# Are boarders responsible for repair cost?



## DuffyDuck

Whenever I have boarded if my horse breaks it, I fix it. Thankfully I didn't really have many issues. 

One boarder had a horse that would kick its walls when another horse passed or at feed time. He had to put rubber stuff all round the walls to protect the walls.. and his horse.

If a fence is destroyed over and over by my horse I wouldn't hesitate to replace it, but if you were then looking at replacing it for a different style or more expensive type then I wouldn't expect to pay for that.


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## evilamc

I've just looked the other way when my boarders horse has broken inexpensive things...but if they were to start breaking my gates or something more expensive or time consuming to fix? I think I'd have to say something. Do you have a contract stating anything about repair costs on it? Like if over X amount they have to contribute?


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## evilamc

DuffyDuck said:


> Whenever I have boarded if my horse breaks it, I fix it. Thankfully I didn't really have many issues.


Ha wish you were my boarder! Her horse has broken my stall chains like twice...a bucket or two...and kicked at my electric fence gate and broke that once or twice! She doesn't even say sorry! She just tells me to "Put him in his corner" when hes being bad....because a horse totally understands that.

Luckily my bad boarder is moving out next month and I just have a good boarder left  YAY!


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## cbar

I've only boarded at a full service barn....with lots of other boarders. Normally any damages that were done by the boarder horses, the owners would take care of. If a horse was causing that much trouble and costing them expensive repairs they might just ask the boarder to leave (or give them 30 days to find another stable).


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## Mulefeather

Repairs are a cost of doing business when you're boarding other people's horses, but it depends on the situation. 

At a small, private barn, if your horse is like a bull in a china shop, you should try to find a way to repair or mitigate the damage even for smaller things. Getting nickel and dimed for one horse is not a good way to endear yourself to a barn owner. 

At a larger, full-service barn, I would consider it a part of doing business, since you're always going to have something that gets broken or damaged. Small things like buckets, chains, fencing, etc should be the barn's responsibility, but if your horse destroys gates or other big-bill repairs, it's good manners to offer to cover or at least assist with the repair bill. 

I would say it's a good idea to go over this and any other issue that might arise when you look over your boarding contract.


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## rocky pony

Completely agree with what Mulefeather said. I also think it does kind of depend on whether or not negligence was involved.

For example, if I am boarding other people's horses on my property, I am going to assume that some may chew wood, kick walls, rub on things aggressively, try to break out, etc. That's just what horses do and it's part of what we expect when we bring horses onto our property, so it's my job to try my best to prevent and minimize damage (by reinforcing wood with metal/rubber/etc to protect it from chewers and kickers, etc). I also recognize that sometimes horses spook and pull back when tied, so I expect that and plan by ensuring that there are secure places to tie horses which won't break when they pull.

However, if a horse is tied to a fence that wasn't meant to have horses tied fast to, and the horse pulls back and wrecks the fence, I think that's the owner's responsibility, because they will have been informed that horses were not to be tied fast there. And if I'm trying to work with an owner to control a major wood chewing problem (chewing wood that can't be protected, like the horses that will turn their heads and scrape the middle of a stall door) and they make no efforts at all to do their part to control the problem, then I will probably charge them for the repairs.


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## egrogan

My mare apparently developed a bad fence chewing habit with her paddock neighbor last year. The barn didn't tell me until the two of them had chewed through a board separating them. I felt terrible and offered to pay to fix it, run electric tape over it, and give her more hay overnight to stop the boredom. They wouldn't let me do any of that-but I personally think they were crazy to not charge for that!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## waresbear

From what I understand from my friend who owns a boarding stable, the horse is responsible for nothing, but she has given boarders notice because their horse was destructive.


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## churumbeque

rocky pony said:


> Completely agree with what Mulefeather said. I also think it does kind of depend on whether or not negligence was involved.
> 
> For example, if I am boarding other people's horses on my property, I am going to assume that some may chew wood, kick walls, rub on things aggressively, try to break out, etc. That's just what horses do and it's part of what we expect when we bring horses onto our property, so it's my job to try my best to prevent and minimize damage (by reinforcing wood with metal/rubber/etc to protect it from chewers and kickers, etc). I also recognize that sometimes horses spook and pull back when tied, so I expect that and plan by ensuring that there are secure places to tie horses which won't break when they pull.
> 
> However, if a horse is tied to a fence that wasn't meant to have horses tied fast to, and the horse pulls back and wrecks the fence, I think that's the owner's responsibility, because they will have been informed that horses were not to be tied fast there. And if I'm trying to work with an owner to control a major wood chewing problem (chewing wood that can't be protected, like the horses that will turn their heads and scrape the middle of a stall door) and they make no efforts at all to do their part to control the problem, then I will probably charge them for the repairs.


years ago I boarded at a stable and a lady was grazing her horse by the water Spicket and the horse lifted his head up, halter got caught on the water Fossett and bent it. They had to get a backhoe out and dig it up and fix the water spigot.. I think I would've asked the owner of the horse to pay for it as she was being stupid. But the barn owner paid


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## waresbear

^^^^That can be claimed on insurance.


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## Yogiwick

cbar said:


> I've only boarded at a full service barn....with lots of other boarders. Normally any damages that were done by the boarder horses, the owners would take care of. If a horse was causing that much trouble and costing them expensive repairs they might just ask the boarder to leave (or give them 30 days to find another stable).


Yes it's their job, but your moral job. IF they _expected _you to pay I would expect to be told in advance "he's broken the gate twice you need to pay next time" or "any damages above/below x amount are on you". We have put things into place that a boarder may not be thrilled about to minimize damage/help other horses (like a stall partition) it's part of expecting your horse to behave. Some thing go with having horses, but others are repeated.

Our boarder repeatedly breaks buckets. If I were in charge the owner would be paying by now for an exact replacement (but I'm not, my mother is sigh). At work there are a few horses that don't break but are hard on buckets, they get the other horses worn down but not yet destroyed buckets and the other horses get new buckets. The owners are welcome to buy their own if they aren't happy with that but no one complains.

Also depends on the type of barn.


