# Stall Cleaning Poll-



## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

If a potential boarding facility only cleans stalls 6 days a week, does this effect your decision to board there? Why or why not?


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I wouldn't board somewhere that only cleaned stalls 6 days a week. Unless I got a break on the price and had the time to come and clean on the day they had "off."


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

I don't understand why barns have a 'day off' of cleaning stalls. It just ends up being 2 or 3 times the work the next day 'on'.

We have a horse on stall rest right now. She has a buddy in with her. Those stalls are cleaned 3 times per day.


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## Sophie19 (Apr 13, 2009)

I would prefer everyday, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker.


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## jyuukai (Apr 19, 2011)

I would never board my horse in a facility where he would be made to stand in a dirty stall for more than a day.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Where I board, we have all day turnout. If the weather is really nice, this can mean 16hrs of turnout, so stalls are basically untouched. If the stalls are pretty much untouched and scheduled to be stripped the next day, my BO will skip cleaning them. 

On yucky days when everyone is stuck inside for all or most of the day, my BO cleans the stalls at least 3x per day. She also cleans all the stalls right before the Vet/Farrier arrive since she keeps everyone inside for those visits so nobody is anxious about a buddy not being around.

I'm fine with this, I know if I personally was cleaning stalls, I'd do the same thing!


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

I understand your staff needing a day off but I'm with mls, in this case it really only causes so much more to do the next day 'on'. Is there anyway the staff could rotate or something to always have someone there cleaning?

I don't have a horse to board but if I did and a potential stable said my horse would be left to fill their stall one day a week plus however long it takes to get to their stall to clean it the next day I would be weary. It better be a very very nice place otherwise with all the other amenities I could need from a stable.

OR at least let me have access to a muck rake, bucket and the poop pile so I can do it myself.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

Delfina has a good point with the all day turn out, but that just doesn't happen much here.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

If they are in the stalls should be clean.
I know a place that doesn't turn horses out at all on weekends-ever. They don't clean then either. Pure laziness & contol freaks.
A friend used to board there & it stunk, nasty flies, no fans allowed, no windows & very dark. She would hate to bring familiy or friends out because she was so embarrassed. Most people do bring guests on weekends too.
She also was not allowed to clean her own stall because the BO didn't want others to complain if they saw a clean stall while theirs was filthy.
How some places get boarders I'll never know.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

It wouldn't infuriate me, but for the price most full-care stables charge around here, I might be a little ticked if they announced they were going to skip one day a week.


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## Southern (Apr 24, 2011)

We own our own barn, and we clean it every three to five days. But as a boarding place, six would be just under my standards.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

If the horse is in the stall, it should be cleaned, IMO. Some horses are pretty clean and you could get away with it but I know some of the stalls I see are just horrendous after one night in. 

Like someone else mentioned, it would probably be okay if the board was reduced and I had time to clean on my own


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## AllThePrettyHorses (Dec 15, 2010)

I wouldn't mind. I know I sure as heck don't clean my horses' stalls daily...but I also don't run a public boarding facility.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Hmmm... very interesting responses.

As you know we are raising our rates due to our incoming indoor arena and we are trying to find ways to keep costs down for our current boarders.

Cleaning stalls 6 days a week would save me $75-$80 x 4 days = $320 a month which translates to lower board so it is something I've considered. However, it goes against the grain for me too... I like stalls cleaned every day.

However, if I did this arrangement it would be a week day. I like stalls to be their cleanest on weekends (when there is the most traffic). What we've done lately with all the rain, we have is "make up" turn out time when the weather is nice where we've left horses out at night. I'm leaning toward this arrangement... If they would like their horses to stay out all night 1 day a week or can choose to leave their horses standing in poo.

Just wanted to see what opinions were... Thank you guys for your help!


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## ArabianChic (Mar 29, 2011)

As long as there was a break in the price then I wouldn't mind. I would just come out and clean the stall myself on that day.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I wouldn't be in favor of it, daily stall cleaning is one of the things I expect. 

You still have to daily feed, provide clean water, turn in and out. Is your barn that large that it would take that much time to clean out the stalls? How many boarders do you have?


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## Katze (Feb 21, 2011)

hmm I wold definetly prefer daily cleaning, I knew a few horses that were just N A S T Y, looked like a giant poo fest day after lol.


