Co-op barns: Why aren't there more of' them?

When I lived in North Carolina, I boarded Harvey at a co-op barn. In a co-op barn -- at least the one I was at -- there is no one profiting (or losing money) by operating the barn. Members ran things by consensus, pitching in on barn chores and in looking after each others' horses. The informal management (no one in charge!) was crazy at times, but for the most part it worked. The horses there were the most closely watched and cared for of anywhere I've boarded. Here is how it worked...


Facility
The property was rented from an 80 year old man (Mr. T) with a sixty acre farm. He had bought the farm for his young daughter to keep horses, but she had long since married and moved away. Mr T. remained in the farmhouse and rented the facility. The farms was run cooperatively by fourteen boarders who agreed to help with feeding and turnout one day a week. One of the boarders, who was a friend of Mr. T's daughter, was the spokesperson for boarders on the rare occasions where we needed to speak with him. He was your basic old codger who didn't want to be disturbed -- frankly, that was a blessing, since one more opinion may have sunk us. He left us alone, and we left him alone for the most part.

The farm included the main barn (an old dairy barn with ten stalls), another eight stall barn, an oudoor ring, an "indoor" that was really just an empty barn, and about 50 or so acres of pasture divided into two fields. It was run down, but it was a lovely rural setting and the pastures were nice. The farm was only eight miles from where I lived.

How we managed
All the boarders were women, ranging in age from teens to over 50. Most of us responded to ads in the paper for a co-op barn arrangement. When we joined there was no written agreement, boarding contract, or proper "vetting." If you agreed to the verbal terms and your horse checked out healthwise, you were in. It happened that the boarders included an equine vet and two vet techs that worked at a local university's equine facility. The general rules were...

• Each boarder was responsible for mucking your her horse's stall.
  
• Each of the fourteen boarders was responsible for am or pm chores on an appointed day. This was basically bringing in, feeding/watering, and turning back out. The horses were on 24 hour turnout in good weather.
  
• Each boarder provided turnout and feeding instructions for their horse. Boarders depended on one another to follow instructions closely. I personally was very aware that the boarders who left hard-to-follow instructions were the folks taking care of Harvey and following the sometimes complicated instructions that I left.
  
• Each boarder paid $80 a month to rent the facility and paid for all food, hay, and shavings individually.

What worked and didn't work
The volunteer spirit was alive and well. One boarder lived in trailer on the premises (she was the vet tech!) and she checked the horses before work and at night. Another boarder whose horse was navicular dragged the ring regularly to keep the footing soft. There was a boarder who liked to work on landscaping and drainage, and one who addressed safety issues. I set up appointments with the farrier and organized some group hay purchases.

Debate is healthy and consensus building is a learning experience. There was regular, usually friendly discussion over the best management practices--feeding, turnout, blanketing, vaccinations, etc. And with a barn full of experienced horse people, I learned a great deal as a first time horse owner. C is for cooperation. Most of us were middle aged women on a budget. This co-op arrangement made horses affordable, and the facility itself was a great value. Everyone at that barn brought something to the table -- added something, through expertise, labor, or spirit de corps, that made the barn special.

Sometimes you do need someone in charge. For example, one of the new boarders brought a mare that kicked. The mare had been abused, so everyone was sympathetic at first -- but after the mare kicked the crap out of a pony clubber's pony, and the parents went into debt to pay the vet bills, sympathy dwindled. After a few months the mare did calm down, but with no one "in charge" it's hard to see how this would have resolved otherwise.

I miss it...
I was a brand-spanking new first time horse owner then, elated to have my dream horse and great digs, surrounded by helpful, involved horse people. The barn was so near where I lived, I used to go out early before work (right at sunrise) just share my breakfast with Harvey. I gave him his hay in the paddock, sat at a nearby picnic table in my work clothes, and ate my yogurt and apple. We munched together. I seldom encountered anyone, but if I did, there was no scolding (breach of barn protocol!), and no one thought it was weird. I miss that barn.