# For those who board their horses



## Kris in MI

For those of you who board your horses, would you mind answering a few questions for me?

1. Do you have access to an indoor arena? If yes, would you consider boarding at a facility that did not have an indoor?

2. Do you prefer individual or small group turnout?

3. Would having riding trails or a mown/maintained grass track appeal to you?

4. What do you most look for in a small boarding facility?

Reason I ask is that I am finally finishing my barn and fencing my pastures to bring my horses home this summer. I have room to build 3 extra stalls and take in boarders, but do not plan to ever offer (due to cost to build) an indoor arena. My property is 40 acres total, some wooded with existing tractor paths that could easily be riding trails. I have decades of farm management experience (for someone else, never my own facility), so quality of care is not something I am worried about meeting a standard for, just wondering how important that indoor arena has become to people.


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## jennigrey

DON'T DO IT! Horse people are CRAZY! :hair:run:


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## Annsni

We don't have an indoor but I'd love one. Someday, you may want to look into even just one of those covering kind of set-ups so it's not a full indoor but a covered arena.

I prefer individual turn-outs. I've seen horses injure others and even had a friend recently lose her horse to a broken femur from a kick. Our paddocks are small (60x80 or so) but perfect for just turn-out. We also have larger rings that we can turn out horses in and run them or whatever. 

Trails would be really nice and I find a lot of people really like them. A good riding arena is essential and a round-pen would be great too.

Finally, what I look for is good sized stalls, clean and well kept, horses turned out daily or if they are on turn-out all the time, that they have good quality shelters. I also look for nice people and good pasture management. 

That's all I can think of right now.


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## Lisa in WA

I've boarded in many places all over the country (michigan too!) and Jenni is dead on. I'd only board to people you've had vetted by a psychiatist. 

Indoor arenas are nice to have but I hate riding inside. If I were showing or trying to get a horse fit for the season, yes..I would want an indoor arena. Otherwise, not really.

When I boarded I preferred to board at stables that took each horse as an individual. If my horse got along with the others (usually divided up between mares and geldings) then it was great if they had group turnout because they were all turned out much more often than horses that required individual turnout.

Trails would be a HUGE bonus for me and I've boarded in two places with tracks and I really loved that too.

What I always looked for in any facility were knowledgable people, good upkeep, good tack storage, good hay and feed and safe turnout. 
I really disliked a few places that tended to nickel and dime me to death. One place in Massachusetts back in 1987 was charging $400 a month and then decided that we needed bottles of "barn fly sprays" available in each aisle ($10 extra per month mandatory) and electrolytes in water because it was August ($10 more per month and mandatory). Plus charges for blankets on/off, putting supplements in feed, etc.


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## Lisa in WA

Oh yeah! No wood stoves in the barn! That's a big one. I boarded at a place that had a wood stove in the tack room (they told me they never used it) and the elderly man who owned it got confused and lowered a line of wood mittens down onto the hot top. I came in to the tack room and the entire wall was blackened and scorched. I moved our mare out that day.


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## Irish Pixie

I ran a large boarding barn, I will never ever ever have anything to do with boarders again, ever. I didn't live on premises and they'd call me at home to fuss and fight over everything imaginable. 

There was an indoor, a huge outdoor, and a round pen. Wash rack, heated lounge, heated bathroom, mats everywhere, heated buckets in the winter, stall fans in the summer, individual paddocks, and larger paddocks for small groups, groomed trails, and those blasted horse people still complained about _everything_. 

Think long and hard about this...

Edited to add: Have an attorney draw up an iron clad boarding agreement complete with your States stableman's lien law. You will get stuck for board at some point and it will get ugly when you send a horse to auction for back board.


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## Lisa in WA

Back in the 80's I boarded (after we left MA) at a swanky Arabian farm. Automatic gates, gorgeous fountains, every ammenity imaginable. AND: every horse had it's own groom, and was groomed every day and bathed weekly. Each horse was exercised (optional but no extra charge) by riding, ponying, lunging or SWIMMING (!!) and had daily turnout. My old gelding was a favorite of a hoity toity brood mare and he had irrigated pasture turnout with her. The barn had weekly rides out the desert and steak fries with covered wagons. It was unbelievable. And it was less expensive than the barn in MA.

