# What would you charge/pay for boarding like this?



## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

We will offer full care with options to add, remove things. 

Full care includes
-feeding 2x daily with an alfalfa/grass hay mix (roughly 1:3 alfafla:grass hay) with a midday hay feeding if horses are kept in due to weather or injury.
-each horse will have a customized mixed feed plan (I'll be taking nutrition classes) unless the owner prefers the horse be on a premixed feed.
-our mixed feed will include supplements/added minerals as needed for the horses diet, provided by us. Other supplements for joints and such must be provided/paid for by owner. All added minerals/supplements/salt/medications can be given to horses free of charge. (Whether provided by us or the owner)
-14x14 stalls, heavily matted and bedded with 14x20 covered runs attached.
-stalls will be picked once daily unless horses are kept in or the horse is extra messy, then they will be picked twice daily. We will strip stalls once a week, or as needed. 
-pastures will be picked twice a week.
-turn out in groups of 3-4 on 3-5 acre, well maintained, rotated pastures with run in sheds for 8-10 hours daily, weather permitting. 
-if pastures are too wet for turn out horses will be turned out, 2 horses to each 1 acre dry lot with free choice grass hay and a run in shed.
-horses will be on a worming schedule, wormer given and provided by us. If owner wishes for horse to not be wormed, they must provide proof of a clean fecal count.
-fly spray and blanketing is provided for free with the owner providing supplies.

Other amenities on the property:
-a large, covered arena with insulated roof and bleachers (for play days, ropings and other events)
-insulated barns with fly control system, concrete, matted walk ways.
-hot/cold water wash bay (in barn)
-tack room with lockers for individuals with locks provides (BO will have a spare key) 
-100 foot round pen, 60 foot covered round pen, free flow walker
-paved road ways, covered trailer parking
-separate hay/bedding storage (fire safety)
-owners living on the property
-barn trainer
-lessons available 
-outdoor area to ride (likely uncleared pasture area) 

Available services at cost
-grooming
-tacking up/down
-body clipping
-bathing
-conditioning/exercising
-vet/farrier scheduling
-discounted training

Example of a plan for a very 'hands off' owner #1:
Horse will be fed our feed plan, groomed daily, bathed before an event, exercised by trainer 4x a week and ridden by owner 2x week in a lesson with trainer. Prior to lesson, horse will be groomed, tacked up and waiting for owner. Vaccines, worming and farrier visits are all handled by the barn and billed back to the owner.

Example of the more 'hands on' owner #2:
Horse is on the feed the owner prefers that costs $20/bag along with a joint supplement. Horse is ridden by owner 4x a week and never needs any grooming aside from picking out the feet when brought in from pasture. Horse is still fed, turned out and brought in by us but the owner schedules vet and farrier visits and holds the horse herself. 

Obviously, #1 is going to be paying more than #2. I'm unsure of how to charge for this. I don't want to charge per service really, except for vet scheduling maybe. 

Any ideas? I know there's a lot of information here. I've never boarder somewhere like that, I've only done self-care.
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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

It depends entirely on your area. Those services on one side of the country can be tremendously more expensive than in another park. Heck, there's a significant difference based on which part of my state you live in around here. Look at what other barns' prices are and what services they offer so you can adjust your prices accordingly. Also make sure that there is a demand in your area for the services you offer. Some people in some areas would be all over a full care/training/grooming barn, and others would see it as a waste of their money. If your area can support it then it's probably the best way to make money in the horse boarding world (particularly if your clients show) and if not then you won't get any business.

Here's how I would do it were I running a boarding stable: Charge a flat fee for all of the basic boarding stuff. By that I mean feeding (one of your choice of feeds and owner supplied supplements if needed), turnout, stall cleaning, basic hosing of legs and picking feet when bringing in, blanketing, use of facilities, worming, those sorts of things. Make those services a flat rate regardless of what other services the client wants. If owner desires blanketing, supplements, or a special feed then they must purchase and bring it to the barn. 

