Boarding Stables
About Horse Boarding Stables
| A boarding stable is any facility that rents out a stall or pasture area to you to keep your horse. They should at least provide food and water for your horse. If you are renting a stall, they should "muck" or clean it out at least once a day, removing any manure, urine and soiled bedding. |  |
Boarding stables can be found wherever there are horses, whether it’s in the middle of a large city or in a rural ranch setting. The cost of boarding your horse varies by location.
Amenities to consider when looking at a boarding stable include:
- Experienced staff: The most important thing in a boarding stable is that it has an experienced and professional staff. They spend as much as twenty-four hours a day with your horse if they live on the facility so make sure they know the type of feed to give your horse, are willing to work with you regarding any special needs your horse might have, and are knowledgeable enough call you at the first sign of colic or other illness. Be sure to ask if they have any training or certification that makes them qualified to run a boarding stable.
- Type of feed: Most horse owners prefer hay fed throughout the day over cubes – hay that’s been cut, dried and pressed into cubes. But larger facilities in particular prefer cubes because they are cheaper and easier to store. If the facility gives cubes as their standard feed and you prefer hay, find out how much it will cost to get a staff member to feed your horse separately. Be sure to factor in the cost of hay and cost of the service when adding up how much your board costs.
- Cleanliness: Look around when your visit a facility. Spider webs are fine, in fact spiders will keep down the fly population, but old hay or wood sitting around would be a fire hazard. Peeling paint, missing hardware and jagged edges of any kind at horse height could all be signs that the owners don’t take their responsibility very seriously.
- Stalls: Keep in mind your horses needs when looking at the kind of stalls available. If your horse needs extra protection, you may want a box stall, that is, one that is completely enclosed. If they need more room to walk around in, you may want to look for an “in and out”, a stall that is generally twice as long as a box stall with half of it enclosed and the other half that is outside. Pipe stalls, ones that are made of rails of metal piping, are less expensive and allow more horse interaction, which can be both good and bad depending on your aggressive your horse and their neighbor are. Sizes can vary but you want to go no smaller than a twelve-foot by twelve-foot stall unless you have a very small pony.
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Wash racks: Be sure that there are a sufficient number of wash racks to hose your horse off when they get hot or to give them baths. Hot water would be nice, but isn’t necessary. Turnouts: How many turnouts are available to give you horse a chance to run, roll or just relax can be an important factor. |
- Riding Arena: A riding arena with good footing that supports the discipline you ride is essential to choosing a boarding stable. (For instance, if you jump, there should be jumps available.) Whether the arena is on the property or nearby, be sure to find out the ring’s availability, whether it has lights to accommodate night riding, and how many people typically use it.
- Trail Access: Many people simply want to enjoy their horse out on the trails. If that describes you, make sure that the boarding stable you choose has easy, safe access to local trails.
- Security: Ask around and see if boarders and riders feel safe there. Also, find out if the facility offers a secure place to store your tack.
- Trainer availability: If continuing lessons and working towards showing successfully is your goal, it’s important to know if there’s a trainer who teaches your discipline and who matches your style in the area.
- Bedding: It’s important to find out if the facility will provide sufficient bedding or if you will have to supply it yourself. Considering the price of many types of bedding, it will greatly affect how much you are actually paying for board as opposed to simply going by the price quoted.
- Services offered: Ask if there’s someone on staff that can provide special services, such as hand-walking your horse, blanketing, medicating your horse or wrapping their legs. These services will cost a bit more but will be worth it if you have a busy schedule and can’t come to the barn on a regular basis.
- Distance from home or office: A horse is only as good as the time it takes you to get to the barn. If the trip is too long, you may lose your enthusiasm for the drive and not get the full pleasure out of horse ownership.
- Easy Access to Vets and Farriers: Find out if your preferred vet and farrier service that area.
- Horse trailer parking: Even if you don’t own your own trailer, it’s a good idea to find out if they allow boarders to park their trailers on site. Besides the fact that you may buy one someday, it’s good to know if there are ones on site in case of emergency. It also may make a difference in parking availability for boarders who come out to ride.
