# Would you do Natural Boarding?



## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

So my husband and I have been entertaining the thought of starting a boarding facility offering natural horse care. We live in the Oklahoma City area. 

It would offer only pasture boarding, but there would be small pastures, only 5 horses or less to pasture, with plenty of shelter offered. It would primarily be hay only with grain offered at additional cost to the hard keepers. There would be blanketing or fly masks if you provide them. There would be a large indoor arena that would be used as shelter to the horses in VERY bad weather (we're talking ice storm or snow storm, not thunderstorm). There would also be an outdoor ring, round pen (or two), and obstacle course.

Would you be interested in a place like that? How much would you pay a month? Anything else you would like to see offered? Advice for starting a boarding stable?

Thank you!


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## PoofyPony (Sep 15, 2011)

Erm... I wouldn't call that 'Natural Boarding'.
I would call it 'Full care pasture board' ;-).

Slapping 'natural' into something is starting to give things a bad rep in the horse world it seems. If something is truely natural I would picture horses running free, no fences, and no human interaction. Kinda of like BLM lands ;-).

Anywho, as for the price on pasture boarding... I wouldn't pay no more then 200 bucks if it included a full blanketing routine and fly masks that come off at night. If horses were in their own pastures and not grouped together 24/7 I would possibly pay a bit more... but other then that, pasture board is pasture board.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

There's no such thing as 'natural' horse care. Horse care in and of itself is unnatural, since feral horses live without fences, blankets, shelter, hoof care, feed, veterinary care, etc. Oh, and they die between 10-15 years of age. :wink:

I tend to shy away from any place that offers 'natural' or 'holistic' care for my pets/livestock. They're animals, not hairy 4-legged children who don't speak well.

What you're talking about is pasture boarding, plain and simple. 

Pasture boarding ranges anywhere from $150.00-$250.00 a month in most areas.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

Okay, I understand. Wording is everything. I guess I labeled it natural because many "experts" on natural horsemanship recommend pasture keeping instead of stables, and I want to promote that. Do you think an all pasture boarding place could be successful?
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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

I've kept my horse at places where they just have paddocks with lots of horses - no arenas, no extra feed, no blanketing, and still there were always upwards of 20 people keeping their horses there, and often people on a waiting list. 

It's really hard to estimate what the going rate is for somewhere. It is going to depend on the place of course, but location often plays a big part in the cost of something. Like I would pay $50 a week (in Australia we usually pay by the week) for just a shared paddock with access to a decent arena with no care if the boarding place was close, but I wouldn't pay nearly that much if I had to travel further to get there, even if they had the same facilities. How much I'd pay is also dependent on the quality of the pasture, of the fencing, how many horses share etc. Also depends on your competition, visit the boarding facilities in the area, and see what they offer and what they charge. 

For full time paddock boarding I think pasture rotation is very important. At one place we used to rotate between 7 different paddocks, to give the others a "rest", to reduce worms and to let the grass grow back. You need to offer a good place to handle the horses if you're not providing stables, so places to tie up, tack storage, preferably stables for use with injured or sick horses, or even just to keep them overnight before a show..

Also don't think "natural boarding" is good terminology. It made me immediately think of huge green fields with naked people running after horses, trying to catch them or something. No idea why that came to mind.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

I pasture board my horse but there is an area that I can turn into a stall of need be. 
Before this place I had never had the option of a large stall (or any stall) if it was needed, and now that I have that option, I love it. 
There are times that a horse just can't be out (aka an injury that requires stall rest, after sedation while the horse wakes up, etc) and if you have zero stalls you won't be prepared for those possibilities. 
Also, there are always going to be 1 or 2 horses in a herd that hate each other with a burning passion. Do you really want those two stuck in a confined space together during really bad weather, stirring up the rest of the herd with their antics? I wouldn't.