I'd make a "full training/grooming package" in which the boarder pays $XX per month and in return gets ridden 4x per week and 2 lessons per week are included (or however the trainer/owner want to divide out the rides/lessons). Horse will be groomed and tacked up before lesson, and untacked/hosed off if you also want to provide that service. Horse will be bathed and groomed as necessary before a show. If the client wants to groom/tack up their own horse or skip a lesson one week then that's fine, but the full price of the package is still paid. 

If a client doesn't want to have the horse in full training then they can pay by the lesson or ride- $XX per individual ride, $XX per individual lesson. Of course, the cost of a training package should be less than if you paid for the same amount of lessons per week individually  Horse is still groomed/tacked up by barn staff if desired.

For those who don't want to pay for training but still want their horse groomed daily, offer a grooming package. Perhaps for owners that can't come out on a daily basis. They pay $XX per month, their horse is groomed daily after bringing in. Perhaps you bathe if needed, up to you. Perhaps include tacking/untacking, also up to you.

I would not charge for vet/farrier scheduling. I've never been to a barn that does, and assuming a full barn with a regular shoeing schedule then you will rarely need to call the vet/farrier out for just one horse. Of course, tack on the bill to the clients' monthly board or have them bill the client directly. I'd have a main vet that you trust who comes out regularly for things such as vaccinations and minor injuries, and someone you can call in case of emergencies. If a client wishes to use another vet then they must schedule themselves. Same with farrier. Have a couple of different guys you trust come out, and let boarders choose between them. If they want to use a different farrier then they schedule themselves. Charge for holding if you see fit. 

I'd charge as needed for other various things such as body clipping and mane pulling. You COULD charge for individual groomings or tacking/untacking, but that could get too complicated. 

It seems complicated when I try to explain it, but would be fairly simple... you can post a price list in the barn as follows:

Full board- $XXX

Care/Training packages:
Full training/grooming package- $XXX
Full grooming package- $XXX

Training:
Single lesson- $XX
Training ride- $XX

Grooming Services:
Body clipping- $XX
Mane pulling- $XX


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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

Thank you! That helped a lot. I was thinking of something along the lines of packages when I looked at other barns in the area and saw that's what they did.

It seems $600-$800 is pretty regular, and this is a barn with a much smaller arena (although for dressage), no grass in the pastures and stalls with runs cost extra. Stalls with runs had a $60 monthly fee for turnout 5x a week on top of that. Most of the full care barns I found (searched quickly) were english disciplines though. Western is far more common around here, but would cost for the same services most likely be the same regardless of discipline?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

Oh, I forgot to add that there will be a bathroom and louge type area with refrigerator stocked with water and microwave.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

LPH said:


> Thank you! That helped a lot. I was thinking of something along the lines of packages when I looked at other barns in the area and saw that's what they did.
> 
> It seems $600-$800 is pretty regular, and this is a barn with a much smaller arena (although for dressage), no grass in the pastures and stalls with runs cost extra. Stalls with runs had a $60 monthly fee for turnout 5x a week on top of that. Most of the full care barns I found (searched quickly) were english disciplines though. Western is far more common around here, but would cost for the same services most likely be the same regardless of discipline?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes, the basic horse care will run the same regardless of what discipline the rider is. A reiner and a hunter eat the same grass, drink the same water, and poop the same poop  Same with a grooming package- a curry comb and hoof pick work the same on an English or western horse. It's the training that will differ, and that depends on your expertise and your area. If you're out in western country then good luck trying to run a dressage training barn! If everyone around you does English then you'd have trouble getting enough western training clients. 

As far as training goes you need to gear it towards your expertise, though. There's a fair amount of overlap in some respects... there used to be a lady who primarily specialized in dressage around here. Most of her clients were dressage riders. However, she was more than capable of throwing a western saddle on the horse, riding "western", and the owners were generally satisfied. She'd very regularly have hunter/jumpers and eventers come in and take lessons. While I wasn't overly fond of her training in many ways there were a ton of people from other disciplines that loved their regular lessons with her. If you had a 3' jumper that you were getting ready for a show? Might want to find a different person for full time training. 

