I'm so glad I found your page. I have a few
questions Id like to ask you about Boarding Stables. I have had horses for many
years - most of which I've had here at home with me. I'm thinking about relocating
South to start a Boarding Stable . My question is : What is the market like ?
Is it a long drawn out thing, waiting for boarders
? I have this idea that things would be great if I just had the land and a nice
barn, BUT what kind of problems could I run into ? Like what if someone's horse
would die on me ? Is the liability something I should think about ?
Are boarders a Pain in the butt ? I'm afraid of
People wanting to come all hours of the day and night , Wanting to feed their
horses without telling me ,fall off their horse and take me to court . Do things
like this really happen? How could I avoid this ?
Thanks R
Dear R: There
are always a lot of horseowners out there looking for a quality home for their
horses - not necessarily fancy but where the horses are well cared for.
It will vary greatly from region to region. You
will need to spend a good deal of money on fixing up a place and advertising and
then wait until your reputation builds. And
you definitely need to start with the purchase of land and a barn! You
will need to have boarding contracts, waivers, and other forms drawn up by an
attorney specializing in equine law in the state where you will operate your boarding
stable. Each state's laws are different. These are all part of providing
a service of any kind to the public. The safer you run your operation, the
less these things have a chance to happen. Read
the book, Equine Law and Horse Sense by Julie Fershtman.
You can order it from amazon.com. Ms. Fershtman is an attorney that specializes
in preventive measures for horseowners. She also has a second book coming out
very soon. (You
can also purchase a copy of either or both books from Horses & The
Law Publishing by calling (800) 662-2210 or by sending payment directly
to Horses & The Law Publishing at P.O. Box 250696, Franklin, MI 48025-0696.
Equine Law & Horse Sense - $17.95 MORE Equine Law & Horse Sense - $22.95.
$3.50 shipping & handling per book. Michigan residents add 6% sales
tax.) Here
is an example of the types of conflicts that can arise between a boarding stable
and a boarder (sent in by another horseowner). It is important to have a written
agreement to prevent such problems. Once such problems occur, try your best
to smooth things out for the horse's sake and then in future dealings, have a
boarding contract that contains terms specific to your situation. The
best of luck in your ventures,
Hi Cherry, We
have two mares who will be foaling shortly. They have been outside for their
lives, and have recently been moved to another location until foaling. The
pending situation is:
1.
The boarding stable manager has moved them from a location where they have
freedom to exercise in a dry lot, to locking them in stalls with limited exercise.
2.
They were moved from a location where their only contact was with one another,
into a boarding facility with increased exposure to other horses.
3.
They have gone from daily contact with a small group of individuals, where they
have lived for the past couple of years, to a facility offering riding lessons,
etc., so lots of new people around.
4. She did not bother to check on what or how these mares were
being fed, and so, changed their feed overnight.
5.
She doesn't believe that fescue will cause any problems for a pregnant mare or
foal. 6.
She has clipped the animals, even though the weather is still extremely unpredictable
(from 60 degrees one day to snow the next).
There
is lot of hostility at the moment between us and I don't know quite howto
proceed. | 2.jpg){kind=small}
