# Are YOU raising Your rates?



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Ghost, I don't board anymore (thank God), but I think raising your rates is something you're going to have to do if you want to be able to continue to give the quality care you do now.

$300 a month isn't outrageous, especially since your hay prices are at the very least 3 times what they were a year ago. If your boarders think you should eat that cost, they're not being realistic and I challenge them to find anywhere else cheaper.


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## HorseMom1025 (Jul 17, 2012)

Our board went up $20 per month due to rising feed costs. Our BO sent us all a very nice email explaining how prices had changed and giving us a 30 day notice of the increase.

I thought it was a reasonable increase (based on the numbers) and was just happy it wasn't more.

If you have reasonable boarders, they will understand.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## loveduffy (Dec 22, 2011)

tell your boards what is going on so they do not think you are taken advantage of them


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## busysmurf (Feb 16, 2012)

There seems to be a lot of mis understanding between those who buy/provide the individual items horses need (BO's & those that keep horses at home) vs. those that pay a lump sum (boarders). 

$300 a month isn't unreasonable! Maybe to prevent any backlash, you could provide them with a breakdown of what exactly it takes to take care of their horses properly (kind of like what you did here). I'm sure most boarders aren't aware of ALL the costs involved, and if you gave them something tells it like it actually is, they'd be less inclined to start complaining.

Just a thought.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

busysmurf said:


> There seems to be a lot of mis understanding between those who buy/provide the individual items horses need (BO's & those that keep horses at home) vs. those that pay a lump sum (boarders).
> 
> $300 a month isn't unreasonable! Maybe to prevent any backlash, you could provide them with a breakdown of what exactly it takes to take care of their horses properly (kind of like what you did here). I'm sure most boarders aren't aware of ALL the costs involved, and if you gave them something tells it like it actually is, they'd be less inclined to start complaining.
> 
> Just a thought.


I think if they saw how little we make off of boarding they'd think I was lying to them on what costs are involved! ****! because no one in their right mind would work for that little. 

I think we are going to raise current boarders 25 a month and new incoming will be 300 to give a "loyalty" discount.. and hopefully prices come down by the time we ahve to buy. If they dont i'll just have to do another breakdown for boarders. I cant lose money.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Busy, if a BO broke down every single cost that went into board, I think it might overwhelm some people. :wink:

The people who complain the loudest about board prices going up are the ones who have no real clue what that cost represents. Even if you show it to them in black and white, some are_ still_ going to whinge and think the BO is getting rich. :?

Didn't we just have a thread by some disgruntled boarder thinking the drought was made up, and that hay couldn't POSSIBLY cost that much?

My horses are at home, and I know all too well how much feed has gone up in the last 6 months. My hay prices have remained stable, but for how much longer? My hay provider only got 2 cuttings this years, versus 4 cuttings last year. Now I'm no Mensa candidate, but it stands to reason that if there will be less hay to buy it's also going to cost more, because the diesel to run the tractor and baler went up, as did all the other haying supply costs.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

There is no way for you to NOT raise rates without putting yourself out!! Your loyalty discount is a good idea and I'm sure your current boarders will appreciate it. Unfortunately it's the reality of the situation... They would feel the same effects of price change if they were keeping horses at home, how would it be fair for YOU to eat the cost?
Maybe, if hay rates go down again, you can lower rates again, but do not make that guarantee.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

I would go else where to find your hay. Thats a crazy price. your better off to take a trailer out of your area to get hay. Im paying $50.oo for 1300 lbs most hay around is going cheaper, but this is right across the road from us. I also use slow feeders so they can't pig out. the hay lasts much longer and they still get the required amount. paying 10 for a square is mental. Also maybe cubes is a better option. I get 700kg for $180.00 but you know exactly how much they are getting and its excellent quality. Maybe a road trip would be a benifit. I don't think it costs any where near $300.00 to feed a horse for a month.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Spotted, where do you suggest she GO? She'd have to go pretty far out if she's in one of the drought stricken areas, and how would that be cost effective? The drought areas are trucking hay_ in_ from other places.

You're in Alberta, so I don't think you have a clue how devastating this drought has been to the southwestern US.

