# Running a boarding facility...?



## Julia and Gringo (Aug 30, 2015)

That's one thread that this category is missing! Lol. Anyone have any experience with this?


The last year has been quite a journey for me, my sister and our 3 horses. (well, along with the rest of my family, that had to hear about the drama for 5 months...)

We didn't know how lucky we were to be at this amazing stable, when the boarding facility was put for sale and shut down - everybody kicked out. We bought our very first horses and that was their home, and our favorite place. For 2 years. So they closed all the doors, cleaned it up and soon it was empty. We were the last ones to leave, and had to go to basically our only option - a 'new' barn that was more like a farm, and we were their boarder test dummies! Long story short, one of our horses lost weight, we felt unwelcomed, we were lied to about feed, etc. etc. We finally got out last November when an English facility opened up.. and again we feel unwanted as we are the only western riders there. But as long as the horses are happy & healthy we're good!

Buuuut, my sister is currently 19, and deciding what to do with her future. My parents have thrown around the idea of purchasing the old stable we were at for 2 years, and she could be the manager and run it as a business. So I guess, I just wanted to see if there were any stable owners out there that would have any advice? As far as dealing with people, and the pros and cons of having a business.. 
Everything about this stable is amazing, and the only things we're worried about is:

1. Whether or not my sister wants to continue down the horse & training path.
2. The business aspect is spooky. This stable has 40 stalls, 4 arenas, 2 roundpens and a hot-walker. (and plenty of paddocks!) BUT WE WORRIED THAT IT WOULDN'T FILL UP MUCH. Everyone else has a barn their at, and the location of this one is close to western and rodeo activity (and all these people already have their own barns!)...

We have two options:
If my sister wants to commit to this, we can buy this property, run a business and it would be a safe haven for our 3 horses.
OR, a couple we know are ready to build a barn for us to lease and use their arena until we move.

Anyone's words of wisdom will be appreciated. <3


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Let me start by saying I have NO experience running a boarding stable. I do, however, have some experience boarding my horse at one and one of our friends has one. 

I think you're right to worry about filling it up. That place is HUGE! What I hear from our friend who is running a boarding facility is that it's REALLY hard to make money at it. There are just so many expenses. He barely breaks even and has to live in a loft apartment above the barn (which is completely full btw) to get by. And this is no teenager, this is a middle-aged man. 

I would suggest you try to put together a business plan before you even think about embarking on this adventure. And as much as it sounds like an amazing adventure, you need to make sure you don't bankrupt your future and your friend's parents' future over it!


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## Julia and Gringo (Aug 30, 2015)

Lol I know what you mean. 
With our dad being a businessman, we've gone over everything and he's given us (or rather, my sister) pointers. 
It would be something like $650 but boarders provide grain & hay. And we would try to put on shows, races, activities for kids and families, on-horse scavenger hunts, all that kind of stuff haha. A vending machine, I can do photoshoots there (aspiring photographer), etc etc. But yeah it's still iffy. And there's all the expenses. 
Hobbies & businesses like this are so tough cause it's all about the chances and what-if's. And it all depends on if this is the path my sister wants to choose.. But we're beginners in the business world, but veterans when it comes to boarding lol.

I'm gonna see where God leads us, and in the meantime hear feedback from you guys =D


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Nobody is going to pay $650 a month and provide their own feed and hay. For that kind of money people are going to expect full care and amazing training opportunities, which means YOU provide all amenities. 

Most BOs don't make their money in boarding, they usually have training and lessons. Fun activities are all well and good, but you'll need to appeal to a wide audience and do them continuously, which will be annoying to boarders who usually like a boarding barn without a circus atmosphere. 

It sounds as if you have no real clue how boarding barns are run, and not to be a snotty beast, but a 19 y/o BO and her even younger sister trying to run a large facility is not someplace I'd willingly trust with my horse.

It's a nice fantasy, but the reality is you'll be out of business within a year.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Julia and ****** said:


> Lol I know what you mean.
> With our dad being a businessman, we've gone over everything and he's given us (or rather, my sister) pointers.
> It would be something like $650 but boarders provide grain & hay. And we would try to put on shows, races, activities for kids and families, on-horse scavenger hunts, all that kind of stuff haha. A vending machine, I can do photoshoots there (aspiring photographer), etc etc. But yeah it's still iffy. And there's all the expenses.
> Hobbies & businesses like this are so tough cause it's all about the chances and what-if's. And it all depends on if this is the path my sister wants to choose.. But we're beginners in the business world, but veterans when it comes to boarding lol.
> ...


