Trainers or owners-Racehorse lay-ups
 

Trying to find out how much the going fee is per month for lay-ups. I'm considering purchasing a small horse boarding farm in central Ohio. There are already several boarders there, but I would prefer to have racehorse (either thoroughbred or standardbred) lay-ups/boarding.(and yes, I have lots of racehorse experience) I would be fairly close to Thistledown, Northfield and Mountaineer and could pick-up/deliver. I know it largely depends on the regional area and services offered, I'm just trying to find a realistic ballpark figure. For you trainers, what do you consider when selecting a farm for lay-ups? You can email me privately if you would prefer at: sboyd12@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Suzanne(Steve, feel free to move this thread to a more appropriate location!)

10-15 a day. the last farm i had my horse at jacked the rate up some during the winter cuz they heated the barns. i cant say what i look for personally since my trainer picked the place both times and i had no problems, one was at a personal friend of his house where my horse recieved excellent care! i have heard many of horror stories tho about people layin up there horses at places and going there and find out there horse is being mistreated.


right now i have my latest acquisition down south with former trainer and hall of famer eddie cole so i know hes in good hands. after all ive been through personally i wouldnt trust my horse with somebody i dont know. im sure there are some places where your horse will recieve good care but ive just heard way too many horror stories

Hard Feed twice a day,Horses Rugged & with other horses in paddocks Close by preferred Wooden Fences & to get them back undamaged mine allways seem to come back from spelling in worse condition than they go out..
Due to the riggers of training on the animal spelling is one of the most important times i reckon .
If they can get back to being a horse is fantastic, The problem is they are expensive animals so we tend to seperate them & box em up because who wants a hurt horse.
Horses are mainly herd animals & such have a pecking order which they sort out when together & thus can lead to bites & kicks but the plus is
You get the horses head back to where it should be not some frizzy burt out weaving thing with a bad attitude.

I was surprised at how they turned horses out down-under. You would see top-level stakes horses just out in the paddock with others with bite marks on their faces and body. It was hilarious, but the horses sure did seem to be having the time of their lives.

Im a big fan of it ;-) i even let my horses spend aleast 2 hours a day together while im training them.You've seen the down side tho:( .
But man the up side is alot of a advantage

In Maryland, I paid $15 to $17 per day.

In West Virginia, I paid $12 per day.

My horses in MD always came back great and ready to go!!!

Hay guys, thanks for the input on this. Many years ago(like almost 20), I took some Standardbred layups for a trainer friend of mine. It paid well then and I didn't have the hassles that I had with some(most) of my pleasure horse boarders. I was younger then, and not as cautious as I am today, but I used to just turn them all out into a 5 acre pasture and leave them out. The trainer I dealt with always instructed me to "take the halter off, don't grain them too much, and leave them alone". I never had any injuries and the horses always went back to the track looking good and feeling relaxed. I think there's a lot to be said for letting horses just *be* horses. My own horses are out 24/7 with a run-in shed(which they rarely use) and can't stand to be stalled. Of course, if a horse required stall confinement for an injury, I'd be able to provide that as well. Plus choice of hay(alfalfa or grass), feed, beet pulp, minerals/salt,blanketing, hand-walking, ponying, bandaging, cold-hosing and possibly swimming.

Again, thanks for the input
Suzanne in Ohio(WHY is it snowing like a mofo here???)

One word of advice, dont let those guys get into you for more than a month. Get something up front, dont give too much credit.

We pay about 17 in KY 19 in FL and 21 in NY.
Our layups are always brought into stalls and not left out all day and night.