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## Yogiwick

egrogan said:


> My mare apparently developed a bad fence chewing habit with her paddock neighbor last year. The barn didn't tell me until the two of them had chewed through a board separating them. I felt terrible and offered to pay to fix it, run electric tape over it, and give her more hay overnight to stop the boredom. They wouldn't let me do any of that-but I personally think they were crazy to not charge for that!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


See I would be annoyed they didn't tell me sooner. Also tricky as it is 2 horses not just yours.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

egrogan said:


> My mare apparently developed a bad fence chewing habit with her paddock neighbor last year. The barn didn't tell me until the two of them had chewed through a board separating them. I felt terrible and offered to pay to fix it, run electric tape over it, and give her more hay overnight to stop the boredom. They wouldn't let me do any of that-but I personally think they were crazy to not charge for that!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I wouldn't charge the boarders for the fence repair, but the horses would get surprised with electric tape on either side of the wood fence, about 6 inches in or so. I've got one (Patti, no surprise) who used to walk up to the field fence, put a hoof in it and stomp it down so she could reach the grass on the outside of the fence. I put electric braid about 1 ft inside the fence line and now she stays off of it. Horses is horses and that's just what they do.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

Yogiwick said:


> Our boarder repeatedly breaks buckets. If I were in charge the owner would be paying by now for an exact replacement (but I'm not, my mother is sigh).
> 
> Also depends on the type of barn.


I wouldn't charge for the buckets, but that's also why I buy the black rubber ones by Fortiflex, they're almost indestructible.









About $10. As a boarder, if my horse broke more than one bucket, I'd just go out and buy my own rubber one and tell you not to replace the one he broke until he left.


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## Saskia

To be honest I'd be pretty upset if a boarding barn charged me at all! That's part of the deal - I pay money and they are responsible for facility maintenance and care. If their fences can't hold a reasonable horse that's not my problem.

Now if my horse was causing an abnormal and unreasonable amount of damage I would be upset if they just billed me - but I think the best course of action would be for them to meet me and together we try and solve the problem. Whether that be me paying more and them upgrading a paddock, or a higher board fee to cover repair costs. It would be their job to identify the issue as early as possible, and then my job to help come up with a reasonable solution to prevent further damamge in collaboration with them. 

If a bill just came out of nowhere I wouldn't trust it. I would wonder how they knew my horse was causing this damage and why there wasn't a list of charges or liabilities in my contract. I'd worry they were taking advantage of me, and I would be concerned that if my horse had caused problems before and they knew about it, why didn't they address is early to save me and them money?

I would be responsible for any costs caused by my negligence.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Not proud of this at all, but my gelding has completely destroyed a 12-foot welded steel stall panel, busted the bottom rail off another stall panel (by pawing at feeding time), and broken through the electric fence of his turnout more times than I care to count. I have offered MULTIPLE times to pay for any damages, only to be laughed off by my BO. Even my miserly ex-BO at the first barn I boarded at wouldn't charge boarders for excess damage caused by their horse. It's not like the horse is doing it intentionally.


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## LoriF

At one of the places that I was at, I ended up paying for an automatic water mechanism three times because my mare liked to play with it. I was fine with that because it happened repeatedly and I couldn't figure out how to fix it so she couldn't get to it. After a time, we moved her to a different pasture for other reasons and guess what? We found it broken two more times. Hmmm. We all assumed it was her because she like to play in the water tub, but maybe it wasn't her after all.

When one of the B/O's employees accidentally let this same mare get a hold of a small one inch chlorine tablet that burned her esophagus, the B/O didn't think that she should be responsible for any of the vet bills (which were extensive). She even charged me for the times that she administered needed medication when I couldn't be there. I wasn't happy with that.

Fare is fare, if things get broken because of your negligence then you should fix it. If things get broken from regular wear and tear or because it's old and in disrepair in the first place, that should be on the barn. Just part of the cost of doing business.

I agree with one of the posters above. You should be made aware if your horse is continually destroying something so a solution can be made together that's good for everyone involved.


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## egrogan

Yogiwick said:


> See I would be annoyed they didn't tell me sooner. Also tricky as it is 2 horses not just yours.


Yes, after I got over my initial embarrassment about having a "problem child," I did push them on why I didn't know it was happening. In my opinion, it happened because she wasn't getting enough hay overnight and was bored, so once I knew that, I was able to up her nighttime hay.


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## SamanthaB

Mulefeather said:


> Repairs are a cost of doing business when you're boarding other people's horses, but it depends on the situation.
> 
> At a small, private barn, if your horse is like a bull in a china shop, you should try to find a way to repair or mitigate the damage even for smaller things. Getting nickel and dimed for one horse is not a good way to endear yourself to a barn owner.
> 
> At a larger, full-service barn, I would consider it a part of doing business, since you're always going to have something that gets broken or damaged. Small things like buckets, chains, fencing, etc should be the barn's responsibility, but if your horse destroys gates or other big-bill repairs, it's good manners to offer to cover or at least assist with the repair bill.
> 
> I would say it's a good idea to go over this and any other issue that might arise when you look over your boarding contract.


The contract my mother made doesn't talk about repairs, but that can easily be changed... I remember a long time ago when I was little, this one lady's horse kept breaking the gate more than once or twice within a month, my mother would do all the repairs herself, but she asked the lady to pay for a new gate if one was needed, and my mother did have to buy a new one I believe about two or three times.
One day the woman got upset and told my mother that she couldn't keep paying for the replacements, so she left.

Furthermore, how would you word something like that in a contract? I wouldn't want boarders to think that they have to pay for every fence board (or other inexpensive items like buckets, cross ties, etc.) that their horse kicks at or chews apart, because something like that is inexpensive and easy to fix. But if their horse were to break a stall door or a gate, that's an entirely different story.


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## DraftyAiresMum

You could word it to say something like "In the event of irreparable damage to the property, the boarder will be responsible for the cost replacing the damaged item or equipment."


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

SamanthaB said:


> But if their horse were to break a stall door or a gate, that's an entirely different story.


No, it really isn't. The only thing you can really charge for is if the owner is negligent. If their horse just hates being confined, you could offer pasture board, in the event they broke a stall door. If the horse is just bloody minded and breaks a pasture gate more than once, then I'd recommend putting up a hot wire or electro braid, in effect making 2 gates. If that didn't work, then it's cheaper to give them 30 days to move and ask them to leave. ALL of these repairs are claimable on your tax return and are "cost of doing business" items.

If I was looking for a place to board and you had a clause about charging me for anything in that category, I'd be looking elsewhere real quick. Boarders do not want to have to worry about being nickled and dimed to death over what their horse does just because he's a horse. Your monthly rate needs to be high enough that you have a repair fund so that you can keep your facility in good repair rather than trying to charge your boarders. That's a real quick way to get rid of all of them.