And then the Arabian market tanked.:sob:


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## arabian knight

I worked at a boarding stable while living in AZ for 9 years.
The very first thing my dad asked me when I moved back to WI was if I was going to work at a horse boarding stable here.
* I said ABSOLUTELY NOT*. I had had enough dealing with the general public and the horses they own.
I ran across people that shouldn't OWN a horse, much less owning a Arabian Stallion~!


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## sidepasser

Kris in MI said:


> For those of you who board your horses, would you mind answering a few questions for me?
> 
> 1. Do you have access to an indoor arena? Yes.If yes, would you consider boarding at a facility that did not have an indoor?No, just don't want to deal with all the rain and mud.
> 
> 2. Do you prefer individual or small group turnout?I like both. If one has a horse that just can't get along with others or won't play nice, it is a good idea to have at least a couple of private turnouts. Of course turnouts that are too small with too many horses in it are asking for trouble too.
> 
> 3. Would having riding trails or a mown/maintained grass track appeal to you? Yes, I have that where I board now and like it.
> 
> 4. What do you most look for in a small boarding facility?A person who is horse knowledgeable, not opinionated because boarders are gonna do it different that YOU would, and someone who has enough sense to know when to call the vet and when not too. Someone who keeps the place up and I mean no sagging fences, no open holes in the ground (like stump holes), doesn't allow outside dogs to come to the property stirring up trouble (trust me, boarders will bring their dogs if you let them..and many times it just doesn't work out well) and barn cats..well they are ok as long as they aren't peeing on my new saddle pad...*which THEY WILL DO if given half a chance. Needs to have enough gumption to make sure the horse is fed on time every day and can be there to hold said horse for a vet or farrier if needed and paid for. Can blanket but knows when to take it off and doesn't call every.five. minutes with "your horse just doesn't look "right"..uhm more description please.
> 
> Reason I ask is that I am finally finishing my barn and fencing my pastures to bring my horses home this summer. I have room to build 3 extra stalls and take in boarders, but do not plan to ever offer (due to cost to build) an indoor arena. My property is 40 acres total, some wooded with existing tractor paths that could easily be riding trails. I have decades of farm management experience (for someone else, never my own facility), so quality of care is not something I am worried about meeting a standard for, just wondering how important that indoor arena has become to people.



As far as the indoor..I pay $550.00 per month for board, yes I want an indoor for that price. I pay extra for blanketing and extra for a fan in the summer. I want an indoor at that price. I pay for all worming, farrier, and any supplements given. The reason I want an indoor, this past weekend, it rained and rained and rained. I got home Sat. night, the arenas were mushy (they are sand and drain well but we had a bunch of rain so there was puddling) but rideable on Sunday, an indoor assures me that if we have five days of rain, I have a place that is dry to ride.

Some people don't care. If I lived up north, you bet your buttons I would want an indoor as I don't do "snow and ice". But there are many people who don't care one way or another.

I will tell you this after running a facility for ten years..I would do this type of board: retirement.

No owners really come around demanding this and that, you send pics, you take care of the horse, the owners come out every so often (some never come out, the check comes in the mail) and trust me..it is so very easy to brush an extra horse compared to dealing with owners.

Oh and retirement board is usually about 2/3 of the cost of regular board and there is a shortage of retirement boarding facilities in the US.

oh and here is another consideration: you will need to have long hours as people who can afford board normally work during the day and ride after work or before work. I have ridden at 8 pm in the indoor and as early as 6 am in the indoor. Our barn opens at 7 and closes at 7 but if one makes arrangements, hours can be negotiated. I board at one of the best barns in Huntsville and the people are very considerate, very caring and don't tolerate "drama" too much. But there are a lot of riders, lesson students and so forth, there is no time for the drama llama to pull up and park - lol..we get along pretty well, most of us are adults who work or are retired and horses are the thing. Lots of kids on the weekend taking lessons but all are well behaved. I love my barn and I swore I would NEVER board anywhere after running a barn for so long, but this place is "like home". They make it so nice for us. (and live on the premises and take care of the horses themselves, which I really appreciate).


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## DEKE01

Requirements and desires for the boarding of DW's 2 horses

Indoor arena great, lighted arena good, any arena must be

trails - boarding facility with ride off trails great (her last place was adjacent to a 50K acre national park), on site trails OK, but they get old fast on a typical 100 - 200 ac farm, trails you can trailer to in under 20 minutes less OK but doable

group turnout preferred even though there will always be some problems. Horses are herd animals. 

what does she look for most - quality care. concerned barn owners who take care of the place, change blankets when needed, give the horses a daily 4 corner check, that there is plenty of space for the horses to roam, that the barn owners follow thru with what they claim their facility represents. 

