How much land should I buy, for my horse boarding business?

Question

I am going to be buying some land and I will be building a 2 new structures(an indoor arena, and the boarding facility itself). i want to be able to have about 20 horses or more. how much land should i be buying? how big should my building be? i want 20-10x12 and 1-14x18 foaling stall, or however big a foaling stall should be, a tack room, a feed room, a small bathroom about 8x8, and a lounge (for the horse owner to hang out and relax (20x20). how big should the indoor arena be? oh and also, there will be a small office and waiting room. i want room to keep the hay and bedding also. so should my barn have a second floor for the hay and bedding or could i fit everything onto a one floor barn? this is very important to me because it is a lifetime decision, so please answer well! i have my contracts and forms so don't worry about that. also, if you were boarding your horse with me, how long would you want to drive to get there? 30 minutes?15 minutes?

Answer 1

For a full sized horse, you may be looking at about 20 acres. It's about an acre per horse. You might be able to get by with 10 to 15 acres, but for a full sized horse, I feel this may be pushing it, unless you have older horses. For stalls to be on both sides, you need a minumum of 10'x26' barn. To add the 14'x18' birthing (foaling stall), the barn has increased to 24'x26'. Assuming you would like a 6' tack room to be opposite the birthing stall, no additional footage. Why for such a large place to hang out? But as you requested, you are talking 48'x26'. I would also assume that you are planning on building an office and waiting room inside the hangout area and so no additional footage is needed. As for the hay storage, this all depends on how much hay you want to bring in at one time. It also depends on whether you want a second story barn or whether you want everything on the first floor. If you want ample hay all at once, you may be looking at a barn size of 58'x26'. On boarding a horse, this all depends on where the person lives in conjuntion to the open land. Most of the time, people like driving 15 minutes to get to their desired location.

Answer 2

If you're unsure on how many horses you'll be boarding, but know that you want to buy enough land for at least 20 full sized horses, I'd say at least 20+ acres, and probably a bit more if you ever decide to expand someday. I'd suggest at least a double stall for the foaling stalI, and decide just exactly what rooms you'd like to have. Also, check out some barn/stable companies online. Visit with as many stable owners as you can to get an idea of a layout you'd like, and the amenities you've decided on. A second floor could be very space efficient, but again I'd recommend that you check out websites and visit barns, or talk with other barn owners. I'd also add, to not let anything you see limit your plans for your place. It's your place, and your going to invest in it for a lifetime, so the only things I'd say you'd want for sure are room to expand and plans that your 100% happy with. As far as how far I'd like to drive, I've driven anywhere between 5 minutes and 45 minutes to get to a stable. I feel the most important thing to consider is location, but if you build it, they will come. Good luck!

Answer 3

Hey i have 2 horses and i'm boarding.the drive is about 30 to 40 mins. depends on the weather and traffic. We have 115 acres PASTURE and we will put NO MORE than 48 horses on it. we have 2 barns. a out side areana and a out side bath..in side one of the barn there is 6 foaling stalls (9x9 about a little bigger) and than in the same barn there is 2 sick stalls that we clean monthly and keep ONLY sick/hurt horses in. in the same barn we have 7 stalls. 2 tack rooms.2 hay lofts. the bedding room is a shed.that is new. at the other barn it is 19 stalls no foal 1 sick. but we have 3 sick/hurt pastures. if you get a 1 floor barn it is a lot bigger and a lot more land. we have a total of 210 arces. between the barn is about 3 acres of open land. that we let grow in the summer and than cut for hay.(think about that it helps a lot in the winter).there is web sites like if you go to the store and get a horse and rider mag. look at the adds in the back..there are people who build barns and can help you with the right mesures and stuff,that is what i would do.i hope this helps some. oh and at the barn i board THERE ARE NO STUDS ALLOWED. due to the fact that some studs get out and we dont' want a mare breed if the owners dont' want there mares breed.