I think you could be successful as an all pasture boarding place (depending on your area, for instance, here in Oregon, pasture boarding is "the thing") but I think it would be in your best interest to have 2 or 3 stalls (the number depending on how many boarders you have) available for any issues that might come up. Another thing you'd have to be very careful about is having a really really good pasture rotation system. Depending on your pasture size and the number of horses, you could easily end up with a dry lot/mud pit which is something many pasture boarders don't want.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I forgot to mention, but yes I want to have a couple stalls available. I hadn't fully thought thought out rotation, but I see how it is needed. What about run in sheds for each pasture that can be somewhat closed up in the worst weather, instead of using the arena? And would smaller pastures with only 2-3 horses be better than larger heard in bigger pasture?
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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

I pasture board although I am personally not of the natural horsemanship flavour. Here are some things I consider important:

- Herd density. Not sure what you mean by 'smaller pastures'? As a guide 1 acre per horse minimum, 2 acres is ideal. This depends greatly on what the quality of the pasture is and not only from a general upkeep perpective but from herd dynamics also. On excellent pasture, 1 acre per horse is fine because obviously there is plenty of food available but also because they don't have to compete within close quarters for that food. However 1 acre per horse may not work if food is limited and you have several horses competing for the one food source (i.e. your hay). Five horses on five acres that has no pasture and a hay ring is essentially the same as five horses in a small yard since that is where they will be spending most of their time.

-Shelter. I look for natural shelter as well as man made structures - some horses just don't like to stand in sheds no matter the weather conditions! Trees and plenty of 'em if it is possible.

-Access to facilities. If in the event of an emergency, can you gain access to stalls, yards, wash racks etc. Don't have to use them but sometimes a pasture boarded horse requires a couple of days stay in confined quarters for medical reasons. Much cheaper and easier than hauling them to the vet to live in their stalls for the weekend to tend to a laceration or abcess.

-Supervision. If I can't be there every day to make sure that my precious steed hasn't hurt herself or become ill for whatever reason, I am happy to pay extra for a place that monitors the horses constantly since I can't be there everyday myself.

-Fencing. Good clean fencing, preferably electric. 

For a reference, I have my girl in a 25 acre pasture with four other pasture mates, electric fencing and reticulated water in addition to a large pond. She is fed grain twice a day and has free choice hay, since the pasture here in Texas after the drought is really of no nutritional value. The property has a 200ft X250ft arena with full showjump course, there are approx 20-25 stalls and additional yards and runs. I pay $275 per month. 

Also, if I was going to start up a boarding facility, I personally wouldn't specify that it is for natural horsemanship or any other 'label' as it can come off exclusive and a little divisive.

Horse lovers are horse lovers. Some of us pasture board, some of us don't. If you market to one demographic only you may miss out on business from other areas of the horse industry without even meaning to lose them.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

Sounds like an interesting idea. I would rather board in pasture with a three sided shed for incliment weather.

How big would each pasture be? Would this be for grazing as well as the hay you'd provide? How would the hay be distributed to ensure the lowest horse on the totem pole in the herd of 5 gets enough to eat? Would there be salt provided? How would you split up the herds of 5? 

I wouldn't mind my horses in with another couple of horses, unless the other horses were very agressive and I couldn't get my horse safely out of the pasture.

Would you also have a quarantine pen for newcomers?

If my horse gets sick or needs in-stall vet care, would that be available?


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Smaller pastures can be good, but a problem of subdividing so much is that there are lots of fences to maintain, and the paddocks start being a fair distance away from the rest of the facilities. 

I honestly don't think you need to stable horses in bad weather. I mean I guess with snow you might? I don't know, never snows in Australia so I've never considered it. But in big storms and such, I've often thought it to be safer keeping a horse in a paddock (at least it is if they're a paddocked horse). A horses first instinct is to run when they are afraid, and if you lock them in an indoor arena they are not used to, with heaps of horses they are not used to, and very scary weather, they may very well freak out and get hurt. I remember when it was storming horses used to pace to stables, get really anxious, but if they were outside, they'd just turn their bum to the wind and be fine. Maybe ice would be different, but I don't think locking them in all together is a good solution. By doing this you could also be liable for horse injuries. If its required that they must be inside because of the weather in your area then maybe you should consider having stables.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I'm thinking 5 to 10 acre pastures. This is all in theory right now. We haven't made any sort of serious move towards actually doing this. I like the idea of not stalling (except for medical and quarintine), and would like pasture boarding to be my preference. Probably simple electric fence like or something strong, not vinyl or barbed wire. 2-3 round bales per pasture. We would live on sight. 