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## Mulefeather

I would speak to a lawyer who is familiar with agistment law (basically, anyone who rents space to keep something, whether that be horse boarding or storage) to figure out the wording. They will be familiar with agistment law in your area, and there may be some sort of protections- I’ve never seen any, but local laws change all the time, and it’s best to check things out thoroughly. I would also review the insurance you have on the property and see what it covers and to what extent. 

You could also speak to other boarding barns and ask about their contracts, or look some examples up online. 

If I were to just whip something up offhand, it would probably be something like:

“Equines (here defined as any horse, pony, donkey, hinny or mule) are livestock animals and are thus unpredictable in movement and temperament, and possess great strength which can sometimes cause damage to property. The Property Owner acknowledges the risk of keeping equines in stabling facilities, and will provide repair service for reasonable wear and tear on premises caused by boarded animals up to (DOLLAR AMOUNT). In the event of unreasonable, major, or repeated damages exceeding normal wear and tear, including damages caused by boarder outside of normal use and care of their animal(s), or where damage is caused by misuse or abuse of the property, boarder/lease holder may be held responsible for repairs. This may include cost of materials, labor, and applicable service fees. Repair responsibility may be waived or mitigated at the discretion of the property owner.”


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## Golden Horse

I don't expect to pay for damage, same as I don't expect to be compensated when other horses rip my lovely new blanket, it's all part of the joy of keeping horses.

My horses at home damage stuff, I pay, my boarded mare damages stuff, like the bent gate, two mares running around the turnout, mine didn't make the turn so well, slipped in the mud, hit the gate....she wasn't being destructive, it was an accident.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

Mulefeather said:


> “Equines (here defined as any horse, pony, donkey, hinny or mule) are livestock animals and are thus unpredictable in movement and temperament, and possess great strength which can sometimes cause damage to property. The Property Owner acknowledges the risk of keeping equines in stabling facilities, and will provide repair service for reasonable wear and tear on premises caused by boarded animals up to (DOLLAR AMOUNT). In the event of unreasonable, major, or repeated damages exceeding normal wear and tear, including damages caused by boarder outside of normal use and care of their animal(s), or where damage is caused by misuse or abuse of the property, boarder/lease holder may be held responsible for repairs. This may include cost of materials, labor, and applicable service fees. Repair responsibility may be waived or mitigated at the discretion of the property owner.”


I don't board anymore, nor do I take in boarders any longer, and I have never in all my life seen a boarding contract like that. If I did board somewhere that had such a clause, it had better be kept in the BEST repair and the cleanest facility with the BEST facilities I've ever used. I would expect my board to be very expensive at such a facility and for it to have hot and cold running help available at all times. I'd also expect the help to groom, tack up and untack my horses for me, and to put them away. In other words, other than to climb on and ride, I would expect everything else to be done for me in that type of facility. Therefore MY negligence or alleged misuse of any of the property would never be in question. Any less and I wouldn't board there and I'd expect any boarders at that facility to be very apprehensive about what their horses might do.

Really, my feeling about it is, if you're THAT worried about every nickle and the damage a horse might do, you really shouldn't be boardinghorses.


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## Golden Horse

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Really, my feeling about it is, if you're THAT worried about every nickel and the damage a horse might do, you really shouldn't be boarding horses.


This, several times over...


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## DraftyAiresMum

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Really, my feeling about it is, if you're THAT worried about every nickle and the damage a horse might do, you really shouldn't be boarding horses.


I think that's why my BO laughed at me when I offered to pay for the stall panel Aires destroyed. He didn't like the mare he was temporarily stalled next to and was trying to get at her. I know it's a "horses will be horses" kind of thing, but I still offered to pay for it because I felt bad. Those things ain't cheap and, from what other boarders told me, it was completely destroyed and mangled.


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## Mulefeather

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I don't board anymore, nor do I take in boarders any longer, and I have never in all my life seen a boarding contract like that. If I did board somewhere that had such a clause, it had better be kept in the BEST repair and the cleanest facility with the BEST facilities I've ever used. I would expect my board to be very expensive at such a facility and for it to have hot and cold running help available at all times. I'd also expect the help to groom, tack up and untack my horses for me, and to put them away. In other words, other than to climb on and ride, I would expect everything else to be done for me in that type of facility. Therefore MY negligence or alleged misuse of any of the property would never be in question. Any less and I wouldn't board there and I'd expect any boarders at that facility to be very apprehensive about what their horses might do.
> 
> Really, my feeling about it is, if you're THAT worried about every nickle and the damage a horse might do, you really shouldn't be boardinghorses.



Honestly, I wouldn't want you as a boarder if that would be the way you'd react to fairly standard legalese. How closely have you ever read any contract you've signed in your life? If you read a lease for an apartment, or a storage unit, those contracts contain many such admonitions. 

You seem to be truly threatened by the fact that someone would have the OPTION of holding you responsible for misusing their property, which any private property owner has the right to do- this is just putting it down on paper in standard terms that a judge or lawyer could easily understand. There is an art and a science to contract-writing. 

Boarding is a BUSINESS, and in many cases, horse businesses seem to operate off emotion and handshakes rather than business sense - hence, why people fail to protect themselves and their property- which ends up impacting their bottom line. 

A good facility IS going to protect itself, and it's not from the boarder whose horse breaks a fence board or dents a tube gate, or smashes a bucket. Those are all things that are a cost of doing business, and you'd be silly to charge someone for it when you could just as easily write it off against the business expenses. 

But how about the boarder who backs their truck into the side of the barn? Or repeatedly damages your property riding across fields or places they're not supposed to go? Ties a horse to your mailbox when they're talking to a friend, or to the side of a roundpen, which the horse then smashes in a panic when a dog barks? How about if you have a brand-new run-in shed that a horse kicks a hole through less than a week after it's purchased? I could list a million what-ifs, but that gives you plenty of examples of things that insurance won't cover, and are usually expensive to fix. 

All a contract does is give a property owner options to collect to cover damages that property insurance won't cover, or that doesn't meet a deductible, or causes damage over and above what they can easily cover. The one I wrote acknowledges that horses are strong, unpredictable animals, and SOME damage is just inevitable. 

MISUSE/ABUSE is usually defined as going against the rules that have been set by the property owner. They're not cash-grabbing minefields set up to trick you- you'd have to know a rule, break it anyway, or break it to such an extent that it's caused a lot of damage. You knew you weren't supposed to do it, and you did it anyway. 

