# Going rate for full care?



## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I pay 320.00 for full board. That includes: 

stall cleaning six days a week - boarders clean on sundays
all hay
all grain
boarders pay their own supplements
tack box
trailer storage
turn out in the summer in outside pasture - arena turn out in the winter (due to excessive rain in this area)
hot/cold wash rack

additional 10.00 fees are for blanketing each night in the winter and holding the horse for farrier/vet etc.

We just recently had self care/partial care added which has been a complete nightmare.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

Are these prices weekly or monthly?

Here in Australia I'm aware all things horsey are more expensive. For full stable board/livery around here it costs about $220-250/wk. On top of that are farrier bills, worming, vet bills etc, so that only covers rugging, feed (not bespoke, horses all get the same which means the ponies get fat and the TBs go crazy), mucking out and a morning walk around the yard for exercise if requested.

So if those are monthly prices you guys are quoting I am insanely jealous


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

The board I'm talking about is monthly. WOW!! $250 a week?? That's crazy!! That's more than my rent for my apartment!! Haha!


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Monthly - wow, that's crazy weekly!!


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I pay $250 for pasture board for each of my horses. They have approximately a 3.5 acre pasture with a two sided shelter and auto water and salt block. 

They are fed twice a day Safe Choice and will get hay in the winter when the grass is gone. I have a tack closet and places to put my saddle stands. Access to a hot and a cold wash rack. Walkers, covered arena, large arena. Bathrooms. Owners on site with 3 ranch employees that watch over the horses - video on site behind electric gated property.


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## Reno Bay (Jul 8, 2012)

Full care board is $450 for me...$800 with training (a month, yup). I do clean stalls and do other random barn work to reduce board and pay off training.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Holy horse poop! Thems some big numbers!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Oldhorselady (Feb 7, 2012)

$400 per horse per month.

Approx 1/3 acre pasture...2/3 of it is grass seperated from 1/3 which is dry lot with a nice shelter.

Includes hay

Horse owner supplies and feeds grain etc. and cleans own manure.

Includes very nice tackroom...looks like a mini cabin.

Beautiful facility, nice people to ride with, wonderful ammenities and wonderful trails. I can't complain...well worth it.


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## live to ride (Nov 24, 2012)

Around here, its around 300-350 for most boarding barns, but if you want to go to a show barn with trainers and everything, its the upper 400s. a month.

OP, do you board there too and just would be hired by other boarders, or do you own the place?


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

I pay $250 per horse monthly for my Arabs. They're pastured as much as possible on 20+ acres and only come in for hay, grain, and during the hottest time of day in summer and the coldest winter days. The BM lives in the barn, so they have near-constant supervision. Included in the rate is stall cleaning (daily, though they're not inside often), feeding, hay, a 12% grain, and access to a dirt arena.

However, this is primarily a pleasure barn, with the exception of my reiners and a few WP QHs. A friend is paying $500 in the same area for the same services because its a hunter barn.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I was paying $275 a month for full care at my old barn. This included a 15' x 30' stall that was cleaned maybe twice a week, water filled when needed, and alfalfa fed twice per day (if you wanted or needed grass or timothy fed, you had to pay even more). Self care (you clean your own stall and take care of water, but feed is the same) was $250. That was when I started boarding there. Now it's gone up to $325 for full care and $275 for self. No turnouts, grain or blanketing is offered. You do that yourself.

The barn I'm at now only offers full care. It's $185 for an outdoor stall and $225 for an indoor stall with a run. Stalls are cleaned daily, water is filled daily, turnouts are done when stalls are being cleaned, and the horses are fed three times a day, alfalfa or grass or a mix, your choice. The BO will feed grain and supplements that you supply and will blanket for no additional charge.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

live to ride said:


> Around here, its around 300-350 for most boarding barns, but if you want to go to a show barn with trainers and everything, its the upper 400s. a month.
> 
> OP, do you board there too and just would be hired by other boarders, or do you own the place?


I don't own it or board there. I teach lessons at a different barn as an independent instructor with my own program and curriculum. I will be working with one of the boarders at the new barn, exercising her 2 1/2 year old in exchange for her sharing some of her 30+ years of experience with me until her hip heals. These facilities are very new and there's nothing like it in my entire county. It used to be a very, very run down place I guess, and when I commented to the owner how beautiful it was he said "This is the worse it's ever going to be" I really want to get involved with this place eventually.