Thank you all for your input! Keep it coming!
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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I forgot to say, we would probably be on 20-40 acres (hopefully 40!)
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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I would think that that the arena, stalls, tack, house, office, round pens, and outdoor arena would take up about 10 acres. Reasonable?
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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

GoldSahara said:


> I would think that that the arena, stalls, tack, house, office, round pens, and outdoor arena would take up about 10 acres. Reasonable?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Tee-hee, I sense someone is very excited to be thinking of the prospect of designing their own horsey paradise :lol:

I would be too!

10 acres seems very reasonable, it will depend on the topography of the property somewhat, how much clearing you do/don't need to do and the size of your stall/barn arrangement. You could probably do it comfortably on five acres since it is most user friendly to have the stalls, tack room, wash rack, office, arena and round pen reasonably close to each other. 

How close you want YOUR living quarters to all that activity is a matter of personal preference!


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

GoldSahara said:


> I would think that that the arena, stalls, tack, house, office, round pens, and outdoor arena would take up about 10 acres. Reasonable?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Get some graph paper and draw it out. I've done this many times and it's fun! 

Don't forget your driveway and parking for clients, hay storage and parking for trailers.

Ensure you keep your personal space (house and yard) separate and private.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

You caught me! Yes I am excited at the idea! 

Luckily Oklahoma is pretty much flat, so I could have everything pretty close. I would want my home a distance away. Still close to the horses but having a separate driveway. 

I really REALLY hope we won't get over our heads if we decide to do this!
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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

Awesome advice everyone! Now for a fun question: is there anything you would like to see offered in a boarding facility that you don't usually see? Imaginations go wild!
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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Put up a very sturdy perimeter fence, then you can divide the interior with t posts and electric poly cord. The indoor arena would be great. You could divide 2-3 acre fields self service. If people want a stall or shelter put one up. You could have a couple fields with run ins already. In your leasees agree to provide water only. Let the owners worry about food and hay salt, Bringing a prefab shed for tack etc. Thats exactly what my place does when I am gone. I pay extra for food and hay and I bring my own over. but it works for me. I board 2 weeks home 2 weeks, so its a good deal my horse gets his own small field other horses are nearby but I dont have to worry about the biting and kicking. A self service facility depends on your area. If you are in a pretty good sized population area with most of your boarders within a 15 miute drive it could work. If you are out in BFE your gonna have to be providing more full service care.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I like the t posts and cord. Easy to move for rotating. I doubt I could get a close enough place for self service. In Oklahoma most people have to drive 30-45 minutes to their boarding stables because everything is really spread out. Perhaps they could provide their own feed and I could give it.
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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

each boarder would get a can, They should provide there own feed, AND there own scoop of the right size that one full scoop is what they get. If you make your individual pastures pie shaped with a feed shed in the center, all the horses would come to one general area at feed time


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

When I've heard the term natural boarding, it was in reference to a set up based on the book Paddock Paradise. You divide your pasture into "tracks" and keep the horses moving along by moving the hay several times a day. I think it's a good idea if you've got very limited space.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Wallaby said:


> here in Oregon, pasture boarding is "the thing"


Heh, I was just about to comment how I wish I could find a good pasture board place near me. What part of Oregon are you in? Every place I asked about pasture board kind of stuck their noses up in the air like the only reason someone would get pasture board is if they were a cheapskate... :?

And so I'm not just hijacking the thread without adding to it :wink::

Having a stall available when required, a secure tack storage area, covered tacking-up area, and a dressage setup in the arena are all definite musts for me. And I'd agree with the comments not to call it "natural" horse boarding as this is bound to bring up negative connotations in a sizeable portion of horsepeople's minds and there's no need to scare off any of your potential clientele unnecessarily


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

Interesting..... I am getting the feeling that a lot of people would like a place that is specialized just for a pasture boarders needs. I plan on having a tack locker area, covered area for tacking up, shower area, a few stalls, office, round pen(or 2), outdoor arena, obstacle area, and hopefully an indoor arena.
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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

GoldSahara said:


> I like the t posts and cord. Easy to move for rotating. I doubt I could get a close enough place for self service. In Oklahoma most people have to drive 30-45 minutes to their boarding stables because everything is really spread out. Perhaps they could provide their own feed and I could give it.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Ok, you just lost a TON of clients with the T-post thing. I will not allow my horses to be anywhere near a T-post. Have you ever seen what one will do to a horse when it's run through the chest? Not pretty!


