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2001 Horse Boarding Guide for the Upper Shenandoah Valley
Farm Business Management Update, April 2002
By Bill Whittle
The horse industry, particularly the pleasure horse segment, has grown dramatically in the past several years. Owners of pleasure horses often do not have the acreage needed to keep horses on their property; therefore, they look for boarding facilities. During spring 2001, the Farm Business Management staff surveyed horse-boarding facilities in Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, and Warren counties.
The first purpose of the survey was to create an information base to assist clientele in the decisions involved in developing a boarding enterprise. The second purpose of the survey was to develop a list of stables for horse owners who are looking for a boarding facility.
The survey was mailed to Extension agriculture mailing lists, placed in feed stores and tack shops, and provided to lenders. Response was minimal with only fifteen surveys returned. Even though the response was small, it is enough to establish an initial base of information. The information is presented as a percentage of the number of responses. In instances where the total is greater than 100%, a stable responded to the question at multiple levels.
The business of boarding horses is complicated because of the variety of arrangements made to board horses. This guide provides a general view of the horse boarding industry in the Shenandoah Valley by capturing the methods of boarding through the 56 questions asked in the survey.
Table 1: Average rate and range of rates charged | Rate Per Horse Per Month | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type of Boarding Facility | No. of Stables | Average Number of Horses | Range of Number of Horses | Average Rate Per Horse Per Month | Range Per Horse Per Month |
Pasture | 5 | 14 | 2 - 30 | $92 | $75 - $160 |
Pasture with Run-in | 9 | 10 | 2 - 30 | $111 | $25 - $180 |
Pasture with Occasional Stall | 4 | 8 | 3 - 13 | $256 | $165 - $360 |
Stall (Total Confinement) | 4 | 8 | 2 - 14 | $266 | $125 - $540 |
Stall with Individual Paddock | 3 | 3 | 1 - 6 | $278 | $200 - $360 |
Stall with multi-horse paddock | 4 | 12 | 8 - 15 | $188 | $125 - $300 |
Table 2: Riding Styles Represented | |
---|---|
English | 53% |
Western | 33% |
Hunter | 27% |
Dressage | 27% |
Table 3: Types of Fencing Material | ||
---|---|---|
Confinement Area | Entire Farm | |
Board | 73% | 20% |
Woven Wire | 67% | 40% |
High tensile (smooth) | 20% | 13% |
Electric | 13.3% | 20% |
Barbed Wire | 13.3% | ------ |
Table 4: Source of Water | ||
---|---|---|
Pasture | Bucket | 7% |
Automatic Waterer | 13% | |
Trough | 87% | |
Spring/Creek/Pond | 40% | |
Stall | Automatic Waterer | 13% |
Bucket | 80% |
Table 5: Type of Amenity | |
---|---|
Riding Trails | 74%* |
Outdoor Arena | 67% |
Jumps | 53% |
Outdoor Wash Rack | 33% |
Indoor Wash Rack | 20% |
Hot Walker | 7% |
Indoor Arena | 7% |
* 66% said the trails were on private land and 20% said they were on public land. |
Table 6: Monitoring of the Horses | |
---|---|
Who checks? | Frequency Checked / Day |
Facility Owner - 93% | Once/Day - 29% |
Facility Manager- 20% | Twice/Day - 50% |
Facility Employee -27% | Four Times/Day- 29% |
Table 7: Stall Management | ||
---|---|---|
Who cleans Stall? | Horse Owner - 18% | Facility Management - 82% |
How often cleaned? | Once/Day - 91% | Twice/Day - 9% |
Are shavings provided in fee? | Yes - 91% | No - 9% |
Table 8: Required Immunizations/Tests | |
---|---|
EIA-Negative Coggins Test | 100% |
Tetnus | 93% |
Rabies | 80% |
Flu Rhino | 73% |
Strangles | 40% |
Potomac Horse Fever | 33% |
Encephalitis | 20% |
Table 9: De-Worming | |||
---|---|---|---|
Service Provided? | Yes - 80% | No - 27% | |
Included in fee? | Yes - 8% | No - 92% | |
Who does De-worming? | Owner - 54% | Mgt. - 40% | Vet - 7% |
Frequency? | 3 Months - 41% | 2 Months - 33% | Monthly, 10 weeks, 2X/Year - 8% each |
No stable had a veterinarian on retainer and boarders are allowed to use any vet they choose. 64% of stable managers make arrangements for routine checkups while 36% leave that task to the horse owner. 79% of stable managers conduct shot clinics for their customers. 80% of stable managers do not carry mortality/liability insurance on their customer's horses, though 20% of stable managers carry some type of mortality insurance. Also, 93% of stable managers do not require the horse owner to carry mortality/liability insurance.
Table 10: Farrier Services | |||
---|---|---|---|
Yes | No | ||
Does the Stable have a Farrier on retainer? | 33% | 67% | |
Is a Holding Fee charged? | 25% | 75% | Typical cost - $10.00 |
Who makes farrier arrangements? | Owner - 67% | Mgt. - 47% |
Table 11: Type of Hay Fed by Stable | |
---|---|
Orchardgrass | 40% |
Mixed Hay | 40% |
Timothy | 20% |
Alfalfa | 7% |
The questions asking how much feed was provided drew ambiguous responses indicating that this part of stable management is an imprecise science. The most frequent answer was "As much as they need" but there was no way to quantify how much the horse needed. 64% of stable management did indicate that if the horse required more than a normal ration of feed (however normal was determined) they charged extra.
Table 12: Other Services | Yes | No | Additional Fee |
---|---|---|---|
Stable Exercises Horses for Owner? | 14% | 86% | Yes |
Training for Horses? | 33% | 67% | |
Lessons for Riders? | 29% | 71% | |
Provide Winter Blanketing? | 47% | 60% | |
Does the stable provide Horse related events? | 47% | 53% | |
Provide trailering to an event? | 33% | 80% | |
Is there a trailering fee? | 89% | 11% |
Contact the author at wwhittle@vt.edu
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