The point of all this is that if you WANT good facilities that don't cost an arm and a leg to provide for your boarders, it's in your best interest to protect them from people who think they're entitled to do whatever they want because they're paying you a monthly fee. There is such a thing as "cost/benefit analysis". When you're costing a barn more than your board fee covers each month, it's no longer a benefit to them to do business with you. 

If your insurance cost goes up, or you're constantly repairing things that are expensive that everyone uses (which then can't be used if they're broken, which means your other boarders are paying for things they can't use), it could be one or two people creating a cash drain on the facility. This results in higher board fees, or the "nickel and dime" expenses you see- so everyone winds up paying for it, even if their horse is an angel and they follow all the rules. 

And that's not fair.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

DraftyAiresMum said:


> I think that's why my BO laughed at me when I offered to pay for the stall panel Aires destroyed. He didn't like the mare he was temporarily stalled next to and was trying to get at her. I know it's a "horses will be horses" kind of thing, but I still offered to pay for it because I felt bad. Those things ain't cheap and, from what other boarders told me, it was completely destroyed and mangled.


Goldie just did that to the Priefert panel between her and Pepi, tore it all to Hades. And they're both MINE. $*%*$ mares, anyhow. 

It was very nice of you to offer to replace the panel, but I wouldn't have taken your money either. Those panels are about $100-$150 each, and I'd just keep the receipt and file it in the "Ranch Repair" folder and taken it on my taxes. It's the cost of doing business.


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## SamanthaB

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> No, it really isn't. The only thing you can really charge for is if the owner is negligent. If their horse just hates being confined, you could offer pasture board, in the event they broke a stall door. If the horse is just bloody minded and breaks a pasture gate more than once, then I'd recommend putting up a hot wire or electro braid, in effect making 2 gates. If that didn't work, then it's cheaper to give them 30 days to move and ask them to leave. ALL of these repairs are claimable on your tax return and are "cost of doing business" items.
> 
> If I was looking for a place to board and you had a clause about charging me for anything in that category, I'd be looking elsewhere real quick. Boarders do not want to have to worry about being nickled and dimed to death over what their horse does just because he's a horse. Your monthly rate needs to be high enough that you have a repair fund so that you can keep your facility in good repair rather than trying to charge your boarders. That's a real quick way to get rid of all of them.


Then let me ask you this... If the cost for full board includes the cost of grain, hay, bedding, and day to day labor (cleaning stalls, turn out, fence repair, etc.), then why shouldn't the boarder be held responsible for repair costs on something that would normally be very expensive and are not part of the day to day grind of owning horses; if it's the barn owner/manager who is the one doing the repairs and actually going out a buying whatever that item may be?

There's a pretty significant difference between replacing a stall door and replacing a fence board. A board might cost anywhere from $3 to $9 and these things tend to need to be replaced often anyways... So I wouldn't go charging a boarder on something like that... However, an entire stall door is very rarely (if ever) in need of replacement, and could cost anywhere from $300 to $500 dollars. I would think that in the sort of scenario where nobody was present to disturb the horse, and the horse was near other horses whom he/she was content with, but got spooked or excited in some way and broke the door then I would be asking the owner for a bit of compensation (in other words we may both pay half of the cost since nobody is really at fault). 

Yes unpredictable situations happen with horses, and I would include things like broken fences, or buckets and things like it, and ripped up blankets as part of the "grind" of owning horses. But things like a stall door, or a jump standard are expensive; and if it wasn't the barn managers fault in the first place why should they have to pay the entire cost? I would think that repairs/replacements like that should have a shared responsibility of both the owner of the horse and the manager of the farm. I don't believe it is asking for every nickle and dime from the owner (of the horse) because things like that rarely (and once again, almost never) happen.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

SamanthaB said:


> Then let me ask you this... If the cost for full board includes the cost of grain, hay, bedding, and day to day labor (cleaning stalls, turn out, fence repair, etc.), then why shouldn't the boarder be held responsible for repair costs on something that would normally be very expensive and are not part of the day to day grind of owning horses; if it's the barn owner/manager who is the one doing the repairs and actually going out a buying whatever that item may be?
> 
> There's a pretty significant difference between replacing a stall door and replacing a fence board. A board might cost anywhere from $3 to $9 and these things tend to need to be replaced often anyways... So I wouldn't go charging a boarder on something like that... However, an entire stall door is very rarely (if ever) in need of replacement, and could cost anywhere from $300 to $500 dollars. I would think that in the sort of scenario where nobody was present to disturb the horse, and the horse was near other horses whom he/she was content with, but got spooked or excited in some way and broke the door then I would be asking the owner for a bit of compensation (in other words we may both pay half of the cost since nobody is really at fault).
> 
> Yes unpredictable situations happen with horses, and I would include things like broken fences, or buckets and things like it, and ripped up blankets as part of the "grind" of owning horses. But things like a stall door, or a jump standard are expensive; and if it wasn't the barn managers fault in the first place why should they have to pay the entire cost? I would think that repairs/replacements like that should have a shared responsibility of both the owner of the horse and the manager of the farm. I don't believe it is asking for every nickle and dime from the owner (of the horse) because things like that rarely (and once again, almost never) happen.


Again, that is the cost of doing business. You take pics, document the damage, save your receipts and take it off of your taxes. I never once charged a boarder for any kind of repair on my premises, regardless of what caused the damage or whose fault it was. If it's small like a stall door or jump standard you fix it yourself or hire someone. If it's big, then that's why you have insurance. 

Look at it this way, if you make a mistake and put 2 horses together that decide they don't get along and one of them gets beat up, you don't pay the vet bill. Or I should say that no BO I've ever known paid a vet bill for something like that. These things just happen. In a barn where you'd charge me for the door, then you can bet if my Pookie got hurt on your watch, I'd be sending you the vet bills. You're setting yourself up to be a MISERABLE boarding barn and quite a few trips to small claims court with what you're suggesting. 

Horses are big, most of them are not real graceful and they're not all that bright, even the smart ones. If you're going to offer to take care of other people's pets, you're going to have damage. It's just the way it is. 

Now, I'm not saying that if a mad boarder drives their car through the side of your barn you shouldn't go after WILLFUL destruction, but just because a horse is having a stupid attack, no.