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

Okay, then what kind of fencing do you like? Is there a kind that can be easily moved, other tan t posts?
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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

GoldSahara said:


> So my husband and I have been entertaining the thought of starting a boarding facility offering natural horse care. We live in the Oklahoma City area.
> 
> It would offer only pasture boarding, but there would be small pastures, only 5 horses or less to pasture, with plenty of shelter offered. It would primarily be hay only with grain offered at additional cost to the hard keepers. There would be blanketing or fly masks if you provide them. There would be a large indoor arena that would be used as shelter to the horses in VERY bad weather (we're talking ice storm or snow storm, not thunderstorm). There would also be an outdoor ring, round pen (or two), and obstacle course.
> 
> ...


GS, I board horses and currently (because of the drought) charge $350/mo for pasture board. Back in April before all the prices went up, I was charging $150. Sad isn't it? I do whatever they need, blanket, fly mask (I made their owner buy them all fly masks), groom daily etc etc. They are fed free choice bermuda hay in big round bales, $125/bale and I go through 3/week, and they each get about 3 lbs of Strategy twice per day and salt of course. 

I don't have an indoor arena, wish I did! And I will bring them in during T-storms, ice storms and snow if it's really heavy and for a long time like several days worth of storm. I want them in for T-storms because of lightning, not the rain. Because OK is so flat, they are frequently the tallest thing in the pasture, so the likelihood of them getting hit by lightning goes up exponentially. 

5-10 acre paddocks SOUNDS ideal but the reality is this. An owner doesn't want to chase their horse all over H*ll and half of Georgia to catch him. I would want my horse in no more than a 1/2 acre paddock with a shelter and if the other horses he was pastured with were mine there could be another one in there so he wasn't alone. If I'm only boarding 1 horse, then he needs to be in his own paddock for safety and liability reasons. Also, I've seen dominant horses run the least horse on the pecking order out of a shelter and make them stand in the rain, just because they can, so you need to have considerations for that. 

I'm with the others on the "natural" thing and here in OK you probably will get laughed out of town if you advertise that way. Naked fairies with flower garlands around their heads, playing pan pipes and chasing horses across the rolling green landscape belongs in a water color, not a boarding stable. Sorry! 

I also have 14 stalls and offer full stabling, but if I'm not full, I will bring pasture boarders in for T-storms or if the weather takes a real ugly cold snap. If I'm full, pasture horses stay out no matter what, but they do have shelters available to them. If one needs nursing or isolation, then the owner gets bumped up in board status (and pays the extra charges) until the horse can be re-integrated in the herd or they can have the horse hospitalized at OSU (I'm just down the street).


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

My horses are pasture boarded. My two geldings are in a 3-4 acre pasture by themselves. Two sided shed and 100 gallon automatic water tank. They are fed Safe Choice twice a day. Right now they have some grass to nibble on but not much! It has been dry here for most of the year...very little rain. Annnyywhooo.....in the winter they will be given hay to munch on. 

There is a small covered arena, a large outdoor arena, a double cold water wash rack to tack up, groom, etc and there is also a warm wash rack in the main barn. We have a "hoof spa" for soaking our horses hooves, a rest room, large tack room with cabinets. Gaited facility with staff and owners on site. About a 40 acre pasture in back to ride in and probably about 150 acres across the street to ride (never rode over there!)

Stalls/arena are available for sick/injured horses. They do offer full board and training if needed. 