At my current barn, I only have a round pen or trails to teach lessons and I trailer horses about 20 minutes away to an indoor arena. This new place has a gorgeous arena (still outdoor though) huge round pen, perfect facilities to teach. I just don't have any horses right now. 

So, I was kinda thinking I could offer care to the boarders, do an outstanding job, and maybe ask about offering discounted or free care to use their horse for lessons? I'm not really sure, I may be WAY overstepping my bounds at that point. I personally would have offered my horse as a lesson horse if I trusted the person teaching. In fact, I did for a while. 

I have no idea how the owner may react. No idea if the boarders even want that as an option. I'm just trying to brainstorm. 

So, assuming boarders are paying for their own hay and grain, I guesstimated about $100 a month for feed. 

So, if I offered care (6 days a week) for $120 a month, including feeding twice a day and cleaning once a day, would that be a reasonable fee? As far as pay on my end, that works out to $5 a day per horse. I would need to have at least 2 boarders take me up on my offer to break even on the gas I'm spending to drive out twice a day.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

I pay $375 a month for full board, but on 24/7 turnout with a stall only available in the very worst of weather. Full stall access is $450. 

The cheapest in my area with stall access is $300 a month, the most expensive that I am aware of is $1200 a month.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

around here it depends on what kind of riding facility is attached. But something like 450 to 600$ is typical. Much more if you are really close to the big city, Seattle.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

you need to speak to the BO first. You may not be allowed to do anything.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

stevenson said:


> you need to speak to the BO first. You may not be allowed to do anything.


Agreed. I wanted to get an idea on whether or not it would even be worth it before I said anything to the BO at all. It's looking like it wouldn't pan out well for me. I would need 2 horses just to break even on gas, and that's not including time and childcare. Thanks everyone for your input! You helped me reach a sensible conclusion. Thanks.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

We pay $225/mo for pasture board, with free choice hay, lean to. Provide our own grain and supplements. BIG tack lockers. Indoor arena, out door arena. Trails on site and nearby. Big tack up area. THere are 4 stalls if you need your horse to be stalled if injured or before a show... we have not needed them but I assume you would provide shavings and clean the stall if that were the case. The rate went up quite a lot with the hay shortage this summer ( although I would be surprised if it went back down next year, even if there were a plethora of hay available!)


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Reno-where in Nova do you board? Do you have an indoor? I am always looking for winter alternatives should I want to bring my guy back to Va future winters. 

OP-you could ask the owner if you could lease stalls. THere are trainers who do that, and then those horses are their responsibility, and the trainer pays to rent the space, the horse owner pays the trainer for board and training. I have paid a range of board.....in NY-it is $300/mo stall, full care, no extras other than supplements, no indoor, free trailer parking. In Va-for an indoor, I had to go 30 minutes away, and it was $500 for stall, feed 2x/day, blanketed and trailer parking. In MD-several years ago it was over $550 for an indoor with trailer parking. (H/J barn) I do know around where I live in Northern va-closer in than I was before-$600 and over for an indoor full care, yes up and over $1000 at some.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

franknbeans said:


> Reno-where in Nova do you board? Do you have an indoor? I am always looking for winter alternatives should I want to bring my guy back to Va future winters.
> 
> OP-you could ask the owner if you could lease stalls. THere are trainers who do that, and then those horses are their responsibility, and the trainer pays to rent the space, the horse owner pays the trainer for board and training. I have paid a range of board.....in NY-it is $300/mo stall, full care, no extras other than supplements, no indoor, free trailer parking. In Va-for an indoor, I had to go 30 minutes away, and it was $500 for stall, feed 2x/day, blanketed and trailer parking. In MD-several years ago it was over $550 for an indoor with trailer parking. (H/J barn) I do know around where I live in Northern va-closer in than I was before-$600 and over for an indoor full care, yes up and over $1000 at some.