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## Saskia

The problem with it being included in the contract is that there aren't many set standards or procedures in the horse world to support this. For example I rent my house and am responsible for damage I cause but to support this responsibility my country has quite a regulated system. I have a 4 week bond that is lodged with a government authority, on commencement of my lease I filled out a detailed 5 page condition report with very specific sections about different areas of the house and this was accompanied by a hundred or so photos. I then had private and exclusive use of the property. 

This is not really done in a barn. What if you took on a stable and paddock but the gate was hung by an amateur where as other gates on the property were hung by professionals, does that mean that it should not be the responsibility of the horse owner as its not up to standard? What if sections of the fence are older and break with an energetic horse, should the horse owner not have to pay because the fences weren't all up to the same standard? If a horse destroys part of a stable, but then there was another agreement for feeding, is it the fault of the owner or the fault of the barn for not feeding enough hay? If someone else handles the horse to turn him out who is to say they didn't hang off doors or tie in appropriately or allow bad manners to develop which eventually caused damage? Is the barn therefore responsible if their staff aren't fully trained and qualified? The more requirements you place on an individual in a legal contract the more professional and transparent and equitable your service needs to be. 

I would much rather something like "The standard board for x horse with x stable is $300 per month with full care as outlined below, however if the horse repeatedly causes damages to the stable and facility, in consultation with the owner the board fee will be increased to $350 to cover ongoing repairs" or something to this effect. Charge more regularly than billing people for one offs - or ask them to leave.


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## Golden Horse

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> *Horses are big, most of them are not real graceful and they're not all that bright, even the smart ones*. If you're going to offer to take care of other people's pets, you're going to have damage. It's just the way it is.
> .


:rofl::rofl: I'm off to start a quote of the day thread, with that one to start.

I guess my issue with this is where would you draw the line, if fence board is BO but a door is the owner, what would 3 fence boards be? Lets face it there is no end to the amount of ways a horse can imaginatively damage himself or his environment, without ever meaning too, as DreamCatcher says they are big and not that smart. Part of the joy of boarding is I don't have to make sure that the heated water bowls work all winter, I don't have to go fix fences all summer, I pay my BO to do all that stuff.


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## Mulefeather

Saskia said:


> Charge more regularly than billing people for one offs - or ask them to leave.


The problem with something like this is that one-offs are typically just that- one-offs. If the person is otherwise a good boarder who pays regularly, being charged an extra $50 a month on a permanent basis is likely to be more off-putting than paying $150-$200 once to pay for something they broke, or their horse broke that was outside the realm of normal wear and tear. Obviously if the horse is a monster and busting down your barn, or the boarder is damaging the place, ask them to leave. That's always an option. 

I could see charging more for something like a draft horse. They're bigger, eat more, and are harder on fences, and the likelihood of repairs is higher. It doesn't make sense to charge the same to board a Clydesdale as it does to board a Shetland, although some places do it. 

The point I am trying to make is that it's not about enforcement, but *options*. You can give yourself the option to ask a boarder to pay for something that they broke- and a written and signed contract backs it up if you need to press the issue. 

You can decide not to enforce it - nobody said it had to be. It would be completely at the BO or property owner's discretion. But having that option in your back pocket gives you that extra little bit of leverage in a tight situation, where enforcement may be necessary for you to recoup a loss. 

Many contracts state that if you don't pay board for 90/120/however many days it takes + legal processes, they legally own the horse and can sell it to recoup costs for care. I see no reason why you can't have a rider to protect yourself and your property.

Like the old adage- better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Whether or not it is the "done" thing is irrelevant - every business is different, and every business owner has the right to protect their business and their property.


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## Yogiwick

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I wouldn't charge for the buckets, but that's also why I buy the black rubber ones by Fortiflex, they're almost indestructible.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> About $10. As a boarder, if my horse broke more than one bucket, I'd just go out and buy my own rubber one and tell you not to replace the one he broke until he left.


Plastic feed tub attached to wall. No the water buckets he just poops in regularly  And we have some of those, while great they do get gross and the problem with them (see above horse) is the metal handle can be bent which distorts the whole bucket.

I would also do the same as you, once in awhile hey but repeatedly?

I see it as when you are in a small private low key place you have more responsibility (and a closer relationship you don't want to mar) as opposed to a larger place. A larger place should have insurance anyways for any real issues.

COMPLETELY agree the problem is your own horses at home! lol.


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## Yogiwick

egrogan said:


> Yes, after I got over my initial embarrassment about having a "problem child," I did push them on why I didn't know it was happening. In my opinion, it happened because she wasn't getting enough hay overnight and was bored, so once I knew that, I was able to up her nighttime hay.


Yes I would want to know to a) stop her before it broke and b) it's not a good thing and I want to know exactly what my horse is up to when "x" issue arises (glad none did).

(I've seen worse "problem children", don't lose sleep over it )


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## LoriF

Mulefeather said:


> Honestly, I wouldn't want you as a boarder if that would be the way you'd react to fairly standard legalese. How closely have you ever read any contract you've signed in your life? If you read a lease for an apartment, or a storage unit, those contracts contain many such admonitions.
> 
> You seem to be truly threatened by the fact that someone would have the OPTION of holding you responsible for misusing their property, which any private property owner has the right to do- this is just putting it down on paper in standard terms that a judge or lawyer could easily understand. There is an art and a science to contract-writing.
> 
> Boarding is a BUSINESS, and in many cases, horse businesses seem to operate off emotion and handshakes rather than business sense - hence, why people fail to protect themselves and their property- which ends up impacting their bottom line.
> 
> A good facility IS going to protect itself, and it's not from the boarder whose horse breaks a fence board or dents a tube gate, or smashes a bucket. Those are all things that are a cost of doing business, and you'd be silly to charge someone for it when you could just as easily write it off against the business expenses.
> 
> But how about the boarder who backs their truck into the side of the barn? Or repeatedly damages your property riding across fields or places they're not supposed to go? Ties a horse to your mailbox when they're talking to a friend, or to the side of a roundpen, which the horse then smashes in a panic when a dog barks? How about if you have a brand-new run-in shed that a horse kicks a hole through less than a week after it's purchased? I could list a million what-ifs, but that gives you plenty of examples of things that insurance won't cover, and are usually expensive to fix.
> 
> All a contract does is give a property owner options to collect to cover damages that property insurance won't cover, or that doesn't meet a deductible, or causes damage over and above what they can easily cover. The one I wrote acknowledges that horses are strong, unpredictable animals, and SOME damage is just inevitable.
> 
> MISUSE/ABUSE is usually defined as going against the rules that have been set by the property owner. They're not cash-grabbing minefields set up to trick you- you'd have to know a rule, break it anyway, or break it to such an extent that it's caused a lot of damage. You knew you weren't supposed to do it, and you did it anyway.
> 
> The point of all this is that if you WANT good facilities that don't cost an arm and a leg to provide for your boarders, it's in your best interest to protect them from people who think they're entitled to do whatever they want because they're paying you a monthly fee. There is such a thing as "cost/benefit analysis". When you're costing a barn more than your board fee covers each month, it's no longer a benefit to them to do business with you.
> 
> If your insurance cost goes up, or you're constantly repairing things that are expensive that everyone uses (which then can't be used if they're broken, which means your other boarders are paying for things they can't use), it could be one or two people creating a cash drain on the facility. This results in higher board fees, or the "nickel and dime" expenses you see- so everyone winds up paying for it, even if their horse is an angel and they follow all the rules.
> 
> And that's not fair.


