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Questions About Boarding Horses
I own 2 horses, so I know a little about boarding and what horses need.
Rates vary alot with your region. Realise that you can get more for full-care board but then you're the one responsible for looking after the horses daily + feeding them. The other option is to just rent out the stalls or pastures as a self-care thing, but of course you won't get as much money.
Things you will need:
- GOOD fencing. Consider adding electric fence to wood fences. No barbed wire. Hi-tensile isn't the greatest either.
- a safe, well-lit barn and/or run-in shed(s)
- several pastures for turnout; plan on rotating them throughout the year. Pastures all must have some sort of clean water supply.
- insurance!!!
- a love for horses. A general sense when one is sick or injured. You don't want to be sued for negigence when you didn't call the vet/owner because, for example, a horse refused to stand up.
- someone who will watch your place 24 hrs a day if you ever go away for overnight
Also considering adding a riding ring, roundpen, and/or indoor arena if you've got more than one or two boarders. People with horses need places to exercise them and ways to train them. This makes your barn more attractive.
Once you've got everything in place, simply call around to other horse stables in your area and ask them how much they charge and what they offer. I keep my horses on my own property, but in my area I've seen field self-care board for around $175-200 and total full-care board for $300+.
Best of luck to you!
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Questions About Boarding Horses
"If one opens the back gate, they are on a 1200 square mile tract of open range."
Where do you live? That sounds really nice. I wish I could do that.
"I can fence in about 18,000 square feet to start.... how many horses would that accommodate?"
18,000 square feet is about 1/5th an acre. In my opinion this is a pretty small area. You can't have one horse all alone and two horses would destroy all the vegetation in a matter of days. This means the horses must have lots of hay (more expense)& the bare field stays muddy/dusty (extra grooming work).
My two horses temporarily have about a half-acre area right now. It's way too small for two horses (I'm putting in more fencing right now) and that's with me walking the horses in other areas to graze. The grass simply can't grow back fast enough. What isn't immediately crushed under their hooves is eaten the moment it sprouts. I'm also Poopsmith a few times a week, removing or breaking up the manure, especially during warm weather (parasite control / sanitation).
I don't know how much land you have. Can you fence at least one other area in before taking on horses?
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Questions About Boarding Horses
I have to deal with manure removal as well. I shovel it into the bucket of my front loader,take it away from the house, and just dump it in a pile. Once the pile gets to be big enough (around 6' is a good size), it will compost nicely. You can then use it to add organic to your own dirt... or offer it to any neighbors who garden. Composted horse dirt is pretty useful.
Your other option which may or may not work (I don't know your climate well)... is just attach a chain harrow to your tractor. Breaking the manure into teeny pieces makes it hard for flies to use, and that's one of the main reasons I have to remove manure. Or alternate between a big weekly clean-up and dragging the field in between.
As far as the corral goes, if you don't have much grass anyway I guess you don't have much to lose. How much is horse-quality hay around there? If it's really high, I'd have the owners buy their own hay/feed and go with a more self-care setup. I'm paying $2.50 a bale here... and it adds up.
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