Board costs for full care

[soccermom711]

After reading the thread on self care costs, I was hoping some of you could provide input on what you're paying for full care. We currently rent out a few stalls at our barn, but it's primarily been to friends with very casual arrangments. We've only recently started to "do the math" as costs of grain, electricity and shavings have gone up. We've been providing the: grain, hay, bedding (straw or shavings depending on the horse), stalls cleaned, horses turned out/brought in every day. Occasionally, a boarder will feed or turn out for us, but it's definitely dependent on whether they can fit it in their schedule - otherwise it's our responsibility and they do not have to show up at all. Our barn does not have a riding ring, but it does have a smaller exercise ring for lunging. We have two very large pastures and three smaller paddocks for turnout. We are less than a mile from Penn National in Grantville, PA and numerous riding trails. All of the stalls are large and the property is in good condition. Any thoughts on fair costs? I'm currently searching for better deals on grain -- I'm also thinking of calling other barns in the area to see how they are doing it. It just seems that we barely break even anymore and yet we put in a ton of time. The boarders may soon have to go.

Ideas/suggestions appreciated:)

[jn4jenny]

I'm not from your area so I can't advise on fair cost, but here's the long and short of it: if you're not making enough money *to make it worth it to you*, then it's time for you to either raise the board or kick out the boarders.

"Worth it to you" is a very relative concept. I know people who board at cost, or even for a financial loss, because they value other things (like having company at the barn for themselves or their horse, or because they genuinely enjoy doing thankless work, etc.) But there is no shame in wanting or needing to turn a profit. Most successful, long-term BO's that I know are turning a profit of $100-$200 per horse per month after grain, hay, shavings, and the utilities bill.

Otherwise, there are other ways to cut the costs. Put the boarders on contract and write required work days/chores into the contract. Start pasture boarding some or all of the horses to save on shavings. If there is hay being wasted, find ways to avoid the waste (slow feeders, round bale holders, feeding less hay more often, etc.) Switch from a commercial grain to a locally milled custom mix. Have a chat with your boarders about saving energy around the barn (I absolutely *cringe* when people at my barn turn on the arena or aisle lights when there's ample daylight streaming in. But most people don't even think about it).

[JohnDeere]

Cost to board:$400

Includes: stall cleaned daily, all of the feed/supps/hay/shavings your horse needs, holding for vet/farrier, TO as requested if available (sometimes pastures are flooded etc), indoor riding area, washrack, blankets changed/washed as needed, watereres available in most stalls, 2 tack rooms, heated bathroom, space as available for your stuff (FCFS). Barn is decent but is starting to show age/wear.

No discount for xtra horses tho. If you want to help thats fine but no break on board unless you actually work there.

Does that help?

[joiedevie99]

I paid $425 about 35 minutes outside Philly. It included 3 feedings of good grain, unlimited hay, full day small group turnout, 1 lit all-weather ring, one grass ring, great care including blanket changes, supps, etc.

[CoopsZippo]

I am in your area...

I pay $150 FULL BOARD.

12 hour turnout
Grain and Hay.
Heated Tack room
Outdoor arena
Soon to be in door.
Trailer parking.
Excellent care

I do drive up to Millersburg about 30 minutes from Harrisburg. But it is well worth it for the care and price.

Rough board is $100

[lalahartma1]

Where do you live?? ^^^

[BuddyRoo]

It just varies so much from region to region.

I would call and look at comparable barns in your area because the cost of land alone has to be a factor. Then you have the cost of hay which is also regionally variable.

On top of that you have actual facility options--like arena/no arena, pasture availability....and CARE! Quality of care!!!

I am paying 360/mo. Hay 4 times per day (quantity as needed), grain as needed, turnout daily, nice paddocks, dry lot available, large indoor, outdoor, trails, access to more trails/fields adjacent to property, accomplished trainer on site, will feed supplements, blanket as needed.

[appdream]

I'm forty miles east of you. Around here, barns with services and facilities similar to you are getting $250.00 a month.

[RedMare01]

Agree that it depends on area.

Here, I pay $325 for full board...includes everything full board should, private turnout, and the farm has indoor and outdoor arenas. I do pay extra for blanket changes in the winter ($1 per change) and holding for farrier/vet ($5).

Caitlin

[mybeau1999]

The barn I left when my horses moved home was $425 a month.
That included:
-24/7 turnout weather permitting (you had a stall though)
-Feed/Hay 2x a day
-Stalls cleaned after the horses were in (weather, shows, etc.)
-Tack locker (not climate controlled)
-1 washstall with h/c water
-1 large lit outdoor w/jumps (pretty much unusable in winter)
-1 small un-lit warm-up arena ('')
-Mediocre care. You got a phone call if the horse was colicking, limping or required stitches. If there was a cold night in the 30s, your horse got a medium weight blanket. If the following day warmed up to 50+, your horse was still in his medium weight blanket :rolleyes:- unless you went and pulled it off of him (hard to do with a FT job or school)

It was 15 minutes from Baltimore.

