Boarding Stable Debate

The Great Boarding Stable Debate... an issue which shall most likely remain unresolved between barn owners and horse owners until the end of time.

Since this topic is best discussed by experts, I'd like to introduce (if you don't already know them) Annoyed Barn Owner (AB); and to offer counterpoint, Frustrated Horse Owner (FH).

I shall mediate as needed... hopefully not at all.

It's no secret that a myriad of differing opinions exists between horse owners and management at boarding facilities, but maybe by shedding some light on why each faction feels the way it does, we can reach some middle ground... or at least an understanding.
It's worth a try anyhow.

One point that everyone agrees upon is that a boarding facility MUST be a good match to a horse and it's owner (and vis versa), or the relationship will fail.
Boarders and Barn Owners need to at least share a basic philosophy of what constitutes good horse-keeping.
What is considered acceptable at one barn may be totally unacceptable at another, and ideally, management and customer should be in agreement of the care standard in order to be of benefit to the horse.

FH:  I'll jump in here and say that I've been boarding my horse for years, and haven't found a barn yet that can take care of my horse half as good as I can... I move Golden every 6 months or so because of that.
I pay good money for boarding, and expect my horse to recieve the level of care his specialness deserves... but barn owners have low standards, and treat him like "just another horse in the stable".  I wonder sometimes about people like AB. 

AB:  Well FH, the same can be said on my end... I try hard to screen my prospective boarders, but the nut cases always seem to slip through the cracks.
You people think your horse is the Golden Unicorn who should be the center of my attention at all times; you often give me lists of crap and nonsense that "must" be done in the way of unnecessary additional care, dictate specialized feeding programs that are nothing short of outlandish, or otherwise monopolize my time with frivolity when I have multiple horses in my care...  the Golden Unicorn is a fine animal, but he's not the only one in my barn, ya know... there are 12 additional unicorns here as well.
I'm sorry, but according to their owners, they're ALL special.
In reality, your horse IS just another horse to care for (as my own personal horse is)... and any barn owner who tells you different is a liar.   

No name calling thank you... please continue.

FH:  I just want a clean and safe environment for my horse where he is treated well and fed on a regular schedule.

AB:  Sounds reasonable to me...

FH:  I don't like coming out to see him and finding a broken fence board in his paddock that doesn't get fixed for a week.
I don't like discovering that he's still eating his breakfast at 9:30 am.
I don't like finding his stall dirty, his water bucket dry, and no hay.
If he's turned out, I hate it when he's standing in ankle-deep muck.
I shouldn't have to search for his halter, only to find it hanging on another horse's stall door.
The barn dogs are a health hazard.
My barn owner's kids leave toys everywhere.
The grass isn't mowed.
It's just a mess.

AB:  What kind of debate is this?
I agree completely... these are all inexcusable things you should reasonably not have to deal with from a reputable boarding facility.
What kind of "bargain barns" are you boarding at anyhow?

FH:  At $175 a month, I'd hardly call it a bargain AB.
I figure my horse eats about a bag of feed each week, so 4 bags a month is about $40; and maybe 3 or 4 bales of hay, so another $20... that's $60 a month.
So my barn owner is making $115 of pure profit off me every month just for tossing out some feed... easy money.
It's a small private barn, so my barn owner works a full-time "regular job" too.
I can't believe some of my friends pay $400 monthly to "pro" boarding stables for the same service... they aren't too smart sometimes.

AB:  Hold it right there FH... okayyyyy... that answers my question in regards to your boarding barn... it's an on-the-cheap backyard operation, probably not licensed or insured, and the experience level of the absentee owner might be open to additional debate since horse management isn't her primary career.
The few extra bucks she brings in from her boarders each month probably is used to support her own hobby horse habit.
I don't know where she's finding feed so cheap (or even if your numbers are accurate), and won't even go into that; but I will say that it costs me a lot more than that per month to provide feed, hay and any additional supplemental rations for each horse stabled here.
Plus your numbers are skewed... you didn't factor in the costs of insurance, taxes, licensing, maintenance of equipment and grounds, operating costs (such as gas for mowers), fencing supplies, reseeding pastures, etc... not to mention the many more liabilities that are associated with operating a farm.
Get Real.
You aren't at a bona-fide boarding stable... that's why you are paying so much less and getting so much less for your money.

FH:  I've boarded at "pro" barns before AB... too much drama and too many divas for my taste at those places.
Not to mention too expensive... and I didn't see where the level of care was that much better either.

