When should I retire my horse?

Should I retire my competition horse?

At some point, all competition horses require a degree of retirement. Working with your veterinarian, farrier, and trainer and considering your horse’s physical, mental, and social needs will help you make the best decision for when and how you should reduce his activity level.

Is retirement horse boarding a good idea?

I spot checked results of a Google search on “retirement horse boarding” and the rates were very reasonable. If you go with a specialized horse retirement facility, make sure the home your select offers pasture time and lots of it. One of the key considerations to keeping your elderly horse healthy is movement.

Should you retire your horse from barrel racing?

After all, going back to the competition analogy earlier if your goal is to be the fastest barrel racer and your horse is heading towards retirement he’s not going to be able to meet those goals so gently retirement may be the best solution for him.

Is boarding a horse barn profitable?

It can be profitable, but oftentimes the individual that owns the barn is only making a small amount per boarder. It can be tempting to complain about increased costs over time as you board, but if you crunched the numbers, you’d be surprised how little many boarding facilities actually keep as profit.

Should I board my horse instead of buying land?

Horse boarding may or may not include feed. This is one of the things to look into before signing that contract. If you’re leaning toward boarding your horse instead of buying land, you can feel confident that it may very well be the best choice for you and your horse.

Should you add horse boarding services to your business?

Adding boarding services could be a great solution if you lay the groundwork carefully. But boarding horses is a business, whether you have one boarder or 10. And as with any business, there are organizational, legal, and contractual issues that you need to resolve before you throw your doors open.

What is a boarding horse?

Horse boarding refers to housing your horse at a facility that is managed by another individual for a fee. There are many variations between facilities and regions, so touring the grounds and getting a breakdown of what they include in their fee is of utmost importance.

Is barrel racing dangerous for horses?

Barrel racing is one of the more dangerous sports in the equine world. Part of this is because the riders aren’t required to wear helmets. Another reason that barrel racing is considered dangerous is because the horses are running and turning so fast that there is a chance the horse or rider may fall.

How old do you have to be to barrel race?

A rider may participate in barrel racing, no matter their age, but there will be different age groups for most events—the age of their horse does not matter either. Barrel racing is a unique sport, because everything relies on time. The rider’s horsemanship skills and the horse’s athletic ability are not judged.

Do you need a contract to start a horse boarding business?

Establish detailed contracts for all of your services and require that clients sign a contract prior to any services being provided. “Contracts may be needed for the boarding agreement, training agreement, shipping, sales or anything else the farm may offer,” Sherrick-von Schiller said.

Can You Turn your passion for horses into a business?

Turn your passion into a successful business that earns you money! Whether you rent out a few stalls or an entire barn, boarding horses can be a profitable business when done correctly. Treat your operation like a real business in order to have success. You’ll be able to turn your passion for horses into either a supplemental or full-time income.

How profitable is boarding a horse?

The reality is that boarding facilities operate on slim profit margins. “By the time costs are considered for hay, grain, bedding, labor for feeding, cleaning stalls, doing turnout, etc., the board fees typically do not leave a lot left over,” Sherrick-von Schiller said. Maximize profits by calculating expected expenses.

Should boarding stables have customized plans?

This is standard among ALL businesses and boarding stables are no exception. If customers expect you to customize plans, then they are missing the point, or is a way for them to be undependable and late.

What do you do when boarding a horse?

Partial board – the horse owner provides feed, bedding and stall clean-out and your responsibility is limited to providing the stall space and access to the pastures. Depending on your regional climate, Pasture boarding may be an option – usually the horse stays in a pasture and you will want to provide some protection with a “run-in” shed.

Is it cheaper to board a horse at home or at the barn?

It can be cheaper to board a horse than keep it at home because many boarding facilities buy in bulk or split certain costs over a number of boarders. You will pay a lot more to replace your own fence than what you end up spending at a boarding barn, because facility maintenance costs are a smaller portion of your monthly bill.

Is horse boarding and training profitable?

Here are typical horse expenses for a horse boarding and training facility. As discussed here, it is usually not possible to remain profitable in a horse business solely on board income. Instead, the lion’s share of horse business income usually comes from lessons, clinics, training, and horse sales.

What should I look for when choosing a horse boarding business?

That said, the first thing you should do is research. You need to figure out what other horse boarding businesses are located in your area, then you need to figure out which services they offer and how much they are charging.

Do I need to board my horse?

Horse owners need to board their horses for a variety of reasons. They may be going out of town for a little while and need someone to care for their horses. They could be leaving for vacation, business, or various other reasons.

Can You get Started in barrel racing without a horse?

Although it would be challenging to get started in barrel racing without your own horse, it’s not impossible.

What is the best age to get a barrel horse?

If you want an experienced barrel horse that you can plan to compete on for at least 5-6 years, I would consider one that’s at least 10. However, there are a lot of factors to consider outside of age – you might find one a little younger than that, that still has the personality and experience to be a good fit for it you!