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## zurmdahl (Feb 25, 2009)

I would not board somewhere that did not clean stalls everyday, to me it is a chore that needs to be done every single day, and it should be done multiple times a day if a horse is inside 24/7. Even if there were a price break I still would not consider it. If I had the option to do it myself, maybe. But I would rather just go somewhere else that it was included.


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

As others have said, "if they are in, they need to be cleaned!" and "why wouldn't you? it just makes it That much worse to clean the next day."

especially with some horses. I muck stalls at a barn and a couple of the horses are SOOOO bad... If I clean their stall first, by the time I'm done with the last stall, their stall is _already_ So messy it looks like I skipped it altogether.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

We will have 18 stalls when the arena is done. I also don't have full time help living on site. Someone is there 24/7 but he's not my stall cleaner.

We don't bed deeply so we just strip which is actually faster. Right now we've been stripping stalls on Friday then add a bag of fresh bedding and then stay out Friday night so we don't clean stalls on Saturday and then they come in Saturday night. We generally add half a bag on Wednesday so by Friday they are low. It's worked out well so far. If they are in due to the rain, we still only clean once a day we just have to add more bedding sooner rather than later.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

So your issue is the cost of bedding rather than the time factor? Is stripping pulling everything out of the stall?

18 stalls should be easy to do within the hour, I used to do 25 in an hour and that was mucking out, raking through to find the manure and urine.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

If the horses are out the day the stalls aren't cleaned I wouldn't have a problem with it. If the horses are standing in their own filth I would have a huge problem with it. Ammonia is very hard on horse's lungs and hooves. I honestly wouldn't be comfortable knowing my horse is standing in a barn full of ammonia. Ick. 

Do you have mats in your stalls?


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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

I keep my guys home now and i dont muck out every single day as i rarely stand them in for long periods of time over the good months it roughly works out that there out full time 9months of the year. Ponies out full time. however that is my wn choice. But when i was boarding i expected them to be mucked out every single day as i was paying my thoery is if you get lazy mucking out what else are you getting lazy on?
However if they are used to being in full time i dont think its really fair to throw them out one night a week to make things easier for you.

The only day my horses were not mucked out boarding was in christmas day.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

mls said:


> I don't understand why barns have a 'day off' of cleaning stalls. It just ends up being 2 or 3 times the work the next day 'on'.


Exactly.
With the amount of extra bedding it causes you to use because the stalls get trashed it does not save you money in the long run.




starlinestables said:


> Cleaning stalls 6 days a week would save me $75-$80 x 4 days = $320 a month which translates to lower board so it is something I've considered. However, it goes against the grain for me too... I like stalls cleaned every day.


Stall cleaning costs you $80/day? 



starlinestables said:


> What we've done lately with all the rain, we have is "make up" turn out time when the weather is nice where we've left horses out at night.


I have no issues with horses staying out all night or 24/7,etc but I do not get the concept of make up turn out time.
Like so many things in life, turn out time missed does not get fixed by simply stacking the hours on to other turn out times.




starlinestables said:


> We will have 18 stalls when the arena is done. I also don't have full time help living on site. Someone is there 24/7 but he's not my stall cleaner.


Why is a stall cleaner required to be there 24/7 to clean seven days per week? Why don't you, the barn owner, clean on the 7th day so the stall cleaner gets a day off?



starlinestables said:


> We don't bed deeply so we just strip which is actually faster. Right now we've been stripping stalls on Friday then add a bag of fresh bedding and then stay out Friday night so we don't clean stalls on Saturday and then they come in Saturday night. We generally add half a bag on Wednesday so by Friday they are low. It's worked out well so far. If they are in due to the rain, we still only clean once a day we just have to add more bedding sooner rather than later.


Wow! You must have tiny stalls, really neat horses or just really empty stalls at the end of the week.


To answer the original question, if my horse has to live in it, it better be cleaned every day.
My horses have access to their stalls (but are not closed in them) every night. (They are closed all day.) They get cleaned every day.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

For me stripping stalls does not save money. When I start a stall fresh I add 3-4 bags each. I then add as needed to keep that amount of beding in the stalls. I seldom add more than 1 bag per week per stall. I like to bed deep too.