AB:  Well, as far as boarding goes, I believe you get what you pay for FH... but you still have to do your homework.
I won't say there aren't shysters out there, sometimes the fancy barns are the worst offenders when it comes to gouging their clients...  but there ARE good pro barns too.
You sneer at your friends paying $400 per month, but consider that while your "barn owner" is toiling at her day-job behind a desk, your horse is left alone to colic, be accidently injured at her disaster area of a farm, or even be stolen by people who know she isn't around!  
Your friends' horses at the pro barn are under supervision... that peace of mind costs money.
You write as though you feel that barn owners make too much money, and you devalue their time and labor... would YOU perform heavy physical labor for the same rate of pay?
What value do you place on expertise and experience?
For example, the alert pro barn owner who quickly recognizes a health issue and addresses it can save you thousands of dollars in veterinary bills... is that attentiveness not worth a fair rate of pay?
How about working 7 days a week (including ALL holidays), never taking a vacation, and not going out to dinner because it will clash with feeding time for the horses?
If YOU were doing it, would it still be worth practically nothing?

FH:  I never really looked at it like that before...

AB:  I agreed totally with your complaints about unsafe and messy conditions FH, but us barn owners have our own problems with those things.
I carefully screen my prospective boarders, and it takes more than an open checkbook and a smile to keep your horse here... but I do get the occaisional boarder who simply cannot seem to follow the rules.
#1 on my list of aggrevations is boarders who don't respect my property.  Paying your board each month does NOT entitle you to trash my farm.
I have enough to do without raking up the manure you left at the washrack, or picking up the empty coke cans and candy wrappers you leave behind every single time you are here.
BTW... even though you may think you're entitled (or being clever), I DO NOTICE when my stock of fly spray, horse shampoo, and other misc supplies has gone down drastically after your visit.
Fixing the rails at my saddling area twice a week after your horse pulls back gets old too... can you please either teach him to tie, or stop trying to hard-tie him?
Oh yeah... and at least correct him once in awhile for digging holes in my yard and eating my flowers while you are hand-grazing him! (are you paying any attention to him at all?)
Leaving the tackroom fridge door open, not flushing the toilet, putting items into my septic system which it was never intended to handle, cleaning a year's worth of assorted trash out of your car and depositing it into my garbage bin (which I have to personally load and haul 13 miles to the closest landfill), leaving the water hose running for no reason (I have a well pump that you are helping to burn out, ya know)... plus a plethora of other minor, yet grinding annoyances and disrespectful practices, are all tiresome to deal with on a regular basis.
Of course, I try to weed out these people ASAP, but it's quite common for people to think that because they are PAYING, they can just run amok and everything will magically get cleaned or fixed as needed... even when the damage is due to them not giving a damn.
I have to live here... you don't.

FH:  I'll admit I *may* be guilty of a couple of those things.

AB:  After several years of careful revision of my clientele, I finally have the people and horses I want here at my farm... like-minded and capable riders who are truly friends as well as customers.  They treat my farm as if it were their own... as it should be.
Perhaps, rather than just assuming that all boarding barns are "out to rob you", you should explore your options more extensively.  
Be more specific when interviewing prospective barn owners about what you expect in return for your money, get guarantees in writing, and insist that they adhere to the covenants of the contract.
I can't think of anyone who ever got rich boarding horses.
Consider your finances and if you can increase your monthly boarding budget, do so... you can't expect people (especially ones with expertise in a certain field) to work for next-to-nothing.
You certainly can't expect them to maintain their farm if they don't earn enough to do so.
Don't expect A+ care unless you increase your boarding budget to a more realistic figure.

FH:  Valid points.
In return, I want some respect too... after all, I'm the customer here, and isn't the customer always right?

AB:  Mutual respect is essential, but you'll find that if you follow the cardinal rule of boarding (a shared philosophy of horsemanship between the parties), it will be a non-issue.
As for the customer always being right, I'll have to disagree beyond a certain point.
Since I'm signing a legal agreement that makes me the guarantor of your horse's health, and based upon my experience in caring for horses, I reserve the right to object when your decisions aren't in the best interests of your horse.
For example: If you decide on a whim to feed several different supplements that may clash or create an overload, it's my DUTY to speak up as your horse's advocate.
I have boarders who are excellent horsemen, but I also have boarders who are novices, and they often try to do "too much" in caring for their horses... sometimes to the detriment of the horse.
In short... if you don't trust the judgement of your barn owner, you're at the wrong barn.

FH:  well, maybe you have a point... but I'm not convinced.

And so the debate lives on...