Barn vets and farriers are nice but should not be mandated. Sometimes a vet who knows my horse is more important than a cheaper vet recommended by the barn.


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## haypoint

While not exactly an answer to your question......
I talked to a gal this weekend that runs a boarding stable with an indoor arena. She has 10 horses she uses for giving lessons (too many) and 23 horses boarded, 11 are at least a month behind in boarding fees. 

I visited a boarding stable in Appleton, WI. Converted an old dairy barn, with more stalls in a pole barn on one end and an arena on the other. Filled the silo with sawdust from a local saw mill. Silo had a self unloader, used sawdust as bedding. Bought hay, delivered and stacked. Leased the arena to a trainer and liability was on the trainer. No riding on their property. Had to walk your horse to the road and ride there. Had 100 horses. Built an office for the Vet and collected a portion of each farm call as rent for the office. Sold horse trailers. Appleton is upscale enough to get boarding fees paid. Had a waiting list for boarders.

30 years ago, a big Vet Clinic near where I grew up, stopped doing horses. Owners too fussy and most couldn't afford to pay for the treatment much less the farm call.

I have boarded a few horses. Let them ride in the fenced 23 acre pasture. Getting paid was a struggle.


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## Molly Mckee

I would check the price of liability insurance before I got to far along in planning.

We boarded some horses when we were young and dumb. Never again, I can't think of anything worse than boarders. The few bad owners will drive you nuts, keeping them happy will leave you no time for your horses.

If I was paying for board, I would want an indoor.


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## dizzy

I board and would NEVER own a boarding barn, especially after what the BO has just gone thru. She had someone come crying to her, needed a place to have 3 horses for just 1 month and was going to supply her w/a bunch of hay. That was over the summer. 

To make a long story short, she supplied very little hay. The BO was unable to get a hold of her on the phone. I forget now what the problem was, but I know she was unable to leave a message. The one horse was nothing but skin and bones when she arrived. We all told her to tell her she had to move that horse elsewhere. But since she couldn't get a hold of her, she couldn't tell her to move it. The horse died and she had to pay to dispose of it.

At the advice of AC, she finally sent the woman letter. The woman came and gave her less than 1 month board, then on Saturday, they came and got the other 2 horses-when the BO wasn't home. 

Now her daughter is posting on Face Book that the horses were abused and neglected while they were there. (She hasn't posted any names) And while the BO is willing to just write the whole thing off, I've told her for her own protection, she might want to think about suing this woman for the back board. 

The BO has already decided that as boarders leave, any new boarders will be self care only because she doesn't want to deal w/this type of situation again.


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## haypoint

Let us know how that self care works out.


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## Annsni

dizzy said:


> I board and would NEVER own a boarding barn, especially after what the BO has just gone thru. She had someone come crying to her, needed a place to have 3 horses for just 1 month and was going to supply her w/a bunch of hay. That was over the summer.
> 
> To make a long story short, she supplied very little hay. The BO was unable to get a hold of her on the phone. I forget now what the problem was, but I know she was unable to leave a message. The one horse was nothing but skin and bones when she arrived. We all told her to tell her she had to move that horse elsewhere. But since she couldn't get a hold of her, she couldn't tell her to move it. The horse died and she had to pay to dispose of it.
> 
> At the advice of AC, she finally sent the woman letter. The woman came and gave her less than 1 month board, then on Saturday, they came and got the other 2 horses-when the BO wasn't home.
> 
> Now her daughter is posting on Face Book that the horses were abused and neglected while they were there. (She hasn't posted any names) And while the BO is willing to just write the whole thing off, I've told her for her own protection, she might want to think about suing this woman for the back board.
> 
> The BO has already decided that as boarders leave, any new boarders will be self care only because she doesn't want to deal w/this type of situation again.


I'm just thinking out loud but maybe it's a good idea to take pictures of the horses when they enter the property and then when they leave. How could someone say the horses were neglected if they started looking better when they left than when they came?


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## jennigrey

I like the idea of offering retirement boarding. Or longterm layup boarding, maybe. Or, if you could find a couple people like me... I hurt my back last year and can't do much of anything for a while; going in for surgery in a couple weeks. Had to send the horses away to boarding. I see them maybe twice a month. I know and trust the barn owner. My horses are basically on vacation for a year or so. Pasture board, hay only. I pay extra to have them do hoof trims. My horses are fat and happy. I'm sad and horseless (except that horseless people don't usually have to pay board on something they don't have). But I pay on time. I'm about the ideal boarder, I think.


