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How to Calculate

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Chasin Ponies 
#1 ·
We are a small private home with 14 acres and extra stalls. I've been a boarder and worked for both large barns and private facilities/homes so I've seen both sides. We built our place so we could have our horses at home and provide the level care we enjoy.


We've had some great boarders, and some NOT great boarders. Currently we have a person that has worked out "ok." Not looking for perfection, but, when it's your home, and your sanctuary, you enjoy a level of comfort. For it to be worth it to us to take on an extra horse and boarder, we want someone who does some of the barn work to give us a break during the week.


What do others use to calculate a fair price for reduced board? When we take the costs that are included in our board, what we actually pay out for hay/shavings/etc., we are left with barely $50 a month that we "clear" or are "paid" for our care. So to use that amount to calculate the cost of a boarder in turn doing stalls, or the value of turn out and in, seems too miniscule. I'm having a hard time taking what seems to be a fair number for full board, and what we pay for expenses to care for a horse, and then how to calculate credits for the exchange of chores.


Ultimately, we want someone who does am turnout and stalls a couple times a week and turn in once a week, and cover for the one or two vacations we take, and/or occasional overnights, or when we can't be here. We are extremely flexible in what we give, and in fluctuating when the boarder or their horse has needs. In the end, I want a mutual agreement we are both happy with, and not having to keep a ticker sheet of things. We want both parties to be happy with the arrangement.


What's the best way to calculate the reduced board and amount to credit? Thanks in advance!
 
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#3 ·
People working off board is messy!
If you are going to do it that way make sure they pay up full board at the beginning of the month and then you pay them their wages at the end of the month (or every two-weeks) based on how many hours they worked.
Keep the two transactions separate.

Or better yet, hire someone (non-boarder) to do the work and pay them by the hour too. That way you get someone who really wants to job and not someone who wants cheap board and won't really take pride in their work.

Also, if you are left with $50/month before labor costs it is time to up your board prices my friend. Send out a news letter that due to the price rise on expenses board will be $xxx starting march.
 
#4 ·
The boarding stable I just left was a 30 stall barn, and considered partial care. We bought and hauled our own hay and feed, cleaned our own stalls but the actual feeding/watering plus sawdust was included in the board.


They have an arrangement where boarders who volunteer to feed/water (twice a day), have $5.00 per time taken off their board. Of course, that's twice the number of stalls as you have and since the water pipes froze up regularly, winter could be quite a chore! It did work out fairly well although some of the feeders took great care and others just did the bare minimum (or less!). You could really tell which person was feeding from day to day!! The bad ones would ignore horse poop in the water bucket and fill them up anyway. If you can find the right, responsible, horse lover it can work. The going rate for cleaning a stall there was $5.00 per stall (cleaning of the water bucket expected) but some boarders were paying up fellow boarders up to $10.00 a stall especially when going out of town.
 
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