If you have extra stalls in your barn, or if you’re thinking of building a new barn, you might be considering starting a boarding barn business. This can be an exciting business opportunity, but it’s also important to make sure that this is the right decision for you. If you’re thinking of starting a boarding barn, consider the following factors when making your decision.
Income and Additional Services
Boarding businesses aren’t traditionally highly profitable operations on their own. While it’s possible to make a profit off of a boarding-only operation, venturing into a business with additional services can increase your income potential. For instance, if you’re a trainer, then you can bring in significant income through lessons, coaching, and other services. Other options include opening a specialty boarding facility where you do layup or retirement board.
Privacy Changes
If you live on the property where your barn is, then opening a boarding business will affect your privacy. Even if you opt to have the barn closed one day a week, emergencies will still arise and people will still need to be able to get to the barn.
If you haven’t yet built your barn, consider ways to establish privacy for your home when laying out and building the property. Strategically positioning your home, investing in trees for a natural type of fence, and locating the road to the barn so that it’s a ways from your home can all help to retain some of your privacy, even when your barn is a hub of activity.
Increased Property Maintenance
With additional horses and riders on your property, you’ll see changes to the maintenance and the overall wear and tear of fences, arenas, and your barn. It’s important to factor in the costs of this maintenance and to make sure that your boarding fees are large enough to cover those costs. Consider whether you have the time to perform this maintenance and any repairs, or whether you’ll have to hire someone, which will increase the costs.
A Hobby Becomes a Business
When you make the transition from horse owner into business owner, it can change the way that you enjoy the time that you spend at the barn. When boarders are around, you may need to field questions and complaints, and you won’t have the same quiet, alone time with your horse that you once did. This will be an adjustment that you’ll need to prepare for.
A Chance to Make Something Great
While starting a boarding barn certainly has its drawbacks, you also have the opportunity to create a business that boarders and their horses love. You can create the type of boarding barn that you always wished existed when you were boarding, and you can take pride in providing great care to the horses. With dedication, talent, and some creativity, you can create a successful business.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to start a boarding barn is one that you’ll need to carefully consider. Whether you decide to build a boarding facility or want to build a barn for your own personal use, let Equine Facility Design help to ensure that the whole project goes smoothly. Contact us today – we’d love to learn more about your project.