What is your expertise, and are you planning on doing the training yourself or bringing in another trainer or trainers? What about all of the care/maintenance stuff? I don't see any way that one person on their own can have a full barn of mostly training horses, take care of basic horse needs for all boarders, AND do the extras you mentioned like daily grooming and tacking. You'd probably need to hire someone to work in the barn as well as a groom. 

Having a multi disciplined barn is good in some respects and bad in others. They generally have a more laid back and relaxed atmosphere and are more welcoming to newcomers. On the other hand, it would be more difficult to get training horses. If you're and English trainer then you may have plenty of western people wanting to board with you, but they may not be interested in training. I've noticed that most barns make most of their money not in boarding, but training. If you could have an entire barn full of horses in full training then that would be ideal for your income. Having half of them not be interested in your additional services may be less than ideal. 

If you have a discipline-specific barn then you're more likely to get clients interested in your training services, but less likely to lure in other boarders. Some of these such places have a reputation for being snooty or elitist, but that's where more money is to be made IMO. A boarder paying you for training and grooming is far more lucrative than one strictly paying board. Of course, if you or the trainers you bring in aren't in demand then you won't find many people interested in it anyway. You need to have made a name for yourself to get your training business out there. Either way, you first need to see what you're capable of (training wise) and what you'll have time for. If you need to hire employees you'll need to see what makes sense financially. 

And, of course, make sure that you come out ahead price wise when it comes to boarding. If you're going to lose money on that aspect of things then it doesn't make sense to do it at all. If you'd have to charge way more than people are willing to pay to break even then no one will board with you and it doesn't make sense financially. This includes cost of resources (property costs, feed, shavings, property maintenance etc) as well as labor.


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

I'd say your most important variable on determining price is location.


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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

*I thought I mentioned location but apparently when I re-typed it I forgot it! I'm in Weatherford, Texas.. Near Fort Worth. Chances are I'll settle somewhere in between.*

That's what I figured! My area of expertise is with starting the young ones and barrel racing. I want to get into stuff like sorting and such too but currently, I'm not experienced in it. I also love to work on cowboy race type courses with water crossings, the big steps (usually made with railroad ties and dirt) and things of that nature. That's what I like to do with the young ones to get them out of the arena. Once I have property I'll have at least an acres worth of different obstacles like this and probably use it for events as well. Then the barrel racing of course. I don't have a pro card and I'd like to but I won't have time to do that, train and run a barn and training is what I love. 

I would be doing the training myself (if you haven't figured that out) and bring in a couple people. Probably someone with grooming experience (body clipping, mane pulling, although it isn't all THAT popular in western disciplines) and another with more maintenance experience. Someone who is capable of welding, repairing fences/minor plumbing issues and such and I'd also want them to be able to drag the arena and work machinery for hay. Those two will also be cleaning stalls, watering and such. Should I have a third person? We'll be living in a trailer or something on the property while our house is built and that will later be used as living quarters for staff. Likely the ranch hand type of employee will get first dibbs on the house along with a salary.

I planned on being open to all disciplines but gearing it more towards western in general. That's just going to be because I'll be having events using the arena like play days, ropings, barrel races and such. That'll attract more western riders. 

I want to provide lessons as well but if I'm too bogged down with training I'll bring in an instructor. Unfortunately future hubby isn't horse savy, in fact he's terrified of them so we couldn't team up with one training and one instructing lol. 

I plan on buying projects and retraining*for the next little while until I get my name out there with selling good, sane horses. Then I'll start offering training to outside horses. So far I've only trained by own and I've finished a few outside horses.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

Okay, here's what I've come up with so far! 

Basic full care- $650
-14x14 stall with covered run
-daily group turnout 
-daily stall picking
-feeding 2x daily 
-fresh water daily
-water buckets scrubbed as needed
-blanketing, fly spraying, feeding supplements, and putting on fly mask or boots if needed for turn out included. (Supplies provided by owner)
-access to all amenities/facilities 

Grooming Package (board + $150)
-daily grooming as needed/specified
-heavy grooming before shows
-bathing as needed
-body clipping
-whisker/bridal path/ear clipping
-mane pulling/braiding
-putting in products like MTG
-putting up in tail bag, etc. 

