I have come to the conclusion that a full time or better paying job is not in the cards for me. There has to be a reason for this, and there is only one that I can think of. I am supposed to do something from home. So as I sit in my yard and survey around me, I can't help but wonder if maybe I am supposed to make this property work for me.
After all, this property was purchased for me. TC never would have bought a place with all of these equine possibilities if it weren't for me. I even said before we moved down here that I would love to not have to have a 9-5 job. Does this mean that my wishes were answered? (Yes I know- be careful what you wish for)
So with that, and the fact that I have to do something to bring in some cash asap, I have placed an ad. I am also working on drawing up a contract and liability release. I have never had to board a horse before, so when trying to determine what I need to offer, I went with what I would expect if I were boarding, As well as what I have learned from bloggers who board. I have read your blogs and listened to the things you like at certain barns, and things that absolutely drove you up the wall. But still I would really love some input.
Here is the link to my ad and please folks, I really need to hear what you think. Do I need to omit anything from my ad? Is there something I need to add to it? I do think I need to go work my round pen and then re-take that picture. It is not very flattering.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/fgs/4045694484.html
Yes I understand that boarding opens up a door to a ton of hassle, but I have to do something to make some money. I have the room and the time right now. I have the equipment to make it a little easier. I have a property that was built by a vet and a farrier, with horse safety in mind. But most of all I really do care about people who care about their horses. I really do want to provide a quality service, and I want the horses in my care to be treated with as much care as I would treat my own.
You will see that I only offer full care. I had originally considered offering different levels of care, but decided against it. The last thing I need is someone saying they just want to rent the stall, and paying the bare minimum and then just never showing up, knowing that I am not going to let the horse starve to death.
I would appreciate any suggestions of things to include in my contract, besides the obvious of liability release, definition of negligence, what happens if they do not pay, etc.
If you think I am out of my ever lovin mind, feel free to tell me that too.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I forgot to add that I will have liability insurance before anyone gets to bring their horse on my property.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to consider clarifying the $10.00 arena charge. Most places clarify the charge is per horse. It's unlikely, but if someone wanted to exploit the blanket $10.00 charge, they could show up with several horses and stay all day. There are a few places that will offer a discounted, pre-set fee for trainers/multiple-horse owners/multiple-member family ride time, should you encounter that situation. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, I will definitely go back and add that in. $10.00 per horse, with group and event rates available.
DeleteI was going to bring up insurance - glad you thought of that already!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea. My sister's family runs a boarding stable and it's an excellent source of income. Plus, you'll have plenty of people to ride with. Sometimes the drama can get to be a bit much, but I think you can kind of tell who is your sort of horse person and who isn't.
I'd make sure boundaries are set so that everyone understands the rules, the contract is bulletproof, and I'd say go ahead and run with it!
I know some places require a negative coggins and/or health certificate, at least when they first come it. I think that's a bit much, myself.
Last thought, you might want to decide whether you'll allow stallions and what age colts need to be gelded by. Someone will surely ask at some point. And if you're going to accept bred mares, be ready for visits at all hours and all sorts of worried owner fussiness.
Thanks, I am working on my rules and trying to come up with every scenario, although I'm sure some rules will have to come into place after an issue arises. I am also going to get some signs made up for the arena use, that clearly states that anyone entering the arena does so at their own risk, and we are not to be held liable for any accidents. I will probably also include a rule that anyone under the age of 18 must wear a helmet. Yup, need to add that no Stallion clause. We just aren't set up to keep a stud horse away from mares if needed. I had thought of that one, but I didn't think of the bred mare. Will have to think on that one.
