# Purpose of the 30 day notice and payment?



## TurkishVan (Feb 11, 2013)

Since there were so many threads regarding a 30 day notice with a boarding facility, I thought I'd ask why having a 30 day notice is necessary. I'm not for or against it, but I want to know everyone's opinion.

Here's my 2 cents:

Why I like the concept of a 30 day notice: 
It gives the barn owner the opportunity to secure their income by replacing the exiting horse with another boarder. It allows the owner to plan for upcoming hay deliveries, bedding deliveries, and helps them balance their checkbook in general. It's polite. It allows the owner to adjust their schedule accordingly (if they only board 1 horse, they may forfeit a potential vacation due to their boarder). 

Why I dislike the concept of a 30 day notice:
If your horse is in danger in their current situation, you must find a place to move them, pay full board there, and pay board for the previous barn that you're no longer staying with. Unfortunately I have dealt with this problem before. My mare colicked, the barn managers were indifferent and completely unwilling to help me out by putting her in a safe area to walk around. I had no choice but to move her quickly, or leave her stalled and potentially colic again. So I was forced to pay full board for a new barn, another month on my previous barn, and my mare's vet fees. I was on the 2nd day of the month, and tried to compromise by asking for a pro-rated fee, but they did not budge. So I had to do all of this on a student budget. Not something I was prepared for. Thank goodness I had the money. A 30 day notice may also be difficult to deal with if you're being relocated for your career or etc. But in that case, it might just be easier to not own a horse!

What does everyone else think?


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

The 30 day notice is just like any other rental property. It allows the stable owner to get another boarder in there as seamlessly as possible, and not lose any income.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Red Gate Farm said:


> The 30 day notice is just like any other rental property. It allows the stable owner to get another boarder in there as seamlessly as possible, and not lose any income.


Yes, and as a renter/boarder you just have to plan to potentially lose a partial month.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

I think 30 days noticed protects the BO and I have no issues with it. Just like renting an apartment, it's part of the deal. 

Now, with that being said, I have always had good luck with it and I know that is not everyone's experience. But, I'm also willing to accept that I could end up being stuck paying double board if I have to move sooner. I was prepared to do that at the first barn I boarded my horse at: her stall was not being properly cleaned each day, it was not bad enough that I thought she needed to be moved before the end of the month, but worried her care would go down further after I gave notice. Luckily for me, her care actually increased when I voiced my reasons to the BO and I believe the BM who was responsible was dismissed not long after. 

When I moved out of my last barn, the BO waived the 30 days for me and said he had no issues with me simply leaving at the end of the month (~20 days from when I notified him) and that I was always welcome back. He did this with any of his boarders who were leaving on good terms, but kept the 30 days in his contract so that he had something to fall back on when he had to deal with bad boarders. I believe he even refunded part of a month's board for someone who was unhappy with the barn and planned to move her two horses halfway through the month.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I'm fine with 30 days notice. I understand that barns often barely break even and being able to have someone lined up for a spot the day it frees up is a great help to them. I figure if my horse is ever in a bad enough situation that I feel I need to move him right away because of safety or quality of care issues it would be a small price to pay.

Uncommon situations like having to move away quickly for a job come up rarely enough that I'd imagine it's another time when you're just write it off as part of the cost of moving suddenly. After all, if you're willing to pack up and move on really short notice then it's probably a pretty good job offer ;-)


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

I understand the problems with 30 day notices, as shown in the numerous threads regarding them. For the most part, I don't have a problem with them. If I had to move my horse without being able to provide such a notice, then it means that something has gone horribly wrong between myself/my horse and the facility. I understand why a barn manager needs them. Ours doesn't require them, and just the other day a guy at our barn got rid of two of his horses without telling her. He mentioned that he "may get rid of them at some point", and when he got to the barn I asked if he wanted to ride with me. He said "No, a guy is coming to pick up my horses in an hour" and he made no mention of these plans to her.

If a certain expectation of care is outlined in the boarding contract (turnout for your mare), then you have a leg to stand on with regards to not giving the 30 day notice.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If you expect a BO to do things over and above regular care that needs to be spelled out in the contract along with payment for such services. The way I see it the BM was ****ed for not acting as in a manner you deemed necessary, but had turning the mare out gone awry you'd have blamed the BM for turning your horse out.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I only have one boarder now, and no plans to replace her once she graduates and moves. I do have 30 day notice in my contract but have never needed to enforce it because I always had a waiting list for my stalls. I've always kind of felt it was a courtesy, let me know you're leaving in 30 days or so and I'll make arrangements to fill the barn and there won't be an issue. If you're such a horrible boarder that I'm happy you're leaving, I don't want you to stick around another 30 days. (Never had that situation, thank God.)

What I'm seeing from too many barn owners is the use of the 30 day notice for spite. Either someone gives notice and the horse stops being fed and cared for or they quit cleaning his stall or his water is left to be disgusting or....something. So, when the owner shows up 10 days into the 30 days and see her horse has dropped weight or other bad things, then pulls the horse, the barn owner throws a fit. And of course, the boarder ends up having to pay double board at the new facility because she's got to pay a month in advance. When did this behavior on the BO's side become acceptable? 

