Would a small eventing barn within memphis be appealing whether you have a hit and miss to board at one?
Hunter shows are often unfair, and really expensive. My trainer has pushed my line to a cross road. He is charging for every little thing (like ten dollars to hold your horse), and we are sick of it. I live on 140 acre farm and my family is considering building a small eventing barn. The board will be 500 dollars (most board contained by memphis is around $1000) and some one will be on staff to muck stalls, turn out, ect... The barn will have a very beautiful, verbs, and neat set up. There will also be a jumper/ eventing trainer there for advice, training, and trips to shows. There will be a 100x200 indoor arena, trails, one valet stall, a tack room, a feed room, a storage area, a bathroom, and eight stalls. Four will be for boarding. Although a staff member will be near (to muck, stalls, feed, water, turn out, and minimal grooming), and a trainer will be there for counsel and training, each boarder will be responsible for their horse. A pony club will meet there every Sunday. If it where on earth you, and you did not know much about eventing, would this be an appealing option?
id rather hold an indoor arena.like an arena with a cover over the top!
Horse farms are cool. My mom lives right subsequent to one by the Chesapeake Bay in VA. The trails and especially the indoor arena are really cool — plus a pasture or two. They also have a couple field of corn. Go for it, if you can afford it.
Answers: It sounds pretty good, but someone who know little about eventing will need to be able to lift lessons from someone on site, and the most important phase is probably dressage. Leaving beginners in the sport to find their own instructors to bring within would not work so well. You could possibly make an arrangement with a local trainer explicitly willing to travel to come to your farm 1 or 2 days per week and give curriculum to you and your boarders.
Having the pony club meet there is a good view and a great source to get some boarders, or get some extra horses to lease to pony club member without their own horse. It makes pony club more accessible if the member can have a horse on site and don't need to have a truck/trailer to involve yourself in. (my son's club has many functions at one farm, and closely of members either lease/rent the farm's horses or board there).
It would if the location be right. But be sure to think through all the expenses you'll incur. Who is going to be the eventing trainer and what will they charge? Who pays that cost? It's a worrisome sign when most board is going for $1,000 and you are thinking of charging single half that cost. Why wouldn't competitors move the price down to that level if its possible to function at a normal profit at $500 a month?