DeleteThank you for the vote of confidence, I appreciate it more than you know! :-)
Now there is an adventure. Sounds like you have put a lot of thought into it and I think you'll do well. The only thing I can think to add is along the line of Andrea's comment, make sure you have clear boundaries and rules set up right off. Nothing seems to cloud those lines quite so much as boarding.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your new venture!
what a beautiful place you have!! I have never taken on boarders other than a couple friends, because I am well a grumpy old bat who doesn't like people here at all or any time, I would suggest for your own peace of mind you schedule one day at least a week for you , no access or limited hours
ReplyDeleteIn one boarding arrangement, I remember feeling frustrated because the only times I could work with my horse were before and after work, and the barn owners always fed them at those times and forbade me from taking my horse away from his hay to work with him. I asked them to hold off feeding him until after I work with him. They did, but they decided to just feed all the horses after I came by, and so I would get there and find someone else using the round pen and riding arena. I couldn't do anything but groom him, because we weren't allowed to lunge or ride the horses on the grass. The rules had my hands tied, so I quickly built my own horse setup on my own property and pulled my horse out of that boarding arrangement. I suspect you will find yourself having to adapt the rules to your boarders' needs.
ReplyDeleteWhen I boarded the horses for a few months while moving, the problems I encountered involved not being able to use the arena because someone had cut their horse loose to run around in it, and then they disappeared so that I couldn't ask them to catch their horse, my horse ripping fly masks off neighboring horses' heads, and other horse owners getting mad about it, and occasionally being asked to move my truck because parking was limited.
You'll need to think about bathroom usage. Everyone has bathroom emergencies. Keep a first aid kit in the tack room. In your paperwork, get permission to make decisions on when to call for a vet in case you can't get a hold of the horse owner, and make the owner agree to pay any vet bills. I think you'll have no problem getting boarders with the ad. (In my browser, your links show up as the same color as your background, so they are invisible until after I have clicked on them.)
Lots of good info there. Thank you!
DeleteI just thought of one other thing... One barn owner erected a locked mail drop for payments so that she wouldn't be bugged by people knocking on her door all day and night.
ReplyDeleteSeparate tack room or shed for boarders. Trust me on this! Otherwise they will 'borrow' whatever they feel the need to and it will either be filthy, broken or disappear altogether. Never fails.
ReplyDeleteLiability signs can be found at most tack stores or online for your state. One on the front gates, one on the arena gate, one on the tack room door... too much is not enough.
Agreed with Nuzz Muzz- signage to state horses are not to be left unattended in the arena period. Also the bathroom thing...
Late fee's on board past a certain date, multi-horse discounts. Special care fees? Some places charge extra for blanketing, fly masks, etc.
The separate tack room for each boarder could be a problem. But I will have to see what I can come up with. For now it will have to be on the honor system and anyone caught touching anything that is not theirs will be evicted immediately.
DeleteMaybenot so much as having a seperate tack shed or closet for each boarder, but just one that is seperate from yours. They can 'borrow' amongst themselves, but hands off your stuff.
DeleteThat makes sense CNJ and THAT I can do. Good Point!
DeleteWow your place is gorgeous!! I don't think i've ever seen photos before - your outdoor is to die for. In other news, good luck on the adventure. I am a solitary, grumpy curmudgeon, so if I had my own place I doubt I'd ever allow boarders, but, the added income and the bonus of being able to stay home, ride, and take care of horses is definitely a plus. I agree with what everyone else has said in the comments, at the place i'm boarding at now there is a lot of blurred lines and expectations, sometimes I don't recognize I've done something "wrong", and other times I feel as if i'm being pushed on a more personal level than just a boarder-barn owner relationship - clear, established boundaries and rules will always assist in these types of situations not happening. Best of luck, I would definitely send Jingle to your place, sounds marvelous!
ReplyDeleteI think the add looks nice! I just hope those are NOT un-capped T-posts in the first photo? I know nothing about horsekeeping in the south-west but I assume the type of pens you're showing are typical of that area? I've only lived in climates with winter so I am wondering where the windbreaks and stalls are! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing I want as a boarder (took me 3 tries in 4 years to get it) is the assurance that my horses are treated as well as the barn owner's horses. For instance, having obviously poorer quality hay for the boarded horses, or considerably thicker bedding in the owner's stalls. As a boarder that made me feel like I was funding their horses rather than my own. Just something to consider. I second the separate tack areas. I really appreciate being able to lock my own closet at the barn. I know my stuff is not going to get "borrowed" like it has at every other barn. If you've got the room, that is.
