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Wondering What Your Boarding Contract Says...

3K views 17 replies 16 participants last post by  crimsonsky 
#1 · (Edited)
...about how your barn will feed your horse?

Is it customary to state exactly how much hay (i.e. # of pounds) will be fed in the summer vs. the winter? Or maybe even state the minimum amount...???

Or is it common to have a statement in the boarding contract that says something to the effect of "...to feed the horse daily; depending on <barn's> opinion of your horse's condition."


Would love to hear from you guys. Thanks for your input...
 
#2 ·
Mine doesn't have any specifics about feeding. It just says they provide "regular feedings." I had leased horses there for several years prior to actually buying my own horse so I knew what their schedule and policies were ahead of time, but if I hadn't I probably would have wanted it to be spelled out a little more.
 
#3 ·
The last two places I boarded at where the only ones in which hay was included. The first one felt 1 1/2 flakes twice a day were enough for a growing 17hh young horse with food aggression issues. The next one because of the prior one, it wasn't in the contract but I asked specifically how many flakes per feeding, how many feedings, and approx weight of each feeding. It seemed strange to the barn owner how I was obsessing about the feedings - but when we finally met and I explained then she knew. And it ended up being a perfect feeding place!
 
#5 ·
Our barn says 4 flakes of local grass and/or alfalfa as needed. Some horses do not get any alfalfa, some get 1 flake a day for winter, some get 1 flake of alfalfa year round. Anything over the 4 flakes costs. It averages 20 lbs/day because of the size of the local hay flakes.
 
#7 ·
My contract says that they will feed whatever amount of hay I want, and whatever amount and type of grain I choose, 2 times daily (morning and evening). Pasture turnout is given in good weather conditions, and hay amounts are not adjusted unless the owner states that they want it that way.
We are billed by the bale, so horse owners can freely come in at night and give their horse an extra flake if they want to, without penalty (or without having to sneak around!). I have the barn owner buy my grain for me, and she just bills me for the amount (lbs) I use every month.

We weigh the hay and grain, to be more accurate. Amounts for hay and grain are written down on a sheet. Each horse has its own individual sheet that states what it should be given, and the person feeding has to mark off how much hay and grain the horse received each morning and night.

I used to board at a place that touted the fact that they fed 3 times a day. What they didn't say was that it only equaled about 10 lbs/day, if that. For a growing horse, it was hell. Now that I know what my horse is getting each day, I'd prefer to keep it that way.
 
#8 ·
Mine has the list of what is fed but my trainer/bo modifies it on the type and amount of work the horse is in. It also states the amount of hay offered depending if the horse is on grass or on sand. Since my pony is a fatty right now she is on a more basic diet with added minerals.
 
#9 ·
Yes. The reason being is that feed is very expensive.. Increased work on a horse would require the horse to need more calories... Boarding barns (the cheaper ones at least) have to budget everything. This probably isn't an issue in 600+ a month barns but for us .. we are 300 a month so there is VERY little profit in that. We specify that we will feed UP TO 6 lbs sweet a day and 15 lbs of hay a day (2 flakes am and Pm) for most horses this is more than adequate calories/intake. However we will gladly feed more than this we just charge per lb on the hay and grain (exactly what we pay)

We also outline how much bedding we provide. Ive had horses for enough time that we know how much bedding a horse needs on average. If you have an overly wet horse you buy the extra bedding it provides.

This may seem silly to some but we have such a low profit margin we HAVE to budget things like this otherwise I end up paying to care for others horses or working for free.
 
#10 ·
"DCA agrees to provide a clean facility and appropriate feed and water required to maintain the animal"

That's all that's in my board contract. I provide grass hay and feed Strategy GX in recommended amounts to keep the horse looking good and having a shiny coat. If that's 20 lbs of hay/day and 7 lbs of Strategy, that's what I provide. If it's 10 lbs hay and 3 lbs Strategy that's what I provide. I buy shavings in bulk and bed each horse down so they're comfortable and that's provided. Each stall has 3/4 inch mats under the shavings as well, provided by the facility.

I'm perfectly willing to feed anything else that the owner provides, but I buy my grass hay in bulk and Strategy by the pallet, so for one horse to get something different, I leave it to the owner to provide what they want.
 
#14 ·
Have you ever boarded a horse that makes your agreement to feed appropriately, cost prohibitive? I feed where I board and there's everything from an air fern pony who gains weight watching the rest eat to a TB (whose no longer with us) who was fed as much as 4 other horses combined and STILL tried to lose weight. It wasn't an issue when hay was plentiful but with a drought and hay prices quadrupling, I know the BO wasn't in the slightest bit sad when the owner moved to another state.

Around here the norm seems to be that the boarding facility states feed up to "XX flakes" or "XX pounds" of hay and if you have an extremely hard keeper you pay for what you need above those amounts. I question if that is a good way to do things though as I noticed at a boarding facility that fed "up to 6 flakes, 2x per day" that individual requested her allotted 12 flakes per day but would remove 4 of them after the barn hand had gone through tossing hay and haul them away (to sell? to feed another horse? I have no idea...).
 
#11 ·
My barn's contact says something to the extent of providing a once daily grain (Safe Choice) feeding and a round bale of hay when the pastures need supplementing.


I provide my own grain now, and the BO was perfectly fine feeding my horse twice a day. I requested my other horse doesn't get any grain, and the BO was fine by that too.
 
#15 ·
There really is no good way to state EXACTLY how much a horse will be fed on a generic basis. A mini will not need as much as a growing horse. A pasture puff will not need as much as a horse in active competition.

You also cannot go by flakes as one bale might have a one pound flake and another bale a 2.5 pound flake.

Each contract will have to be individualized and amended with the season, age and use changes.
 
#16 ·
If they really wanted to be specific, it seems like it would be best to do it based on the horse's body weight. Maybe something like up to 2% of the horse's body weight in hay and 1% in hard feed. Most horses would be fine with that amount or less, and for the horses that need more the barn could either charge extra or require the owner to provide it.
 
#17 ·
I showed the Boarders exactly what a flake was, wether it was my hay or theirs hay. I feed whatever it takes to keep a horse a healthy.
I stated also that if I found acceptable oat hay, that oat hay at night and alfalfa in the morning. Otherwise it was alfalfa. If any supplements or grain was needed, the owner supplied it, I could put it out, but they had to keep it stocked.
 
#18 ·
my board agreement says:

FARM agrees to provide the following, in addition to normal and reasonable care and handling to maintain the health and well being of the animal(s).
Stall: ________________ - minimum size stall to be cleaned at least once daily
Turn-Out: ______________ - maximum number of horses per pasture or paddock (turn-out) on a daily basis.
Grain: _______________ - pounds of grain per day fed Two (2) times per day
Feed Type:_______________________ - specify feed type if applicable
Hay: __________________________ - pounds of hay per day fed ________ times per day
Hay Type: __________________________________________________ - specify type if applicable
 
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