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

I've been at a barn that had horses in 24/7 in the winter and only cleaned stalls 4 days a week so a day off doesn't sound too horrible to me, but it really depends on the turnout situation. I don't want my horses in 24/7 standing in crap, that simple. If you don't want to clean the stall that day, turn them out all day so they aren't standing in crap - I'd rather have my horses in mud than their own feces honestly and I don't know any pastures that wouldn't offer some type of relief from mud, there are drier parts SOMEwhere...if the horse chooses to stand in mud well, I guess it doesn't bother him too much. But I'm not a fan of stalling horses period so...I may not be too helpful.


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## beauforever23 (May 6, 2010)

I couldn't be at a barn that only cleaned 6 days a week. I wouldn't want my horse standing in a stall like that. I self care board and mine is always cleaned 7 days a week


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Exactly.
> With the amount of extra bedding it causes you to use because the stalls get trashed it does not save you money in the long run.
> 
> 
> ...



Horses are out during the day as much as possible. I don't allow partial or no turn out (unless there's a medical reason to be in). Why is make up turn out time such a hard concept? If you were stuck in a stall for 4 days due to really nasty storms, wouldn't you appreciate a few days out of your stall? 

Not to mention I include 6 bags of shavings a month in board. I have regular 12x12 stalls with mats and stalls usually have 1/2-1" of bedding in them at any given time. If owners want more they can purchase more, not a problem. 

It takes anywhere from 45 minutes - 1hr just to clean 6 stalls. Grab muck buckets, clean each stall, pdz, load muck buckets into gator and drive them across the street and put the muck buckets back in their place then put hay in each of the stalls then dump/fill water buckets and then sweep isle way. So with 18 stalls that's an average of 3.5-5 hours of work. Labor, 1.4 bag of shavings each stall, pdz, and diesel fuel $80 is about right. So it would cost boarders $18-$20 extra for 4 days of stall cleaning.

Why don't I clean stalls one day a week? Seriously? #1 I already work 7 days a week when the weather is good. #2 Why would I want to spend 5 hours of my time doing chores when I can pay someone $8.50 an hour while I can teach a lesson or do a training ride at make minimum of $40 an hour? That's absurd!

Money, for me, really isn't the issue. I can certainly pay someone to clean but I just pass along the cost to my customers like any business owner. The question here is would you rather: (Perhaps I should change the poll?) )

A. Let your horse stay out one night a week so the barn doesn't have to clean stalls 7 days a week and pay $20 less on my board a month. (weather permitting)

B. Rather your horse stay on schedule and come in that night and just not clean the stall that day.

C. Rather pay the extra $20 to have my horses stall cleaned 7 days a week.


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## beauforever23 (May 6, 2010)

I agree with AlwaysBehind, if my horse would have to stay in the stall I would want it cleaned 7 days a week. 

You would charge an extra 20$ a month to have the stall cleaned 7 days a week? That sounds a little absurd. If you don't clean it 7 days a week either way you still have a mess to clean on the day after. 

Either way C would be my choice..


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I guess I just do not get the whole keep them out one night to save money thing.

If you have the ability to keep them out all night then why not simply offer that?

Your continual posts about ways to cut corners seems like you are bending over backwards to cheap out. 

If you fear that your added fees because of your indoor are going to raise your board rate right out of your market then you might want to re-assess adding the indoor ring.



And no, I do not get the make-up turn out thing at all. Yes, after being cooped up in their stalls for days I can see the horses as being happy to get it. That does not equate to 'gosh I wish I could stay out for days straight to make up for the missed hours'.

Kind of like missing out on sleep. You can not just sleep for three days straight to make up for the sleep you missed while you are really busy.
Or eating even, if you miss several meals you can not just sit down and eat all those meals worth of food.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

I offer pasture boarding. Again, I'm not trying to cheap out. I'm just trying to offer a variety of ways to make horse care affordable..especially for my current customers! Its called market research! I'm not priced out of my market in the slightest. I'm still one of the cheaper boarding facilities in my area.


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## AllThePrettyHorses (Dec 15, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Your continual posts about ways to cut corners seems like you are bending over backwards to cheap out.


Isn't saving money...good? I will be perfectly honest and say that I too would be searching for every avenue possible that might save me a bit of money. 

Starline Stables, I would go with option A. And I agree with AB-why not just offer 24/7 turnout all the time, with a stall available for injury, sickness, bad weather or whatever? That would save you even more money and labour because not as many stalls would need cleaned out. 