Training Package (board + $600)
-horse ridden 4x weekly as specified ($800 value) 
-lessons 2x weekly ($280 value)
-full Grooming Package included ($150 value) 
-individual training rides $50/45 minute ride

Lesson Packages 
-8 lessons for $250 ($280 value) must be used within 3 months, no commitment from instructor after that. (Eval. lesson included, free so 9 lessons total)
-16 lessons for $475 ($560 value) must be used within 6 months, no commitment from instructor after that. (Eval. lesson included, free so 17 lessons total)
-individual lessons $35/lesson
-evaluation lesson $20
*lessons must be scheduled when purchased. Fee will apply if instructor isn't notified of cancellation/rescheduling within 48 hours of scheduled lesson. 
*evaluation lesson will be required.
*30 minute private lesson on either my horse or owner's.
*lesson time doesn't include tacking up which may be done by groom if preferred.

Training ($1,000/30 days)
-all full care services included ($650 value) 
-full grooming package included ($150 value)
-trained 6 days/week at least 45 minutes each ($1,500 value)
-30 days of actual riding, meaning horse will be on property 35 days
-riding on trail course and arena
-two lessons provided in the last week of training (one arena lesson, one trail course lesson) ($70 value)
-additional lessons available at a discounted price up to 10 lessons within 4 months of training being completed ($30/lesson) ($35/lesson value)


Values are all if services were provided individually! Am I missing anything? Do the prices sound okay? I know the training seems pretty steep but looking at the cost of the board.. I'm not sure.
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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

Also!

*owners will be able to choose between two of our preferred feeds. Hay is alfalfa/grass hay at a 1:3 ratio.
*if owners prefer a different feed/hay, they must provide it and will still be charged for full care.
*extra hay/feed can be arranged but will have a fee over a certain -resonable- amount.
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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

I'll also add an exercise package if there's a demand for it.

Exersice Package ( board + $80)
-lunging 2x weekly for 30 minutes
-free flow hot walking 3x weekly for 30 minutes
-warming up/cooling down before/after owner rides
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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

How big a barn are you planning? Doing individual diets for lots of horses can bog you down time wise, and IMO is not necessary. You feed X-if horse needs supplements that owner wants-they pay. SOme bigger barns I know require the use of Smartpaks. THey do make it MUCH easier for staff to pull and give the supplements. Less labor intensive, and less error prone. 

I would have an issue with your worming practice-it is not current at all. Fecals should be done and worming gets done as recommend by the vet. Fecal counts are rarely "clear" and low counts may not need worming. I would not again board in a place where this was the policy as, to me, it shows the BO is not current. JMHO.

I think you are biting off a lot to do on your own…..good luck!


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

A few things to consider...

A full training package where the horse is being ridden/having a lesson 6 days a week means that it really only caters to people that have no interest in riding on their own. I know of a number of ladies who are in that position in their riding, but many still want some days to practice work on their own or hack out. You do save a lot so for those interested in riding a day or two on their own it may still be cost effective for them to buy the full package, but perhaps consider a half package? Back when I was taking lessons at my old barn the training package my trainer had included 3 rides or lessons a week, whatever you wanted to do. I had two lessons a week, and my trainer rode my guy one day. It worked out nicely, and was more affordable. This was, however, different from the package the barn owner charged. I don't remember what her arrangement was. Sort of thinking out loud there, but it's all up to you and what suits your client base! 

Around here training rides and lessons are generally charged the same amount, at least from what I've noticed. Why the big difference- $50 vs $35- in lessons and training rides? Are you basing this off of the going rate in your area, or just basing on what you would be willing to spend? Of course, how much people are willing to pay for either service depends on how good your lessons/training are or how in demand you are. In demand doesn't always mean good, and a very decent trainer who hasn't made a name for themselves yet won't necessarily be in high demand!

(and I just noticed that your lessons are only 30 minutes. Perhaps that's the difference...) On that note... 30 minutes isn't necessarily a lot of time to get things done in a lesson. I would personally not schedule a lesson for less than 45 minutes unless I needed help on something very specific. I'd save shorter lessons for small kids with short attention spans or something, but again it's your call. 

