by Nikki Alvin-Smith
There are many ways to improve a horse boarding and lesson business revenue stream. A positive aspect to the horse industry is that the number of newcomers to equine ownership alongside returning members to the equestrian community are on the rise.
The forecast for an increase in horse ownership is always a good thing for operators of horse facilities. Whether you offer straight boarding or an enterprise that offers a mix of livery, lessons and horse training options, this news offers a welcome solution to management of equestrian based businesses recent woes.
The increase in costs for all aspects of horse care, from veterinary ambulatory attendance, pharmaceutical companies consistent rising prices making them billions, necessity items like grain and forage expenses being harder to resource and more expensive to supply, and rising insurance and building costs, have meant the horse boarding business is not an easy one to make money with – unless you think outside the regular box of horse care.
Horse aficionados that seek to care for their own equines but don’t have access to the property required to go forward with backyard ownership have always been part of the horse industry.
Offering rough board, partial board, barter board are all on the table when it comes to making a little extra money and keeping the horse barn ticking along. By adding the option for access to a stable for their horses, an income stream between regular rough board and full-service livery option pricing can be accomplished. Horse property owners that take this industry wide need to offer an in-between option to horse owners with some form of stabling, are taking a great stride farther to improving their profits.
Sales of hay and bedding supplies, storage options for tack and equipment and horse trailers can all be offered à la carte for extra fees.
The build of a shed row barn can yield great rewards for those that have the foresight to take to heart a bit of Agri-tourism smarts and read the room. That room being a barn.
A Stable Solution
One of the least expensive and most cost-effective stabling solutions has always been the shed row barn concept. A design that performance riders embrace for the fresh air factor, and you don’t have to be an Olympic eventer to know why.
Horse owners that seek rough board for their equines may be content with access to a paddock or pasture for their horse. Either an individual turn out or the cheaper option of a herd turnout. Horse folks may be happy to provide pasture picking services and their own provision of hay or grain. But there is always a need for a stable to call their own. A space where the animal can be sheltered in bad weather; a place where the Equus can rest and relax and be prepped for vet or farrier visits; a confined safe hold where the horse owner can quietly groom and tack up their equine partner for riding; a clean stall where the equine can be bathed and beautified, braided and blanketed in preparation for competition/show prep; and a stable that offers respite for the horse if ill, lame or debilitated.
The Shed Row Solution
The shed row design of a horse yard offers a multitude of benefits for the horse property owner that wants to increase revenue by adding some extra services but does not want to involve themselves in a full-board scenario. Perhaps the horse property owner would prefer to keep their center aisle barn and personal horses separated from the boarding population. A dual barn operation is a smart business move.
Shed row designs offer a myriad of methods to create a private courtyard in British style, a boomerang or L-shaped design that offers certain advantages or a corridor design where stalls face each other creating a center aisle aspect that provides a good working space.
The addition of an overhang to a shedrow barn is an inexpensive way to create more space for storage and shelter.
Lesson Up
Horse facilities that offer lesson horses often try to keep the expenses of keeping the lesson horses as cost effective as possible. The provision of shed-row stabling offers an easy method to bring horses in during times of inclement weather or when they are booked for a busy schedule of lessons, without interference with other activities in the main barn where the horse owner may be working with their own performance horses.
For haul-in lessons and quarantine needs, the shed row barn design also offers a great solution that minimizes the risk for transmission of disease between equine residents.
Diversity Works
A mix approach to horse barn designs on a property can offer a mixed bag of boarding/training/lesson options creating a flexibility in the business model that provides an opportunity to diversify income streams.
A shed row barn design has been favored in the racehorse world for eons as the most inexpensive means to house the most horses at any one time. Give it a look. You may be pleasantly surprised at how it can help you improve your bottom line.
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Feel free to contact Nikki Alvin-Smith for further information and high-res photos.
About Horizon Structures: One horse or twenty, there’s one thing all horse owners have in common…the need to provide safe and secure shelter for their equine partners. At Horizon Structures, we combine expert craftsmanship, top-of-the-line materials and smart “horse-friendly” design to create a full line of sheds and barns that any horse owner can feel confident is the right choice for their horses’ stabling needs.
All wood. Amish Made. Most of our buildings are shipped 100% pre-built and ready for same-day use. Larger barns are a modular construction and can be ready for your horses in less than a week. All our barn packages include everything you need –
Horizon Structures also sells chicken coops, equine hay feeders, greenhouses, dog kennels, 1 and 2 car garages, storage sheds and outdoor living structures and playsets.
Headquartered in South-Central Pennsylvania, Horizon Structures, LLC is owned by Dave Zook. Dave was raised in the Amish tradition and grew up working in the family-owned shed business. He started Horizon Structures in 2001 in response to an ever-increasing customer demand for high quality, affordable horse barns.
For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com
Horizon Structures LLC, Atglen, PA
Media Contact: NAS@NikkiAlvinSmithStudio.com
Tel: 607 434 4470
https://www.HorizonStructures.com
Photos are available on request.
About Nikki Alvin-Smith:
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