Owning a small horse boarding farm

[Builder]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( "I'sn't that like my saying that I live next to several successful home builders so, therefore, I should get into the house building business? Would you buy a house from me if I did?")</font>
I think you misunderstood me, or maybe I explained myself improperly. What I'm saying is that there's lots of demand for horse boarding because land is so expensive here and I live in prime horse country. Therefore, it's a great market to offer boarding services. I'm just trying to find a good use for the extra land I'm buying.

I realize it'd be a learning experience and mistakes will be made on my behalf. No one starts a business and has it run perfectly from day one. I know- I already own & run 2 businesses. I'm not trying to insult anyone here, and not trying to make it sound easy. Sorry you took it that way.

I just wanted some input on what it's like, and I thank you for your honest opinions. I had no idea that boarding horses involved the property owner taking care of all the horses everyday needs. Most horse owners around here take a lot of pleasure in taking care of their horses themselves.

Maybe subletting the day to day operations to a boarding company that can't afford land is something to consider.

 

[wushaw]

I grew up with horses and my mother ran the boarding of other horses, that was her job 24/7.
My brother and I got the pleasure of letting them out and putting them up 99% of the time and feeding, every weekend involved stall cleaning... we were cheap labor.
We had 20 total acres and used 10 for letting the horses to run during the day.
I can't remember the total horses we had but 8-10 sounds about right with four of them our own.
I don't have any horses now because I know what it takes to take care of them.

If you want to take advantage of horse country you could bale square bales of hay and sell to neighbors. It would be alot less hassel and you would be farming.

 

[SWB]

I think if you are going to build it and lease it out, it may work if the person you lease it to lives in your mil suite and is reliable and stable (no pun intended). However, keep in mind that it is really difficults to make money from horses and most operations don't. They are either subsidized by wealthy horse lovers or run as hobby farms or as tax write-offs. Many of the people like the one you want to manage it are notoriously unreliable. They do it for a while and then they are gone. Especially when they realize they are not really making it. When they leave, you are stuck with a lot of horses and work to do and no one to do it but you. If they are successful, they are also gone, to a bigger and/or better facility. Just be careful, and don't underestimate the liability issues. Horses are big animals and can do a lot of damage. Horses can be very dangerous to people who don't know how to handle them and many people, even experienced ones, have died as a result. Rogue horses always seem to end up at small operations because the big ones or successful ones don't let them in or kick them out.

If you have a neighbor in the horse business, rent him your pasture. I also like the suggestion of growing hay. I'm really trying to be helpful when I recommend that you reconsider.

 

[Builder]

SWB,

Thanks! I am looking at all options-even a tree growing nursery. I'm buying near a world-recognized equine veterenary hospital & research center. I wondered if they'd be interested in using any of my space, too. I'm also considering raising some Black Angus as an alternative. What I really need are some ideas of what would pay me back the most money towards the expenses, but still keep my interests.

Right now I haven't comitted to anything until I can get all the insights possible, but horse boarding was something i always thought would be great.

 

[Cottonhawk]

"...near a world-recognized equine veterenary hospital & research center. I wondered if they'd be interested in using any of my space..."
IMO, that's your best option.

 

[ScottAR]

Hay or trees gets my vote... Neither is without pitfalls but they don't require day to day care excepting a few weeks a year.
They don't poop either. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I know nothing of horses other than they have four legs. I do know a few things about people being a landlord. Relying on people to do anything is very tenuious at best much less care for a living thing.

I'd bet money if anything got tight in their banking, Mr. Ed and you is last in line.

Someone on here has a wedding farm which seems like herding children around too but only a few days a week.

Weekend cabins or an RV park like EddieWalker is making seem like interesting businesses.

Land is very flexable, Don't limit yourself to farm only businesses.

 

[cowboydoc]

<font color="green">10 times as litigious, so that doesn't scare me too much. </font>

Hmm not so sure about this. The age old horse issue. Building a house and owning a horse I would say are not even comparable. Evne on the most perfect of perfect places horses, people, and accidents are going to happen. And when they happen YOU are the one that the lawyers are going to first go after. Doesn't matter what the situation is, doesn't matter, if it was completely their fault, doesn't matter period, you are going to get sued. And with horse operations accidents are going to happen. Horses are NOT the all wonderful creatures. They are completely unpredictable even with the most savvy of horse owners and even with them most broke horse in the world.