Wait a minute, I thought we were talking about horses wrecking things, not people. If people wreck stuff that's different.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

Mulefeather said:


> Honestly, I wouldn't want you as a boarder if that would be the way you'd react to fairly standard legalese. How closely have you ever read any contract you've signed in your life? If you read a lease for an apartment, or a storage unit, those contracts contain many such admonitions.
> 
> You seem to be truly threatened by the fact that someone would have the OPTION of holding you responsible for misusing their property, which any private property owner has the right to do- this is just putting it down on paper in standard terms that a judge or lawyer could easily understand. There is an art and a science to contract-writing.
> 
> Boarding is a BUSINESS, and in many cases, horse businesses seem to operate off emotion and handshakes rather than business sense - hence, why people fail to protect themselves and their property- which ends up impacting their bottom line.
> 
> A good facility IS going to protect itself, and it's not from the boarder whose horse breaks a fence board or dents a tube gate, or smashes a bucket. Those are all things that are a cost of doing business, and you'd be silly to charge someone for it when you could just as easily write it off against the business expenses.
> 
> But how about the boarder who backs their truck into the side of the barn? Or repeatedly damages your property riding across fields or places they're not supposed to go? Ties a horse to your mailbox when they're talking to a friend, or to the side of a roundpen, which the horse then smashes in a panic when a dog barks? How about if you have a brand-new run-in shed that a horse kicks a hole through less than a week after it's purchased? I could list a million what-ifs, but that gives you plenty of examples of things that insurance won't cover, and are usually expensive to fix.
> 
> All a contract does is give a property owner options to collect to cover damages that property insurance won't cover, or that doesn't meet a deductible, or causes damage over and above what they can easily cover. The one I wrote acknowledges that horses are strong, unpredictable animals, and SOME damage is just inevitable.
> 
> MISUSE/ABUSE is usually defined as going against the rules that have been set by the property owner. They're not cash-grabbing minefields set up to trick you- you'd have to know a rule, break it anyway, or break it to such an extent that it's caused a lot of damage. You knew you weren't supposed to do it, and you did it anyway.
> 
> The point of all this is that if you WANT good facilities that don't cost an arm and a leg to provide for your boarders, it's in your best interest to protect them from people who think they're entitled to do whatever they want because they're paying you a monthly fee. There is such a thing as "cost/benefit analysis". When you're costing a barn more than your board fee covers each month, it's no longer a benefit to them to do business with you.
> 
> If your insurance cost goes up, or you're constantly repairing things that are expensive that everyone uses (which then can't be used if they're broken, which means your other boarders are paying for things they can't use), it could be one or two people creating a cash drain on the facility. This results in higher board fees, or the "nickel and dime" expenses you see- so everyone winds up paying for it, even if their horse is an angel and they follow all the rules.
> 
> And that's not fair.


I have had my horses is many high end training barns and not one of them had any kind of clause like this. Yes, I paid a bunch for the privilege of having my horses in their training and barns and yes, it was worth every penny. They did have hot & cold running staff and I never had to do a thing I didn't care to in those facilities. I read my contracts line by line and I don't sign if I don't like what they say. 

I'm not threatened by any of that legalese, it is not standard in the industry and I wouldn't board there. Period. When I'm paying over $1K/month/horse for board and training, I don't expect to get nickle'd and dime'd for everything that breaks. And I wasn't. 

I haven't been a renter since 1970 something, can't even remember how long it's been. I own my own farm, have boarded and done quite well at it. I also have run a Horse Motel. I've shown all over the country, with and without trainers. Never been charged for anything that broke. I would never go out of my way to damage someone else's hard earned property, that's just silly. I read barn rules, follow them and pay my bills on time. My commercial insurance is over $7K/year, and I have it to cover catastrophic damage. Anything less, I fix myself and always have. I have never looked to a renter or boarder to repair something that was broken by accident. Again, I never said the BO shouldn't go after a deliberate vandalism or destruction of their property.

As far as the boarder who does damage riding where they've been told not to, or routinely disobeys other barn rules, that's why it's only month to month and you can let them know at any time that they have out stayed their welcome. In all the years I boarded other people's horses, I only had to do that once.


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## Regula

I'm not 100% sure (would have to look it up), but I believe my boarding contract has such a clause. Also, all horses boarded at our barn need to be insured.
This is not for reasonable stuff like the times when a horse breaks a fence or something, I'm pretty sure that would just get covered by the barn (never happened to me yet though). 
But e.g. if a horse would damage a vehicle, I'm pretty sure they would ask the horse owner to cover it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Mulefeather

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I have had my horses is many high end training barns and not one of them had any kind of clause like this. Yes, I paid a bunch for the privilege of having my horses in their training and barns and yes, it was worth every penny. They did have hot & cold running staff and I never had to do a thing I didn't care to in those facilities. I read my contracts line by line and I don't sign if I don't like what they say.
> 
> I'm not threatened by any of that legalese, it is not standard in the industry and I wouldn't board there. Period. When I'm paying over $1K/month/horse for board and training, I don't expect to get nickle'd and dime'd for everything that breaks. And I wasn't.
> 
> I haven't been a renter since 1970 something, can't even remember how long it's been. I own my own farm, have boarded and done quite well at it. I also have run a Horse Motel. I've shown all over the country, with and without trainers. Never been charged for anything that broke. I would never go out of my way to damage someone else's hard earned property, that's just silly. I read barn rules, follow them and pay my bills on time. My commercial insurance is over $7K/year, and I have it to cover catastrophic damage. Anything less, I fix myself and always have. I have never looked to a renter or boarder to repair something that was broken by accident. Again, I never said the BO shouldn't go after a deliberate vandalism or destruction of their property.
> 
> As far as the boarder who does damage riding where they've been told not to, or routinely disobeys other barn rules, that's why it's only month to month and you can let them know at any time that they have out stayed their welcome. In all the years I boarded other people's horses, I only had to do that once.


