A boarding contract is the document you will reach for the first time something goes wrong or gets disputed, so it should answer, in writing, every question that a friendly yard tour leaves vague. Before your horse moves, the contract should identify both parties, the yard, and your horse by name, age, breed, colour, markings, and passport or microchip details, state the start date, and describe any vices, health conditions, or handling quirks the horse has. Declaring honestly protects you as much as the yard: whether a horse kicks, will not load, or needs soaked hay should be agreed in advance, not discovered by staff.
Livery type, fees, and notice
The contract must say which type of livery you are buying, because the same yard uses the words differently from the next. Full livery usually means the yard feeds, mucks out, turns out, and handles the horse daily; part livery splits those jobs between yard and owner; do-it-yourself livery rents the stable and grazing while you do the work; and grass livery provides turnout without a stable. Do not rely on the label alone. The contract should list what the fee includes item by item: hay or haylage, bedding and how much, hard feed and who supplies it, mucking out, turnout and bringing in, rug changes, and use of the arena, wash area, and tack room.
It should also state the fee, when and how it is payable, what happens with late payment, how price rises are notified, and the notice period either side must give to end the agreement, along with what happens to a horse whose owner disappears or falls into arrears. Extras that yards commonly charge for, such as holding a horse for the farrier, administering wormers, extra bedding, trailer parking, and holiday care cover, should appear with prices or a clear statement that they are charged on top.
Daily care and professional arrangements
Pin down the daily routine the yard is promising: turnout hours and grazing group, whether horses are turned out individually or in herds, feeding times and who decides ration changes, stabled hours, and who checks the horse last at night. Agree the professional arrangements in the same document. Which vet and farrier will attend, who books them, who must be present, and who pays are the basics. More important is the emergency clause: if your horse colics at midnight and you cannot be reached, who authorises the yard to call the vet, who can agree to referral or surgery, and up to what point may decisions be made on your behalf. Put your emergency contacts, your vet's number, and any insurance details where the contract expects them, and make sure the yard's copy is the current one.
Worming, vaccination record-keeping, and quarantine for new arrivals are yard-level systems your contract should describe, because your horse's health depends on every other horse following them. Ask how the yard handles an infectious outbreak, isolation, and notification of owners, and get that written down rather than assumed.
Liability, rules, and leaving
The liability section should say who carries risk for injury to your horse, damage your horse causes, theft of tack and equipment, and damage to the yard's facilities, and whether you are required to hold your own insurance. Yard rules belong in or alongside the contract too: opening hours, visitor and dog policies, arena etiquette, smoking and fire precautions, and standards for field and stable upkeep. Finally, read the exit terms: how the stable and field must be left, when deposits are returned, and how disputes are handled.
Get everything signed and dated by both parties, keep your own copy off the yard, and revisit it whenever the livery type, fee, or your horse's needs change. KinsLe Pet Passport supports that paperwork by holding your horse's identification, health history, feeding instructions, and emergency contacts in one portable packet, ready to copy to a new yard the day the contract is signed.