Finding that perfect barn to board your horse can be a huge undertaking and should never be taken lightly. Here is a list that will help you in deciding if the barn you are checking out is the right one for you and especially for your horse.

Check out the horses that are currently on the farm. Are they healthy looking? Are they located together in one pasture or separated? It may take some getting used to for a horse that previously was in pasture with one or two horses and the new barn has a turnout of twenty or more. Horses who haven’t been in that situation may not know what to do.

Observe the other horses in the stalls. Ask how often the stalls are cleaned and what the turn out time is for the stalled horses. Make sure that the stalls are a decent size, generally around 12 x 12. A stall should be cleaned twice a day if the horse is to be stalled. If the horses seem agitated and nervous, it’s a good sign to look elsewhere. Take a look around at the ventilation set up. Are there fans of some sort to keep the air clean.

Be sure to talk to the owner about health schedules. Is there a regular worming schedule or is it up to the horse owner? Do they regularly check for worms first to be sure the horses even need the medication? Find out how vaccinations are scheduled, if all horses are required a negative Coggins. Are new boards or sick horses kept in a quarantined area and if yes, ask to see that area. What is their process of disinfecting areas.

Another item of importance, yet sometimes overlooked is how the facility handles manure removal. Where is it stored until removed from the facility? This is can be a huge hygienic concern as well as an increase in fly manifestation.

What type of indoor and outdoor lighting do they provide? Is there a sound system in the arena area that assists in lessons and training. What does the flooring look like – rubber mats on concrete? Do they use cross ties or hitching posts?

Take a look at their wash racks. Is there hot and cold water? A wash tub to clean tack? Is it clean and well kept with cleaning supplies and hardware in an organized place?

What does their tack room look like? Is it clean and tidy? Do you have your own space where you can lock up your things. Is there are place to securely store your saddle? This is important because you want feel comfortable leaving your things without concern of someone else using them or them ending up missing.

You may also want to check out the restroom facilities and lounge area. Is it clean, spacious and preferably climate controlled? Does the lounge area provide for viewing of the arena? What is the outdoor parking like? Do you have easy access if you need to bring in a trailer?

Ask about arena hours and if there is a way to schedule time for use. Most important is there a responsible person on site 24 hours per day to insure safe keeping of the horses and facility. Safety is most important and having someone within walking and viewing distance of the barn should be mandatory.

Take a walk around the facility and check out the condition of the fences both in front of the property and in the pasture area. They should all be in good working order eliminating any opportunity for a loose horse or possible injury. What do the pastures look like? Are they grassy and abundant or mud and rock.

What is the feeding arrangements? They should feed at least twice a day at regular intervals and be consistent in the amount and type of feed. There should be plenty of clean, fresh water, with access to salt and minerals. Check out the water buckets of the other horses and check for cleanliness of both water and stall.

It is a MUST that you have ready access to veterinary and farrier services for routine and emergency care. Can you use your own farrier, veterinarian or trainer?

Ask for references or talk to other boarders at the facility. You can also check with the local veterinarians to insure that the place is reputable. Stick around for awhile and watch a riding lesson or people working their horses. Notice how well the horse works in the arena footing. Does it appear to be slippery or too deep?

These are just some of the items to look for when on the hunt for a great boarding facility. I am sure there are more but this will provide you a starting point check list to begin your search.

Using the data gathered from an article on What it Costs to Own a Horse by Rebecca Sweat, the average YEARLY cost to own a horse is around $11,000.

“Each year it would cost about $200 for clothes, $1,750 for riding, $7,500 for board, $250 for routine veterinary care, $300 for farrier care and $350 for mortality and medical insurance (for a horse valued at $5,000). It is clear that for the healthy horse, the board will be the biggest expenses” states Rebecca.

The initial purchase of a horse is most often the smaller price factor in owning a horse. There has to be more than just a minor interest in horses to keep a person paying month after month for the care of this horse. There must be a tremendous emotional connection.

So from my perspective it appears that engaging in the sport of horses requires a bit of financial backing and a true emotional connection with horses. Not too many people that I know of would set aside $11,000 per year minimum for any animal unless there was some kind of huge driving force that negates costs.

I have to laugh when I think about the nameplate of ‘BEEMER’ on a horse stall at a barn. I often wondered if that horse was the replacement for the sports car.

Everything in life has a price tag of sorts. I have discovered that the ones that are the most costly generally have a huge amount of emotional connection to them and that would certainly include horses.

What have you discovered about owning a horse that has filled you with great emotional joy?

Do you really know how powerful you are? You have the responsibility of taking care of an animal that is the love of someone’s life. That person trusts that when they are away from the barn, you will make sure their horse is fed properly, watched over and have all the basic horse needs met.

How are you making sure that this is maintenance is being tracked and that your horse boarder truly knows how well you are caring for their horse?

What methods do you use to keep your horse boarder informed on things like how lessons are progressing and what areas need more practice? Can you provide them with links to lesson videos so they can see first hand areas of improvement and weakness?