Every boarding facility you look at may not have all the amenities listed above, so you need to figure out which ones are important to you. The best thing you can do is talk to horse owners who are already boarding there and get their feedback on the staff and facility.
Bboarding Stables Care & Services:
In general, boarding stable options range from:
- A self-care facility
- A field-care facility
- A full-board facility
- A complete-care facility
Self-care: The facility simply rents the owner stall or pasture space. The owner must care for the horse in all respects. This may be a convenient solution for the horse owner who rides often, knows exactly what their horse needs and has the time & interest to see to it themselves.
| It is the least expensive of the boarding arrangements but also the most time consuming. It’s not recommended for someone who has never owned or cared for a horse on their own unless they have expert guidance. Horses have very specific needs and it takes time and experience to know how to safely manage their care. |  |
Field-board: In this case, the facility provides pasture area for a boarded horse. Some are shared pastures with a number of other horses so this often isn’t the best option for owner’s whose horse is timid (they may get picked on by the herd to the point of not getting sufficient food or water). It may also be unsettling to owners who are bothered by nicks and scrapes that a rough and tumble pasture life can cause. On the other hand, it could be the perfect solution for the owner who can’t get out every day to exercise their horse. It also allows horses to interact more naturally and can be a calming influence to some horses that can’t take the confinement of a stall. Usually these facilities offer some kind of shelter from the weather or in case of emergency.
Full-board: These facilities offer a range of services beyond just water and food. For a higher fee, the management may offer an array of services such as blanketing, bathing, exercising or medicating your horse. Often times these services are offered “a la carte,” allowing the owner to choose only what they need, or in a more economical package deal. The horse owner is still responsible for getting their own horse out and exercising them as well as basic grooming. For most owners, this is the most affordable way to keep a horse and get the most enjoyment from them without worrying about their daily needs. Usually the staff at these facilities will keep an eye on your horse and alert you to any medical or behavioral issues you horst might develop.
Complete-care facility: The staff at a complete-care facility takes care of all your horse’s needs, leaving the owner free to simply enjoy the time with their horse. In addition, they generally offer several amenities for the owners as well, like showers or sometimes even a pool! This is the most expensive option but for the rider with a large budget and limited time, it could be the best alternative.
| No matter which option you choose, make sure the facility has knowledgeable and responsible staff that will keep a constant eye on your horse. They are your eyes and ears to your horse’s health so don’t assume anything. Take a look at the horses on the property as your guide – are they happy and alert? |  |
Are they well fed, overfed or underweight? Do they respond favorably when the staff appears? The horses under the facility’s care are your best reference so be sure to pay attention.
Cost & Boarding Stable Extra Services
For most of us, our budget and time schedule will greatly determine the boarding stable we choose. While costs range drastically from one area within the same city, not to mention from state to state, there are some common guidelines.
Basic board: The boarding stable is at the very least feeding your horse enough hay or cubes to maintain their weight under the work you use it for. Hay prices continue to rise as gas prices go up because it generally has to be hauled in from remote rural areas. Typically, that means approximately $300 a month in feed alone.
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Stalls: The fancier the stall, the more expensive board will be. Box stalls end to be the most expensive, though In and out stalls may be more in some areas. |
Pipes will be the cheapest, but because they allow such free interaction between horses may come with the hidden cost of frequent vet bills from bites or kicking. You should count on stalls ranging from $325 - $800 (including feed) depending on the facility. Some facilities require you pay a membership fee as well, which could be in the thousands of dollars. You should also count on most facilities wanting first and last month’s board as a deposit when you first move in.
Special Services: These fees would be on top of your board. They can range from a dollar a day for taking off your horse’s blanket to a hundred ollars a month for feeding or walking them. These services can usually be purchased “a la carte,” picking and choosing the ones you need, or as a package deal. Packages are usually less than paying for services individually, but you have to consider whether you need or want them all.