As long as the horses go out during the days and aren't standing in it 24 hours, I sincerely doubt that missing a stall cleaning one day a week is going to have any negative effect on their health.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

starlinestables said:


> Why is make up turn out time such a hard concept? If you were stuck in a stall for 4 days due to really nasty storms, wouldn't you appreciate a few days out of your stall?
> 
> You can't make up turn out time.
> 
> ...


Boarding is not the easiest business in the world. There are many concessions to be made.


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## beauforever23 (May 6, 2010)

very good post mls


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

I agree with much that has been said. I clean my stalls out twice a day whenI am in school and once a day in summer because they are outside.

Ahaha I think it's kinda funny how long it takes people. It takes me 30 minutes to clean two stalls, fill water buckets and feed them. I am so slow LOL


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

MLS -

Maybe you can't make up turn out time but you can sure try! If you missed 3 days of sleep, your probably not going to try and sleep 3 days straight but you'll probably make up some of it. Just trying to do what I can for the horses sanity.

I'm glad you can clean a million stalls in an hour... unfortunately most people can not and every barn is different.. different lay out.. different manure disposal options, and different standard for clean stalls. That's fantastic your happy working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week.. I'm not. I'd like to spend some time with my son. But the fact remains, it's dumb business when you can still be teaching instead of cleaning. 

I'd LOVE to offer 24/7 turn out and just have them in when the weather is bad or there is an injury. Majority boarders don't like that option and want their horses in. It's also harder to find stall cleaning help with random hours.. Its hard to find help thats willing to revolve their lives around cleaning my stalls when the weather is bad.


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## saraltx (Jun 17, 2009)

I imagine you could always offer it for a reduced price to boarders who are okay with not having their stalls cleaned one day a week. On the other hand it seems if skipping one day is okay, then what would be the difference between skipping every other day?

Personally, I prefer for my horse to be be out most of the time (with shelter) anyway. But if she was in a stall for several days due to weather or so, then I'd really like for her stall to be cleaned daily or twice daily. In my experience even after a full 24 hours of not cleaning, some stalls do get really messy, and it seems that more bedding gets wasted that way ultimately.


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## saraltx (Jun 17, 2009)

Too late to edit my above post. I figured out that you would offer it for those who are okay with it and want to keep their current boarding price, while board for the rest goes up. Seems very fair to give such as option when board goes up. Whether or not I'd chose that option I'd certainly appreciate you offering it.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

MLS...22 stalls in 1 hr...really! that is an average of 2.7 minutes a stall :shock: .....I find that just insane. I'm very speedy and I can do 10 stalls in about 45min-1hr depending how bad they are on any given day....anything faster then that, and I wouldn't consider them properly cleaned.

And to the original question...a horses stall should be cleaned everyday IMO as A. its just more work the nest day, and B. its makes for an overall better environment for the horses and people for that matter.

We clean out stalls everyday 2x day, to me its just part of running a boarding facility


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## WesternJake (Jan 29, 2011)

Wow...when I was sifting through shavings (not deeply bedded either! I'm talking just enough to soak up urine and cover the floor...) it took me a good 1 1/2 hour to clean 6 stalls...that was when I first started though, AND you have to factor in distractions, horses being in vs. out... Kudos to those of you who can clean 22+ in an hour, AND feed/water...my trainer would love to have you out there... 

As for clean stalls, couldn't someone or yourself at least pick them on the 7th day? Not a full fledged stall cleaning, but just picking out the most obvious manure & wet piles? 
You sound kind of like my BO...though I'm sure you're much more sensible than she is and I know you know how to run a horse business better than her...so pick up some slack? Help out your boarders? Spend some quality time cleaning stalls? Let's face it, no one likes doing it...but it's gotta be done.  

Emily


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Have you considered offering a boarding/lessons break to some teenagers in exchange for stall work? (not sure if that's been mentioned...)