Pasture board is $250
Full board is $400

I would love to have a pasture paradise one day and if I ever get a little place of my own, I will do that instead of one big pasture. Right now it is cheaper having them boarded!!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

GoldSahara said:


> Okay, then what kind of fencing do you like? Is there a kind that can be easily moved, other tan t posts?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


No, not really, unless you use pipe panels to divide the lots, then those can be taken apart and moved faily easily. Just buy bull quality panels and they're practically indestructible. 

I have board and V-mesh, no climb fencing dividing up my pastures. Horse Fencing Systems - Flex-Fence, PVC and Electric - RAMM, there's a picture there entitled Mesh Fencing and it shows pretty much how it looks. I also use a hotwire around the top and bottom of the fence to keep the horses off of it. But the 4X4 posts that anchor it are set in concrete so you can't move it. At least, not without a TON of work. 

It's safe, it stays looking nice if you use treated lumber when you build it, and it lasts.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

Maybe 5-10 acres is too much, but I think they need more than 1/2 acre or it will all be dirt, mud, and wormy. Also, the horses should be in a pasture with other horses. If there is too much aggression I will relocate the perpetrator. Otherwise my boarders will sign a liability waiver. That is what I have always experienced, and I think it makes for happier, healthier horses. I'm willing to lose a little business in order to provide what I think is better care. 

Just forget I ever said natural. Full service pasture care is what I mean and how it will be labeled.
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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

One thing that I find absolutely critical is that the place be kept IMMACULATE and the horses cared for like they are your own. Since I don't charge for the grooming, bathing, routine clipping, holding for vet or farrier, blanketing, all the little things you routinely do for your own horse, I can charge a bit more than a place that does just Pasture board. By "just pasture board" I mean the horses are tossed out to pasture, given a round bale, water and then anything else is up to the owner. No grooming, no bathing, no blanketing etc, etc, etc. I treat all the horses like they are the next national champion something, whether they're just a grade or not. Most owners that can't be at the facility as often as they might like really love that kind of care.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

I like the idea of a pie shape around a feed area. I think long, thin paddocks which all have a close by access gate are much easier than just big paddocks. I've never had a problem with bad paddocks, I think half an acre would be far too small. I just call my horse, and they come. You just have to practice your yelling voice. 

While moveable paddocks might sound like an okay idea I think they would be far from practical, especially with the time it would take to move them.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> 5-10 acre paddocks SOUNDS ideal but the reality is this. An owner doesn't want to chase their horse all over H*ll and half of Georgia to catch him.


True story, unless they answer to their name.... :lol:

















Her pasture buddies often stand and stare as if to say "where does this clown think she's going?"


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

Dreamcatcher- I totally agree about providing great care for every horse and keeping everything clean. Luckily I don't mind scooping poop . I think I would include farrier and vet visits if they don't mind using my farrier and vet, that way we can do them all at once. I think I would charge 250-300 a month, maybe a bit more with the cost of hay right now.

I like the long narrow paddocks ideas so the entrances are all close together.

Wow sarahver! That is awesome! I wish mine would do that! She just moseys over when she feels like it. Secrets?
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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Haha names must be no more than two syllables, preferably ending in a vowel so you can scream it from a distance, this one is Bobbieeeeeeeeeeeee (!) 

But I can't really take any credit, she is a firecracker all round and just excited to come out and play most days


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

As long as the T posts are capped, they are fine. 

I pasture board, for $280 a month, that's high for my area, it's usually in the $150-250 range, however I pay more because she will blanket, fly mask, catch and hold for vet and farrier, and not charge extra for extra feed for a hard keeper. For $280 it's all included, outdoor arena only, no indoor.


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

i would pay around 200 to 300 a month, but i would want just my horse to a pasture, unless i know that they will all get along plus its easier to get them out to do stuff with if you know the horses. 

how many acres per pasture? what type of hay and shelter?


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You don't seem to have figured in your capital costs, fencing shelters, water. I strongly recommend you sit down with graph paper and draw everything on there before anything is done. Best to work it out on paper before the first shovel is dug. When building my barn I revamped many times then finally came up with what works well with my situation. Shovelling after one or two horses is one thing but remember a horse poops approx a ton of manure annually. Multiply that by 10 horses and you'll be wanting a tractor with a bucket. Another cost. And so on.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Small paddocks will require extensive cleaning or they will become a parasite den. The smaller the space; the more work and more feed needed. 

