the entire time the other horse(s) are gone. I've spent a fair amount of time trying to find an "escaped" horse because the kids don't have the sense to fasten gates, and I didn't hear the trailer come in to pick up the last horse. There is also the issue of trash being blown/kicked out of the pick-ups that the kids never seem to notice, hay and baling twine being scattered to kingdom come, bales of crap hay that have been set aside and left for me to deal with, some of the kids not being nearly so diligent about feeding their horses regularly once they are away from their parents, stuff disappearing out of the barn, boarders who screw with the settings on the waterers thereby causing them to run over and impact both runs on either side, chasing them down for the rent, the list goes on and on.


 In WI you will see this sign being posted at places.










But even so you are still subject to a lawsuit no matter what a state says you can and cannot do when it comes being around horses. Not with the Sue Happy folks and lawyers willing to make a buck. Even IF it gets tossed out of court your time IS worth money. Period.


----------



## msscamp (Sep 8, 2014)

arabian knight said:


> But even so you are still subject to a lawsuit no matter what a state says you can and cannot do when it comes being around horses. Not with the Sue Happy folks and lawyers willing to make a buck. Even IF it gets tossed out of court your time IS worth money. Period.


You are entitled to your opinion, and I'm not going to argue with you.


----------



## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

arabian knight said:


> In WI you will see this sign being posted at places.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just because you can buy the sign doesn't mean you are actually protected legally. That is a very important part of boarding -- knowing your legal rights, and being properly insured.

No matter how many contracts your boarders sign, I don't believe you can really sign away your responsibility as a barn manager/owner. If you are deemed negligent, you may still be held responsible, whether contracts are in place or not. I am not a lawyer, but inherent risk laws seem to me to protect the barn owner from the boarder suing for being hurt by their own horse. 

I am not sure it protects the BO from being responsible if he/she leaves the gates open and a boarder gets trampled by a herd of horses, or if a horse gets out and causes a traffic accident, or if a stall door falls off its track and falls onto the boarder (and/or their horse then runs out and tramples them). 

If you are the barn owner, you should assume you are legally responsible for a variety of accidents and/or damages...investigate your state laws and potential insurance coverage, and then you can do a cost-benefit analysis to see if it is financially worthwhile.


----------



## donkeylover1 (Oct 23, 2014)

Considered it but not doing it for the same reason i'm get out of dog sitting next summer to much liability on my end


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

Convoy said:


> My sister does but she also has them sign a contrct with 10 pages that specifically makes it so they wave all liability. All extras like treats, vets etc are the responsibility of the owner. Then again she's a lawyer so also knew how to make the contract 100% legally binding.


No 100 percent. Waiving liability does not for example, release from negligence.


----------



## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

There are some folks who for some strange reason want to own/board a horse and have rare personal contact. Boarding those horse can be done lots of places. Riders are a different matter. To my DW, riders are the people she wants to be around when boarding, but they expect arenas, round pens, wash stalls, a bathroom, assistance with vet care and the farrier, blanket service at all times of year, a lockable tack room, a secure place to park a trailer, ride off trails, and more. The highest service facilities provide daily exercise on walkers and race tracks, training, and even have your horse washed, brushed, saddled and ready when the owner arrives. 

Rates vary widely between regions and levels of service. In my area, the highest rates for normal service levels I've seen are $350 / month, and as low as $150/month for self care. 

Understand that routine care includes hay and grain. That gets expensive fast, especially if you don't have a truck to haul it yourself. 3 horses on 3 acres means that in most areas, within a few weeks to months, there will be no grass left for them to eat. So you will buy all their hay. In theory, if you have great pastures and carefully managed/rotated their grazing you could keep 1 horse / acre and get a modest portion of their chow from the pasture. But it doesn't sound like your pastures are in good shape and getting them good takes a lot of time, work, and at least enough equipment to mow, drag, maybe aerate, spread seed. etc.


----------



## msscamp (Sep 8, 2014)

brody said:


> No 100 percent. Waiving liability does not for example, release from negligence.


You are absolutely correct, and that is the only leg a boarder has to stand on with regard to suing in Wyoming.


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

DEKE, there are different types of riders. Around here, you have arena riders and trail riders. Arena riders are going to want all of the things you listed. Trail riders, more often than not, don't care for all of that as long as they have access to trails.

My one pony used to belong to someone who lived out of state. They got tired of paying board on him when they never saw him, let alone ride. So, they gave him to my DD. She rode him for years. Now, he's retired. He's missing teeth and has heaves. I spend more a month on his care than I do for my other 2 combined. If I had to pay full care for his board, I'd be in trouble. But, since I do self care and pay for the field, not the number of horses I have, it works out.


----------