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Maverick101 said:


> MLS...22 stalls in 1 hr...really! that is an average of 2.7 minutes a stall :shock: .....I find that just insane. I'm very speedy and I can do 10 stalls in about 45min-1hr depending how bad they are on any given day....anything faster then that, and I wouldn't consider them properly cleaned.
> 
> 
> We clean out stalls everyday 2x day, to me its just part of running a boarding facility


It's not insane. And I assure you, they are properly cleaned. Ask my boarders about what a neat freak I am. Our horses come in between 9 and 10 pm and go out by 5:30 a.m.. They are in to eat and sleep. Not long enough to trash the stalls.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

starlinestables said:


> That's fantastic your happy working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week.. I'm not. I'd like to spend some time with my son. But the fact remains, it's dumb business when you can still be teaching instead of cleaning.


I also teach. I clean BEFORE barn hours in the morning. I am offering them a service. If I do not meet my obligation, they can go elsewhere. It's a service based business. "me" is not the number one factor.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

starlinestables said:


> Its hard to find help thats willing to revolve their lives around cleaning my stalls when the weather is bad.


I personally believe that is when you as the business owner needs to step up and take over. It's completely fine to employ whoever you want for any reason you want - it doesn't matter if that's because you are teaching, or because you just don't want to clean out the stalls. 
But if you cannot find someone to clean stalls in bad weather, then you should step up and do it.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

AlexS said:


> I personally believe that is when you as the business owner needs to step up and take over. It's completely fine to employ whoever you want for any reason you want - it doesn't matter if that's because you are teaching, or because you just don't want to clean out the stalls.
> But if you cannot find someone to clean stalls in bad weather, then you should step up and do it.


Totally agree!


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I agree with Alex also, but have you given anyone the opportunity to clean the stalls to see if they would be willing to work when the weather is bad? I used to work off board at my barn. It was 8 stalls and my bf enjoyed the exercise and work, so he came with me. I did it from December-April. It was cold up until the last couple weeks I did it, and even then it had started raining. I still did it because I'm in college. If I worked off board for a weekend, I could go eat real food at Olive Garden. 

Just saying not everyone has a problem with cold and rain.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Poseidon said:


> Just saying not everyone has a problem with cold and rain.


So true. I cleaned stalls for years to work off part of my board. Rain, snow, sleet, Christmas, it did not matter, stalls were cleaned.


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

Ahaha, I like to THINK I work off board since my parents pay for everything. Both my horses make a lot of mess in their stalls and I wouldn't be able to skip a day.

But deffinitely talk to your boarders and see what THEY want.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Stalls are cleaned regardless if my help shows up.. Even if that means being at the barn late into the night.. I'm not above cleaning stalls at all.. I've done it for many many years. Stalls are cleaned and horses are fed in the worst of conditions but I'd like to minimize my stall cleaning because it makes more money sense. I'll always step up to care for our horses but my time certainly isn't free.. It's just what are boarders willing to pay for? ;o)


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

starlinestables said:


> It's just what are boarders willing to pay for? ;o)


We can not help you with what YOUR boarders are willing to pay for.

And as this (and every other) forum makes clear there is no one way to board horses that makes all people happy. Us telling you what we like in no way reflects what your boarders are willing to pay or willing to accept.

There is always a cost vs. benefit ratio that varies from person to person.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

Personally, I don't mind if my horse's stall doesn't get cleaned one day a week. He's pretty average as far as how messy he is, but when it's cleaned daily it's fine when it gets skipped once. That's just my opinion.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

starlinestables said:


> Stalls are cleaned regardless if my help shows up.. Even if that means being at the barn late into the night.. I'm not above cleaning stalls at all.. I've done it for many many years. Stalls are cleaned and horses are fed in the worst of conditions but I'd like to minimize my stall cleaning because it makes more money sense. I'll always step up to care for our horses but my time certainly isn't free.. It's just what are boarders willing to pay for? ;o)


I still do not see how it makes more money sense? If you don't clean on day one - you have twice as much to clean on day two!

Again - boarding is a service based industry.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

mls said:


> I still do not see how it makes more money sense? If you don't clean on day one - you have twice as much to clean on day two!
> 
> Again - boarding is a service based industry.


#1 they would be out so the stall would just stay clean which equals 0 work. #2 If they were in anyway during bad weather then we would A. Clean the Stalls and move it to a different day (unless they want them in 7 days a week regardless) then/or B. They can come clean the stall themselves.. either way it would be on a day where there are minimal shavings in the stall making it easier to clean on the next day if they chose not to come clean them.. 

MLS I wouldn't do it if I thought it would add twice the work the next day..I've been there and done that!


