# Privately owned barn that takes in outside boarders



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Are you thinking self board or would you be doing the caring side of it?


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Man, if I lived near you I'd LOVE a place like that. That is actually what I'll be looking for when I try to find a place to board this year- I don't like busy barns with tons of people coming and going all day, every day. 

As far as self-care goes though, I know way too many barn owners who say they will not do self care around here, because there is no way most people can keep up with the work on a daily basis unless they live extremely close. I would not be able to do it because I know I would not be able to get out to the barn 7 days a week. The one farm I visited said they had had a problem with horses not getting fed or stalls cleaned when they allowed it.


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## Shosadlbrd (Nov 3, 2013)

jaydee said:


> Are you thinking self board or would you be doing the caring side of it?


I am thinking of offering self board or even considered seeing if a trainer or instructor would like to use the whole barn. 

Just hate to see it sit there empty. 

I really don't want to care for any more horses then the five I have, but could do feeding and such in emergencies.


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## EncinitasM (Oct 5, 2014)

My instructor, who owns/runs the boarding stable she teaches at refuses partial board because of the reasons Mulefeather noted. All it takes is one boarder not taking care of things and the whole barn environment is degraded.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I worked at a place where we had a lot of self boarders and they can end up being more work than you anticipate. It's something to be aware of because its hard to say no when you get a call late at night to beg you to go and check on 'little Sparky' who looked a bit colicy when they left or can you see to 'little Blacky' because the farriers coming in the morning and suddenly they can't get.
Leasing it out to a trainer might work better for you


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Leasing it out as a whole barn (not per stall) either to a trainer or to a single person with multiple horses is going to be your best bet as far as least amount of work for you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Shosadlbrd (Nov 3, 2013)

verona1016 said:


> Leasing it out as a whole barn (not per stall) either to a trainer or to a single person with multiple horses is going to be your best bet as far as least amount of work for you.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Anyone have any idea what I should charge per month for the whole barn to one person?


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## kenda (Oct 10, 2008)

Agree with leasing it out as a package deal if possible. I've been in several self board barns now, and although all of the horses on self board were well looked after, if you've got 5 different owners come to take care of 5 different horses, usually all at the same time since a large majority of people work 9-5, you are going to have 5 different personalities with potential for major drama, not to mention they'll just be getting in each others way when they all want to clean stalls at the same time, use the wash stall at the same time, ride at the same time, etc.

Also, you'll need storage space for 5 different people's hay supply and tack, and either have locking storage space for each person or rely on the honour system and have potential problems there.

I'm currently at a barn with 4 self boarders, including myself. It's a row of 4 stalls with large paddocks, in a separate barn with room across from each stall for storage of hay and equipment. We are welcome to use the locking tack room in the full board barn, or we can bring in our own tack box and put it in front of our stalls. This is working because all 4 boarders are usually there at different times, if only offset by an hour or so, and because none of us are interested in interfering with each other, not to say we aren't friendly. Some people just can't help themselves from getting involved in drama though.


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## kenda (Oct 10, 2008)

I would look at what the normal rate is for comparable facilities per stall for self board in your area and then just drop it by whatever you feel is appropriate for a bulk discount. IE, I'm at a barn kind of similar to yours, except with two small outdoor arenas instead of a large one, but with trail access. Self board is $180 including morning and afternoon hay tossed in, or morning turnout on pasture, weather dependant, with shavings included. So, if it were mine and I wanted to lease it out to one person, I might charge the equivalent of $150 per stall, so $600 in my case.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I cannot speak from the side of owning property, but I can speak from a boarder's point of view!

I have boarded my horses at 3 different places over the years. All of these places have not been "boarding barns". They have been a family's private property.

The first place was quite a while back and I kept one horse. I did not have a trailer, so they cleaned out a small area in one of the run-in sheds for me. There was a run-in shelter on either side and a separate middle part that connected them. I kept my tack in the middle part. In this particular instance, I only kept my horse there for the summer and he was turned out 24/7 with all the other horses in the pasture. They did keep all the horses in the corrals for about a month, though (and they fed hay) because it was a dry year and they wanted to give the pasture time to grow. They had a nice outdoor arena and lots of riding trails. They had a barn but I didn't use it. There were a couple other people that also kept a horse or two there. 

