What Do I Need to Start a Horse Boarding Business?

Horse owners rely on boarding barns to house and feed their horses. The demand exists throughout the United States and other countries, as many horse owners don't own land large enough or zoned for horses. Boarding barns rarely make significant sums of money from just boarding horses and usually offer other horse-related services such as lessons, shows and clinics.

  1. Knowledge of Horses

    • If you've never owned or ridden horses, spend the next three or four years getting acquainted with horses. Boarding barn owners need to recognize signs of illnesses such as colic, possess ample experience in proper horse care such as types of grain and hay, and the ability to interact with horse owners in a language they understand.

    Facilities

    • Boarding barn owners need at least a barn with stalls and pastures. This is the bare minimum and gets the lowest return financially. Boarding barn owners can charge more with additional facilities such as a large outdoor arena, individualized pastures, trails, wash stall, grooming stall, meeting room, round pen, automatic waters, stall mats, a serviceable barn layout and indoor arena.

    Contacts

    • To start, a boarding barn owner needs to have phone numbers for hay suppliers and growers to get hay for the horses in their barn. You should possess at least one number to start and cultivate more as the business grows. The numbers are security that if your hay supplier runs out of hay or the quality drops, you don't have to spend days finding other suppliers. This will keep your business running smoothly. Find a feed store that give you a discount for buying in bulk; some might even deliver. Other contacts include other boarding barn owners who will help you handle the bumps in the road and offer advice. Don't consider them your competition. No business succeeds without a little marketing even if it's just word of mouth. In the horse world, word of mouth will be the best form of marketing. A satisfied horse owner will tell others about your barn.

    Legalities

    • Before you start boarding horses, you need to have insurance on the barn and its occupants. This protects you in a variety of situations such as a fire. Prepare a contract for your boarders to sign detailing the terms of service, responsibilities on the part of the boarders such as monetary payment, and declaimers that explain that the barn and owner bear no responsibility for injuries sustained to the horse and rider while on the property.

    Game Plan

    • Before you spread the word that you're open for business, develop a game plan. Decide how you will feed and care for the horses each day. If you work full time and hope to have a full barn, then consider hiring someone to do the barn work each day. Develop a marketing plan; you have to let people know you have something they want. Consider offering additional services, such as feeding supplements and holding horses for the farrier. Having it all planned out ahead of time will make the first months easier and smoother.