Plus, if you don't think the price of _all _foodstuffs, including cubes, is going to go up, you don't have a very good grasp of the situation.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Hay prices in Alberta are very reasonable. $4-6 for a square bale, $50 for a round bale in my area. No, I truly have no clue the conditions in the drought-stricken areas, my heart goes out to everyone affected.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

JDI, I just got 50 square bales of mixed grass hay for $3.00 a bale. These bales weigh anywhere from 40-65 pounds, and I'm going to need another 100-150 bales to get me through the winter and into spring. 

My hay has been running me $3.00-$3.50 a square bale, but I can't find round bales for love nor money, as the beef cattle farmers have snagged all of those.

I fully expect to pay more for hay once the weather gets really cold, which is why I'm trying like heck to get as much hay as I can right now.

I also just bought 6 slow feeder hay nets, because I simply can't afford for the horses to waste _any_ hay.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

Speed Racer, I don't know where she is from. normaly we only get 2 cuts off the field. and yes cubes went up $10 a tote. there are other ways to get horses thier nutrition than paying $10 a bale. you would go broke. No wonder people have all these starving horses. Because people don't do the research. 
Im not saying don't raise the prices, if people with pay it then thats great. But you can save costs if you want to, to help yourself out.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

What do you all pay for dewormers? 
And speed racer what did you pay for your slow feed bags ? I found some great places I purched these items ( order from the states )


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Spotted said:


> Speed Racer, I don't know where she is from. normaly we only get 2 cuts off the field. and yes cubes went up $10 a tote. there are other ways to get horses thier nutrition than paying $10 a bale. you would go broke. No wonder people have all these starving horses. Because people don't do the research.
> Im not saying don't raise the prices, if people with pay it then thats great. But you can save costs if you want to, to help yourself out.


And you honestly think that she hasn't tried these other routes?? I'll tell you a secret - cubes are made from hay too, so when there's a hay shortage, guess what else there's less of?
I don't know if you were around to remember the drought over 10 years ago but I was in Provost at the time for work (gahhh what a h-hole) and hay was so **** scarce places were feeding their horses crested wheat (at like $12 a bale too). My horses thought it was bedding the stuff was so awful. Alberta's been in a bad drought too so lets not get all high and mighty about who should be doing what to reduce costs. At least she hasn't opened her gates up to let the horses find grass elsewhere. $25-50 per month is relatively little per person, IMO.

I would have no qualms with a board increase, and in fact was expecting one this year, but then the weather fairy ended up being way kinder to us then she had been earlier in the year. So we do have hay, just way stemmier than I like it, and our second cut is basically straight alfalfa (but I think the BOs are trying to pawn that stuff off onto someone else haha).
I pay $350/mo for outdoor board and I think we ended up at $6/bale this year - horses get 4 feedings per day. $400/mo covers once a day supplements too. I know places on pasture board for $450/mo so I'm not complaining about board prices at my barn!!!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Spotted said:


> Speed Racer, I don't know where she is from. normaly we only get 2 cuts off the field. and yes cubes went up $10 a tote. there are other ways to get horses thier nutrition than paying $10 a bale. you would go broke. No wonder people have all these starving horses. Because people don't do the research.
> Im not saying don't raise the prices, if people with pay it then thats great. But you can save costs if you want to, to help yourself out.


I'm sooo glad you have the economic crisis in the US figured out for us. :?

Yes, it's obviously JUST because people don't know how to budget their funds that horses are starving. Never mind that unemployment rates are at record highs, the drought in the southwest has caused hay and other food crops to be nonexistent in some places, and the cost of _everything_ is skyrocketing.

Sure, just drive 3,000 miles to another state that has hay and get it there! Problem solved! 

I don't know how old you are, but you certainly seem to have a marked lack of understanding about economy, agriculture, and how everything is all tied together. I for one am HIGHLY insulted that you think nobody other than yourself has the intelligence to research or budget their funds for maximum efficiency.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

anabel you don't have to get all cranky about it, I was just trying to give some suggestions. And yes I was around for the drought. And we purchased our hay from elswhere. sometimes the trip pays off. 
So your the getting all high and mighty


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Just as a simple example, we own farm land ~ 200 miles away, and a family member cuts hay on it. In theory, we own 40% of the hay cut on our portion of the land. 