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I'd be really miffed about this. When my horse had a stall, I would clean it out while I was there - but if I am paying full board I would not expect to be told to go there myself and clean it out - that is what I am paying for.


ETA - I thought earlier you had said it was the bedding cost, so it doesn't help your costs if they are mucking out themselves


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Alex, why would you be miffed? I would understand if a barn said it includes stall cleaning but didn't tell you it was only 6 days a week. Its not like were trying to scam anyone...


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

You offer stall cleaning as part of your boarding contract. While your contract does not state that this is daily, is it expected that it would be. 

From your contract:

"Full Care Boarding includes up to 4 lbs of Horseman’s Edge 12:6 fed twice daily, hay, water, stall cleaning, worming every 8 weeks, farrier trimming every 6-8 weeks, and 6 bags of shavings monthly."


You state you provide water, obviously it is assumed that this is daily water and not every 8th day or whatever suits you. 

You would be much better off just raising the board $20 than doing what you are. I would be really displeased if my barn owner told me they could not meet basic boarding expectations one day a week. 

I would be looking for new boarding as I would wonder what else is being skimped out on, and why I would have to pay extra for basic services that I have already been receiving and have signed a contract for.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Thanks Alex I appreciate your input. ) I usually agree with you 90% of the time and it is MY preference to have stalls cleaned daily but I'm certainly not opposed to skipping a day either if it makes things more affordable for my current boarders... ESPECIALLY since I finally have a good group of boarders.

What I don't get are the barns (usually the nicer ones too!) who only turn out 5 days a week! Or make you turn out your own horse on the weekends. I'm seeing this more and more in my area! To me, that is unacceptable but yet they are full!


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

My former barn only turned out to pasture 5 days a week as well, the rest of the time the horses were in small paddocks. It is one of the reasons why I moved. 

I have boarded at 3 (including my current) barns in the past 10 yrs. The first thing I do is to find barns in my budget, then look at level of care. Once I am there, it is the level of care that concerns me most. 

My point is that I am not certain you will keep your good group of boarders if you start reducing the level of care.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

starlinestables said:


> What I don't get are the barns <snip>


And that is why we keep telling you to ask your boarders. What we say does not matter.
There are different barns for different people because different people/horses like different things.

I could never board at a barn where the barn owner was frequently bad mouthing some of the boarders in the barn on an internet BB.

I know of barns that do not clean every day of the week. But it is simply how it is, how things are when people come there, etc. It is not 'it is $20 cheaper if you do this'. If you do not agree with the stalls not being cleaned every day then you do not board there.

There are also barns with no turn out and all day turn out and every variation in between. 

I thing you have brought up that I do not get is I have NEVER heard of charging more for tack lockers.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Having read a few of your threads recently, I think I have the general idea, correct me if I am wrong on any of this:

-You are building an indoor arena and need to pay for it 
-You are currently one of the cheapest comparable boarding facilities in your area
-You are one of the newest boarding facilities in your area
-You have built up your boarding facility from scratch 

Firstly, congratulations on expanding your business and for working so hard to get it up and running in what is a very difficult industry.

Just a couple of thoughts in regards to both the tack locker poll AND this poll regarding stall cleaning, and any other threads regarding what boarders want/need, sorry if this is wordy: 

*You need to be very clear who YOU are targeting with your facility as it grows and develops. YOU also need to be the one that directs it's development and the direction it takes. *

So you should be sitting down crunching numbers and doing market research in the relevant market, which is in YOUR area (Dallas-ish?) and not on the internet. Boarding facilities in California are different to those in Florida which are different to those in Montana which are different to those in New Jersey, not to mention the huge price differences based on area _alone_. Add to that the difference in wants/needs between a pleasure rider that rides once a week and the serious competitive rider who slogs it out 6 days a week.

Who are you trying to attract/retain by building the indoor arena? Is your target market riders for whom it is important that they can train all year round in relatively stable conditions? Are they competitive riders or pleasure riders? If they are competitive riders, what dicipline are you strongest in? If it is a multidiciplinary barn, are you able to cater to the different needs of jumpers, hunters, dressage (ers?!), barrel racers, reiners etc. If not, how do you plan to attract a subset of the market?

Figure out who your target consumer is and it will become easier to define what their needs and expectations are regarding stall cleaning, farrier useage, tack lockers and anything else really.