I I think that an ideal setup would have large spaces with smaller areas that the horses can be called into when you want to catch them. They really have to have shade. They should have at least a shelter that they can go under in severe weather. Plenty of grass, salt, water, and shade, and they will be happy.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I haven't figured all my costs out yet, but it's all speculation. I was mainly curious to see what people thought of a pasture only boarding place. I would have large shelters and trees for cover. Probably 2-5 acres per pasture (obviously rethought from my earlier 5-10 acres. 2-4 horses per pasture.
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## tassinari (Jul 15, 2011)

I think the very first thing you should do is build an indoor arena. Newalla, OK would be the perfect place for it. And preferably in the next month so I can trailer my horse over to ride in the cold weather. 

My husband and I talked about opening a boarding barn. My thought was I want a nice barn ( though I dont stall either. But a barn would ve nice and stalls for bad weather or injuries). An indoor and out door arena would be awesome. So we could build stuff and take in a handfulbof boarders to help pay for it. 

Then reality hit. We are 30 min from OKC. Fat far east Norman almost. There are quite a few large barns all over. And our location would probably not give us alot of people banging down the door to bring their horses to us. Out here in the country everyone has space to put their horses. 

So..just really look into it. I can think of at least 5 large large boarding facilities with tons of acerage and trails and all the amenities just right off the top of my head. There are a lot more smaller ones around. It is a really nice dream for sure and I truley hope you can make it a reality. But do some major research first to make sure you will have plenty of boarders and you dont end up bankrupt!
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## THN (Oct 11, 2011)

I have skimmed through the replies but haven't read them all so please excuse me if i mention something that has already been beat to death.

I would want stalls of some sort. maybe figure our how many horses are going to be in a pasture and build the run in on the fence line closest to the arena with stalls and access from both sides. (pasture side left open all the time unless horse needs to be contained, outside world side always closed) then you build your paddocks in an arc or square around the arena and other facilities.

I think the term pasture board has already been mentioned so no need to cover that.

I don't know how familiar you are with pasture rotation, but I have seen it done very effectively with a large variety of livestock. The farm i worked at didn't have horses, but after the sheep were rotated through a section of pasture next went a flock of chickens then the cows and then another flock of chickens. the chickens would eat the parasites and spread around the cow pies. The farm was well balanced so that they never mowed but never had a shortage of good grass. every once in a while the fields would get mowed in the fall just to level everything out. they would rotate the section of the pasture was left for hay every year as well. they would compost and had a veggie garden that was split in half with a fence down the middle veggies on one side and compost with another flock of chickens on the other. they would flip flop the chickens and the garden every year.

anyway, back from my tangent, if you are serious about the natural part and are doing pasture board think heavily about pasture management and the capacity of the land you use. can the land seriously be expected to sustain the number of horses? if not then you need to reduce the number of horses or supplement their diet. really think out the design of your facility design it to be low maintenance / maintains itself.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Yes most definatly. However, I would rename it something like Pasture Boarding, or Natural Pasture Boarding. You could offer your stalls to people, and have like an $60 amount of money they would pay to have a stall available to them.


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## GoldSahara (May 4, 2010)

I don't want the stalls to be a privileged thing. I just want them available when needed. I guess that an indoor arena would be a high priority in order to be competitive in the Oklahoma City area. I should also be willing to pay the high price for land close to the city.
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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

When I went off to college(13 years ago in central Oregon) I pasture boarded one of my horses.Geldings in a pasture about 20 acres with about 10 horses and the same for the mares. Horses were introduced slowly in to the herd by being put in to a panel pen for a few days in the corner of the pasture before turned out with herd. 

Fencing was wood posts with no climb fence with a couple of 3 sided shelters. Horses were fed hay 2 times a day spread out to keep from everyone kicking the crap out of each other. Horses that needed to be grained were brought into the barn to ensure they were fed properly with out being bullied out of their grain.