If you have no interest, no background, and no experience with horses seriously go another route. It won't be worth your trouble and the potential complications.

<font color="green"> I'm also considering raising some Black Angus as an alternative. What I really need are some ideas of what would pay me back the most money towards the expenses, but still keep my interests.
</font>

In all seriousness the minscule amount of money you will make either with a horse boarding or with raising a few cattle will be nothing more than a headache. Enjoy your 8-10 acres as a "home" and relax. The last thing you want after working two businesses, building houses, and the stresses of a long hard day are to come home and find fences busted down, livestock out on the roads, an animal with a serious injury, hassles with boarders or renters, etc. etc. Or you are in the middle of a very important meeting and you get a call from the sheriff's department that the cows are in the middle of the highway or a horse is running through your neighbor's lawn. Because with animals it's not a question of if it's a question of when it's going to happen.

It's a big pain even when animals are your love. When you have no desire or love of them it's enough to drive you insane. There are ALOT easier ways to make money.

 

[riptides]

Please take this with salt.

While horse boarding can look lucrative to a land owner, the liabilities and responsibility of other peoples property MUST be throughly thought out.

Horses are a serious business, and a lot of people look for qualified, experienced professional care and boarding facilities.

Of course some people also look for a place to put their lawn decor, and will have no interest other than paying you to board for them.

That spectrum of ownership will place a great deal of risk and stress on you both physically, emotionally and of course money wise.

Your opening your home to a full time business. I suggest a great deal more research and discussions are needed on your part.

Good luck.
-Mike Z.

 

[Foxpoint]

We have a 20 acre place with boarders. A some quick background on our experience:

My wife's father was a private trainer for one of the Du Pont families in PA horse country. She grew up on a Du Pont estate and grew up caring for extremly expensive horse for an extremly demainding owner. In addition, she spent a good portion of her high school and college summers assisting her godfather who is an equine vet for a lot of the big horse farms in PA. In terms of general know how on how to care for a horse, she is top notch.

Some lesson's learned:

- Your boarder will know more about horses than you do ( or at least think they know)

- Think you are gouging them when you charge them $50 to trailer their horse to a show and baby sit them all day while you are ignoring your out of town guests.

Some things to go by:

- every horse at your facility is Secretariet. Treat all your boarder's horses that way and you will limit most complaints. (not too hard for us with the way my wife cares for the horses)

- Some boarders are great, others aren't. We had one, (see below) that didn't listen too well to advice. We have a couple of 14 year old girls who are great - their parents told them to learn as much as they can from my wife. Plus, they will watch our kids (1 year old, 3 year old) for half hour, forty five minutes while my wife trains her horses. In exchange, their normal 30 minute lessons usually stretch to an hour, hour and a half.

- Don't be afraid to tell your boarders some hard truths. We had one former boarder who never owned a horse, took 1 lesson a week for 4 years, and all of a sudden her PARENTS thought she was Rodrigo Pasoa, Willie Shoemaker, and John Lyons rolled up into one. In reality, she could barely stay on a dead quiet lesson horse. The parents bought her a green horse that has never been broke. My wife told them the daughter is not ready for something like that - they took their new horse elseware to board and the daughter got lucky by only breaking her arm when the horse got away from her.

 

[Highbeam]

You should have no problem finding boarders so your lack of expertise isn't an issue. Start by building a stout fence as you would anyways. Set up an outbarn (stall with storage) and crossfence off the pasture so that you can board one horse in each seperate pasture. Try it with one horse and see how you like it. Life isn't much fun if you don't try these types of things. If one is nice, maybe try two. If not, send the first one packing. I can't see where the work you will do to set up your property for boarding is a waste even if you don't end up boarding. Roads, buildings, fences, are always good.

The liability risk is large any time you are profiting by having a customer on your property. I had a hard time finding insurance, so be sure you can secure some insurance before spending too much time. Expect that once you have a single claim, the whole operation is TU.

I have worked at boarding facilities and at outfitter companies. Mucking out stalls can be made much more pleasant if you set them up for tractor access.

I think I would recommend the full service end of it where you charge and are paid for complete care since you have to assume the boarder will fail at some point to show up. You need a clause/agreement for what to do when they don't pay including auctioning off the horse.

Try it with one horse, heck, by your own to see just how much effort is needed.

I decided against it because I don't want customers at my house. Farm animals like goats and pigs that are small enough to be relatively non-dangerous seem more pleasant. I do like the smell of horses and cows.