If you don’t want to make the worst mistake in the horse boarding business, it’s time to set up a screening process for applicants. Before you let a horse move in, you need to make sure his Mom and/or Dad will be financially and physically responsible.
This doesn’t mean you need to fingerprint potential boarders or subject them to a polygraph examination. However, a thorough screening process will protect your horse boarding business from clients who don’t pay.
Step One: The Interview
We don’t talk very often about your gut here at RIU, but it can be a very valuable tool. If you trust your instincts you’ll find that you can avert several different types of dangerous situations.
Never admit a new boarder to your business without meeting him or her first. Set up a time for the applicant to tour your facility, during which time you can ask important questions and get a feel for his or her personality.
Your horse boarding business has a culture all its own, and you want to make sure new boarders will fit into that culture. For example, if you run a performance barn where all clients are serious competitors, a guy who just likes to trail ride might not fit in. This doesn’t mean you should turn him away, but that information will fit into your broader evaluation.
During the interview, you should ask questions that will help you decide if he or she is a good fit for your horse boarding business. For example:
- How many horses are you bringing?
- Any plans to purchase more horses in the future?
- What type of riding do you participate in?
- Where did you board before?
- Why do you want to switch barns?
- How long have you owned your horses?
- Do your animals have any bad habits I should know about?
- How do your horses get along with other animals?
- Do you have any other pets?
- Will you bring in any professionals (teachers, trainers, farriers, vets, etc.)?
You can set this up as a formal interview or you can work in questions conversationally. Just make sure to cover any issues that might come up over the course of your boarding agreement.
Step Two: The Equine Evaluation
Your primary job in the horse boarding business is to keep your clients’ horses safe and healthy. To do this, you need to know as much about those horses as possible.
At the bottom of this post you’ll find a template for an equine evaluation. This is something you should have all potential boarders fill out, and you should keep the information on file. Every year, make sure clients update that form with any new information.
You want to make sure the horse has received proper veterinary care. You need to know if the horse has any special dietary requirements and whether there is a history of disease or injury.
You can use the template below or you can develop your own form. Just make sure you have it.
Step Three: Background Check
The final stage in screening applicants for your horse boarding business is the background check, which can be as superficial or as complex as you wish. Just keep in mind that obtaining this information might not be free.
The background check is important for two primary reasons: 1) To make sure applicants are free of any serious criminal history; and 2) To verify that applicants can afford to board at your facility.
I once worked with a horse boarding business and riding academy where most clients were children. The kids either took riding lessons or boarded their horses, or both. The owners of the business discovered six months after a boarder moved in that he was a convicted child molester and registered sex offender.
Do you see why this is so important? Not only must you protect yourself and your business, but you are also obligated to protect your other boarders. You can’t foresee every possible problem, but you can prevent the worst of them.
My advice is to partner with a company, such as Renters Check, that specializes in running background checks for renters. They will check a variety of information, including creditworthiness and criminal history.
Your Screening Process
Use the information in this article as a guideline and develop your own applicant screening process. Your horse boarding business is different than anyone else’s, and therefore you have to make your own decisions.
You might include a more rigorous screening process than the one described above, or you might take a less diligent approach. It is entirely up to you.
Horse Boarding Equine Evaluation (pdf)
This template will help you evaluate horses that might be moving into your barn. I’ve left a few fields blank so you can add other criteria you feel is important—you guys are super creative, and I’m sure I’ve missed important details. Feel free to use this template as you wish, or to give it to others who might benefit from it.
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About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Editor in Chief of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. Follow her EquiTips on Twitter.