Boarding!

[songofsixxpence]

I have a pretty large write up of what i'm going to put on the website for our farm.
My question isssssssss would you board here? Am I leaving anything out? Does anything sound dumb?!
Your feedback is much appreciated

Comments

[skyhuntress]

sounds pretty good! good choices.
are you trying to press the stall board on people, or do you care? because if not, I'd consider maybe lowering the rough board a bit-to make it more accessible to people, and maybe upping the large barn board a little bit to make it more of a distinction betwee nthe large and the pasture?

I'd also reword the leasing part. to qualified individuals looking for an adventure either sounds like the horses are totally wild or that one is going into unchartered territories.

that's about it :P
wish you were close to me! :P

[songofsixxpence]

haha WELL the horses are kind of wild.... thanks for the input. The thing is we only have 4 stalls, 3 indoor and one outdoor and we're going to have two run ins, MAYBE get another outdoor little barn so space is limited. I don't care what people choose :)

[rocktard]

dunno what the style is out there, but here on the east coast I see alot of barns that have box-or advertising "big"-stalls actually give out the measurements. Like "12x12' " or something.

For lessons maybe say something about calling ahead to make an appointment or say something about canceling policy (and if that is determined by your independent instructors please note that)

(also if its just Katie, change that to "Meet Our Instructor")

EL OH EL

[rocktard]

hi, i fail. i was thinking you were in CA.

arg. captiain fail here...

http://failblog.org

[songofsixxpence]

Thanks for the input- this is my rough draft so I'm waiting on measurements from my boss :) and good call on the appointment and cancelation policy.

[creseis_acicula]

Wow, it sounds like a great deal, especially for Long Island! In the On-Site leasing section, make sure you separate "apart" to "a part." In fact, I would take out a lot of the wordiness and just write, "Half and full leases are available to qualified individuals..."

What is ARIA Level 2 certification? Many people who are interested in lessons do not know. I would definitely try to condense much of this and make it short and sweet and easy to read.

Good luck!

[songofsixxpence]

These are going to be on seperate pages, so in the end it doesnt add up to too much :)
ARIA is the american riding instructors association. it's kind of a big deal and it just shows commitment and skill level

[young_modern]

if i were considering boarding a horse here, these are questions i would have right off the bat:

- large barn and pasture barn board include fly spray. what about fly sheets and masks, or boots? will my horse be appropriately dressed for turnout?
- do any of the board options include basic first aid care for my horse? for example, if they have a wound that needs to be cleaned and dressed, or they have a swollen leg that needs to be cold-hosed, will the barn staff do that for me?
- there is no mention of stall cleaning for pasture barn board. does that mean i have to clean my own stall? if so, will bedding be provided for me, or will i have to buy my own?
- your definition of "spacious" and "roomy" stalls might be very different than mine. exactly what are the stall measurements?
- same thing with the paddocks. what qualifies as a medium paddock, or a large field? what's the acreage?

[songofsixxpence]

Thanks for the input.. as you and I both know you wouldn't board your horse anywhere without checking it out first. So, I feel like I don't need exact measurements for turnouts and fields. This is just an outline, if people want more information, they'll call me or come out here.
-Blanketing is an extra fee as stated in our boarding contract, which includes any clothes for turnout. I dont really want to state outright "hey all of THIS stuff is extra". That comes when I'm actually talking to the person.

-Basic "first aid" is a given at any barn. If any horse came in with a wound or a cut I could never just leave them like that? I can't get my head around this question
-The horses on pasture board tend to not even go in their stalls, but thank you for pointing that out.

[young_modern]

i think it should definitely be stated clearly on the website that blankets and boots are extra. especially if someone has a horse with specific leg-protection needs because of an injury or something, it'd be good to know that sort of policy up front.

if a horse came in from turnout with a wound, yes, any barn would take care of it. but what if it needs to be taken care of for a few days? if the horse has a cut that needs to be cleaned and re-dressed at least once a day until it heals, or if they need a leg cold-hosed once or twice a day for a week. is that the sort of thing the owner has to come to the barn to do themself, or is that included in the basic first aid care?

[doublereeder]

How much do lessons cost? Are your rates competitve with other facilities offering similar services within your area? Do rates differ for group sessions compared to individual or semi-private ( one to two people per lesson)? How long are lessons? Lesson packages?

[songofsixxpence]

Like I said before, this is just a rough draft :)