Amenities, or the desirable and useful features of your horse facility, are what make you stand out among the competition. Any horse boarding or facility owner can build a barn with an arena and might retain some business. But you want to offer an excellent equine service at an affordable price for all your clients.
Whether they are competition riders, new horse owners, or the average rider, you want to provide some of the best stable amenities that cater to your audience. Otherwise, your investment in a new or preexisting horse farm will fall flat. You can prevent huge financial losses later by thinking about your facility’s amenities now.
We have some pointers that will not only get all kinds of equestrians into your facility’s front doors but also retain them as long-standing customers. These amenities will produce a satisfying horse facility experience that will jump-start or revamp whatever stall barns you have.
Amenities for Your Horse
The main reason riders come to horse facilities is to find a facility where they can care for their horses in varying degrees. You may have partial boarders or temporary boarders that may only need space on a situational basis.
Permanent boarders may not have a barn at all and do everything horse-related in your space. And then some equestrians will enter your horse facility for competition training they can’t do at home.
These best barn amenities for their horses are crucial for offering an excellent boarding service you’re proud of and that your customers will crave.
Different Kinds of Arenas
Different arena sizes and constructions lend themselves to different riding disciplines, such as dressage, reining, rodeo, jumping, etc. Even your ordinary clientele will want an outdoor or indoor arena for general purpose use so their horses can stretch their legs.
Offer Horse Lessons
Newer equestrians can get a lot of benefit out of obtaining horse lessons in the same location they keep their horses. In this way, they can learn how to ride their horse or receive pointers on how to improve from experts they already trust with their animal’s care and safety.
Build a Top-Notch Arena
Equestrians consider the amenities in your arena just as much as the rest of the facility, especially competition riders. Stable horse footing that protects them from injury and a dust-free training area is key to attracting riders.
They want to know you value their horse’s performance and health as much as you do. Therefore, you want to pay special attention when constructing your arena, from the base to the footing and arena size.
Trails on Facility Property
If you have boarding clients, you can save them tremendous time and convenience by having your facility on a property filled with trails. That way, they can take their horse out on turnouts and rides without having to trailer their horse somewhere else.
We recommend building trailer parking space if your current property does not allow for trails. This construction move will let them easily transport their horse to and from your horse facility.
Other Equine Services
Not only do you establish trust with your riders when you offer other local equine services, but you also build relationships with those groups for more potential customers. You can offer group discounts for health-related maintenance, such as horse dentistry and veterinarian visits, and additional amenities like acupuncture and physical therapy.
Amenities for You
Although riders will prioritize their horse when choosing a horse facility, they will also be thinking about their own convenience and preferences. You need to understand who your boarding audience is and cater amenities to them accordingly. These will catch their aesthetic eye, make their equestrian lives easier, and provide maximum comfort when using your horse facility.
Visitor Lounge
Riding families may have kids who get in the way when caring for their animals. Or they may have visiting family and friends that would not want to take a whiff of the horse stalls.
You can put your riders first by offering a comfortable lounge with wifi, a coffee pot, vending machines, a television, and other inclusions.
Scenic Location
Equestrians dream of a cute little horse facility tucked back in the mountains or standing on a grandiose hill with a wide expanse of fields at their disposal. The facility should strike the balance between location in a convenient place and in a beautiful place.
Letting in natural light from outside not only reduces your electric bill but also highlights your barn’s attractive property. They will want to return, and your facility will be a place they thoroughly enjoy rather than a pit stop in their busy city life.
Aesthetically-Pleasing Barn
There are dedicated Pinterest boards from equestrians that post about their dream horse facility and the kind of barns they’d hope to one day own.
This is crucial information you can note because you can sell young riders on your facility just by how it looks. In turn, their parents will be more likely to use your services by securing their kids, who are a large part of your target audience.
We recommend having an interior designer help with your barn and stall fronts to get the full picture of how you could lay everything out. They can assist with your barn design by adding artistic touches, such as dutch doors. Then don’t have to waste money undoing design touches you should have never made.
Other Amenities for You
You can make the day of your incoming boarders by throwing down fresh rubber mats in their horse’s stall (preferably 12 x 12 for plenty of room). Also, their horses and families can breathe easier if you install a proper ventilation system throughout the barn.
Climate control is useful for horse owners that really pay attention to specific horse care and wash stalls are convenient in general when they need a designated area to wash their animals.
Tack Room/Hay & Feed Storage
All kinds of clients will need storage space in your horse barn to set down their equestrian gear. Tack, feed, and hay storage will save them the inconvenience of piling everything in their vehicles and transporting it to your facility every time.
They will feel appreciated, welcomed, and valued since you consider their specific needs that make their boarding experience even better.
Tips for Your Arena Amenities
No matter what kind of riders you have come into your horse facility, whether a training building or a boarding business, you will need a functional arena. They want to know you value their animal’s health and performance, which you can do by providing a state-of-the-art arena. And the secret is that it can be just as affordable for you as it is for them while driving in tons of business.
Our company has all the products you need to get your horse facility up and running with the best indoor and outdoor arena. We can help answer any questions you have and suggest other amenities for your arena, such as Foam Footing and Dust Halt.
Give our Tempe office a call at (877).835.0878 or leave us a note online and we will be glad to speak with you more.