A student purchasing a lesson package is expected to plan out each lesson for the next 9 or 17 lessons, or 6 months? Perhaps it's just because I'm out of the habit of having a scheduled lesson time each week, but that would be kind of a turn off to me. Do you mean that the students are required to say "I'm planning on Sunday at 10 for the next 8 weeks" or "every other sunday at 10 for the next 16 weeks", or is there a way to vary the schedule as you go along? My trainer schedules on a weekly basis, first come, but his schedule is a lot more flexible than many peoples'. 

For the all inclusive training package I would alter it to make the horse be there for only a month. I see it getting somewhat tricky to arrange things if the horse is going to be on the property 35 days and then having to prorate board at their other barn if they don't generally stay there. Since it appears that they're getting a huge discount vs purchasing individual rides I don't see why you can't just cut a few off to give the horse some days off and make it an even 30 day stay. 

On that note, I'm failing to see how the $1000 "training" ends up costing less than the board+$600 "training package". It looks as though they are essentially the same thing except the horse is on the property 5 days longer in "training" and 2 rides per week are substituted with lessons in "training package". Perhaps I'm missing something, but I would think that training package should be cheaper since you're getting less. 

I can't comment on the specific prices as I'm not familiar with your area.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

franknbeans said:


> How big a barn are you planning? Doing individual diets for lots of horses can bog you down time wise, and IMO is not necessary. You feed X-if horse needs supplements that owner wants-they pay. SOme bigger barns I know require the use of Smartpaks. THey do make it MUCH easier for staff to pull and give the supplements. Less labor intensive, and less error prone.
> 
> I would have an issue with your worming practice-it is not current at all. Fecals should be done and worming gets done as recommend by the vet. Fecal counts are rarely "clear" and low counts may not need worming. I would not again board in a place where this was the policy as, to me, it shows the BO is not current. JMHO.
> 
> I think you are biting off a lot to do on your own…..good luck!


I do agree about the supplements if a lot of boarders are using them. Most barns I've been around either require smartpaks or premeasured baggies done by the owner. No way would I measure out three different supplements each from a bucket for a 12 horse barn! Feed is sort of the same way I think. The fact that you have to buy your own feed in addition to paying full board (no reduction in cost since BO isn't buying feed) deters a lot of people. Those who really want their horse eating a certain thing need to acquire the feed themselves, deliver it, and I would say provide their own container for it at the barn. Of course, if one or two people want their own feed that isn't a big deal. If all 12 horses do then it's just not going to work.


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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

You've made good points. Let me try to make sure I address everything you said, Duck! 

A half package sounds like a good idea. Instead of there being a preset anount of lessons and pre set amount of rides, maybe I should offer up 6 slots of time (either riding OR a lesson) for a full package or 3 slots for the half package. My reason for choosing 30 minute lessons was because $35 is fairly cheap for around here. Lessons tend to be $50 or so for 45 minutes including tacking up! Hence why I'm not currently taking lessons, lol. 

So maybe I should make it an hour (rides and lessons) and $40 for individual rides/lessons. That way offering the time slots, whether it be lessons or rides would still be the same value and amount of time spent. Owners could decide what schedule they want to work with (how many lessons and how many rides) on a weekly basis? Would that appeal to you? I say time slots because that's the only thing I can think of to refer to it as. Maybe sessions? I didn't even think of offering lessons or rides, whatever the owner chooses until you mentioned it. 

For very young kids (since you mention the short attention span) maybe I'll combine care lessons along with riding? As in teaching proper safety (which I would anyway of course) and how to feed, groom and such. If the parent is interested. I could see some parents looking at it as "I'm paying $40 for a riding lesson, not a petting lesson". Hmmm. Lots to think about.

Addressing the training, I just felt like making sure the horse is rode the full 30 days is more fair. But I hadn't though about them moving back to their own barn and that causing problems. At least weather wise, I'll have a covered arena and won't miss rides due to messy weather.