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## Annsni

haypoint said:


> Let us know how that self care works out.


We have self care and it is good and bad. I think the bad will be bad anywhere though. But if you have a good contract, just as with a regular boarding situation, it can really help.


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## Lisa in WA

We did self care at our barn in Arizona. It was within a bike ride from my house and it was really pretty great. I fed the horses twice a day (bought my own hay and grain) and the barn provided JD Gators to clean stalls (pretty cushy!) and clean shavings. They let me turn the horses out all night in the irrigated pasture during summers and had huge arenas and trails out into the desert.
If you didn't clean your stalls at least every other day, the barn would do it and charge you and of course there were always people who'd lie and complain about it.


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## Moboiku

Where I board my horse, we do have 4 stalls but we don't house horses in them except on the coldest of nights and even then, since we have more than 4 horses at the barn, only the elderly retired horses get the stalls. Each horse has a "run" to live in that contains a run-in type shelter and a water tank with heater, along with a hay feeder. We have a 7-acre pasture for turnout and each horse gets turn-out 3 days per week on an alternating schedule. We currently have 6 horses total so 3 horses at a time are turned out. 

We do not have an indoor arena and I wouldn't use it if we did. We do have 250+ acres to trail ride though and that is what I enjoy doing. For me it is social to get out with friends and chit chat as we ride - I am not much for schooling so wouldn't use the arena. 

Hope this helps.


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## DEKE01

Wow, lots of negativity in this thread too. Look folks, dealing with the public is hard. Most customers are so so, lots are great, some are PITAs. You can let the PITAs run your life or you can just move the PITAs along elsewhere as fast as possible. 

At different times in my life I've run hotels and restaurants, worked in gas stations and electronics repair shops, managed high and low tech consulting firms with fed gov't and/or fortune 500 companies as customers, and it has been similar at each stop. You build relationships with the good customers for your mutual benefit, you solve their problems and they help you grow your biz, and you deal with the PITAs. Where you put your focus and energy is your choice. 

I know lots of people who really enjoy running boarding stables. Some could not keep their farm without that income. Some do it just for the enjoyment of having other horse lovers around.


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## jennigrey

So, let's look at this like a poll. Let's pretend the question was, "Would you run a boarding barn?" Looks like the poll so far would be something along the lines of mostly "no" with some resounding "heck no" thrown in for good measure. 

This is friendly advice given to someone who (maybe I'm wrong, though "farm" was ambiguous to me) doesn't seem to have run a boarding barn before. 

Actual answers to the actual questions are thrown in there as well. Sometimes people learn more from the questions they didn't ask than the ones they did. 

I've dealt with "the public" plenty, in several capacities and running a boarding barn is like running a trailer park. Some are upscale, some are rougher. Obviously some people are capable of dealing with it for a living, but I venture to claim that it is a rare person.

Keep in mind that this is the horse forum. We are all of us horse people here. And as one horse person to others: HORSE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY. I wouldn't run a boarding barn for all the tea in China. If someone else can do it, they are welcome to make their joy/fortune doing so.


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## arabian knight

haypoint said:


> Let us know how that self care works out.


About half of the 120 we boarded in Tempe, AZ were on Self Care. It turned out to be a good thing. Now this was a lot different then most people think of when they think of a horse boarding stable. Everyone was to clean their stalls no matter of on Self care or Full board. And all we fed on full care was a very good grade of Alfalfa hay. You did your own cleaning, you did your own turning out, Those that wanted a blanket put on did it themselves we did not, if they wanted grain they fed it themselves, if they want any extra stuff to feed they came and fed it themselves to their horses.
All we did at this place was rent a space for your horse that had shelter, and was partially enclosed. Some stalls were long enough so the animal could get outside in the sunshine and inside when it got too hot. 
Some stalls were what they call, Mare Motels








But that is what most people have in AZ. LOL

We had three exercise rings, turn out areas, a hot walker, a wash rack, and some were on outside boarding with irrigated pasture. But still got fed hay twice a day those were on full board.

But all in all self care worked out very well in the 9 years that place operated. Now that place is no more and is now filled with condos.


