Before setting a price, document what the customer is buying and what the business is responsible for delivering. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers general business-planning guidance, while the Internal Revenue Service provides federal tax information. Business licenses, animal-care rules, insurance requirements, and pricing conditions vary by location, so confirm current requirements locally.
A boarding quote is only as clear as its service list. “Full care,” “stall board,” “pasture board,” and “training board” can mean different things from one facility to another. If the customer and the facility picture different levels of care, a quote can become a dispute before the animal even arrives.
This inspection checklist helps you write the service list before you quote. It is designed for equine boarding and similar care arrangements, but the same method can apply to livestock, companion animals, and specialty facilities. The central rule is simple: full care is not pasture board. Each package should identify the daily work, included supplies, limits, exclusions, add-on services, and responsibilities that remain with the owner.
What exactly does “full care” include?
Start with a plain-language definition. Full care usually means the facility performs a broader set of routine tasks, but the phrase has no universal meaning by itself. Write the actual services instead of relying on the label.
- Feeding schedule and number of feedings per day
- Type and amount of hay, forage, grain, or supplements
- Stall cleaning frequency and bedding routine
- Turnout schedule, paddock assignment, and water checks
- Blanketing, fly protection, and basic seasonal care
- Routine observation for injury, illness, or unusual behavior
- Basic coordination with the owner, veterinarian, farrier, or trainer
If a service is not included, say so. For example, full care may include feeding and stall cleaning but exclude grooming, exercise, medication administration, special diets, and holding an animal for appointments. Clear exclusions are part of the service, not an afterthought.
How is full care different from pasture board?
Pasture board generally places the animal in a pasture-based arrangement with fewer daily services. The owner may be responsible for feed delivery, supplements, blanketing, grooming, medication, stall use, and appointment coordination. A pasture package may still include water access, fencing, shelter, and routine observation, but those details must be written down.
Do not quote pasture board as a discounted version of full care unless the service list supports that comparison. The labor, materials, risk, and facility use can differ significantly. A pasture animal may still require special feeding, wound checks, weather-related changes, or temporary stall care. List the base service and price each additional task separately.
Which daily tasks are performed by the facility?
Inspect the daily workflow from morning through evening. A service list should allow someone to picture a normal care day without asking follow-up questions.
- Who checks the animal first each day?
- Who provides feed and water?
- Who removes manure and replaces bedding?
- Who turns the animal out and brings it in?
- Who checks fences, gates, latches, and shelter areas?
- Who identifies and reports injuries, illness, or changes in appetite?
- Who handles weather-related changes to the routine?
State whether these tasks occur at set times or within a daily service window. Avoid promising exact times unless the facility can consistently meet them. “Morning feeding between 6:00 and 8:00” is more useful than “fed in the morning,” but it should reflect actual operations.
What feed, forage, and supplements are included?
Feed is one of the most common sources of misunderstanding. Identify the included forage, grain, supplements, and feeding frequency. If the customer supplies feed, explain how it must be labeled, stored, replenished, and approved.
- State whether hay is included in the base price.
- Describe whether forage is fed by flake, weight, portion, or free choice.
- Identify the type of grain or concentrate, if any.
- State whether supplements are included or billed separately.
- Explain how special diets are priced and documented.
- Describe what happens if the owner’s feed supply runs out.
Do not use “as needed” without defining who decides what is needed and how the change is recorded. Senior animals, horses with metabolic concerns, and animals with dental or digestive issues may require individualized plans. Ask the owner for written feeding instructions and confirm any medical diet with the appropriate veterinary professional.
What stall, pasture, and turnout conditions are promised?
Describe the physical arrangement as part of the quote. A customer should know whether the animal receives a private stall, shared shelter, individual paddock, group pasture, or rotating turnout. Include the expected schedule, but explain that weather, footing, repairs, emergencies, and animal safety may require changes.
Inspect these points before quoting:
- Stall dimensions and whether a stall is guaranteed
- Pasture or paddock type and approximate occupancy
- Turnout duration and whether turnout is individual or grouped
- Water source and routine water inspection
- Shelter availability and seasonal limitations
- Fence and gate responsibilities
- Temporary arrangements during mud, ice, heat, storms, or repairs
If turnout is not guaranteed every day, say that directly. If an animal must remain stalled because of injury, weather, or management concerns, explain whether additional care charges apply.
Are blanketing, grooming, and medication included?
These services require time, judgment, equipment, and documentation. They should not be silently included in a general phrase such as “daily care.” State whether the base package includes blanketing, fly masks, fly spray, basic grooming, hoof picking, wound observation, oral medication, topical treatment, injections, or other handling.
