Boarding Horses

Welcome Horsewoman!

I am here dreaming of Montana...what a gorgeous place.  Hope you stick around on the forum, you have a unique niche and we would love to hear more from you!  JBJ

here we're a horse friendly B&B.. we have have them sign a  liability waiver and proof of coggins BEFORE they arrive.  Then we're all footloose and fancy free

Aside from the Coggins testing, there are many other contagious diseases out there. Strangles for one. I believe that a horse cannot cross state lines without a Coggins test being performed. You might want to check with your local AQHA or APHA or ADHA/ vet clinic for verification. I know in Ohio, horses  are required a min 30 holding period from being vaccinated to being put into a public facility. When I sold my horse to a woman who was going to board him, I had to update all his vaccincations and then wait 30 days before she could come get him to take him to the facility.

Liability is one thing, but vet stuff is another. You might even need to acquire proof of vaccinations before you can board; kind of like boarding your dog

A coggins blood test is for equine infectious anemia - highly contagious and deadly.  A negative test is great, but that doesn't mean the horse didn't acquire the disease two days ago, but it's better than a positive test!  And a horse infected within the past 42 days will show a negative Coggins if tested within that 42 day period.

Yes, ask for a negative Coggins just to CYA, but that doesn't mean a sick animal can't be holding a negative Coggins.  Coggins are generally done one a year.

I used to be in the horse business, too....long before my days of wandering around the sea. 

And yes, I agree with others - separate all your assets and run them independently of each other.  As for me, "I don't own a darn thing!"  Everything I have that I use for my business is corporate owned - the more layers deep you bury yourself in the corporate structure, the better.  If you want to get really buried under the corporate veil, try an International Business Corporation in the Bahamas, Grand Caymans, or British Virgin Islands.    That's a bit overboard for your kind of business, though. 

Check into you State laws regarding horses. Here in WV you post a sign at the stable stating something to the effect if there is no liabilty on the part of the owner of the stable if something happens.

TX CIV PRAC & REM § 87.001 - 005    Texas law (went back & read it and it pertains to shows - but it is a starting point)

Since I do not touch the stable fee, I am not liable. I make the reservation at the stable and escort to the stable from the highway. If you have the insurance - go for it! It has been VERY good for me. Through the winter, sometimes my only rooms are horses going from Canada to Florida or the Carolinas.

They (at least the East Coast people) prefer stalls. If yours do not mind paddock great - but have several paddocks so you do not mix horses. Not all of them get along sharing territory. Demand a negative coggins for each horse - this is a form stating the horse has been tested in the last 30 days and is negative coggins. Do not ask me what the heck that is, I just know to ask for it. A positive means a sick horse that could make other horses sick.You do not want that horse. I have learned as I go with the horses. My guy charges $25 per horse per night. If they are putting the horses in the field (a must do if more than 3 horses) I tell them $15 per horse. He lets me negotiate it if they have a lot of horses.

Good luck. I also get them coming in to ride our rail-trail 17 miles from end to end if it is all open which is not the case at the moment. Have had some since the washout washed out - a couple for 2 nights and a whole house for 2 nights (they had 4 horses and a pony).

There might be some benefit to setting up the whole boarding/riding thing as an LLC to keep it separate from your B&B and your home.

kathleen (gillum house) is the one to answer ... bet she has a lot of info!