Now the lessons.. I haven't taken formal lessons much at all so this was unfamiliar territory for me. I was only going based on some of what I've seen. Maybe I should schedule weekly/every two weeks instead? As for the scheduling within so many months, maybe I should make it more of an option to schedule ahead of time. First come first serve. What about a cancellation fee? Does anyone do that?

And as far as training, i just didnt compare the two to catch that they're basically the same with one being cheaper. I'm not sure how I should address that though.

The training "package" value is now $960 in lessons/rides alone this also includes the $150 grooming package making is over a $1,000 value. I feel jipped charging only $400, but $600 sounds like a lot to me. The training package would only be accessible to boarders, therefore it should be a much better deal than the training itself. 

How would you go about it? I don't want to charge more for outside training simply to make numbers add up, lol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

You've made good points. Let me try to make sure I address everything you said, Duck! 

A half package sounds like a good idea. Instead of there being a preset anount of lessons and pre set amount of rides, maybe I should offer up 6 slots of time (either riding OR a lesson) for a full package or 3 slots for the half package. My reason for choosing 30 minute lessons was because $35 is fairly cheap for around here. Lessons tend to be $50 or so for 45 minutes including tacking up! Hence why I'm not currently taking lessons, lol. 

So maybe I should make it an hour (rides and lessons) and $40 for individual rides/lessons. That way offering the time slots, whether it be lessons or rides would still be the same value and amount of time spent. Owners could decide what schedule they want to work with (how many lessons and how many rides) on a weekly basis? Would that appeal to you? I say time slots because that's the only thing I can think of to refer to it as. Maybe sessions? I didn't even think of offering lessons or rides, whatever the owner chooses until you mentioned it. 

For very young kids (since you mention the short attention span) maybe I'll combine care lessons along with riding? As in teaching proper safety (which I would anyway of course) and how to feed, groom and such. If the parent is interested. I could see some parents looking at it as "I'm paying $40 for a riding lesson, not a petting lesson". Hmmm. Lots to think about.

Addressing the training, I just felt like making sure the horse is rode the full 30 days is more fair. But I hadn't though about them moving back to their own barn and that causing problems. At least weather wise, I'll have a covered arena and won't miss rides due to messy weather.

Now the lessons.. I haven't taken formal lessons much at all so this was unfamiliar territory for me. I was only going based on some of what I've seen. Maybe I should schedule weekly/every two weeks instead? As for the scheduling within so many months, maybe I should make it more of an option to schedule ahead of time. First come first serve. What about a cancellation fee? Does anyone do that?

And as far as training, i just didnt compare the two to catch that they're basically the same with one being cheaper. I'm not sure how I should address that though.

The training "package" value is now $960 in lessons/rides alone this also includes the $150 grooming package making is over a $1,000 value. I feel jipped charging only $400, but $600 sounds like a lot to me. The training package would only be accessible to boarders, therefore it should be a much better deal than the training itself. 

How would you go about it? I don't want to charge more for outside training simply to make numbers add up, lol.
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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

My post got ate 

In short, I said roughly 40-50 horses total, excluding lesson and personal horses it'll be roughly 30-40 boarders.

SmartPaks and pre-rationed supplements is a good idea. I decided against mixing feed (at least for boarders, my own horses are different). I'll likely offer two feeds and if owners want a different kind I'll feed if they provide, and maybe knock the board down $50-75 bucks?
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## LPH (Nov 1, 2014)

As far as worming, I figured worming would be more accepted than asking everyone to have a fecal count done however often.
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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

You need to do your research. Not sure why you think most people would be more accepting of s methodology that is outdated and not best for the horse at all. It builds resistant worms, much like the super bugs we have now that are increasing because of people's willy nilly use of antibiotics. Cost of fecals vs rotational wormer is actually very close. Yes, it can be a hassle with that many horses to do fecals, but it is still the best way. Honestly-and I am not trying to sound mean at all, but as a nurse I am very science based-you should have more general knowledge about horse keeping before even thinking about this especially someone who is thinking about mixing their own feed. Do you have any equine degrees or anything to back you up as knowledge to be able to manage this number of horses? Even so, I have many friends who have 4 yr degrees and have a hard time making enough $$ to make it worth while. Have you looked at how much your liability insurance will be on this size facility with this number of horses, lessons, etc? It just seems to me that you are going about this backwards. You need to figure out how much it will cost, then figure out if anyone will pay that amount-plus some income for you in your area-it may not even break even.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

franknbeans said:


