# Contemplating charging Flat Board rate---



## MicKey73 (Dec 26, 2010)

Hi and welcome to the forum. I don't know what you mean by a flat boarding fee. I pay a set amount every month, and that's how the barns in my area are run. Is that what you mean?


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

Every place that I have ever boarded with full care has charged a flat rate, I've never known anyone to do any different. While I was in CA we did have the rate go up one year during drought and it was hard to get hay, all the boarders were understanding. But I have always paid the same monthly price regardless of hay prices. I don't think it's a big deal, I think most stables do.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

How are you charging now? I've never not been charged a flat rate unless I asked for something REALLY EXTRA, then I'd have to pay for it.


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

I, too, am curious as to how your current boarding fees are set up......


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## marygoroundsporthorses (Oct 14, 2011)

my board is 425.00 includes up to 6 flakes of t/a hay a day, and Safe Choice feed (4 bags). Any extras are theirs. 
I will bend over to accommodate to an extent, but a new boarder wants a LOT of extras. I did let her know any extras (including the 8 flakes of t/a and the 1 of Orchard she wants), is up to her to pay for. 425.00 in my area, is pretty low for a full board situation. 
Flat board in Florida normally mean, X amount for the board alone. Stall cleaning, turning out, blanketing, feeding any haying I do... but owner pays for all feed and hay (plus whatever extras i.e. supplements). 
I definitely am looking forward to ALL input.  I do have a very good contract (lawyer friend), so that isn't a huge concern. Thanks everyone!
I'm Mary btw. I


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## Spotted Image (Aug 10, 2011)

Where I board, he feeds and provides hay, he feeds the horses as much as they eat to say at a healthy rate, we provide grain, he feeds based on what we want fed. They are also turned out in a pen 24/7. Any salt blocks are provided by us, I once mention the price because it is very cheap, but it's flat rate no matter.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

We have 2 different prices for our stable. Self care is just for the stall and facilities, you buy the feed and bedding yourself, stack it and store it yourself, and clean and care for your horse yourself. Then we have full care which is a couple hundred higher and the BO supplies food, bedding and cleans and feeds for you and in some cases turns out (if they don't have a stall with their own run).


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## marygoroundsporthorses (Oct 14, 2011)

Great, thanks everyone!
So for a deal like the self care, just drop what i normally would charge a couple hundred? 
The board did include their feed/hay, but right now the hay and feed prices change weekly, so i think this will work better


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## Ransomed (Jan 2, 2012)

We charge 450.00 flat rate for boarding. includes 10 bales of a hay a month, safe choice and worming. anything extra is at there expense.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

marygoroundsporthorses said:


> Great, thanks everyone!
> So for a deal like the self care, just drop what i normally would charge a couple hundred?
> The board did include their feed/hay, but right now the hay and feed prices change weekly, so i think this will work better


You can't just drop your charge by a couple hundred. You need to figure out how much boarding a horse for a month costs you.

Electricity
Labor
Water
Shavings
Consumable items (buckets wear out after X amount of time, same with feed pans and so forth)
Facility wear and tear
Facility itself (land and buildings aren't free....)
and whatever else you spend $$$ on

Then you can figure out how much you need to charge to cover all the costs associated with keeping a single horse, then add on however much profit you want to make per horse and that is what you need to charge.


I pay a flat rate for my board. It includes a stall, all day turnout, blanketing, fly masks, stall cleaning, shavings for the stall, use of the facilities, needed amenities such as electricity to run my fan, heated water buckets and so on and 2x daily feeding of the hay my BO has and soaked beet pulp. Anything else I need/want, I pay for.

I provide alfalfa and timothy hay for my horse in addition to his grain, supplements and salt/mineral blocks. I pay the same amount as if he was eating her hay since she gives him her hay whenever "extra" hay (when he's stuck inside or it's extra-cold or whatever) is handed out and it also covers the "inconvenience" of her having to provide me with storage space for his hay and doling it out to him.

I wanted specific things in his turnout/stall (extra mats, specific feeders and so on) so I bought and installed them (after okaying it), I also like his turnout dragged more than her normal schedule so I do it myself along with dragging the arena if I'd like it done on a specific day (I like a freshly dragged arena for my lessons).


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

marygoroundsporthorses said:


> With the way feed/hay prices change WEEKLY, I am considering going to a flat boarding fee with my clients. Do any of you do this? Any suggestions on how to go about it? Thank you!


I have never heard of any barns here doing it the way you do it. They have a monthly fee that stays the same year round. There have been some raises in board here and there for various reasons, but our contract just shows the flat monthly rate.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

I think your boarders might be a little upset about going to self-care. Many if not all of them may be unable to go out twice a day and feed their own horses, and even if they are they may be unwilling - there is a reason they are paying you for Full Care - they cannot or do not want to it themselves!

It's going to drive your boarders away in my opinion. I board full care and if my barn owner came up out of the blue and says "Hey! We're going to self care!", I would leave. I would gladly care for my mare if I could, but with my job I can't be there to feed her and clean up after her twice a day.

Another thing to think about is not everyone will care for their horses as you do...there might be some boarders whose care is "lacking" and you have to consider what you do in those situations.

If you're having a problem covering your costs, sit down and figure out how much each horse costs you. Then how much it costs to run your facility over a month - water, electricity, ect. That's your base. Then you might want to add on a little for "maintenance" - like when a horse breaks a fence or something breaks. Take the grand total and divide it by the number of horses that board at your barn (obviously not including any of your own), and you have your number. If you use your barn for your income or part of it, also figure into the number what sort of profit you'd like to make. And you have your number. Your "maintenance" number should also cover a spike in feed/hay prices.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I agree with the poster that says you'll probably lose your boarders. If I was paying $425 full care and got 30 day notice that the barn was going to self care for $200 and I had to feed 2X day and muck out myself, I'd be leaving PDQ, because if I wanted self care, I'd already be doing it. That's probably going to be an unwelcome shock to most of your clientelle.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

marygoroundsporthorses said:


> Great, thanks everyone!
> So for a deal like the self care, just drop what i normally would charge a couple hundred?
> The board did include their feed/hay, but right now the hay and feed prices change weekly, so i think this will work better


you would lose me as a boarder if you just switched to self care as I am unable to get out to my horse twice a day. 

If you want to offer that as a separate option though, that's fine.


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