Every single year when I get ready to buy hay for the winter, we sit down and cost it out. Every year, it's been cheaper to buy hay locally than it would be to take a truck and flat bed ~200 miles and pick up FREE hay. That was true when diesel was $3./gallon, even more true now when it's $4./gallon. We've also never factored our time into the equation, as we'd make a family visit out of the trip. 

A barn owner would have to factor in the cost of their time to travel to pick up the hay, it's time they're not feeding, mucking, mowing, dragging the arena, etc. 

So I am really intrigued by this magical idea you can somehow avoid high hay prices by driving out of the area. Even if square bales were $10 locally and $4 4 hours a way, time and fuel costs make it a wash. 

I'd also like to point out that a lot of options for alternate forage that work for a 1 - 3 horse home operation (slow feed nets, soaking hay cubes, etc.) may not feasible for a large commercial barn.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

Speed racer, So if jobs are hard to find then wouldn't people want to save costs????????


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Whoa, whoa, whoa!



> I would go else where to find your hay. That's a crazy price. Your better off to take a trailer out of your area to get hay. Im paying $50.oo for 1300 lbs most hay around is going cheaper, but this is right across the road from us. I also use slow feeders so they can't pig out. The hay lasts much longer and they still get the required amount. Paying 10 for a square is mental. Also maybe cubes is a better option. I get 700kg for $180.00 but you know exactly how much they are getting and its excellent quality. Maybe a road trip would be a benifit. I don't think it costs any where near $300.00 to feed a horse for a month.


You post this, calling the OP "mental" and then you call *anabel* cranky??????

Go back and read what YOU posted before criticizing others. 

It can very easily cost more than $300/month to feed a horse, I can't imagine what your experience is if you don't think that's possible?


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

maura- you don't have to buy hay to feed your horses thier are other options. I Originaly thought they were from Saskatchewan so I thought one province over wouldn't be such a long trip. jeeze people you all need some mydol.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

And you need to learn some manners. 

And gain some perspective that your local experience is not everyone else's.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Excellent post Maura.

I'm in an agricultural area, 80% of land in my county is farmland. Hay in a good year is usually about $3 per square. Bumper crop years, even less. This year with the drought it's going for 10 and up. I bought backup hay and at the friend price still paid $9 a bale. It's a case of basic supply and demand.

Would I have loved to find it cheaper, darn right I would. The cost of fuel to go pick up somewhere cheaper would have made it a wash or likely cost more because I would need a semi load to get through winter. If I only had one or two horses it would be a different story. 

I think that most of us affected by the drought are simply thankful we could get enough hay period.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Spotted said:


> jeeze people you all need some mydol.


What a _totally_ moronic, sexist thing to say. Especially since you claim to be female. :-x

You make idiotic comments about things you know absolutely nothing about, state the reason horses are starving in the US is because we're all just too stupid to budget, and _we're_ the ones who need to chill out?

I think you need to cut your losses and stop showing everyone just how uneducated and ignorant you really are.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

I'll make you a deal - tell me how old you are and what your actual horse *business* experience is - not keeping horses for pleasure, but actually running a business with a P & L statement. Then I'd just love for you to educate me about other options for feeding hay. There might be a few I'm not aware of after 35+ years with horses, 20+ running a for profit horse business.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

maura- I was saying the prices were mental and I didn't call someone crazy, I was talking prices....settledown


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Spotted, 

Do you know what the first thing you should do when you find yourself in a hole?

*Stop digging.*

You made some incorrect assumptions. You were rude and condescending. And you offered some epically bad, ill-informed advice. 

By changing your story and continuing to be insulting, you're just digging yourself in deeper. 

Good luck with that.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Spotted said:


> maura- you don't have to buy hay to feed your horses thier are other options. I Originaly thought they were from Saskatchewan so I thought one province over wouldn't be such a long trip. jeeze people you all need some mydol.