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## DEKE01

jennigrey said:


> So, let's look at this like a poll. Let's pretend the question was, "Would you run a boarding barn?"


Or we could pretend the questions were the actual questions posed by the OP.


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## haypoint

arabian knight said:


> About half of the 120 we boarded in Tempe, AZ were on Self Care. It turned out to be a good thing. Now this was a lot different then most people think of when they think of a horse boarding stable. Everyone was to clean their stalls no matter of on Self care or Full board. And all we fed on full care was a very good grade of Alfalfa hay. You did your own cleaning, you did your own turning out, Those that wanted a blanket put on did it themselves we did not, if they wanted grain they fed it themselves, if they want any extra stuff to feed they came and fed it themselves to their horses.
> All we did at this place was rent a space for your horse that had shelter, and was partially enclosed. Some stalls were long enough so the animal could get outside in the sunshine and inside when it got too hot.
> Some stalls were what they call, Mare Motels
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But that is what most people have in AZ. LOL
> 
> We had three exercise rings, turn out areas, a hot walker, a wash rack, and some were on outside boarding with irrigated pasture. But still got fed hay twice a day those were on full board.
> 
> But all in all self care worked out very well in the 9 years that place operated. Now that place is no more and is now filled with condos.


I cannot imagine operating a stable with 60 horses I'd be giving full care to, each with their own special requests, plus depending on 60 other people to come out daily to care for their horse. Even if they all owned two horses, that's 30 people at your place every day, perhaps twice daily. Then the drama each brings, the reasons they can't get there that day and the details of how I must care for them until they can recover from their scheduling difficulty.

The importance of an indoor arena depends on the area and the climate. In a rural area where the population can't afford high boarding costs, not having an arena might be OK, if there are open arenas available. In places that more wealthy owners may live, an indoor arena would be necessary. In cold climate where there is snow on the ground 6 months of every year, an indoor arena becomes more important. Just my observations.


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## Kris in MI

Thanks to everyone for their input. Even the negatives  

Like I said in my OP, I have decades of horse farm experience. Breeding farm, training barns, boarding barns. Yes, horse people are crazy. Myself among them; anyone who has stuck around horses this long (including working at barns where tails were _never_ brushed, only finger combed so the hairs didn't get broken!) has got to be crazy. :run:

But then again, so is every one in their own way. My other 'job' was being a bank teller, and handling people's money can get just as heated as caring for their horses. So the crazy part, to me, is just the nature of the business. Honestly, I'm more worried about the crazy people bothering my dh more than bothering me because I've been around it for almost 30 years.

The few posters who mentioned retirement board, I actually have seriously thought about that. In fact, that is part of the reason I asked about indoor arenas. Because I think today's horseman has gotten used to having an indoor at their disposal, and that by not having one I might be limiting myself to 1) being the grow-up place for weanlings to 3yos ready for breaking and/or 2) being a retirement place for the geriatric horse.

Both of which would be A-Ok with me, as I have experience on both ends of life. Two of my own horses are elderly at 25 and 30.

Anyway, dh and I have decided we will be putting up enough structure (fencing, stalls in the barn) to bring my horses home from where I currently work off their board (and thus, I would no longer need to work there--and be a big stress reducer in itself). The big question is do I go to work in another field (which I never wanted to do anything but horses and ultimately have my own facility) to bring in cash to pay for grain, bedding, and having my hayfield custom baled (I currently have my field cut, feed my own hay to my horses and sell the extra hay to cover cost of baling) or do I put in more stalls and open up for boarders, students, and take in training horses.


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## haypoint

I can think of a dozen boarding stables within short driving distance from you. I'd suggest you visit each one and ask questions. Hard questions, detailed questions. Get an idea what the market needs. 
There currently a need for people that will break horses to ride and also to break to drive. Is that something you want to do, knowing you'll attract everyone's problem horse after a few catastrophic disasters on their own. Do you think there is money to be made buying young horses and selling well broke horses? Are you skilled in Western Pleasure, English, Western Dressage? Could you teach others?


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## sidepasser

One reason I personally would not run a boarding stable again is that in ten years, I don't think I had one single day off. When you are responsible for someone else's horses, they expect you to be there every.single.day.

Depending on the barn help can be ok IF you get good barn help, which you probably know, is hard to find and harder to keep at a price that makes it worthwhile and yet leaves the barn owner a small profit.