[starkissed]

Heh I pay $750 a month for full board. That includes EVERYTHING (including mane pulling and all that). Plus 4 lessons and 2 schoolings from the trainer.

But other places in the area are about $400- $500 full board. But the facilities are usually less and turnout is less lush

[soccermom711]

Thanks everyone:)

I agree that "worth it to you" is a very relative concept when it's your time being gobbled up every day. I believe it was worth more to us, even if we were just breaking even, when the boarders were more willing to be flexible and pitch in to care for our horses from time to time. We really do not need any boarders for the purposes of keeping our horses company - we have six of our own. And, as you all know, extra horses just eat down your pastures and damage fences/stalls that will then need repair.

I really appreciate all of the input. It's pretty much what I thought, with prices varying greatly. Our proximity to the track is nice for layups - and most similar lay up facilities do not have the turn out options we do. I did some math yesterday and figured that our average cost for grain, hay, and bedding is approximately $225.00 +/-. My feeling at this time, is that I'd be satisfied with a profit of around $150.00 to $200.00 a month, in order to be compensated for our time/repairs because we do turnout and bring in daily, along with the stall cleaning, feeding, bucket cleaning/filling, etc. Of course, if someone was to clean their own stall and did not need turnout due to stall rest, that would greatly change the equation.

CoopsZippo - I am amazed at $150 a month and would love to know how they are doing it. Perhaps they are paying substantially less for their grain/hay/bedding. I do want to continue to investigate changing our feeding program - I believe I could actually provide better quality nutrition for less, but I have alot more investigation to do. We've been feeding Horsemen's Edge 10% for years - it's what everyone could agree on at the time, and it's never been changed. Of course, we supplement as needed for each horse, but that's the base.

Thanks for all of your replies. I really appreciate the input.

[CallMeGrace]

RedMare - how far out of Louisville are you? I think that's a deal!

[RedMare01]

I'm actually in very southern Indiana...the barn is only about 10 minutes from downtown Louisville. Very convenient. And the cost would probably be double if it were on the KY side of the river.

That said, there are some inconveniences. They run a large lesson program and do therapy sessions for kids with disabilities. So three nights a week I have to work around that (when it's warm, works out fine because I can just ride in the outdoor. In the winter, not so much, but I don't ride a ton then anyway).

I also pay extra for two training rides a week on my mare, but even that's reasonable.

Caitlin

[Ride'emCO]

CoopsZippo - I am amazed at $150 a month and would love to know how they are doing it. Perhaps they are paying substantially less for their grain/hay/bedding.

Maybe they grow their own hay and sell the extra to mitigate costs?

I've also found (*generally*) that farms with a mortgage tend to be more expensive and the owners/BMs are often generally more stressed out. Farms that are paid for can have lower rates because they have relief from that bill and more disposable income. (i.e., they can pay for their own horses and aren't expecting boarders to mitigate those costs, therefore everything over basic care is profit).

That last paragraph doesn't necessarily apply to you, it was just my response to the amazing enigma of full board for $150 per month. :eek::D

To answer your particular question, in my area (by that I mean within one hour of my home) I would expect to pay $450-$550 per month for what you are offering. I am currently paying $700 for full board; everything you described plus wash stall and large outdoor ring.

[CatOnLap]

I really appreciate all of the input. It's pretty much what I thought, with prices varying greatly. Our proximity to the track is nice for layups - and most similar lay up facilities do not have the turn out options we do. I did some math yesterday and figured that our average cost for grain, hay, and bedding is approximately $225.00 +/-. My feeling at this time, is that I'd be satisfied with a profit of around $150.00 to $200.00 a month, in order to be compensated for our time/repairs because we do turnout and bring in daily, along with the stall cleaning, feeding, bucket cleaning/filling, etc.

OK, well, each of my horses eats about 1/3 bale/day, so 10 bales/month at $9/bale= $90
They eat 1/2 bag of good pellets per week each, so grain=$34
They get supplements and salt that cost about $15/month
Bedding is about $40/month
So altogether, just for materials, its about $180/month.
It takes me 15 minutes to clean a stall, scrub the buckets, etc, and probably another 10 minutes/horse to feed ( 5 feeds per day) plus another 10 min/day/horse to do turn-out and turn-in-(blankets on/off, flymasks and spray etc, depending on season) So lets 17 hours of labour/month. If I had to pay a stable hand, the minimum they get paid these days here is $12/hour so thats about $200 in labour costs. If I wanted to make $150 a month over that to cover water, electricity, garbage removal, maintenance, etc, I'd have to charge about $550/month.