How do they know when the farrier, vet or dentist will be out next for routine check ups? Do you have a method to announce regular horse maintenance to all your boarders at once? Can you add their requests to a list so they can see when it is to occur, when it has been completed and most importantly – how much is it going to cost them? Do you have a method of keeping them informed of their upcoming charges before they receive their month’s invoice?

I like to use the example of attending parent / teacher conferences with my kids. We’d have about five minutes max to go over what has been happening over the past two months of studies. I always thought that NOW was not the time to go over late or missing assignments and poor chapter test scores. NOW was too late.

Thankfully, some schools have incorporated a on-line tool for parents and kids where they can go in before the end of a card marking and find out test scores and missing or late assignments and be able to make a change to improve before the card marking.

That’s why I think it is so important to communicate well ahead of time with boarding customers before they get their monthly invoice. It is up to the farm owner to insure good record-keeping and inform their boarders of upcoming billable maintenance or any other horse care related task.

This kind of care will shout volumes of praise from horse boarders who need that assurance of knowing they employ someone that will work with them in the care and maintenance of their best buddy. They will be much more obliging to pay for fly spray application or a holding fee when they can see when it was completed before they get the bill.

You have a lot of horse power behind you. Today’s businesses are changing so rapidly, it is important to make a statement that will out shine all others. It’s time to use technology to communicate in new and powerful ways.

Have you ever stood up in front of a room full of people and ask how everyone was doing and you heard a few ‘Okays’, ‘Great’, may be a ‘Could be Better’. Well that’s when you generally say it again and this time with emphasis ‘How are you Doing!” and then you get a much louder response with more enthusiasm.

That is exactly what I am going to do with the next round of this contest because we need more enthusiasm, aka more comments! I’m thinking that maybe I needed to be more clear on what I was asking everyone to do.

What I Need from You:

We are going to run the contest for another five days, starting today thru August 21. I am calling all horse boarders and those that take riding lessons to comment below on what you see as the Wow! Factor at the farm that you spend your time and money.

Because the winner of the contest will receive a signed book by the author Ronaye Ireland called ‘How to Find Trouble Free Horse Boarding Even if you are New to Horses’, I am requesting comments from the boarders and lesson customers side of the horse farm business.

What is the “Wow!” Factor?

The “Wow!” Factor is that unnamed quality in a product or service that elicits a “Wow!” from the customer the first time they encounter it. Examples of a “Wow!” might be –

• One private lesson after every tenth lesson

• Refer a friend and receive one-month free board

• Half-price on all trailering to specific shows

It’s whatever it may take for the customer to have that feeling of “Wow!” what a great deal for me!

So please leave your comments below and let’s find out what your Wow! Factor experience has been at the farm you hang out with!

Simply click on the ‘comment’ button which will open up all of the comments that people have already provided, add your name, website (if you have one) and comment away …..

Are you ready for another cool contest? This one will last five days starting today, ending on Sunday, August 15. The winner will receive a fabulous and informative book called “How to Find Trouble Free Horse Boarding Even If You Are New to Horses” written and signed by Ronaye Ireland.

Ronaye’s book will raise your awareness and help you become better informed before making that commitment to a horse-boarding stable to care for your horse. The book also has some great information to help horse boarding farm owners improve areas that may be what their current and future customers are looking for in a horse-boarding farm. You’ll discover things like:

• How to choose the horse-boarding style that suits your lifestyle
• How to uncover hidden costs and build a realistic budget so you can afford to keep your horse
• How to avoid a $500 vet bill by paying attention to this safety hazard you never thought would be a problem

How to Enter the Contest

To enter the contest, simply add a comment below describing what you think is the best “Wow!” Factor a horse boarding farm business can provide their customers today. It can be from your own personal experience or from ideas that you may have that would be a great benefit for horse farm owners. The winning name will be chosen randomly using random.org.

What is the “Wow!” Factor?

The “Wow!” Factor is that unnamed quality in a product or service that elicits a “Wow!” from the customer the first time they encounter it. Examples of a “Wow!” might be –

• One private lesson after every tenth lesson
• Refer a friend to board at your farm and receive one-month free board
• Half-price on all trailering to specific shows

It is whatever it may take for the customer to have that feeling of “Wow!” what a great deal for me!

What is the “Wow!” Factor in your business? What keeps your customers happy and talking about your horse farm? When competing for business in a struggling economy, “good enough” is not good enough.

What does your horse farm do that is unique and not like any other horse farms in your area? Sometimes it is hard to tell because that “Wow!” Factor often happens when you are not even around. What are your customers saying about your horse farm when you are not around?

I know of one really great way to get your customers talking about the “Wow!” Factor of your farm. Try LaRaedo Horse Farm Software, which allows customers to log in and see how well their horse is being cared for, how training is improving or how lessons are going. With this type of communication and putting the customer first, they will not only be impressed, they will also be telling other horse boarders how innovative and proactive your farm is in maintaining their horse.

So be sure to leave a comment below for a chance to win an extremely useful and informative book that can be read now and referred to time and time again. The lucky winner will be announced on August 16. Good luck!

The next step after the creation of the horses and boarder data will be the addition of any employees that will be tracking and maintaining the farm’s boarded horses.

Here is an example of what is required when adding an employee.

