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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Cherry Tree Farms" <ctfarms AT helicon.net>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Boarding horses
- Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2005 22:56:33 -0400
Hi Andrea,
I boarded
horses at a farm I had before this one. A few considerations
are:
1) Price. Find out what other area stables
are charging. At the same time figure out what your costs are, then see if
it works for you.
Price is also
varied on location/facilities. One stable charged $70.00/month/stall for
daily turnout 1/2 bale in the morning and another 1/2 at night and a small scoop
of the "house" grain mix each feeding as well. Any special mixes or
supplemental feeding extra. Hoof trimming, shots, etc. were on the horse
owner. They have an outdoor riding ring on the small side.
Another
stable charged $250.00/month/stall for daily turnout and hoof trimming every 8
weeks, shoes extra. All hay and grain extra. They had both an
outdoor and an indoor ring.
A third
charged $250.00/month/head for what amounted to a run-in shed and hay. Grain was
additional. They had an outdoor ring with lights.
I charged
$150.00/month/head for a run-in shed, pasture with hay available free
choice in summer (they wouldn't touch it unless drought) and 3/4
bale morning and night, grain extra. Hoofs & medicines
extra. I did not have a ring; I put in a gate in the back
of one pasture which led onto the edge of a state game land with a horse
trail that emptied out onto a rail line park that ran for several counties and folks could go on overnights at state
or county parks along the rail line if they wanted.
Price depends
a lot on what you have.
2) Entrance/traffic control. It is
really nice if there is a separate lane/parking for the boarders to come
in. This keeps them from parking in inopportune places (even though you
told them where to park and every other time they paid attention) that
don't allow you to get your wagon load of produce over to the packing shed so
you can get to the market you are already running on the late side for and they
are out on a trail ride.
3) "Horse People" are a special breed that
think they are the next round of aristocrats. Not all folks who own horses
are horse people, but you will meet more than a few. They are also great
for wanting the best while wanting you to wait for payment as they
continually plead poverty. Which leads to:
4) Payments. Put in your agreement that
after 60 days of no payments and/or a balance not to exceed (your comfort
amount, at least 2 months stall fee) that you can sell the horse at your leisure
the proceeds from which will pay off your bill and the remaining balance
remitted to the former horse owner. Be ruthless enough to make an example
of the first clod that pulls it (and someone will for sure) and by the next
morning you will have a reputation for not putting up with nonsense in 3
surrounding states. After a while you will still get some deadbeat who
tries it again anyway. If you don't do it the first time, you will end up
with a barn full of deadbeats quicker than you can get to the bank to find out
their checks bounced.
5) Your farm resources. Horses are called
hayburners for a reason! They will eat a pasture out from under (closer)
any other domestic livestock (which is also why they get worms more than any
other livestock) and because they crop it so close it will take that much longer
to come back. Who is mucking stalls and how often? Who has time with
your other operations/new farm setup?
6) Insurance. Talk to your agent before the
first hoof gets off a trailer.
This is the
knee-jerk list of things there are probably more that don't come to mind at the
moment. For me it did cover the expenses/effort while having a high
aggravation factor and it worked as an enterprise for the operation I had going
at that time. Good luck how ever you decide to go!
Doyle
Atop the Alleghenies
Western PA Zone 5?
RULE Class X
|
-
[Market-farming] Boarding horses,
Andrea, 08/04/2005
- Re: [Market-farming] Boarding horses, Cherry Tree Farms, 08/04/2005
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