Horse boarding cost: full board vs pasture board

What each board type includes

Boarding prices only compare fairly when you know what the monthly fee covers. At River Creek the three options differ in who does the daily care and where the horse lives, not in where you can ride.

Boarders on any option use the same 100×200 ft outdoor arena, round pen and 12+ miles of trails that start at the barn.

• Full board: a private stall, scheduled feedings, daily turnout, daily stall cleaning and automatic stall fly spray
• Pasture board: 24/7 pasture access with a run-in shelter, maintained water and twice-daily feedings
• Self-care board: a private stall and use of the facilities for hands-on owners

Which horses each type suits

These are general horsemanship rules of thumb, and your vet or trainer knows your horse best.

If you are unsure between two options, bring the question on a barn tour and look at the stalls and the pasture herd side by side.

• Pasture board suits horses that do well living out in a herd, moving around all day with shelter to use when they choose.
• Full board suits horses that need a stall, controlled feeding or a closely watched daily routine.
• Self-care board suits hands-on owners who want to do their own daily care and can get to the barn every day.

River Creek's current boarding rates

A limited number of founding places are offered at an introductory rate. Here is where each board type stands today, with a $100 deposit to reserve:

The boarding page always shows live prices and how many founding places remain, so check it before you plan a move.

• Full board is $600/month for the first 3 months (regular rate $950/month), with 6 founding places left.
• Pasture board is $300/month for the first 3 months (regular rate $425/month), with 9 founding places left.
• Self-care board is $450/month for the first 3 months (regular rate $650/month), with 3 founding places left.

Why full board usually costs more

The gap between full and pasture board is mostly daily labor. A stalled horse needs its stall cleaned every day, feed delivered on a schedule and someone to turn it out and bring it back in. A horse living out in a herd needs water, feed and a sound shelter, but far less handling.

When you compare barns, line up what each monthly price includes rather than the number alone. Ask who feeds and when, how turnout works, how often stalls are cleaned and how fly control is handled, then compare like with like.