I actually think shows and activities are a good idea as a way to attract attention to a stable. I don't think you can expect people to provide their own hay - moving hay requires machinery which few people own. You cannot expect boarders to be hauling in bales of hay. Grain is ok, but not hay.

However, I think what makes it so difficult to run a place like this are all the unexpected expenses. Price of hay goes up because of a drought, you've lost your profit margin. Fences need to be repaired. Barn walls get kicked and boards need to be replaced. New arena sand needs to be brought in. Machinery breaks down and has to be replaced or fixed. There's no way you can look after everything yourselves so you need hired help. They don't show up for work so you need to find new hired help. It goes on, and on, and on. 

I think this article says it all: The Truth in Boarding Barns |


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

a few things I see:

$650 may or may not be high, you are in Florida. $650 here in upstate NY is crazy, i'm guessing down by NYC not so much, hay is $2-3/bale here $10-12 by NYC, and I have hard in parts of florida $12/bale is the norm so your price is a local thing.

do you have access to a trainer? even if it's an english trainer? possibly bring someone in (give them a discount on 5-10 horses) as having someone older & more experienced will be helpful to your family for advice as well as help to draw people in. 

maybe hire a manager that your family can work with (or have the trainer be a manager too)

figure out who you are trying to attract:
-year round residents
-retirees who love horses
-people that show/race so bring their horses south for the winter 

also figure out different price points:
-charge more and try to cater a bit more to the higher end clients and maybe have 25-50% stalls filled
-charge less, offer less, have 50-80% filled
-have tiers of charging depending upon what is/isn't included to try and fill stalls, breaking even on some stalls making a bit extra on others


I agree that hay should be included, although in a drought year if hay prices go through the roof I would say perfectly fair to charge an extra $20-50/month as a hay surcharge but be sure to reduce that when hay prices go back to local "standards"

having 4 arenas for 40 stalls I think would be a premium some may be willing to pay for as you may be able to work out a deal with a trainer & their clients to have exclusive access to one arena, have one set up for jumping then the other two for general use.

check into insurance for the facility, then ask what event insurance would cost, and insurance would cost for people to trailer in for lessons (if you find a good trainer)

I don't think a boarding facility is a get rich scheme, in most cases I don't think there is really money to be made, but in Florida it may be a different story.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Scout out local barns. See what they offer for the money.

$650 in my new area is around right with conversion rate- it's one of the reasons I couldn't bring my horse.

What is included in their prices.

Secondly, even simple things about making sure you have good field rotation, rodant control, good stoarge for tack and good school surfaces need to be thought about.

Finding the rates of hay and straw, then being able to budget when they fluctuate in price is a big thing too.

Is your sister going to muck out all the stables? Are you going to hire help?

Insurance, too.

You either need to talk to someone who is a yard manager who can give you the realistics or learn by doing. Option A will save you money in the long run.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> Nobody is going to pay $650 a month and provide their own feed and hay. For that kind of money people are going to expect full care and amazing training opportunities, which means YOU provide all amenities.
> 
> Most BOs don't make their money in boarding, they usually have training and lessons. Fun activities are all well and good, but you'll need to appeal to a wide audience and do them continuously, which will be annoying to boarders who usually like a boarding barn without a circus atmosphere.
> 
> ...


people do do that in FLorida depending on the location but it is for a short season. usually 3 months.
OP where you are in Florida is important? Was the facility full before? What did they charge.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

The last stable I was in that charged $650 was in Florida and was chronically half empty. They did *everything* for the boarders, including their horse laundry and cleaning their tack. Grooming was included after every turn out.

They had a full bathroom with shower facilities, a very luxurious lounge overlooking the indoor arena which had a full set of mirrors floor to ceiling. A great apartment was attached directly to the stable for visiting trainers. The arenas were huge and had wonderful, dust free footing. Hot and cold running water in their very clean wash racks, trails, lots of pastures and turnout. The stable isles were all laid with the new padded "bricks" and everything was kept spotless. They provided special care and supplements for the boarders and all a boarder had to do was show up and ride. Tons and tons of amenities.

People who can afford $650 for boarding _expect perfection_ and generally don't really want to spend time with the whole horse care routine; they sure aren't going to be willing to provide feed and hay The only way you are going to get that kind of money is if you are very close to a very large city with a lot of _potential_ boarders.