The second place I have kept horses is with a retired couple. They had 4 horses of their own. I brought 2 horses. I was the only boarder. The horses were turned out in the pasture in the summer and fed hay in the winter (they fed hay). They had a great set-up where my horses and there horses stayed separate. Her horses had a barn and stalls attached to their corrals and pastures. My horses had a run-in shed that we only opened when the weather was bad. In the beginning, I did not have a trailer, so she let me keep my tack in the barn in her tack room. I would saddle and groom my horses in the barn. When I bought my horse trailer, I moved my tack into it. I really, really loved being there because they were great people and I trusted them to watch my horses if I couldn't make it for a few days, but they were just too far away once our new house was built. 

And the current place I keep my 2 horses now, it is a private family that owns quite a bit of land. There are at least 5 other people (sometimes more) that keep a horse or two there, but they've got the room. There is a barn and tack room, but I really don't use it. I keep all my own tack in my horse trailer, and they allow me to park it on their place. They do have a nice outdoor arena. My horses stay outside in the pasture 24/7 and they feed hay in the winter (I pay extra for the hay). They allow me to keep my horses in my own (sort of) pasture near the house, because I ride almost every day except in the winter. 

So essentially, everywhere I have kept my horses have been SELF-care except for the fact that they feed the hay in the winter. Around here, lots of people do round bales and I don't exactly have a tractor to move one. ;-)


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

6 stalls and a tack shed. to One person ,and they supply the Liability Insurance , they feed, they clean, they supply hay shavings etc - $900 -1000.00 

Or to single boarder - one horse probably 180 -200 a month, they clean, supply hay, shavings and you toss hay twice a day . you would be able to rent to 4 people, two person having the tack shed ( charge more for that ) and the others could use the empty box stalls to store hay , tack shavings etc. I would not want them everyday coming and feeding, it would be a nightmare. 
I would not let them share tack or storage areas, someone Always uses something that is not theirs. 
Good luck.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Self care is the most common board available in my area and given my experiences with full care(neglect & not feeding the horses) , I prefer it. However, where I am now we all provide our own hay and feed and the stable provides sawdust. The BOs also have several boarders who feed & water twice a day in exchange for a small amount off their board.

You'd probably have the perfect situation if you could find one good horse owner to take all of the stalls rather than 5 people with 5 horses. You can only charge what the local market will bear so you'll have to ask around about rates. I only pay $150 a month per stall and that's considered quite high in my area even though boarding facilities are few and far between(not to mention mostly being old, low ceiling converted cow barns!). 

Unfortunately if you ever happened to mention boarding to your insurer, you will probably be dropped like a hot potato. There is specialized equine insurance that you can get but your normal, every day insurance company won't generally have anything to do with horses and the liability that comes along with them.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

you would need a care custody and control insurance policy.


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## Shosadlbrd (Nov 3, 2013)

The more I read the posts and the more I think about it, I do think renting the whole barn to one person is the way to go. Even doing all six stalls to one person and just keeping MY hay in the new barn and another building I have. 

I live in Southwest Virginia, so if anyone can give me some ideas on what I should charge, advice on that would be greatly appreciated. 

My thoughts range from $75 per stall ($450 a month), $100 per stall ($600 a month) or compromise and just say $500 a month for the whole barn. 

I would have no problem with a trainer or instructor taking the barn and charging for their services to customers. (with proper insurance of course)

Other then the barn lot and another slightly larger lot I can fence in, I would not be able to offer turnout for them. 

But like I said in a previous post, they would have access to a nice ring, round pen and ride out to trails, dirt roads and open fields. 

I am also thinking I would put in an outdoor wash area for them to use. The old barn only has cold water, but they could get one of the portable water heaters. That way there would be no conflict if we wanted to wash horses at the same time. 

Any other advice and thoughts on my pricing??


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