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Once an account has been created for the employee, an event can be assigned as follows:

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Here is what your employee will see when they log in to view their scheduled tasks:

The employee can complete this event and create their own events to track and provide updates for the horse boarder.

The basis behind showing you the process of this software is to demonstrate how easy it is to use. There are quite a few things that I have left out that will add to the experience of connecting with everyone involved.

I wanted to provide in these few posts the overall picture of how the software flows from farm owner to employee to boarder and back again. It is all about improving the communication with your horse boarders.

In the next post, I will demonstrate how the software pulls all of the billable event tracking into a horse boarder’s invoice.

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have. I would love to hear your impression so far!

I enjoy reading horse related blogs. I find it fun, fascinating and I just learn so many new things about the care and feeding of these grand animals.

I ran across one great horse blogger a few months ago that I want to share with you.   Her name is Ronaye Ireland and her knowledge about horses and the business of horses was immediately apparent as I began reading her work.

I particularly enjoyed a post called “What makes a good home for your horse … and what kind of care do you want him to have?” She vividly describes what to look for when you want the best boarding facility for your horse.

Ronaye uses the perspective of what a horse would want if they were to choose their place to live.  Who would they want to spend their days with and what would be most beneficial to them.  Rather than coming from the viewpoint of the handler or boarder, she helps us visualize through the eyes of the horse.

When you get down to it, the farm will be the horse’s home 24/7 so you might as well find a comfortable and accommodating atmosphere.  Which means plenty of fresh air, friends and activity.

Ronaye also keys in on what to look for in the person who will be handling your horse on a daily basis.  You need to feel confident that this person has the same horsemanship philosophy that you do.

Another area of focus when choosing a home for your horse is to be observant of your horse’s needs.  For instance, if you have a very large horse, make sure that your horse will have a stall that is larger than most standard size stalls.

Does your horse like being outside in the pasture most days or is your horse happier with part stall and part pasture time?

This article is actually one of the chapters out of her book “The Horse Owner’s Survival Guide to Horse Boarding” which is currently available as an eBook but she hoping to have the book published in print and available on Amazon before the summer.

Ronaye explains this much better than I, so I will leave you with a link to her post and website at horseboardingsecrets.com

What things have you looked for when you selected a boarding facility for your horse?

When someone purchases a horse, the bond that develops comes from deep within the heart. It is a decision based on the knowledge that this new relationship will be costly – a true investment in time and especially money.

The purchase of a horse is probably the smallest amount of money that will be spent. The biggest chunk of change will come from the daily maintenance and care. Even those that live in a farm environment and have a barn for their horse still need to attend daily diligence to keep their horse healthy.

Many horse owners choose a horse boarding facility to care for their horse. The boarding experience generally includes the various responsibilities that come with the care and feeding. Most horse owners know about the overall health costs from veterinary check ups, farrier and routine dental visits. In addition, there are the extra feed supplements, tack, lessons and training. And last but not least, the cost of participation in horse shows such as trailering, show fees and show attire.

Wouldn’t it be ideal if every horse boarder had one place they could go to find the most updated information about their horse’s daily activities? For instance, the farm owner and staff could keep one another informed on all the various horse related tasks and events. The horse boarder would be able to see the related tasks that had occurred on the farm for their horse. And their horse information would always be readily available for viewing.

What if you could see at a glance if the farrier came out and trimmed your horse’s hoofs or if the dentist had a successful visit, how everything went and were there any issues? Imagine being able to send your farm owner a quick message to let them know that you wanted fly spray applied today. Or what if you wanted to know how lessons were going for your child and where improvements could be achieved.

Imagine if you sent your horse off to a training facility that was several hours from your home? Wouldn’t you just love to be able to find out how your horse was progressing on a regular basis? What if you could view short videos that provided glimpses of improvements? Very often, it takes several months for training to be completed. How thrilled would you be to follow the progress?

Wouldn’t it be sweet to have this on-line, open communication between all the farm staff that connects regularly with your horse? There are occasions when you just can’t get to the barn due to work, inclement weather or personal appointments. The ability to have ready access to the daily activities and maintenance of your horse can decrease the stress of not being able to know what’s going on.

There are times when you might be at the barn, but the farm owner is not available. The owner may be giving lessons or assisting in other farm related necessities. Imagine being able to know that all updates are at your fingertips so that it doesn’t matter if you get a chance to talk in person. No more phone tag or misunderstandings.

What if you could receive an email notification that your monthly invoice was available for your viewing? And in that invoice you would receive a breakdown of every charge billed to you for the prior months care of your horse. All lessons, training, vet, monthly board and show fees would be listed as completed on the dates the service was rendered. And the invoice would be viewable by you, including the date when it was submitted to you and the date you paid it.

How cool would that be to know, truly know that your most beloved investment, your precious friend was cared for and worth every penny you spent each month to feel that peace of mind.

How would it feel if you were to board your horse on a farm that kept you informed on a regular basis how your horse was doing using the latest in web-based computer technology?

For me, it would be a no-brainer – where do I go to sign up! Can you just imagine how good that would feel?

At LaRaedo, we can provide you with exactly that – Click here for more details…