This is a hard, hard business to even break even, let alone make money. My current BOs are so frustrated that they are trying to sell it to me. I won't even consider it-the price is too high and they have let maintenance issues build up for years. You cannot believe the amount of time and money it takes to keep fixing things especially if anything is ignored too long.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

I forgot earlier the #1 MOST important question:

WHY did this facility fail the last time around?


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

is there a need for boarding in your area ? can you compete with the other boarding facilities ?
who is going to cover for vacations? do you know how to recognize a horse getting ill / colic before its a full blown colic? Are you cleaning the pens ? Hiring some one ? 
Your fee is outrageous if people have to supply their own hay. For that amount i would want a stall with shavings changed out 2-3 times a week, cleaned daily, water trough kept clean, turn out etc.I would also expect you to supply the hay and be sure to keep the horse in good weight. You need to figure liability ins. I would not parties going on where I kept my horse . You have to be up early to feed Every single day . You have to be there for the evening feedings every day . You have to find a good hay supplier.
You also need to figure, some horses need more hay than others, so are you charging the same for the hard keepers ?


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

oh, you also need to be able to do repairs, water lines, fencing , stalls, latches.


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## ChristineNJ (Jan 23, 2010)

Also, it is best to have someone living on the farm full-time because you also need someone to do night check to make sure all are fine! Also wondering why the original owner failed. It might be good to check that out. You were happy there at the time and it was running well. Get in touch with the former owner or some of the former boarders & get their opinions.

It really seems like a very large place. Perhaps a smaller barn would be easier to manage since you have no experience. :gallop:


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Insurance is what kills most boarding facilities. At one time it was so bad in California that shows and big trail rides were cancelled. When a teen, when it came to horses - "ya paid yer money and took yer chances". No point in suing as no one forced you to get on a potentially dangerous animal.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Nowhere in the planet would $650 be ok for rough board.

I guess I can't back that up but I would be insanely surprised. The sort of people who can afford that would not want it. That should be all inclusive.

So regardless of anything else (and there are a lot of other things) step one is to figure out if the plan on paper would work, right now it's not.


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## LillyBlossomsEC (Mar 11, 2016)

So I will post this. 
I have boarded at 2 facilities. One with a friend that my boyfriend and I built the stalls and the 1 arena and I , as a trainer, filled the stalls with my cleints.....for someone elses profit. 
When my horses started being treated improperly and so did I. I left. 
The last place was WORSE. a woman who spent 20+ years with horses seemed great and promised shelters and a fully lit arena...again I had to build their stalls. I fed and mucked and provided my own feed. When i complained about 2 months in and no shelter...no lights....i was told that I starved my horses and I needed to leave. 5 days after i paid for board.

So I did what any other sane person did.....not....lol... I changed my insurance from mobile training and clinics to also cover our 4 acre property. Got a FBNS and a license and started a major overhaul on the property and opened a boarding facility.

Be realistic. People want to board their horses with someone who is present. Knows how to think of their horses safety and knows how to spot when things are not right with the horse. 

I offer full board here in southern California for 275 pr month. This includes a 12x24 stall with daily turnout. The horses basically only go in the stall at night or inclement weather. it gets HOT here so we will not have a barn but well vented walk in shelters. This includes 24/7 slow fed Bermuda, electrolytes, and daily mucking. 

I offer additional feeds and supplements (but not for just any horse as most horses don't need extra stuff) at an additional charge between 0.25 to 5.00 Per day depending on what exactly it is. 

We have a policy where your trainer is welcome but needs proper insurance and waivers. people can bring their own vets and farriers. I don't deal with drama or BS. 

I am a vet tech and i have multiple certificates in equine health and nutrition. 

Gage the services and costs in your area. price according to what you offer. 

Sit down with an equine attorney to draft your boarding contracts that cover abandoned animals, unpaid board, damages to stalls or barns, theft, parking, restrooms, access areas of property, etc. 

Many things you probably never thought of will come up when you talk to the attorney. 

I have a code of conduct because I have seen how other boarders can behave and I have an email set up for owner complaints or concerns about the property or another boarder etc so there is no overhearing and its at the owners comfort. 