Hey, I've never heard of or even thought of that. That may be a good idea. So I lease a stall from the owners, One of my clients keeps their horse there and I care for the horse, buy feed, maybe wormer and farrier too? and Charge the client for full board. Hmmm... That's a good idea. Thank you. 
There is no indoor arena at this place, but I suspect the owners will build one in coming years. They have big, big plans for the place. 

After the first of the year, I am going to start training the woman's horse that I mentioned before. Very excited as I have only trained from ground work up to starting under saddle, and this horse has been started and needs to continue her under saddle work. I'll be closely supervised by this incredibly experienced woman and I'll be learning how someone trains that has my same ideals on horsemanship. I have only seen 'the cowboy way' of training, so I'm excited to learn something new!


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Wormer and farrier are NOT usually included. THey are additional fees.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

Ok, thanks


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## princecharming (Dec 2, 2011)

in my area its 500-1200 monthly.

At my barn full care is 600. this includes:
-turn in/out(boarders preferance) in the AM and/or PM
-use of indoor, outdoor and trails
-hot/cold wash stall
-tack locker
-bathroom
-free choice hay in stall year round
-free choice hay in winter
-blanketing
-stalls mucked 2X a day
-automatic waterers cleaned 1X each day
-AM and PM sweet feed(handfull-3lbs)
-space to tack/untack

i however field board my horse which is 300 a month for:
-full turn out
-free choice hay in winter
-run in shed
-1 scoop sweet feed AM(and Pm Dec.-Feb)
-indoor/outdoor/trails
-space in the tack shed
-use of crossties in barn(but stall boarders get priority) and if full, use of tie post
-


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## Annanoel (Mar 29, 2011)

In my area, I live in Wisconsin it can range from about $100 to well over $1000 within about 20 miles.

My barn is $185 per month full care, $150 for me because I work board off, clean stalls and feed every night. I do offer extra money here and there when she comes up with a project, like matting the stalls or the wash rack. She usually won't accept it, but I figure it's worth a try. 

This includes, a nice indoor arena - somewhat insulated. A little over 20 acres for my horse to graze with the herd. An outdoor we use as a paddock sometimes, a round pen outside, trails on the property. Plus the BO, she's amazing. She treats all the horses like her own and tries to give them their individual attention. There are nine horses now, she boards four including mine. So she's not making much at all after you figure farm costs, gas, extra things she's always putting into the barn. She does it for us and the horses, I couldn't ask anything more. I work my tail off to show my appreciation and couldn't be any happier!


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

$185 with an indoor? Wow! I would SO love that! But, then I might need a couple more horses.......which would lead to me being single. ;-)


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## sarahfongsilva (Sep 28, 2012)

I spend about 450 per month for one horse, I own 4.

They are in a large roomy stall, bedded deeply with shavings.
Cleaned twice a day 7 days a week.
Put on an automatic hot walker for an hour everyday(usually in the morning)
Turned out 6-8 hours a day depending on the weather and they put on turnout boots as well if specified.
Blanketing is included.
Hay is included but grain and supplements are not.
The facilities itself are really nice, heated tack room, indoor lighted arena with four other outdoor rings, full set of jumps, hot and cold wash rack, nice situated bathroom(s), and the facilities itself are well landscaped.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

I know I'm reviving a dead thread here, but I have a couple more questions for you guys.
Updates: I am now boarding my horse at this facility, teaching lessons, training horses, and I have an office! 
I'm getting ready to post a flyer for 'new services offered'. Services will include
Feeding- am only (BO and I agree it's best if horse owners see their horses at least once a day) - as for pricing for people with more than one horse, should I charge a fee for the first horse and a discounted fee for subsequent horses fed from the same feed? I originally was thinking $30 a month, and the BO suggested I bump it to $35, he is feeding horses for one person right now even though he doesn't want to, she has 3 horses and he feeds in the am only for $45. So, maybe I should do $35 for the first horse, $5 for each addtl. Horse? Is that too cheap? 
For exercising, I'm charging $20 per hour, and I want to keep it simple- I pull the horse, pick their feet, and exercise them in the round pen, half hour minimum. No messing with other people's tack, grooming tools, different training methods, behavior issues with horses, just exercise.
Turn out- not sure how to charge for this, or time, should I just say I will turn them out and let them run and buck and kick until they stop and then bring them back in, or should it be a set amount of time? 
Blanketing- again, not sure how to charge for this
Holding for vet or farrier - $10 per?
And vacation care - should I charge for that on a per-day basis? 
Again, the situation, I don't own this place, I do board there now, it's currently a totally self-care facility and I'm trying to offer services to the boarders. 
Thanks everyone!