I know I've been very lucky, I've always had lovely boarders and been very sad when they've had to leave. But the climate seems to have changed and I don't think I want to do this anymore, once my current boarder leaves. I don't want to keep on until I hit that Boarder from Hades.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I only have one boarder now, and no plans to replace her once she graduates and moves. I do have 30 day notice in my contract but have never needed to enforce it because I always had a waiting list for my stalls. I've always kind of felt it was a courtesy, let me know you're leaving in 30 days or so and I'll make arrangements to fill the barn and there won't be an issue. If you're such a horrible boarder that I'm happy you're leaving, I don't want you to stick around another 30 days. (Never had that situation, thank God.)
> 
> What I'm seeing from too many barn owners is the use of the 30 day notice for spite. Either someone gives notice and the horse stops being fed and cared for or they quit cleaning his stall or his water is left to be disgusting or....something. So, when the owner shows up 10 days into the 30 days and see her horse has dropped weight or other bad things, then pulls the horse, the barn owner throws a fit. And of course, the boarder ends up having to pay double board at the new facility because she's got to pay a month in advance. When did this behavior on the BO's side become acceptable?
> 
> I know I've been very lucky, I've always had lovely boarders and been very sad when they've had to leave. But the climate seems to have changed and I don't think I want to do this anymore, once my current boarder leaves. I don't want to keep on until I hit that Boarder from Hades.


 Yes, punishing a horse out of spite did happen to me. The last stable where I boarded required a months deposit and 30 day notice to leave. When I told the BO that I was moving out, she stopped feeding my horse and she suddenly started to drastically losing weight. I immediately hauled her out of there short of the 30 days. Fortunately I didn't have to fight over the deposit as we had traded my training for the deposit several months before. 
Even now, I don't mind the 30 days notice as long as the BO isn't going to take my leaving personally and neglect my horse.


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## TurkishVan (Feb 11, 2013)

Saddlebag said:


> If you expect a BO to do things over and above regular care that needs to be spelled out in the contract along with payment for such services. The way I see it the BM was ****ed for not acting as in a manner you deemed necessary, but had turning the mare out gone awry you'd have blamed the BM for turning your horse out.


Actually they did have a place they could have put her, where she would have been quite safe, but they were unwilling to work with me at all. It had been my hope that we could have put her in the indoor arena for a few hours while I went to take my final, but there was pink fiberglass insulation exposed on the walls, and they refused to watch her for that period. At that point they were still angry that I'd called a vet out in the first place (they thought it reflected badly on them, which it didn't, until they complained about the vet visit). I think my situation was more out of spite than anything. But again, the vet visit would be the only reason. I tried to keep on good terms with everyone at that particular barn. 

I perfectly understand the 30 day notice, and I agree with it, until it goes sour, as it did once for me. I had to pay double board again when the next place I went to was also unsuitable (it was on its way towards closing down due to a lack of funds). That didn't bother me, as they took excellent care of my horse. I just saw where it was heading, and decided to find a place before everyone else at the facility went too. 

I appreciate the types of barn owners that waive the 30 day notice. It's not very necessary around here, as all of the barns have huge waiting lists since my previous barn closed. (There are only 3-4 good barns in the area, with 2 being at full capacity, and my previous barn displaced about 40 horses when they shut down.)


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

TurkishVan said:


> Actually they did have a place they could have put her, where she would have been quite safe, but they were unwilling to work with me at all. It had been my hope that we could have put her in the indoor arena for a few hours while I went to take my final, but there was pink fiberglass insulation exposed on the walls, and they refused to watch her for that period. At that point they were still angry that I'd called a vet out in the first place (they thought it reflected badly on them, which it didn't, until they complained about the vet visit). I think my situation was more out of spite than anything. But again, the vet visit would be the only reason. I tried to keep on good terms with everyone at that particular barn.
> 
> I perfectly understand the 30 day notice, and I agree with it, until it goes sour, as it did once for me. I had to pay double board again when the next place I went to was also unsuitable (it was on its way towards closing down due to a lack of funds). That didn't bother me, as they took excellent care of my horse. I just saw where it was heading, and decided to find a place before everyone else at the facility went too.
> 
> I appreciate the types of barn owners that waive the 30 day notice. It's not very necessary around here, as all of the barns have huge waiting lists since my previous barn closed. (There are only 3-4 good barns in the area, with 2 being at full capacity, and my previous barn displaced about 40 horses when they shut down.)


I wouldn't say that not dropping what they're doing for a few hours to watch your mare isn't not being willing to work with you... I wouldn't expect my barn manager to just stop doing stalls to watch my horse...


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## TurkishVan (Feb 11, 2013)

DuckDodgers said:


> I wouldn't say that not dropping what they're doing for a few hours to watch your mare isn't not being willing to work with you... I wouldn't expect my barn manager to just stop doing stalls to watch my horse...


It's a long story, so I won't go into it. Needless to say, they had other areas where they could put her (other than the indoor arena) such as outdoor paddocks, but they never performed maintenance on their fencing and they were afraid she "might" go through it, so they claimed they didn't have anywhere to put her. You'd have to have lived the experience to truly understand what I went through. 
The barn manager lived on site, and she literally did nothing all day. They had interns that cleaned the barn and took care of chores. She actually did have enough time. 

Honestly and truly, I'm not a bad boarder! 
But, back to the topic of a 30 day notice....


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

I guess 30 days notice is fair, although I think it can be a little excessive, but makes sense if you pay month by month. If you pay week by week I think it should be 21 days, and always both sides have to give it. 

Although, some places do seem a little unfair about it. If you're in a full board position I think the rate should be reduced once your horse leaves to only stall/paddock rent and maintenance, like you shouldn't be charged the full price that includes feed or labour - in my mind these are "consumables" in a way. Also, I think it should be 30 days unless someone can be moved in earlier, so if there places has a waiting list you should be able to have someone take it over, or if you know that another boarder is getting a new they can take over your stall early.


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## princessfluffybritches (Aug 10, 2012)

I pay for pasture board. I still can't understand why the last place didn't mail me 2 weeks board money back. It's not like she cost them anything, or took up a space.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Because she was already counting on that money for the month to pay her own bills? And an open pasture is space that could potentially be taken up by another boarder.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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