Questions about boarders, rules and BarnAnswer
To stop the same boarder questions, put your rules and schedule where boarders can ask them any time, and keep one person responsible for updates. BarnAnswer does both, on one private answer page for your barn.
Last updated November 8, 2026
Boarder questions
How do I stop boarders asking the same questions?
Put your rules and schedule where boarders can ask them any time, and keep one person responsible for updates. BarnAnswer does both: boarders ask on your barn’s private answer page, and we keep its answers current.
What is the best way to communicate with boarders?
One place for answers and one place for news. A group text or a Facebook page works for news. Questions about hours, farrier days or arena use are better answered from one written source that someone keeps current.
Group text, Facebook group or an app for barn updates?
A group text reaches everyone but buries answers. A Facebook group needs every boarder on Facebook. An app needs every boarder to install it. BarnAnswer is a private web page for your barn, so boarders open it in their phone’s browser and install nothing.
How do I tell boarders when the farrier or vet is coming?
Write the day in the month’s schedule and say what boarders must do before it (for example, put the horse’s name on the whiteboard). With BarnAnswer, a boarder who asks “Is the farrier coming this week?” gets that day and that step.
How do I share barn rules so boarders read them?
Keep them short, put the date on them, and answer from them every time someone asks. BarnAnswer quotes the rule it answered from, so boarders see where the answer came from.
Should barn rules be in the boarding contract?
Rules that carry a cost or a risk (fees, guests, trailer parking, liability) belong in the contract. Day-to-day rules such as arena hours change often and are easier to keep in a separate list that the contract names.
After hours and health
How do I set message hours for boarders?
Write the hours into your barn rules and tell boarders what to do outside them. BarnAnswer answers rules and schedule questions at any hour, so fewer questions need you at night.
What happens when a boarder asks about a sick horse?
BarnAnswer never answers health questions. It tells the boarder to call the barn manager now, and their vet in an emergency.
What if a boarder asks something new?
The page says it has no answer yet and lets the boarder email the question to you. Answers come only from the rules and schedule you approved.
Setup and price
Do boarders need to download an app?
No. Boarders open your barn’s answer page in the phone browser they already have.
Who writes the answers?
We do. You send your barn rules and schedule, we write the answers, and you approve them before boarders use the page.
How do schedule changes reach BarnAnswer?
Email us the new farrier day, closure or rule. We update the answers.
How do I post a closure for weather or a water shut-off?
Email us the closure and its dates. Boarders who ask about it get the closure from the answer page.
Can boarders text their questions?
Not yet. During the trial, boarders use the answer page. We plan to add text messages and will tell you before that starts.
What does BarnAnswer cost?
$39 a month, after a free 2-week trial. We do not ask for a card to start the trial.
How does it compare with barn management software?
BarnManager costs $40 a month (Essentials) or $70 (Pro), and STABLE pro $10 per 10 horses, up to $100 (pricing pages, checked November 4, 2026). They keep records, calendars and bookings. BarnAnswer only answers boarder questions, and we keep the answers current for you.
Can WhatsApp Business answer questions automatically?
Meta’s Business Agent answers on WhatsApp from your documents and is free to start. It works only for boarders on WhatsApp (32% of US adults use it, Pew Research Center, 2025), and you set it up and keep it current yourself.