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FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know when the right time is to buy my child a horse.
A: There is no set age or ability level that a child is ready for this opportunity. You, as the parent, can be
the only one to make that decision. There are three key questions you should ask yourself before
making this investment.
▸        ABILITY- Can you and your child care (catch out in the field, brush, tack up, handle on the ground)
for your horse without help of a trainer? If your child cannot, how much are willing to help your child until
they are able to do so themselves? You may need to factor paying a trainer for any additional help, or
enlist the help from a horse savvy friend. If your child is not enrolled in lessons and you do not have the
ability to teach them, they should be able to walk and trot independently before they go riding off into the
sunset. We encourage working with us to find a suitable horse for your child. If you decide to buy your
horse through an outside trainer and would like them to come to our facility to evaluate your child, you
must get prior approval before making any arrangements. We encourage our riders to work with their
instructors to find a good horse and rider fit. Ask your trainer for help if you are unsure about your
children ability.
▸        MONEY- Can you afford boarding, shoeing, and vet bills? Insurance can be purchased for your
horse, but often small visits from the vet can add up so you need to consider this in addition to the basic
boarding cost.
▸        TIME- Are you able to dedicate the time needed to owning your own horse? If you have a young
child, you will probably need to assist and help your child while he/she rides since there will not be an
instructor present. Some children are responsible enough that they do not need the help of an adult in
order to safely ride their new horse, while others can get easily frustrated with the prospect of owning a
new horse and may need your support.

Q: What is the average costs associated with owning a horse?
A: Board at our facility is $125.00/month for pasture board and $200.00/month for stall board. This
includes two feeds a day of grain and hay, water, and shelter. Additional costs are farrier (between 6-12
weeks depending on horse and season) $20.00/barefoot $40-80.00 for shoes (a horse will either be
barefoot or need shoes) shots (about
Q: My child has a favorite lesson horse, but it is leased out. Can he/she still take it to shows and ride it?
A: Children that lease a horse has preference over that horse when showing. The lesser will get first
pick of classes. If your child is in a different division (walk/trot as apposed to short stirrup) it may be
possible provided it is arranged with the child leasing the horse and the instructor.

Q: My child wants to lease a horse. When can they come and ride it?
A: $50.00) twice a year. Other costs will arise such as vet and tack bills.

Q: When is it O.K. To leave my child unsupervised?
A: It is your judgement as a parent if this is a good idea. If you do decide to leave your child at the facility,
no supervision will be provided unless they are in a lesson. If we are not giving a lesson, we are either
taking personal time or working hard to get other chores done around the farm. Some children are
responsible enough to take care of their horse or ride without the supervision of an adult, but others are
not Your child must be able to do the following to ride without supervision: catch/cross tie his/her horse
independently, tack their horse up, properly warm up/cool down horse, put all tack and horse away. If
your child would like to come during the scheduled times that barn chores are being done and would like
to help out, they are more then welcome to, but please remember that children often get bored with dull
work and often loose interest quickly. Children can tag along if you choose to let them, but we are often
working very hard to get all of our work done in a timely matter, and cannot keep track of your child during
the process. For this reason if you choose to let your child participate, we cannot be held responsible for
your child's actions. It is a great opportunity for a responsible child to learn the in’s and out’s a caring for
horses.

Q: Is there barn hours?
A: If you own or lease a horse, you are more than welcome to come at any reasonable time to ride or
care for your horse. If you own or lease a horse, we encourage you to come out and ride as often as your
would like. We just ask that if you are the only person left in the barn you run down this checklist before
you leave. Parents please remember if you are dropping your kids off and they are the last ones to leave,
they must do these following tasks before leaving.
□        Close both the tack room door, the wash stall door and bathroom door
□        Put all your tack away, throw away garbage and clean up any messes that were made
□        Turn off all outside lights. The arena light is to the left of the inside of the top barn door on the fuse
box and the tack room light is to the right of the door.

Q: I would like to take lessons. How will I know what time slots are available? What are your rates? What
is your policies?
A: Our schedule of lessons is on a dry/erase calender in the tack room. It is also listed on our website at
www.boardyourhorses.com/lessons if you click on schedule, you can see all open time slots and which
are already booked up. Group lessons are $15.00/hour and private lessons are $20.00/hour. Please try
to cancel in as far in advance as possible. If you have a time slot reserved and habitually cancel, you will
give up your time slot to another diligent rider. Please show up at least 20 min. early in order to have your
horse tacked up and ready to go for the lesson. If you cannot do so by yourself, please have a parent
help you as much as possible. An instructor will be available, but we encourage the rider to do as much
as they can on their own.

Q: I would like to take lessons, but I work shifts and cannot come on a certain time every week. Can I still
take lessons?
A: Sure. If you go to www.boardyourhorses.com/lessons and click on schedule, it will show you the
lesson times we have available. Then just call us at 724-239-2056 to schedule a time that’s open.
Please try to call as far in advance as possible.

Q: I would like to take lessons, but not every week. Can I still take lessons?
A: Sure. If you go to the same website as the above question and follow the same procedure. We
cannot guarantee your time slot though, because weekly lesson take a higher priority.
Your child can ride the leased horse three days a week in they are not being used in lessons at that
time. If you do come and the horse in the lesson, talk with the instructor and we will attempt to make
sure everyone has a horse to ride whether we use a different lesson horse or let your child ride a
different horse.