Erm. Hay cubes are made from hay, and hay stretchers are just that - stretchers. Not meant to be fed in place of hay. Hay is the best feed for horses' diets to primarily consist of, as that's what their digestive systems are designed for. Feeding anything else in vast quantities can be hard on the horse's systems and cause problems.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

I didn't call anyone stupid I was trying give some suggestions. This has gotten way out of hand. I didn't know they were from the states I thought they were one province over from me. I wasn't trying to offend anyone, just didn't see why I was getting jumped on so fast. It doesn't matter how old Iam or if I own a buisness I just wanted to give some ideas, 
My grandfather said they had a drought way back when and said they fed straw for roughage.
I also know of some other breeders who feed bread from the bakeries that were taken off the shelf. makes skinny horse fill out and makes thier coat shiny. Also alfalfa pellets. beet pulp is cheap and filling and has lots of fiber.
I also know where to get great dewormer for for under 3 dollors and hay bags for 7.99 if anyone cares to know.


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## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

Spotted said:


> Sthere are other ways to get horses thier nutrition than paying $10 a bale. you would go broke. No wonder people have all these starving horses. Because people don't do the research.


There is a nationwide drought in the US, I can guarantee almost everyone has done research 



Spotted said:


> What do you all pay for dewormers?


Wormers instead of Hay? Novel Idea



Spotted said:


> anabel you don't have to get all cranky about it, I was just trying to give some suggestions. And yes I was around for the drought. And we purchased our hay from elswhere. sometimes the trip pays off.
> So your the getting all high and mighty


Hello? Pot calling the kettle black?



Spotted said:


> Speed racer, So if jobs are hard to find then wouldn't people want to save costs????????


55% of the Country has a Hay shortage, so yes everyone tries to save costs, whether or not they have a job.



Spotted said:


> maura- you don't have to buy hay to feed your horses thier are other options. I Originaly thought they were from Saskatchewan so I thought one province over wouldn't be such a long trip. jeeze people you all need some mydol.


Mydol? Really



Spotted said:


> maura- I was saying the prices were mental and I didn't call someone crazy, I was talking prices....settledown


Settle-down? 

Good advice I suggest you come back to this Thread Later


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## gothicangel69 (Aug 2, 2011)

We had a semi-dry summer this year, but are by no means in a drought area, and our prices have gone up as well. We are now paying 5-6 per bale of hay (used to be 3) and feed has gone up 3$ per bag. I currently pay 350 for board, and expected an increase this year, but it hasn't come yet. I know the BO is planning to which to haylage, and has informed us that when that happens, there will be a 50 board increase. It doesn't bother me at all though. I'd rather pay 400 for good quality haylage, than 350 for poor quality hay. The BO had to make a 3 hour drive this week, just to scout out some possible hay sources as her usually providers were all out. I don't even think she's breaking even right now.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

GhostwindAppaloosa said:


> With the recent drought.. our regular hay prices of about 2.50-3.50 a bale are now between 10-14 a bale. These bales advertised at 50-60lbs are in reality (we weigh them every time we buy) 30-40 lbs.
> 
> So lets be optimistic here and say they are 40 lbs .. for 10 a bale..
> 
> ...


I raised my rates 3X last year. I've been used to paying about $40 for a 1500 lb round bale and aobut $3 for a 50 lb square of bermuda grass. By the end of last year, this spring, I was paying $200 per 800 lb round bale IF I could find one, and $16/50 lb squares. 

This spring after first cutting, I put up 3 semi loads of small squares, so approximately 48 tons of prairie grass at $4/bale, and I bought 80 1500 lb round bales at $80/bale. Most of my boarders have sold off their horses or those who had multiple horses have sold down to 1 or 2. I am not taking in new boarders to replace the old, have sold off most of my herd and we're going to be ok til next spring. 

I gave up trying to do anything but break even last year when those round bales when up over $100, I NEVER thought I'd see the day when I'd pay $200 for a crappy one and be ecstatic to have found it. 

Not only did hay go up but this drought has devastated the corn crop along with other grains and concentrated feed has gone up too. I feed Omolene 400 and it has gone from $7.50/40 lb bag to $16/40 lb bag. I go through 5 pallets at 40 bags/pallet during the winter. But! It keeps the horses healthy, fat and sassy and looking good all through the winter, so it's worth every dime I pay. 