Interestingly, that's about the going rate for full board at local stables with similar facilities ( outdoor ring, nice barn, access to trails, turnout on grass, close in to town). Anyplace with an indoor is now going about $650-750/month. If you add training/lessons- the full service places? it can double.

[CoopsZippo]

CoopsZippo - I am amazed at $150 a month and would love to know how they are doing it. Perhaps they are paying substantially less for their grain/hay/bedding. I do want to continue to investigate changing our feeding program - I believe I could actually provide better quality nutrition for less, but I have alot more investigation to do. We've been feeding Horsemen's Edge 10% for years - it's what everyone could agree on at the time, and it's never been changed. Of course, we supplement as needed for each horse, but that's the base.



The horses are fed fresh rolled oats (they roll them on site daily) with a specialized mineral supplement formulated for what our local hay is missing. At first I was leery. I always had to supplement with my own feed to keep Skips weight up. But now I dont have to. So I am saving $50/mo. My hard keeper QH has never ever looked so good. They grow quite a bit of their own hay.

A lot of the barns in Upper Dauphin County are that cheap. The barn down the road with an indoor is around $175/mo. The farrier is $15 for a trim (does an excellent job). The dentist was $25.

Heck I was paying $200/mo for pasture board down in West Hanover Twp and wasn't given half the care he gets now. It is a PITA to have to drive up there but when my husband was out of work for 9 months due to the economy I was able to afford to keep my horse.

[CatOnLap]

Coops I am thinking you live in ....oh....say 1990?

LOL- you lucky girl!

But you commute 30 min each way? Maybe that's not a long time where you are, but around here its considered a long commute ( haha- I used to drive an hour each way to get to work before I moved to an island)

I don't know how much you get paid per hour, but adding an extra 25-30 hours of driving to my routine would be a real deal breaker. If I spent even half that driving time at work instead, I would earn enough to pay full board instead.

[soccermom711]

The horses are fed fresh rolled oats (they roll them on site daily) with a specialized mineral supplement formulated for what our local hay is missing. At first I was leery. I always had to supplement with my own feed to keep Skips weight up. But now I dont have to. So I am saving $50/mo. My hard keeper QH has never ever looked so good. They grow quite a bit of their own hay.

A lot of the barns in Upper Dauphin County are that cheap. The barn down the road with an indoor is around $175/mo. The farrier is $15 for a trim (does an excellent job). The dentist was $25.

Heck I was paying $200/mo for pasture board down in West Hanover Twp and wasn't given half the care he gets now. It is a PITA to have to drive up there but when my husband was out of work for 9 months due to the economy I was able to afford to keep my horse.


I can definitely see where it would be worth the drive! It's amazing how costs can really vary in this area.:eek: Good for you for being so resourceful and finding a way to keep your horse.:yes: The area that we are in around the track can be very frustrating. The vets and farriers are around, but kept very busy with the horses at the track. You're making moving look very appealing.;)

[soccermom711]

OK, well, each of my horses eats about 1/3 bale/day, so 10 bales/month at $9/bale= $90
They eat 1/2 bag of good pellets per week each, so grain=$34
They get supplements and salt that cost about $15/month
Bedding is about $40/month
So altogether, just for materials, its about $180/month.
It takes me 15 minutes to clean a stall, scrub the buckets, etc, and probably another 10 minutes/horse to feed ( 5 feeds per day) plus another 10 min/day/horse to do turn-out and turn-in-(blankets on/off, flymasks and spray etc, depending on season) So lets 17 hours of labour/month. If I had to pay a stable hand, the minimum they get paid these days here is $12/hour so thats about $200 in labour costs. If I wanted to make $150 a month over that to cover water, electricity, garbage removal, maintenance, etc, I'd have to charge about $550/month.

Interestingly, that's about the going rate for full board at local stables with similar facilities ( outdoor ring, nice barn, access to trails, turnout on grass, close in to town). Anyplace with an indoor is now going about $650-750/month. If you add training/lessons- the full service places? it can double.


Very interesting. Our costs are similar, except I'm currently averaging around $100.00 a month per horse, give or take, for grain. My boyfriend can probably clean a stall in 15 minutes, but it takes me a bit longer. :lol: Some of our stalls are very large and at least one has a mare and foal, so I'm not overly pokey.;)

What kind of pellets are you using and for what type of horse? We currently do not have one horse in race training, just retired OTTB's, broodmares, foals and a yearling. I really think we could make some feeding changes.