We had use of an outdoor arena, round pen and access to thousands of acres of BLM land to ride. Stalls were available at request and inclimate weather. Tack rooms were shared but I never had a problem with stealing, all the boarders were great.

At the time I paid $200 a month and that included hay. Remember that was about 13 years ago. I thought it was great because at the time I had a ranch horse that had never seen a stall, had a ton of energy and needed to be turned out and ridden very regularly. I think it was also great for people who couldn't ride all the time and at least the horses were turned out.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

My place splits pasture board and barn board, but it's really a "full care" facility either way. Both are turned out most of the time, and come in twice/day to eat.
From the horses' point of view, both board types are pretty similar. Only real difference is that the barn horses have an assigned stall, whereas the pasture horses go into standing stalls on a first-come first-served basis, and barn horses stay in during the worst weather.

From the owners' point of view, there's a big difference. Owners can have tack boxes in front of barn stalls, keeping everything convenient, instead of in a back room. The barn is in out of the wind, whereas the pasture board tack-up area is just under a covered area that's open on the sides. Also, if coming near feeding time, the barn manager will leave a barn horse in if we txt him that we're on our way.

Our three turnout fields are between 7 and 10 acres, and the herds are 3 horses (the barn mares, for some reason no one is boarding mares with us right now), 9 horses (the barn geldings), and 16 horses (mixed gender pasture boarders).
I like our turnout size. I want him to have lots of room to run and play. Sure, sometimes it's a pain because their favorite place to hang out is always the FAR corner, but otherwise it's great. I just walk out to get him, use the fence to hop on, and make him carry me back :lol:


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## Beauseant (Oct 22, 2010)

Hmmm....your ideas, OP, seem sort of exclusive to some potential boarders.

In particular:

the small paddocks and small group turnout idea is not ideal for some horses. Take our 6 yr. old OTTB as an example. He is a psychotic alpha...extremely bossy and loves to herd the herd....when he was in a herd in the past, everyone would give him his space and he often would herd them around and around. no one was seriously injured by him but that was because they would all submit...but newcomers were in for a time as he taught them the rules. Which included charging at them with bared teeth, etc. Even in a small group of 3 or 4, if confined in a small space, the others would not be able to give him the space he requires nor would he be able to herd them, so fighting would result.

Our OTTB also LOVES to run... he will often break into full gallops for no apparent reason and just run and run...till he's breathing hard and sweaty.
In a small paddock/pasture he would not be able to do this.

We also have special needs regarding both our horses. Our fat draft needs dry lot as her pasture time is limited, especially in the spring....

Our OTTB also should ideally be in private turnout due to his aggression with other horses.... where we are at now, Beau and Epona have three pastures which total 23 acres....even with the large pastures and lots of room to run, he still sometimes has aggression issues with Epona once in a while. 

Also, I would definatelly want stalls for our two horses available for use when we needed it. And not just for injury or illness. Our OTTB is an "indoor" horse, also known as a hothouse flower.:lol: he does not like rain or snow. and will refuse to go out if it is raining... he also does not like flies in the summer and will come to the barn door and stand to be brought in

So, where we are at now is a private residence with 23 acres of pasture and 6 stalls and a dry lot. We are the only boarders and we have the place to ourselves. We do not have an indoor areana but since we just do trail riding, we don't need one....there are tons of trails on this property. We also have a heated tack room, a heated bathroom and hot and cold running water in the barn and in the bathroom. In the summer the property owners provide a 60 inch barn fan for our horses. The property owner will bring them in or turn them out as we request and does remove blankets when needed. She also fills buckets and throws hay when asked.
We do our own feeding regimen in regards to grain or supplements and provide our own hay. 

So, being unwilling to offer stalls to those who want for their own preference or who have "hothouse flowers" may limit your clientelle.

Also, not having a dry lot will limit your availablility to those with fat horses or those with metabolic disorders...like IR

Also, smaller paddocks limits your acceptability to those with high energy horses or younger horses that need room to romp and play.

Smaller paddocks can also increase aggression in small groups as some horses need their space and if a herd member crowds them wil react negatively.

Just my thoughts....as someone who needs stalls available and who has two special needs horses.


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