Another side to the drought that most aren't thinking about is, after 2 years of it, my pastures are destroyed. When we start getting normal rain again, I'll have to completely turn under, re-seed and re-fertilize all of my pastures so the horses can have turn out and grazing again. 

Oh yeah, and my water bill went from about $100 month to keep everyone well watered to $250/month now because of the drought. 

So, it's not just as easy as driving to another state or province to get hay. And because it's sooooo wide spread, I'd have to go to Ky or TN or ???? because the usual states we haul in from, CO, NE, MI, WI, they're all having a hay shortage too.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

Dreamcatcher- what is Omolene 400 I haven't heard of it before.

I didn't realise how bad the drought is everywhere. So sad, I wish you all best.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Spotted said:


> Dreamcatcher- what is Omolene 400 I haven't heard of it before.
> 
> I didn't realise how bad the drought is everywhere. So sad, I wish you all best.


Spotted, Omolene 400 is a complete feed by Purina. It's designed to be fed instead of hay, in my case because the quality of the hay around here has been so poor, I feed it with hay. I use the hay around here pretty much as a belly filler and to give them something to do, rather than to depend on it for nutrition. I feed the Omolene as directed for weight & condition and then they get hay to keep them busy and happy. It's not a cheap way to feed but I made my mind up years ago that the most expensive feed was still cheaper than frequent vet calls and I've stuck with it and had pretty good success. 

Here's a link: 
Purina Horse Feeds - OMOLENE

I think it was you who asked how much we're paying for dewormers? I just got an e-mail from Valley Vet today for Ivermectin at $1.99 and buy 6 get one free. I'll be ordering around 100 of those and they also have Quest Plus on sale for 10.49 a tube, so I'll be ordering about 25 of those. I stock up when the sales come around.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

Dreamcatcher- thanks for the info. Thats a better price than mine, I was ordering from Jeffers Equine for 2.59 and chicks saddlery for 2.29. If I buy from here it $15.00 and up.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

What boarders need to understand is that their board cost goes toward feed, insurance and building maintainence, not just feed. The oil companies have been hanging us out to dry with continual price increases which affects the people who may our hay. Drought means trucking it in greater distances. The truckers had to raise their rates to cover their increased fuel costs. We had drought one year and hay tripled in price because of the hauling distances. I had the good fortune to find a good supply of two year old clover hay for cheap. I picked up 80 bales of beautiful oat straw and with a little sweet feed that's how my horses came thro that winter, fat and sassy. You can feed each horse a flake of oat straw per day as he needs the roughage. There is often a few oats in it which will add a very small amt of protein.


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## DimSum (Mar 28, 2012)

(carefully skirting the other issues here) Yes OP you should raise your board. Heck, my BO had to raise us $30/month and she grows her own hay. But this drought is so bad here she couldn't sell any of the excess and has had to hang on to every bale they produced this year. Add into it diesel at $4.00 a gallon and rising electricity costs-I frankly don't know how she does it. She was downright embarrassed when she told us she was upping the board on Jan 1. 2013. I told her that she runs a business and that I understood why she had to do it.


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## Seven Red Roses (Sep 12, 2012)

A sampling of hay prices in Southern California -- all of these bales are stated to be between 105 and 112 pounds:

Alfalfa, first cutting - $16.75
Bermuda, first cutting - $15.75
Orchard, second cutting - $24.00
Timothy, second cutting - $24.00

And these are the pickup prices -- it's a dollar more per bale for delivery. :-(

The boarding prices where my horse is went up and I applaud the owners' decision to do so. I love my barn and I don't want them to go out of business!


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## Andieve (Aug 6, 2012)

I think that if you need to raise your rates to keep up with the rising costs...then go for it. 
I'm in Nebraska and we've been hit hard by the drought...totally brown and dead corn fields everywhere, hay prices rising. I've seen lots of people selling their horses and mentioning the rising hay cost and getting the horses to a new home before winter  
We only lease but I feel for everyone affected by the drought who is trying to keep up!