Again, you are missing the point completely. By miles. 

You don't *have* to enforce a contract- it's an agreement made by both parties. If they break the contract, and you decide you'd rather eat the cost than deal with collecting funds, or just overlook it in order to keep the boarder happy, that's totally up to you as a business owner. 

I am still adamant that having something like that agreed to, in writing, is a smart business decision. 

The reason things like this do exist, outside of your experience, is so property owners have the option to protect themselves above and beyond an "assumed" amount of risk. As we used to say when I was in corporate finance, it's a C.Y.A. move (Cover Your A**). 

It also prevents the boarder from being able to play dumb and claim they didn't know they could be held liable for something if you DO need to press the issue. 

Again, whether or not it has been done before in your vast experience is irrelevant to the current conversation. Those facilities chose not to ask for payment on broken things - that's their choice and the way they choose to run their business. They have that freedom to do so.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians

Mulefeather said:


> Again, you are missing the point completely. By miles.
> 
> You don't *have* to enforce a contract- it's an agreement made by both parties. If they break the contract, and you decide you'd rather eat the cost than deal with collecting funds, or just overlook it in order to keep the boarder happy, that's totally up to you as a business owner.
> 
> I am still adamant that having something like that agreed to, in writing, is a smart business decision.
> 
> The reason things like this do exist, outside of your experience, is so property owners have the option to protect themselves above and beyond an "assumed" amount of risk. As we used to say when I was in corporate finance, it's a C.Y.A. move (Cover Your A**).
> 
> It also prevents the boarder from being able to play dumb and claim they didn't know they could be held liable for something if you DO need to press the issue.
> 
> Again, whether or not it has been done before in your vast experience is irrelevant to the current conversation. Those facilities chose not to ask for payment on broken things - that's their choice and the way they choose to run their business. They have that freedom to do so.


OK Mulefeather, enough of your insults and nastiness. 

I don't care if someone wants to put the clause in their contract, they're certainly free to do so. I DO understand what you're saying. I'm just saying I would not sign such a contract, have never seen one and would stay away from such a facility. I also think it would have a negative impact on the business. I think before someone puts something like that in their contract, then they should understand how someone else may see it and react. What they choose to do or not do is entirely up to the individual business person.


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## PaintHorseMares

^^^^ I agree. If I was given a contract like that, my first thought would be that I was going to be nickle and dimed to death for every little thing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SamanthaB

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> OK Mulefeather, enough of your insults and nastiness.
> 
> I don't care if someone wants to put the clause in their contract, they're certainly free to do so. I DO understand what you're saying. I'm just saying I would not sign such a contract, have never seen one and would stay away from such a facility. I also think it would have a negative impact on the business. I think before someone puts something like that in their contract, then they should understand how someone else may see it and react. What they choose to do or not do is entirely up to the individual business person.


Alright I think I understand where the both of you (you and Mulefeather) are coming from. Although I don't see how Mulefeather has insulted or was nasty towards you...

Let me just clarify something one last time... When I talk about a boarder paying for something that their horse broke (if it was in need of replacement, not repairs but actual replacement), I am referring to items that would not normally be broken, and are usually very expensive. But I do get where you are coming from, and as a boarder my guess is that you would be concerned for paying for every little thing that your horse breaks; especially since board itself can be very expensive, and that is not the ideology I want to ensue. 

Take note however, my mother does not run a boarding facility that charges more than nine-hundred dollars a month for your so called best/perfect facility; she takes in boarders who want good care, and a leisure environment. Not the snobby crap from facilities that charge eleven-hundred a month so people can have their horse groomed and tacked up for them... I quite frankly hate people like that, and if you are basing your opinion off of experiences in barns like that, or you are in fact a person like that (which I would assume that you're not since you do take care of your own horses) then don't expect me to take everything that you say seriously.

Getting back to my point, living in Connecticut which is a state full of a-holes and snobby ****** around every corner, especially within the horse industry. I think it makes sense to have it down on paper, but I understand that telling boarders that they are responsible for the cost of replacements would scare them to some extent. 
So if I were to write one out it would probably be on the lines of "up to a certain (monetary) amount, as well as proof that the horse has caused the damage more than three times in regards to the item that needs to be replaced (not repaired), the boarder and barn manager would come to an oral consensus if in fact it wasn't the fault of either person (either subliminally or directly), but simply due to the horse itself (as in if the horse got spooked by thunder, or was just fooling around)." 
This obviously wouldn't be how it is actually worded if put on a contract, but you get the point...

I get it, horses cause damage, but not every barn manager is making tens of thousands of dollars a month off of boarding/training. There are many who are simply middle class, and things like that one stall door would come across as pretty expensive. So I would argue that if it is happening consecutively and it does not appear to be the fault of either person then I think the cost for replacing damaged items should be shared by both parties.


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## Mulefeather

I'm sorry you feel I insulted you, that was not my intent. I do feel you are missing the point, a statement I still stand by- and that does not come from any place of nastiness or need to be insulting. Just plain, simple fact. 

But I am calling it as I see it in this situation. I've also been in a field of work that requires a lot of knowledge of law and fraud for quite a long time, and worked as part of my parents' legal business before I ever got out on my own. So your experience is met by my experience, and we seem to have reached an impasse.

I believe we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.


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## Rain Shadow

I wouldn't board where there is a contract that states I'm responsible for damage either. 

How do I know it was my horse that ran through the fence? Who destroyed the automatic waterer 

I worked at a barn a few years ago. They had small paddocks attached to the stalls, each horse having its own little paddock. Between two fences there was an auto water so two horses would share the trough and water. 

Well one side had the easiest going older horse. I never even saw this horse lean on a fence or scratch his butt on a doorway. 

Beside him was the BO's 3 year old colt. Who was a holy terror of babyhood. 

One morning we came into work to find the water pipe broken, several stalls flooded, and a huge mess. 

The BO charge the woman who owned the older gelding the bill. Now just about everyone knew it was the colt that did it. He was constantly breaking things. But the boarder got the bill and soon left. 