They are uncapped and thank you for bringing it to my attention. My horses don't mess with it because of the hot wire but caps are cheap and will be on there tomorrow. Thanks !
DeleteOh boy, I could write a book on this. I've been to way too many barns in my area, and left way too many barns in my area. That's why I'm kind of stuck at my current place... there's just nowhere else for me to go. I've been giving this post some thought so I could compose something that's worth your while to read as opposed to me just complaining about barn managers. Here are my top 3:
ReplyDeleteFirst thing... I hate barn hours. I understand that it is the private property of someone, but I feel that if my horse resides on your property, I should have access to her at all times. That doesn't mean I hang out in your yard or knock on your door, but if I want to check on my horse or ride at 8pm, I should be able to. Sometimes I have a show and I need to stay late to get ready, and then arrive super early in the morning to pick her up. I'm also not unreasonable, though, and wouldn't drop by at 3am.
Second thing... a white board of some kind is a must. That way boarders can leave notes and instructions (and pray they're actually followed). You can also leave notes for the other boarders, like when you'll be deworming or when the vet is coming to vaccinate. It's very helpful. You can also put all the boarders' contact information on there in case there's an emergency.
Third thing... please, please, please call or contact people if something is not right with their horse. I guarantee they want to know about it. This has been the biggest issue I've had with barns. If you have a question, or the horse is missing a shoe... whatever it is, we want to know about it. I wouldn't care if I got twelve calls a day. It's better than finding out on my own that my horse has been walking on three legs since yesterday.
As far as facilities, you know what works best for horses in your area. Everything else I expect as a boarder is what I consider good, basic horse care... fresh water every day, good quality hay, clean stalls, pastures maintained, and stuff like that.
I think you're a brave woman to take on boarders. As much as I love horses, a lot of times their owners are just crazy (myself included!) LOL I would be picky about who you allow to board on your farm as well. You want to end up with a good group of responsible horse owners. Good luck!!
I am really glad you had some input for me. I know you have been through a lot with your boarding situations lately, so I was really hoping to learn from that about what I didn't want to do.
DeleteMy boyfriends parents board horses at their property....theres a few problems they've run into.
ReplyDeleteBoarder #1 - Psycho bitch, fell in love with my boyfriend, immature teenager. Guess you don't have to worry about that one... (maybe i'm a little bitter hahahaha). However, she never cleaned up after her horses, even though that was part of the agreement (only offering full care boarding so thats not a problem for you, she got discounted board for it.) Also, she ended up basically loading up her horses in the middle of the night and leaving without paying for her last months rent. She was contractually obligated...but then again she was 17 and ridiculously immature...probably not something you'd have to deal with....but make sure that a standard 30 day notice before they leave is in the contract?
Boarder #2 - Equally crazy middle aged woman who doesn't ride and thinks her 4 year old unbroke stallion is worth 60,000. She is keeping him as a stud to sell his semen. I don't know who the hell is going to pay out the wazoo for semen from an unbroke unproven stud who just has nice bloodlines.... Idk where they picked up these crazies....but regardless
This woman hasn't payed board in months. They didn't put anything in the contract about what would happen if board wasn't paid (they just deal with one boarder at a time, not a real boarding barn or anything) and then she was stuck taking care of the horses, the woman wouldn't come out, horses were never touched etc. The feet were so overdue bf's mom finally called the farrier to come out and added it to her tab. She finally set up a two month policy with the board, if she was more than two months overdue she would take the horses as her own.... (she doesn't want horses, it was tough because then she got stuck with a 4 year old stud and a 24 year old retired mare...) and then the woman started paying up.
Anyways, just a few things that you might want to make sure you have clear in a boarding contract! (make sure their not crazy before you let them in.....) Also, things like making it clear that if they bring people over they need to sign a consent form, can't come at 1 in the morning.....you'll be mad if they give their horse a full on bath every day because water isn't free....
Hey, glad to hear from you again. I've missed you!
DeleteSo you are saying to avoid crazies...got it! LOL.