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## plomme (Feb 7, 2013)

It sounds like a really good idea for the boarders, but it seems to me that keeping track of all these things would be a huge headache for YOU. Have you considered making different packages? Example:

Full care - feeding, turnout, blankets/boots, holding for vet & farrier
Partial care - feeding, turnout, extra charge for holding ($10 per time) & blanket/boots 
Vacation - full care but at a per day rate - maybe figure out what full care costs per day and then raise it 20-50%?

That way you won't have to track 6 feedings, 30 exercises, 4 holds, 16 turnouts, etc. etc. and most people will pay a flat fee rather than add things on regularly. The only thing that is good to keep separate in a non-training board situation is the exercise because I think most people will not want or need it or may only need it for special circumstances. Maybe I am wrong. I would also not round pen a horse for more than 20-30 minutes. An hour seems extraordinarily long and hard both physically and mentally. If I were a boarder I would really prefer someone I trusted to ride my horse vs lunging or round penning but I'm sure others feel differently.

Turnout is either half day (usually 4-6 hours) or full day (8 or more hours). You don't have to observe and the horse doesn't have to do anything in particular, the point is just to be outside. If the weather is bad and they cannot be outdoors, arena turnout is usually more about a horse rolling, running, bucking, and then back in after about 30 minutes or so, more if they have a friend to play with.

I am guessing that boarding costs where I live are very different than where you are and I have always had my horse in training board so I cannot be helpful in terms of cost. Your suggestions seem very low to me and I worry you are shortchanging yourself. 

Have you thought about making a survey for the boarders to see what they are interested in? I could be all wrong about this and they might completely reject packages and only want a la carte. You could ask what they would be willing to pay as well and take that into account when setting prices. Make sure you have very good records if a la carte ends up being what you do.

Also, do you know how to body clip? That can be a great way to earn some money. Every November and February I regret never learning how to clip as I hand over $140 to the groom.


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## LoveMyDrummerBoy (Nov 5, 2009)

Solon said:


> I pay 320.00 for full board. That includes:
> 
> stall cleaning six days a week - boarders clean on sundays
> all hay
> ...


This is mine. Exactly, actually. :lol:


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## LoveMyDrummerBoy (Nov 5, 2009)

Wow! Sorry, I didn't even notice that the thread was dead.

I do want to say though, that I agree with Plomme. 

Maybe, you would just offer more flat rate options? You just wouldn't want it to get too complicated.


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## Tessa7707 (Sep 17, 2012)

plomme said:


> It sounds like a really good idea for the boarders, but it seems to me that keeping track of all these things would be a huge headache for YOU. Have you considered making different packages? Example:
> 
> Full care - feeding, turnout, blankets/boots, holding for vet & farrier
> Partial care - feeding, turnout, extra charge for holding ($10 per time) & blanket/boots
> ...


Thanks plomme! I like the idea of doing a survey. The thing is, I live in a very socioeconomically depressed area. So I feel like I have a better chance at making anything at all the 'a la carte' way. Here's what I've kind of come to:
$35 a month for am feeding only
$10 for the second horse
$5 for the third horse

$20 an hour for exercising : I personally don't think the round pen for an hour is all that difficult for a horse. I take my time with a warm up and cool down, and we have a very large round pen so the horses aren't turning extremely tight turns. So if they are walking for the first and last 10 minutes, it's not bad. I see your point though, and I'm sure there are those on here that will disagree with me, but it depends on the horse. With a young, energetic horse, it might take them 15 minutes for their brain to return to body and actually start listening. You're right though, for some horses that would be a lot, but I anticipate most of the horses only doing half an hour.

$5 per turn out : half an hour. We don't have an area for half or full day turn out. All of the horses have a smaller out door area, so the point here is more to let them stretch their legs, move around, and exercise themselves. I can't tie up the arena for 4 hours with a horse turned out. 

So that's where I'm at right now.


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