[lalahartma1]

Where do you live?? ^^^

OOps sorry, I see: near Penn National

[Fancy That]

my neighbor has full care board for $200 -$250 , depending on how much your horse eats.

That includes:

- Hay, grain, supplements of choice (hay fed 2x day)
- Beautiful new boarders tack room/lounge
- New round pen
- HUGE pasture/paddocks with shelters for your horse, or you can have two horses in one
- She does fly mask duty, blankets/sheets, checks each horse 2x day..

It's perfect for retired horses where the owner can't be up there all the time. There are a couple that do ride regularly as well, but again, no real arena...so they are trail riders.

And at $200/month (regular rate) that is a STEAL around here

[CoopsZippo]

Coops I am thinking you live in ....oh....say 1990?

LOL- you lucky girl!

But you commute 30 min each way? Maybe that's not a long time where you are, but around here its considered a long commute ( haha- I used to drive an hour each way to get to work before I moved to an island)

I don't know how much you get paid per hour, but adding an extra 25-30 hours of driving to my routine would be a real deal breaker. If I spent even half that driving time at work instead, I would earn enough to pay full board instead.

It isn't too bad for around here. I can't make it up to the farm everyday. Luckily I am a trail rider/ Civil War reenactor. My horse isn't in training and I am lucky that he is a steady eddy who is the same critter worked consistantly or just a few days a week.

My husband just recently went back to work. And to be bluntly honest his shift sucks and he makes about $10/hr less then he did in his last job. But with me going back to work after being a stay at home mom we are ok. A job is better than unemployment. In order to avoid day care, the kids are 2 and 6, we work opposite shifts. I work in the am on the days he works 3-11 and evenings on his days off. (I work retail management.) I am lucky to get out to see my horse 4 days a week. It is 25ish miles round trip for me.

My horse is happy as a clam. So I don't sweat it. I am sure he doesn't mind hanging out with his buds all day. :D Life will get better and settle down. The kids are getting older. My time is coming.

[kellyb]

Central NC, $350. Nice ring w/ jumps, 12 hr turnout, feed/water/stalls/your standard care. That's about as cheap as it gets in my area. There are several other barns here at $450, $550, $600+, they have offerings like multiple arenas, trails, exquisite barns, indoor arenas, etc.

[analise]

In Maryland, Howard County:

The place I board at costs me $200 a month (field care, though he's getting a stall when one opens up but the price won't change. Horses spend most of their time in the pasture, anyway.). That covers hay (free choice round bales in the field or flakes in a stall) and grain. The facility has a few little trails on site and a smallish indoor arena (work is slowly being done on a bigger outdoor). They also trailer to some local shows and to local parks for trail rides. The only hitch is we're not allowed to ride if someone else isn't there (doesn't matter who it is, as long as it's an adult, we just can't ride alone) so like, the other night, when I went to see my horse, I just lunged him because no one was down in the barn. They're kind of an anomaly, though, as other boarding place I've looked into are more like:

$400 full care field board at a facility with an indoor ring, an outdoor, and access to a local mixed-use park.

$600 full care stall board at a fairly big lesson facility with two outdoor rings, two indoors, and some trails on site. Includes turnout for part of the day and feeding. I seem to recall that a fan during the summer and blanketing and so on are all extra. You also have to be a student there, though, so add in an extra $500 every few months for lessons (you purchase lessons in blocks of thirteen).

[CatOnLap]

What kind of pellets are you using and for what type of horse? We currently do not have one horse in race training, just retired OTTB's, broodmares, foals and a yearling. I really think we could make some feeding changes.

I use a 14% protein, high fat pellet called "Phase Three" by Otter Co-op- it contains beet pulp, rice bran and other good things in addition to the usual grains and canola, etc. We feed local mixed grass hay . My horses are all performance horses in regular work- 3-7 hours each per week. The ones who are less active get only a cup of pellets twice a day, the ones who work more get between 6 and 8 cups. The huge horse(17.3) weighs 1600 lbs and he's the one who gets 8 cups. he's fat and shiney and full of spunk!

[soccermom711]

I use a 14% protein, high fat pellet called "Phase Three" by Otter Co-op- it contains beet pulp, rice bran and other good things in addition to the usual grains and canola, etc. We feed local mixed grass hay . My horses are all performance horses in regular work- 3-7 hours each per week. The ones who are less active get only a cup of pellets twice a day, the ones who work more get between 6 and 8 cups. The huge horse(17.3) weighs 1600 lbs and he's the one who gets 8 cups. he's fat and shiney and full of spunk!

Thanks! I'll check that out......I just *know* our program needs updated.:yes:

What are you paying now per bag?