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

just read through all the posts. I dont think many understand what goes into making hay. We personally do hay some of our own land. We normally get about 600 bales off our land in 3 cuts....
this year we got 250...

what people do NOT understand is that no matter if we normally get 600.. or 10.. the cost to actually hay the field costs teh same. The tractor still has to run across the WHOLE field. ... cut it.. rake it... bale it. So the cost to produce does not change. add into that the cost of fuel. I dont even want to think about what it cost us to produce thehay this year. I was just happy we had a field to hay. 

we normally can cut some costs with some pasture grazing.. but there was none of that this year. Horses have had to be hayed all summer this year. 

we'd love to be able to get hay elsewhere cheaper but the truck gets 6 miles to the gallon and can only haul 200 bales at a time. IF it were possible to get hay cheaper we certainly would take the extra time and labor to get it. Its just NOT available. Not even looking at price. we might not even be able to buy hay for ANY money. We are trying to find hay now. and unfortunetly money comes in monthly and I have to buy hay for a WHOLE winter at once if possible. There is a lot of upfront cost in that. Im honestly at the point of closing down shop for winter as i dont think its going to be economically possible to provide for boarders. Im going to have a hard enough time finding hay for my own herd.


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## Seven Red Roses (Sep 12, 2012)

On my drive to where my horse is boarded, I go by a modestly sized hay field. There has only been one cutting on it when in prior years I believe they've done three. The hay simply did not have enough water for more growth.


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## loveduffy (Dec 22, 2011)

hay is up to 8/bale in NY


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

On top of everything already mentioned it doesn't help that we are still mandated to use corn for ethanol which does no good for anything.

I have stalls empty because I'm not sure if I can feed more than the ones already here. My first hay cutting was 350 bales compared to the normal 1200.

No amount of money can buy hay that doesn't exist.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

natisha said:


> No amount of money can buy hay that doesn't exist.


Exactly and exactly why I haven't replaced the boarder's horses who've been sold. I know I can feed what's here now, but anything more would be a gamble, and to me, since I board for pay a CRIMINAL negligence if I ran out of hay before there's more available.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Even in the UK, we are importing hay. We have had the opposite problem in that we have had so much rain that farmers havnt been able to cut hay as we cant get it dry before it rains again.
Last year the yard went through 1 massive barn full of hay and the farmer sold quite a bit. This year he has less than half a barn cut and is hanging on to every scrap.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

natisha said:


> No amount of money can buy hay that doesn't exist.


Yup and yup again


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

Back to the OP, I think it's perfectly reasonable to raise your board costs. Most informed boarders would be expecting it. 

I'd much rather pay a bit more for the same level of care than have my horse going without hay.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

No but only because my boarders provide all their own food. 

Hay is $12-$15 a 55lb bale IF you can get it. All my hay sheds are locked after multiple people slowed down and took a really good look when I was hauling/stacking hay.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

Delfina we have had wagons of hay stolen left and right throughout the state. Its that bad!


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## ShannonSevenfold (Oct 11, 2008)

I was just talking to my BM about this today. (...things you shouldn't say around non-horse people... :lol

Here in Wisconsin, we had a very dry summer, but from what I've heard, we were LUCKY with the amount of rain we got. Hay production is down here, but not to the point where there is a shortage. However, getting to be late in the haying season, we have begun to notice a definate decrease in the amount of hay for sale. My BM is now trucking hay in from a few hours away and it's SUPER alfalfa-y hay at $7 per small square bail compared to last summer's $3 a bale. Our board is SUPER cheap ($275 for all-inclusive stall board in a heated barn) and I am shocked that it has not gone up. We will be lucky if it doesn't.

Local feed stores have stopped carrying hay cubes and the like as well.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

Our BO raised her rates $25/mo due to the shortage... she was driving hours to find and transport hay. And was still worried that she would have to ration. I do not begrudge her a penny! I would not want to live with that worry....


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

stopped boarding. no outside horses here anymore, done with the 'whining' done with the drama. Done with people trying to sue for no reason and thier threats of animal control etc etc. They can go pay four times as much someplace else.


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## ImaginaryBee (Sep 30, 2012)

Hay here in my part of Ohio is $3 a bale and a 4x5' round is $30


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## cath80 (Oct 1, 2012)

dont do it. I understand the frustration with rising costs, but it will all even out over time.


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