What is the average price to board a horse

For example, if you want to do showjumping with your horse, then you need a riding arena with a set of show jumps. The services provided depends on the type of boarding you choose and reflected in the price. The care available ranges from full board to self-care and you will often pay for extra services on top of your regular monthly fees. Everything included and not included should be outlined in a contract.

There are many boarding options available according to your budget and requirements. Some stables only provide specific services. Knowing what you want, and the facilities you need will help you decide which one is right for you and your horse. Full board is where the barn supplies the feed, bedding and hay and your horse has a stall to stay in with pasture turnout.

The staff do all the daily chores like mucking out, feeding, watering, turnout and blanketing when necessary. This option is perfect for owners with busy schedules and unable to visit their horses daily. However, it can be much higher depending on the location. Full board also includes routine scheduling of the farrier and vet, use of facilities like riding arenas and trails and a designated area for your horse equipment.

Some boarding stables include exercise or training in the price as well as lessons or charge at an extra cost. Partial care is an ideal option as you pay half the price of full board.

Arrangements differ from barn to barn. One facility might look after your horse in the mornings, while you are responsible for the evening chores. Other options include allowing someone else to ride your horse three times a week either as a sharer or for use in riding lessons or on trail rides.

You must have a written contract that outlines this type of agreement. If you are on a budget and have the time, then self-care boarding is the cheapest and best option. The barn provides the facilities, but you are responsible for mucking out, feeding, turnout and blanketing.

You must buy feed, bedding and hay and be there for the vet and farrier. Self-care boarding is a big commitment, and you will have to travel to the stable at least once a day.

It is hard work, and you must be confident in your horse keeping abilities. As a result, stall board is generally far more expensive than pasture board.

Pasture board allows the horse to live alone or in groups outside full time with access to shelter whenever they need it. Horses are able to move freely within their field and graze on any available grass all day. Boarding operations also differ significantly in the level of services that they provide in exchange for their fees. Self-care is suitable for the hands-on owner who has the time and desire to care for their own horses.

Self-care board generally only includes the use of the facility; the horse owner is responsible for purchasing supplies and providing the labor needed to care for their horse. The most popular level of service provided by boarding barns is full board, which includes all of the supplies, feed, and labor required to care for the horse stabled at the facility.

Some more exclusive barns may offer additional services such as grooming and exercising for a higher rate. While this price for basic full stall board may seem expensive, the reality of the industry is that most barn owners barely break even due to the overwhelming costs associated with running a boarding operation. Interested in learning more about boarding your horse?

You Board Your Horse. There also are variable expenses such as feed, hay and bedding. All of these costs might be influenced by the number of horses cared for. Of course no stable or farm wants to just break even; if you are truly in the "business" of boarding , then you should be making a profit.

Many farm or stable owners don't take into account all of the expenses they have when trying to figure out how much to charge in board. Then they can't understand why they are not making or are even losing money at the end of the year.

Many little expenses not passed along can result in a farm or stable going out of business. Happy boarders will be willing to pay a little more for a farm or stable they like rather than losing that facility.

The following list is by no means exhaustive of all the costs involved in maintaining a boarding operation , but most, if not all of these costs, are present to some degree in just about any facility:.

Feed and feed storage areas This includes supplements and other things such as complete feed pellets and grains and the room or building where they are stored. Bedding and bedding storage You will need an area for storing bulk shavings or individual bales. Utilities Don't forget to include the cost of water, electric, gas, sewer and trash removal in what you charge your clients.

Equipment You might not think about these items until you have to buy, replace or repair them. Make sure you include the cost of purchasing or maintaining hay racks , feed buckets , water buckets heated and non-heated , blanket and saddle racks , hoses in wash stalls , sprinkler systems, jump standards and poles in your boarding costs.

Containment Fencing, gates and fence repairs should be included in your budget and allocated appropriately in your receipts, which means boarders' monthly payments must cover these expenses. Buildings Building and run-in shed repairs and upkeep must be included. Arenas Those indoor and outdoor arenas and their upkeep, including putting in good footing, harrowing and moistening the footing, installing indoor mirrors and lights, are another area of cost for a boarding farm.

Pasture upkeep Remember to include fertilization, seed, grass and weed management, and harrowing. Fly control The measures you take to r educe the incidence of flies and mosquitoes are another expense some owners forget.

Those are a cost of doing business. Machinery and equipment for farm maintenance This can include tractors, harrows , manure spreader, rakes , wheelbarrows, etc.