> You need to do your research. Not sure why you think most people would be more accepting of s methodology that is outdated and not best for the horse at all. It builds resistant worms, much like the super bugs we have now that are increasing because of people's willy nilly use of antibiotics. Cost of fecals vs rotational wormer is actually very close. Yes, it can be a hassle with that many horses to do fecals, but it is still the best way. Honestly-and I am not trying to sound mean at all, but as a nurse I am very science based-you should have more general knowledge about horse keeping before even thinking about this especially someone who is thinking about mixing their own feed. Do you have any equine degrees or anything to back you up as knowledge to be able to manage this number of horses? Even so, I have many friends who have 4 yr degrees and have a hard time making enough $$ to make it worth while. Have you looked at how much your liability insurance will be on this size facility with this number of horses, lessons, etc? It just seems to me that you are going about this backwards. You need to figure out how much it will cost, then figure out if anyone will pay that amount-plus some income for you in your area-it may not even break even.


Despite the more recent knowledge on worming there are still very, very few barns in my area that do anything other than the old, outdated method. The "Well, it's how we've always done it" and "it works just fine" logic still seems to be prevailing... Not good, but it is how things are still run in lots of areas. Since you're including worming in the board cost I would think about bumping the price up ever so slightly (if necessary) to cover the cost of regular fecals for everyone. Something to think about. 

I like the idea of being able to choose between rides or lessons in the training package. Discuss it with individual clients as they sign up and decide what works best for their needs. If you have a groom tacking up their horse anyway then all you really need to do is show up and see if there's a rider for the horse... not much different than knowing in advance :lol: Were I looking for a full training program it would appeal to me, but I prefer to ride on my own nowadays. Are you saying that tacking up time is taken out of the 45 minutes? So you're probably only getting a half hour lesson anyway? Not something I'd be into as a rider, but I'm used to tacking up my own horse. I like the idea of 45 or 50 minute rides or lessons. It keeps you on an hourly schedule fairly nicely, and gives you 15 minutes in between rides for a break. Sit down for a few minutes, go to the bathroom, grab some water or a quick bite... Doing a full hour and your schedule will probably get backed up when you have to take such breaks. My trainer does it, and he's always dashing for water between lessons. But, he likes to watch your warm up so I guess that counts for part of the extra time...

I don't know much about teaching kids, but that seems to vary from barn to barn. I didn't start riding while I was a tiny kid, so I was more than capable of handling a full lesson. We always got out full lesson, but we still had to groom and tack up our own horses. We gradually got more independent, but in the beginning it seemed as though there was always someone around to help us and it didn't cost any extra. Slowly we got completely trusted with grooming, and eventually to where the trainer would just do a quick visual check before getting on. Maybe during kids lessons have the riding portion be half an hour initially with 15 minutes before and after being used to teach tacking/untacking? Of course, explain this to parents beforehand. 

I don't think there's anything unfair about only doing 25 days worth of training on the horse if you advertise it as such, but it's your call. I don't know exactly how to work out the price difference between training and training package, I just wanted to point out the difference. I don't see anything wrong with charging the same price for outside folks and resident boarders. You're still getting a big cut on the services, so I'd just make one training package and charge everyone the same price.

I'd think long and hard about knocking down the price of board for feeding their own feed. It's something that you want to discourage, but still leave as an option if it's medically necessary for some reason. Provide a few good feeds that cover a wide range of horses, and if that doesn't work for their horse then it's their responsibility.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

a few things I would not like.. The worming schedule. To often is bad.
and the feed you mix ? .. No .. I would not trust that. Do you have a label showing the amount of the supplemental feed you mix ? nutritional values ? Why should someone pay for the same amt when you are not supplying the supplemental feed ? 
Your hay needs stated as in pounds not flakes, what you call a flake, and what someone else calls a flake could be two different things.


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