Hippotherapy

How can I prepare my property to start boarding horses, and how should I charge?

I have 5 acres and a daughter who loves horses. We think boarding horses may be a good source of extra money and fun for both of us.

Public Comments

1. the best thing to do is to get in contact with some reputable horse breeders and find out what their set up for boarding is and how much they would typically charge to board horses. As someone who has had a lot of experience with horses, they should be able to help you out, and you can even offer them your services if they need extra boarding!
2. First, make sure you have the knowledge and the willingness to work. Next, make sure your fences are safe and adequate. I use electric tape with a solar charger. What kind of barn will you have? How many stalls? Paddocks with the stalls or turnout together? Will you board stallions? They are a handful! Decide whether you will : Pasture board - charge a fee for keeping the horse in pasture, but the owner provides the rest. Partial board - pasture, stall, owner provides the rest. Full board - you provide EVERYTHING - except vet care. Pretty much you write the rules, since it is your property. You need the signs regarding laws protecting horse property, and will you have a locked tack room with a key for each boarder? Make boarders sign agreements to make it legal, and have them notarized. Research what others in the area charge, then set your prices comparatively.
3. You should build a barn and pastures and in indoor arena and an outdoor arena. My barn charges about $350 a mounth for stalls and $300 a mounth for rofboard.
4. You will need to be able to show the people who are going to put horses on your property that you have a good working knowledge of how to care for a horse in case of emergency. Also you will need to get insurance to cover any accidents that happen on your property. And any people who could be injured and any horses that could be injured. You will also need a contract for your boarders that deals with what you will do for how much and what they are expected to do. You will need to make very sure your fences are secure and that they are horse proof and they are not barbed wire or something like that. You will need to provide your boarders a secure place to keep their tack and saddles and grooming supplies. You will need to set hours that you will let people on to your property. Anyone who is going to ride will need to sign a release so you can not be held liable for injuries caused by a horse you do not own. It is a TON of work to board and much liability also. I check out the person running the facility and make sure they have lots of experience in handling and working with horses before putting there as if there is an emergency (and there will be) they need to be able to handle and control a horse. Think long and hard and talk with your insurance agent before you do anything to make sure you and your daughter are protected.
5. You need to find out the zone rules for your county (my county law is 5 acres per horse). That will tell you how many horses you can accept. Talk to a legal Representative, horses = liability! You need good fencing (nothing a hoof can get stuck in) stalls, feed, hay, brushes, emergency care, vet information. There is not a lot of money to be made in boarding horses either. Unless you have a full size riding arena and immaculate facility's, you can only charge 100-200 dollars. It is a lot of work, but can be emotionally rewarding. Talk to nearby farms that board.
6. first you need to build a trustworthy barn, fences, make sure pastures are good, nd research on how to run a barn. Just a word to the wise, the best way to make a snall fortune an horses is to start with a large one.
7. Well, first, understand that the legal issues involved with boarding horses are enormous. If something happens to someone on your property, or a horse gets hurt, they can easily take you to court; I know a few different people who have been sued for similar reasons. Above all, make sure you have as much of a full proof boarding contract as possible; try to protect yourself from every angle possible. Here are some links on horse boarding I used when I did a study in school on starting a boarding business and what to consider...hope they help! http://www.equi-sense.com/articles/horseboarding.html http://equisearch.com/horses_care/farm_ranch/management/bill121603/ http://www.gaitedhorses.net/boarding.htm Good luck. :-)
8. There have some very good answers listed previously, but take it from someone who has "been there, done that". If you live on the property, be ready for visitors at all times of the day and night. In addition, if you do not have someone to look after the place when you are away, there is no guarantee that the horses are being taken care of properly. You could be tied to the barn w/ little escape. Even if it is not a "full-board" barn, you could be held liable. This is a sticky legal area and should be researched thoroughly before venturing into the boarding barn business.
9. Taking care of people's beloved (and expensive) pets is a big responsibility. Look into liability insurance - if your barn burns down or the horses are hurt or stolen from your property, you could be sued. Do you know enough about horse care to offer full board (you do all the work, turning out, cleaning and feeding) or will you just offer rough board (where the horse owners have to do the care)? Make sure there are no toxic plants on your property that could make the horses sick. Check your local zoning codes and see if it's legal. What if you want to go on vacation? Will there be a responsible person home to keep an eye on things? What will you do if your client can't or won't pay you? Better have a contract that spells everything out. People who start out friendly can quickly turn on you if something bad happens.
10. its a head ache and no good. you will have people ther all day and night and some steal!!