After that unless I had proof my horse did it, I wouldn't pay


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## SamanthaB

Rain Shadow said:


> I wouldn't board where there is a contract that states I'm responsible for damage either.
> 
> How do I know it was my horse that ran through the fence? Who destroyed the automatic waterer
> 
> I worked at a barn a few years ago. They had small paddocks attached to the stalls, each horse having its own little paddock. Between two fences there was an auto water so two horses would share the trough and water.
> 
> Well one side had the easiest going older horse. I never even saw this horse lean on a fence or scratch his butt on a doorway.
> 
> Beside him was the BO's 3 year old colt. Who was a holy terror of babyhood.
> 
> One morning we came into work to find the water pipe broken, several stalls flooded, and a huge mess.
> 
> The BO charge the woman who owned the older gelding the bill. Now just about everyone knew it was the colt that did it. He was constantly breaking things. But the boarder got the bill and soon left.
> 
> After that unless I had proof my horse did it, I wouldn't pay


Both of our opinions are more of a matter of experience and trust. You've been in a situation where the barn manager is not trustworthy, and therefor this contract presented today would present issues. 
At the same time I've been in an experience with a boarder who doesn't want to cooperate precisely because I didn't have a specific rule in the contract. (I'm not referring to the earlier event I talked about, and when I say "I" I mean my mother, since I'm not actually the owner or the one who wrote the contract.) 
I understand that it is a horrible thing to generalize, but I truly believe there is something wrong with a lot of the people (specifically horse people) within my state, and maybe it isn't that big of a deal in Florida, but I find many people in Connecticut to be very untrustworthy, to say the least. 

Again both of these opinions are based off of experience and henceforth trust. The question is how much of an effect it would really have if the issues that rarely occur, are the only ones that would need to be discussed between boarder and manager (on the issue of payment).


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## Acadianartist

Slightly unrelated, but I moved my horse from a boarding facility because he couldn't be in his own paddock even though such a paddock was available and I cleaned it up (there was metal siding sticking out of the ground and a LOT of manure to be disposed of). He has been put in a very small, muddy paddock with an very dominant gelding that was taking bites out of him every day. Why? Because my gelding was apparently getting the BO's mare worked up in the next paddock over and she would kick the fence and the corner of the indoor arena which butted into her paddock. Sorry, but that's not my problem. 

That said, if my horse was being unusually destructive (I'm not talking about normal horse behavior - your barn should be able to provide a safe horse environment), I would offer to pay. But not because someone else's horse is reactive to my horse being in the next paddock.


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## Rain Shadow

My main issue is how do I know it was my horse?

If a stall door was kicked down from the inside, okay that was my horse. 

But how do I know it was my horse that broke the automatic waterer in a group turnout situation?

I'm fine with paying if it was obviously my horse. But in group turnout, unless I saw or someone I trusted saw my horse do it, I wouldn't pay because how do I know it was my girls that did it?

Even a trustworthy BO who knows the horses, can't telepathically read the horses mind to know who broke what. 

Case and point. My Misty is the easiest going horse on fences I've ever seen. A piece of string would hold her back. Never had an issue with her so much as leaning on a fence. 

A few years back she decided to roll near the fence, in a 4 acre pasture mind you, and got a leg caught, freaked out and tore the fence apart. Somehow she didn't injure herself, but if I hadn't seen her do it, I would have blamed Harley, who is well known for barging through fences and was also turned out in that pasture at the time. 

So even with a well meaning BO you might get stuck paying for another horse's bills.


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## SamanthaB

Rain Shadow said:


> My main issue is how do I know it was my horse?
> 
> If a stall door was kicked down from the inside, okay that was my horse.
> 
> But how do I know it was my horse that broke the automatic waterer in a group turnout situation?
> 
> I'm fine with paying if it was obviously my horse. But in group turnout, unless I saw or someone I trusted saw my horse do it, I wouldn't pay because how do I know it was my girls that did it?
> 
> Even a trustworthy BO who knows the horses, can't telepathically read the horses mind to know who broke what.
> 
> Case and point. My Misty is the easiest going horse on fences I've ever seen. A piece of string would hold her back. Never had an issue with her so much as leaning on a fence.
> 
> A few years back she decided to roll near the fence, in a 4 acre pasture mind you, and got a leg caught, freaked out and tore the fence apart. Somehow she didn't injure herself, but if I hadn't seen her do it, I would have blamed Harley, who is well known for barging through fences and was also turned out in that pasture at the time.
> 
> So even with a well meaning BO you might get stuck paying for another horse's bills.


Well if it was the sort of situation where I didn't know which horse it was, then I wouldn't be charging anybody anything, unless I saw it myself, so that answers that.


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## gypsygirl

I would never board somewhere that you had to sign a contract to pay for damages. That's a big reason why people board, they don't want to deal with broken fences, etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Golden Horse

SamanthaB said:


> Well if it was the sort of situation where I didn't know which horse it was, then I wouldn't be charging anybody anything, unless I saw it myself, so that answers that.


So there is another unfairness, you see a horse damage something, you charge, you don't know which horse it was you don't.

I still don't understand where the line would be drawn between 'normal' and 'abnormal' levels of damage, that would be so difficult to prove, it could cost more in lawyers fees than the worth of it. Yes, yes there would be fees, because that is the way we are....best for the BO to pay the insurance premium, split the cost among all the boarders as part their board fees, everyone is paying to cover damages, and no one realizes it, far better than trying to enforce a damage contract.


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## PaintHorseMares

^^^^ Exactly. I don't know any BO that would want the hassle of dealing with charging for repairs.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Mulefeather

I think a lot of people are getting stuck on the "horse causing damages" portion of things, and that's causing a lot of confusion between the two sides here. 

What the OP and myself have been expressing is less the horse side of things, than the people part of the equation. We know horses damage small stuff often, and that can't really be helped. But people can follow rules, agree not to do things that can cause damages, etc. 

I think in this instance what a contract does is keep the honest people honest, and weed out the gremlins you don't want to deal with along the way.


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## KigerQueen

where i have boarded its always been "your horse brakes it you fix it". now if its something like a water pipe (for auto waters) or a stall rail and its a quick and easy fix nothing is said other than passing after its been fixed. NOW if your horse takes down half a fence, or causes major damage/time consuming repairs then yes you pay for it. thankfully i deal with the non destructive horses.


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