It seems to me that you did a great job differentiating yourself from you competition initially by being the 'cheapest' and that is a good way to enter a market. Now that your business is more mature and becoming more specialised, you may need to reassess your business strategy. If your number crunching tells you that you need to raise your prices then I wouldn't try to argue with the books, you will come off second best. But don't do it in bits and pieces, changing little bits here and there, cutting corners where possible. It won't work in the long run.

One way to ease your current boarders into the new prices could be to offer a staggered monthly increase between now and the end of the year. But once you have decided the prices you need to be decisive about it. People may leave, but if you are priced correctly compared to the market then those spots will be filled. 

In a nutshell, you may not be able to market yourself as the 'cheapest' comparable facility in your area, you may have to switch your tag line to 'best value.' 

There is an important difference between the two, one will send you broke, the other makes you a savvy business woman.

Good luck.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

My target customers are people similar to me. People who are proactive about their horses care and go show to HAVE FUN and compete against themselves. Just because we are not at every show doesn't mean we don't know what were doing... we take our riding seriously but do it to create a more pleasurable activity. To me, riding a well schooled upper level dressage horse is heaven! That's my idea of fun! My facility is geared towards more dressage and hunter/jumper (eventing is gaining popularity in our area so that may be an option in the future) but welcome any discipline. I will NOT be one of those barns that requires lessons or training and pressure clients to go show. I've been at the giant show barns, worked for some top hunter/jumpers and I hated how competitive it was and how the horses were treated like porcelain dolls who had crappy ground manners. I want to host a variety of clinics.... dressage, jumpers, driving, vaulting, "natural horsemanship"...

I realize I'm no longer the absolute bottom cheapest.. but I do offer the best value in my area and market it as so. I offer very generous referral rewards ($100), I accept feed coupons, working options, lesson horse programs. I basically built MY dream boarding facility and treat people the way I would've wanted to be treated.. but I still have alot to learn about the business.

People always say "Ask your boarders" and I do.. but I like to get as many opinions as possible because although I do care about my current boarders I'm trying to build my business and attract more! I also have had boarders come from all across the country... which is why I like horseforum so much. I get to see how things work all around the world. It's pretty neat..


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## Christine1003 (Nov 26, 2010)

My horse has 24/7 turnout but if he was in I would not want him in more than 24 hours in a dirty stall. I just think it's gross. There are plenty of people that need jobs or boarders that might clean stalls 1 day a week. I don't see why there would need to be 1 day stall's are not cleaned. So if i knew that the barn did that I wouldn't board there unless I had no other choice.


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## back in the crosby again (Feb 4, 2009)

I personally would not board at a barn that did not clean the stalls 7 days a week. I have seen many really nice boarding facilities that only clean 6 days a week. This does not seem to hurt their business.
The only thing I will add is if you are going to do it, don't offer options or anything. The borders with messy horses will probably not be the ones that take you up on the 7th day cleaning, just the way things tend to workout. So either stick with the daily cleaning or not. 

As to the discussion of stall cleaning time. Everyone works differently. I take approximately 7 minutes per stall to clean my own. This is moving picking out manure and wet spots, redistributing the bedding evenly, dumping and cleaning the water bucket. These are the stalls that I do everyday and I use sawdust bedding that is easy to pick through. I add more bedding about once a week and then it takes me longer to go get the bedding etc. 
When I clean my trainer's stalls it takes me almost twice as long, but she uses large pine shavings, her stalls are bedded much deeper, shavings are added daily and her horses are in most of the day. 
Every time I have heard of someone that can do them too much faster then I do, the stalls are not up to my standards of clean. I am not saying that someone could not do it, I have just not seen it happen.


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

I love using sawdust! I find it keeps the stall cleaner than shavings.


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## jwells84 (Mar 29, 2011)

For me it would depend on the price of the boarding, and wether it is a full care stable.. most places around where I live are not full care stables and do not offer full care boarding. most places will feed your horse once aday,but you are the owner and therefor should take care of your horse.(i feel the same way) if it is a full care stable the stable should have someone to clean the horses stalls everyday. even if that means having to hire two stall cleaners.... I voted No i dont mind, becuase I think that if you own a horse you ought to take care of your responsibilties, and I think stall cleaning is one of those responsibilities, if you stall your horse.


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