Horse sense not a hobby farm

This year, Teresa Mulhausen will celebrate her 20th anniversary with her barn.

Mulhausen has operated Wyndtree Farm, a horse boarding business where she also gives riding lessons, just outside Swisher for two decades. She attended Virginia Intermont College for four years to receive a degree in stable management.

For horse boarders, years of experience is required before opening a barn.

'It's important you leave your horses with people who know what they're doing,” Mulhausen said.

The owner of Wyndtree Farm said her customers typically have some disposable income and that owning a horse is a 'luxury.” But as the economy slowed, Mulhausen said she gave fewer riding lessons.

Boarders can expect to pay between $350 and $600 per month.

At Doubletree Stables and Tack Shop in Manchester, some customers handle everything themselves but the stall, allowing them to pay less. Boarding can cost between $80 and $240 per month.

Several businesses have found ways to pair other business ventures with horse boarding.

Nancy Nultz and her husband, Fred, the owners of Doubletree Stables in Manchester, have kept 22 horse boarding stalls for 16 years. In addition to running the barn, she and her husband run a saddle shop.

Often, the different businesses associated with boarders reflect what horses they house.

Doubletree Stables typically accommodates horses used for trail riding while staying away from the more labor-intensive show horses that need special heat lamps and diets. Jennifer Eden, the owner of Platinum Show Horses outside Mount Vernon, breeds her own show horses.

Mulhausen teaches riding lessons, meaning horses that travel to shows are welcome.

Day to Day

Horse boarding businesses run into costs similar to those of other agriculture businesses.

Mulhausen noted that feed and hay can be a pricey necessity for the horses. Unlike other agricultural operations such as livestock farms, horse boarders do not receive any tax breaks on hay or feed.

'There is no way this is a hobby farm,” Mulhausen said.

Mulhausen said insurance is among the most expensive parts of running her business. That includes liability, negligence and inherent risk.

Negligence insurance helps pay lawsuits if she were to leave a gate open, leading to a horse or person being injured. Liability and inherent risk are necessary in a horse boarding business that teaches riding lessons.

In the morning, Mulhausen feeds horses, medicates them and cleans out their pens. She operates without employees.

Boarders or those taking lessons typically want to spend the additional time with their horses and contribute to the upkeep of the farm - repairing fences, cleaning stalls, etc.

'Honestly, the little things, work and upkeep take most of my time,” Eden said.

Eden runs her business in addition to working as a city clerk. Employees do the chores during the business day, and she returns every night to tend to the horses.

Nultz worked a full-time job for 13 years while running the boarding business before she retired, and boarding then became her only commitment.

But boarding horses means accommodating their owners, too.

Mulhausen does not keep contracts with her boarders. She said it is a way to protect herself - she can ask bad boarders to leave before they become a problem within the barn. If they complain about unrealistic expectations or want the best for them personally without being concerned about their horses, Mulhausen has no qualms about kicking them out.

At Doubletree Stables, Nultz said there is a detailed contract similar to a lease.

But Nultz said her boarders usually have been long term.

'We don't have a lot of people coming and going,” Nultz said.

Since she opened the barn roughly 16 years ago, she said her boarders stay on average five to 10 years.

And the boarding business owners agreed - the horses are the easy part of the equation.

'We know what to do with the horses,” Nultz said. 'Sometimes not so much with the people.”