Medication language should identify the route, frequency, storage requirement, and price. A simple pill given with feed is different from a difficult-to-handle animal requiring repeated restraint. Do not promise medical treatment beyond the facility’s training, authority, equipment, or insurance coverage. Establish when the owner must arrange veterinary care and how emergency decisions are communicated.
What happens during emergencies?
A quote should explain the emergency communication process without promising a medical outcome. Identify the primary and alternate contacts, the preferred veterinarian, and the circumstances in which the facility will call for professional help.
Clarify whether the facility may provide basic first aid, transport an animal, hold the animal for a veterinarian, or administer previously authorized medication. State how emergency labor, transportation, supplies, and professional charges are handled. Use a written authorization process rather than relying on an informal verbal understanding.
Emergency pricing should be stated as a clear method, such as an hourly rate, a per-visit charge, or reimbursement for outside costs. Use a typical local range only after checking comparable facilities and current operating costs. Do not invent a universal emergency fee. Confirm the final approach locally with an insurance professional and qualified business adviser.
Which owner responsibilities remain outside the package?
A complete service list includes the work the facility does not perform. Owners may remain responsible for veterinary appointments, farrier appointments, dental care, vaccinations, supplements, special equipment, insurance, registration documents, and timely payment.
Also address:
- Providing accurate health and behavior information
- Supplying current emergency contacts
- Maintaining safe, properly fitted equipment
- Removing personal belongings and feed containers when required
- Following visitor, riding, helmet, and facility-use rules
- Arranging care when the animal needs services outside the package
This division of responsibility helps prevent the customer from assuming that a higher monthly price covers every animal-related expense.
How will add-on services be identified and priced?
Make a separate add-on list. Common examples include extra feedings, medication, blanketing changes, grooming, bathing, holding for a farrier or veterinarian, hand-walking, stall rest, trailer loading, transport, special turnout, and individual care for an animal that cannot follow the group routine.
For each add-on, state the unit of measurement. The unit might be per visit, per administration, per day, per appointment, per mile, or per hour. Explain whether the customer must request the service in advance and how changes are approved.
Use typical local price ranges when comparing options, but do not present a range as a guaranteed market rate. Labor costs, feed prices, land costs, insurance, staffing, and facility conditions vary. Review comparable local facilities before publishing a price sheet.
What supplies and facility use are included?
Customers often assume that boarding includes more than animal care. Inspect whether the quote includes bedding, blankets, tack storage, wash-rack use, arena use, trailer parking, laundry, manure handling, and access to shared equipment.
Write usage limits where appropriate. For example, a package may include a defined amount of bedding or ordinary water access while charging separately for excessive bedding use, private storage, or special facility access. Avoid vague terms such as “unlimited” unless the business can support that promise under normal conditions.
What happens when the animal or owner needs a change?
Care plans change. An animal may need stall rest, a different feed, reduced turnout, quarantine, or temporary medication. The service list should explain how changes are requested, approved, documented, and priced.
State whether a temporary change can be made by text, email, phone, or a written form. Include the effective date and the person authorized to approve changes. If the change creates additional labor or supply costs, tell the customer before the work begins when practical.
How will you inspect the quote before sending it?
Use a final inspection checklist. Read the quote as if you were a new customer who knows nothing about the facility. Look for words that sound reassuring but lack operational meaning, including “quality care,” “as needed,” “regular turnout,” “full service,” and “reasonable use.” Replace them with observable tasks or measurable limits.
- Is the boarding type named clearly?
- Are daily tasks listed individually?
- Are feed, forage, water, bedding, and turnout described?
- Are medication, grooming, blanketing, and appointment services addressed?
- Are exclusions and owner responsibilities visible?
- Are add-on units and prices explained?
- Are emergency communication and outside costs addressed?
- Are weather and safety exceptions explained?
- Does the quoted price match the labor and supplies required?
- Has the customer confirmed the animal’s actual needs?
What records should support the service list?
Keep a copy of the quote, accepted service list, feeding instructions, medication instructions, emergency contacts, invoices, and approved changes. Good records help the facility deliver consistent care and explain how a price was calculated.
For business organization, bookkeeping, and tax questions, review current information from the SBA and IRS. Those resources are general starting points, not substitutes for advice about a specific facility. Confirm local licensing, zoning, animal-care, insurance, employment, and contract requirements before operating or revising a boarding program.
How can you make the final quote easy to compare?
Present the quote in sections: base boarding service, included care, excluded care, optional services, emergency process, owner responsibilities, payment terms, and change procedures. Use the same structure for every customer. That makes full care and pasture board easier to compare without implying that they provide the same work.
A strong quote does not depend on a persuasive label. It shows the daily service, the limits of the promise, and the cost of work outside the package. Write that list first, inspect it against actual operations, confirm local requirements, and only then quote the price.