My boarders seem happy and we do local shows with the kids, then again most of them are also training clients LOL


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## busysmurf (Feb 16, 2012)

It really is a nice dream! But based on what you've said, not a realistic one...YET. Some things you need to consider and questions to ask yourself (& you need to be brutally honest with yourself ). And you need to consider this kind of stuff BEFORE you start figuring out possible income. It's easy to look at what may be coming in, but it's what it takes to GET that money coming in that often doesn't get the attention it needs.
1. How long have you owned horses
2. Have you always boarded, or have you had horses at your place
3. How many horses have you cared for at one time 
4. Are you able to perform basic 1st aid
5. Have you observed a horse suffering from common illnesses / injuries to be able to recognize what needs to be done
6. Are you able to determine a proper diet for individual horses
7. Can you recognize bad / decent / quality forage and be able to adjust a horses diet accordingly 
8. Are you mechanically inclined
9. What types of personalities, people & horses, have you dealt with & are comfortable handling 
10. Are you able to be the "bad guy" when board isn't paid, rules are being broken, etc
11. Do you have thick skin
12. How often do you / your sister call into work sick or have "emergencies" come up that take you away from your job
13. How organized are you with paperwork
14. Can you make a budget & stick to it
15. Do you know how to be cost effective without cutting corners
16. What type of reputation do you currently have in your horse community

And then there's the logistics:
1. First and foremost, what are your fixed expenses
- rent/mortgage
- property taxes
- utilities (water, electric, gas, sanitary/storm, phone/internet, municipal services, etc) you need to find out the average monthly and yearly for at least 3 years if possible 
- insurance
- grain
- supplements
- hay
- bedding
- fuel
- misc groceries (paper towel, toilet paper, hand soap, etc)
- vehicle insurance 

2. Then you need to figure in equipment to purchase & other non-fixed expenses (plan on if they were to happen at least twice a year). 
- tractor
- manure spreader
- lawn mower
- arena drag
- truck & trailer
- maintenance / repairs on said equipmen
- fence repairs
- bldg maintenance 

AND THEN....
1. Are you baling your own hay or buying
2. If buying, do you have more than 2 reputable sources
3. If baling, do you have the equipment, knowledge, acreage, avalability of manpower to bale enough hay to last 18 months for a full barn
4. What is your plan with handling manure
5. What shape are the pastured in? Do they need lots of yearly maintenance 
6. What shape are the fences in

And I haven't even gotten warmed up yet! In one weekend we had the gator AND the tractor die, 3 arena mirrors broke, and a spring for the overhead door broke. Granted that's not always the case, but stuff like that happens all. the. time with a farm. 

And just my personal experience, people who've only boarded and sometimes even people who've worked at farms (unless they've been a manager with access to the checkbook) don't have a very realistic idea of what it actually takes to run a place that size. It's extremely rewarding to have a place run smoothly, but it's just as stressful if not more.


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## Julia and Gringo (Aug 30, 2015)

Sorry everyone, I start these threads and totally forget about them. I will start by saying, $650 in Florida is not outrageous - that is in fact one of the cheapest boarding fees around, its ridiculous lol. Before this stable closed down they were charging $800. AND it closed because the owner's daughter (who he built it for) decided she was done with all that and moved away. And he's not a horse person. It would be pretty neat to have a boarding stable, but I don't think we have the time for it yet. Thanks for all your words of wisdom and who knows, maybe this is something my family does in the future.  It's a lot, so we're just going to see what happens to that old stable in the meantime - maybe someone else will get it.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Julia and ****** said:


> Sorry everyone, I start these threads and totally forget about them. I will start by saying, $650 in Florida is not outrageous - that is in fact one of the cheapest boarding fees around, its ridiculous lol. Before this stable closed down they were charging $800. AND it closed because the owner's daughter (who he built it for) decided she was done with all that and moved away. And he's not a horse person. It would be pretty neat to have a boarding stable, but I don't think we have the time for it yet. Thanks for all your words of wisdom and who knows, maybe this is something my family does in the future.  It's a lot, so we're just going to see what happens to that old stable in the meantime - maybe someone else will get it.


Just curious are those prices for rough board?

Board is pretty darn expensive around here, often 1000+, but prices like that (and higher) are all for full board.


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## Julia and Gringo (Aug 30, 2015)

Yogiwick said:


> Julia and ****** said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry everyone, I start these threads and totally forget about them. I will start by saying, $650 in Florida is not outrageous - that is in fact one of the cheapest boarding fees around, its ridiculous lol. Before this stable closed down they were charging $800. AND it closed because the owner's daughter (who he built it for) decided she was done with all that and moved away. And he's not a horse person. It would be pretty neat to have a boarding stable, but I don't think we have the time for it yet. Thanks for all your words of wisdom and who knows, maybe this is something my family does in the future.  It's a lot, so we're just going to see what happens to that old stable in the meantime - maybe someone else will get it.
> ...



$650 is board not including feed & hay. 800-900 is full board around here.. But honestly for that much people should be trying harder. :/


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