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Proud Texan

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Our community plays host to numerous rodeo events and so, subsequently, we have a lot of horse people passing through looking for accommodations. I think we might have a goldmine here because there is no place to board a horse around here with the exception of the local county fairground/stockyard.Several individuals have said that it would be great to be able to board their horse the same place they were staying.
I have a beautiful one-acre plot at the front of my property that would be perfect for a horse paddock. I think this is something we'd like to do.
For those of you who do board horses along with their owners, what pitfalls should I be aware of?
 
kathleen (gillum house) is the one to answer ... bet she has a lot of info!
 
kathleen (gillum house) is the one to answer ... bet she has a lot of info!.
I think K stays out of the actual boarding process due to insurance. She'll lead the guests TO the stables but does not take any money so she's out of the legal loop should anything happen. (Well, not really, if something happened to the horses she'd get sued for recommending the place, but because she didn't take any money for the horses, it's less of a case.)
PT- Would you have riding trails? Sounds like it could be interesting.
 
kathleen (gillum house) is the one to answer ... bet she has a lot of info!.
I think K stays out of the actual boarding process due to insurance. She'll lead the guests TO the stables but does not take any money so she's out of the legal loop should anything happen. (Well, not really, if something happened to the horses she'd get sued for recommending the place, but because she didn't take any money for the horses, it's less of a case.)
PT- Would you have riding trails? Sounds like it could be interesting.
.
Our walking trails are wide enough to serve as bridle trails, but we only have 72 acres...not much for a good ride.
I had to shop around, but I found liability insurance for this venture. It's a separate policy from our regular liability policy for the B&B.
 
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.
 
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).
 
kathleen (gillum house) is the one to answer ... bet she has a lot of info!.
I think K stays out of the actual boarding process due to insurance. She'll lead the guests TO the stables but does not take any money so she's out of the legal loop should anything happen. (Well, not really, if something happened to the horses she'd get sued for recommending the place, but because she didn't take any money for the horses, it's less of a case.)
PT- Would you have riding trails? Sounds like it could be interesting.
.
Our walking trails are wide enough to serve as bridle trails, but we only have 72 acres...not much for a good ride.
I had to shop around, but I found liability insurance for this venture. It's a separate policy from our regular liability policy for the B&B.
.
Proud Texan said:
Our walking trails are wide enough to serve as bridle trails, but we only have 72 acres...not much for a good ride.
I had to shop around, but I found liability insurance for this venture. It's a separate policy from our regular liability policy for the B&B.
Just had a rodeo cowboy here from your state.
regular_smile.gif

 
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..
How so?
.
If the stable is a separate entity, if there is any problem of any kind, it will be the stable that is sued. It will protect you home and your B & B from the stable activity and vice versa. Swirt is correct, it is the WISE move.
 
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..
How so?
.
If the stable is a separate entity, if there is any problem of any kind, it will be the stable that is sued. It will protect you home and your B & B from the stable activity and vice versa. Swirt is correct, it is the WISE move.
.
That is what we did with our B&B and the wine tours. Each is a different LLC so one guest cannot sue the other company.
RIki
 
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)..
Thanks for this. If I'm reading this correctly, my liability is extremely limited as long as I provide appropriate and safe facilities.
I'll run this by my lawyer, but I may not need additional liability insurance. It may be that I can have them sign a waiver and that would be that.
 
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)..
Thanks for this. If I'm reading this correctly, my liability is extremely limited as long as I provide appropriate and safe facilities.
I'll run this by my lawyer, but I may not need additional liability insurance. It may be that I can have them sign a waiver and that would be that.
.
Waivers are not worth the paper they are printed on. They sound like protection, but other than saying yes, I knew it was considered dangerous But they..... a waiver will not protect you from suit nor help you win a suit. GET THE EXTRA LIABILITY!! and try for more than you think you need.
Separate the stable and separate the B & B from your home and your savings. It may be a pain to separate everything, but it is much safer for your financials. Remember always CYA!!
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
Welcome Horsewoman!
welcome.gif

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
 
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