Answer 4

Hm, it sounds like this may not be a great time to get into owning your own boarding facility, but possibly managing at a local barn or maybe even leasing a barn in you're area would be a wiser choice. Where I live, the boarding facilities that do the best are the ones that have plenty of land and turnout, trials near by, a riding arena (indoor or outdoor is usually fine. but indoor arenas are better suited for a show barn.) and an instructor on site. I would really look into possibly leasing a smaller barn to start (that is, if you can afford it.) and learning what it takes and what works best by experiencing it first hand.

Answer 5

Sounds like you want us to do your homework for you, for your 'Equine Studies' class. Can't answer your question because you make no reference on how large the tack & feed rooms should be, or the hay room. Bedding storage area sizes will vary depending upon whether you want bulk loose or bagged shavings. And whether it's on the ground floor or in a loft depend entirely upon your preference for accessibility vs. ventilation, since hay above often is blamed for respiratory problems.

You make no reference on what discipline you'd like your barn focused upon, so we can't suggest arena size. Also, with 20 stalls, do you really think one arena will suffice? You also make no mention on where you're shopping. Different counties have different zoning laws, or acreage per horse requirements.

What about a heated & well lit vet area, and/ or a blacksmith area? or do you expect them to have to move every time a boarder wants to pass? Perhaps a grooming stall or two, also, would be wise. What about an indoor wash stall?

You also haven't given any thought to the utility room. Where's the boiler and hot water heater being stored? or are you using electric heat? Sprinkler systems? Alarms? Security? Will there be living quarters for staff so night check can be done regularly? How big will those be?

You see, nothing can replace real life experience in the horse world. And education is nice, but... let's face it. Those who can, DO. Those who can't, teach.

And, insofar as your question on commuting, I've driven 10 minutes to an hour and ten minutes. Again, it depends upon the level of care, the facility, why my horse is boarded, and what's going on in my life at the time. All these things aren't taken into consideration in a flat pass/ fail test.

Answer 6

Where I live, it is suggested about 3 to 5 acres per horse. Your plans sound amazing! Just remember, you can always add additions to your buildings, along with that, I would say go slightly bigger than you think you will need. My horses are boarded and I drive 25 minutes each way. People are willing to drive a little more for a good facility.

Answer 7

I would look into your local laws to see how much land you have to have. Where I'm at, you have to have 10 acres, the county south of me requires 3 acres minimum to house one horse, with at least 1 additional acre for every additional horse. As far as the building, I would recommend getting in touch with an architect in your area. They would be able to advise you on the best style of building for your area based on typical weather, altitude, etc. They would also be able to help you chose an appropriate site on your property to place the barn. I would make the arena as wide as you can afford. Most barns can be added on lengthwise easily, but adding width is more difficult due to the rafter length. If money is no object (which it usually is, heh) I would do a 100' x 200'. That will give plenty of room for dressage, jumping, large lesson groups, clinics, etc. If you plan on having any 4-H, CHA, NARHA, Pony Club or other organized lesson or riding program in your barn, I would look into their arena size requirements to make sure you are abile to serve them well. As far as the one/two story, I have been in both types. If I were starting fresh, I would do a two story barn with trap doors to drop into each stall. These traps could be used to drop hay through, and to set up slings, IVs, or other "emergency" equipment. I live in the country, so my barn is about 10 minutes from my house, which is easy for me. When I lived in the city during college, I was fine with driving 30-45 minutes to get to a nice barn. Best of luck with your new barn!

Answer 8

I would say arround 5-7 acres. Not a whole lot. I have 5 acres and could stuff many corrals, barns and rings in there. The ring should be fairly large if your going to have alot of horses and other people riding, and more than one. I would say arround 4 rings, warm up ring (fairly small-just to let people run their horses by them selves so they can warm up), a "fun"/show ring, where there are barrels, jumps cones etc., a western ring for those who ride western and dont want to mess with the english riders, and a english ring for those who dont want to mess with the western people. and how long I would want to drive.....it would depend on how clean it is, and how many facilitys are available.

Answer 9

I'd buy at least 6-7 acres if you want an indoor

Answer 10

hunnie ive got a big yard and itwill take more than geting info from a message bored to get a placelike you would like... you need a lotof money and a good head round you, i ttook me years to have what ive got and im a good horse woman.
i think you need to think about it more and have the money to do all what you want to do !