Most barns I have been to don't make a profit on stabling, they make their money on lessons, training fees, layups, breeding, etc. There is very little money to be made if you count your time in simply boarding. Even if everyone pays on time every month and you never have an abandoned horse (which happened to me once - lady moved to Texas and it took forever to find her..meanwhile I am out three months board until I could get legal clearance to sell the horse). 

So..there are all those things that can happen, but overall, I had excellent boarders after I winnowed out the drama queens, the deadbeats, and people I just didn't approve of how they treated their horses (and yes, you will have those folks..).

Barn help and no time off..big deal breaker in my desire to own another boarding stable. 

We always pay 1/2 month ahead of time, my board for April is already paid. I don't like dealing with "late payments" so prefer to pay ahead. I don't think there are any at my barn that don't pay on time, some do work off their board I am sure, but the majority of people pay when board is due. Our barn owners run the business like a business but are very professional and nice to the boarders. 

I have cleaned stalls for free just to have something to do and help out one day when the barn help didn't come..it is just something to do to help out as I know from experience how much one depends on good barn help. 

I try to be a good boarder, keep my area clean, clean my stall every Sunday when the barn help is off, never leave a mess in the indoor and have even picked up the horse apples in the dressage arena..it keeps the footing nice.

But I am one that has been the owner before and so I try to do what I would appreciate if I were the owner. Not everyone is so inclined.

Retirement board..layup board..those are two areas that I could operate a boarding situation again. But really, I like not being responsible for others horses anymore. Oh and the insurance, you really need Custody Care and Control insurance. Where I board, horses are insured (including my girl) because of the expense and value of the horse. A BO needs that insurance in case they allow horsey to escape while being led down the drive to the turnout and horsey spooks, pulls loose and runs in front of a truck and gets killed..

I maintained 5M in insurance to cover myself, my barn, and liability. It was expensive but worth it and now I doubt that would even be enough to cover a huge lawsuit if some kid got kicked in the head while in the barn. People sue, they may not win, but you still need a defense team and that is big bucks. Get insurance to cover yourself.

And contracts, for goodness sakes, get it in writing, have the owners initial every.single.page. Don't put anything in the contract that you cannot do and never state outside the contract that you will do such and such. Cover what is in the contract and run the business like a business and you will do fine!


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## arabian knight

haypoint said:


> I cannot imagine operating a stable with 60 horses I'd be giving full care to, each with their own special requests, plus depending on 60 other people to come out daily to care for their horse. Even if they all owned two horses, that's 30 people at your place every day, perhaps twice daily. Then the drama each brings, the reasons they can't get there that day and the details of how I must care for them until they can recover from their scheduling difficulty.
> .


 Oh heck this was AZ. SO a lot of people came to ride their horses at Midnight~! At least then the temp was under 100Âº in the summer. LOL
This was in the middle of the Phoenix Metro. Tempe, on the Mesa border
We had people coming and going nearly 24/7.
I LOVED IT.
Being in the big city like that, there was pretty much all the time someone there. Oh I Lived on the place, so I had a radio going all night long so I wouldn't hear what was going on outside. But I sure sleet good knowing for the most part somebody was always there. Maybe 3 hours in the Wee Morning hours. But as some would get there and fed their horses at 4 AM I got up and Fed the ones on full board at 5AM.

Maybe you misunderstood what full board at that place meant. 
It ONLY meant having a stall to put your horse in, or out in pasture, and getting fed Hay Twice a day.. Thats it. Nothing else was included.
You wanted other things fed and done with your horse, You had to do it yourself.

I lived and helped out for 9 years as a part time job, it was cool, as I worked off my rent for all those years, and in a big city like that THAT was a Big Deal.
I fed the full care horses twice a day and did most all of the maintenance, putting in new automatic waterers, running electric, repairing stalls, things like that. 
But we did NO cleaning of Stalls, No Turning out horses for any reason, the horses owners had to do all of that, even if they were on full care.~! The people knew that upfront when signing the contract.
In other words for just rented a Space mostly 10 X 14 some 8 X 25 but whatever the size, you just Rented that space, to put your horse in, and that was it. Pretty much nothing else was included other the when I got and put in automatic waterers, but even before that people would sappily their OWN hay feeders and Water buckets~! That is correct if you didn't want your horse to eat his hay off the ground YOU went out and bought your own hay feeder. Period.

And if on self care you did and supplied everything~!
From buying your own hay, to feeding your own horse and


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