Equine
Books and taxes for horse boarding stables.
Board checks, lesson fees, a hay season stock-up, and the farrier bill that lands the same week as rent. Gus sorts every deposit and bill, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number each month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $11,700. The hay delivery from Robinson Farms this month ran almost double a normal load, so I kept it in feed instead of letting it swallow your equipment line.
- Gingr board payoutBoard
- Venmo lesson feesLessons
- Robinson Farms hay deliveryHay and feed
- Tractor Supply shavingsBedding
- Shell fuel, farm truckTruck and fuel
Why your books are different
A boarding stable's books go wrong the moment board, feed, and lessons blur into one deposit.
A generalist sees a stack of monthly checks and calls it income. Your barn runs on board tiers, lesson fees, hay bought by the season, and horses that are not all yours. When the books do not know the difference, you cannot see which boarders pay their way, and April misses deductions built into how a barn actually runs.
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1
Board rates blur together
Full board, pasture board, and partial care all get billed at different rates, but if every check lands in one lump sum you cannot tell which tier of boarder is actually worth the stall space and feed you put into them.
What we doSplits each boarder's payment by the rate they actually pay, so you can see full board against pasture board side by side. -
2
A hay season buy wrecks the month
A year's hay supply often gets bought in one or two loads from a supplier like Robinson Farms, and that single bill can make a month look like a loss even though it feeds the barn through winter.
What we doKeeps hay and feed in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not a bad month, is why the number looks thin. -
3
Personal horses eat into the barn's feed bill
An owner's own horses living in the same barn as boarders often get fed, shod, and treated on the business account, and nobody separates what those horses actually cost the barn versus what boarders pay for.
What we doAsks which horses are yours and keeps their feed, farrier, and vet costs out of the boarding business's numbers. -
4
A deposit gets booked as income too early
A first and last month's board deposit collected at move-in covers stalls the horse has not used yet, and counting it all as income the day it lands makes that month look bigger than it really was.
What we doHolds deposits and prepaid board as owed until the stall time is actually used, so the monthly number matches the boarding you delivered. -
5
A tractor or arena drag looks like a supply run
A used tractor or a new arena drag can cost as much as a truck, and filed as a farm supply it drags one month's profit down and hides what the equipment really cost.
What we doFlags equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them separately from feed and bedding, and gets the accountant's call on writing it off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a boarding stable.
Set up once for how your barn takes in board and pays its bills. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- BoardFull board, pasture board, and partial care, billed monthly or through a barn app like Gingr.
- LessonsPrivate and group lesson fees, paid per ride or in packages.
- Training feesDay training or board-and-train work on boarders' horses.
- Retail and feed markupGrain, supplements, or hay resold to boarders at a small markup.
- Events and clinicsSchooling shows, clinics, or arena rental hosted at the barn.
Money out
- Hay and feedRound bales, grain, and supplements bought by the season.
- BeddingShavings and straw for every stall.
- Barn laborBarn help, feeders, and working students paid by the hour or the shift.
- Veterinary and farrierRoutine care for lesson horses and any horses the barn owns outright.
- Facility upkeepArena footing, fencing, and manure removal.
- EquipmentTractors, arena drags, and trailers, logged separately from feed and bedding.
- InsuranceLiability coverage and mortality insurance on barn-owned horses.
What we watch for you
- Board occupancy
Stalls filled against total stalls, so an empty one shows up as lost income, not just an empty space.
- Feed cost per horse
What each horse actually costs to keep, so a rate increase is based on real numbers.
- Labor share
Barn help wages against what board and lessons brought in, so staffing keeps pace with income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things horse boarding stable owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Not all at once. I hold it as owed board and count it as it is actually used, so this month is not padded with next month's money.
The hay order from Robinson Farms landed this month. It is a real cost, just a big one at once. I kept it in feed so it does not look like the barn had a bad month.
That call on the exact split is above my pay grade, so I flag your horses, keep their costs separate, and the accountant weighs in if anything looks off.
The tax side
The tax side of a boarding stable.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing and what counts as a real business horse. Deposits booked too early, hay bought once but eaten all winter, and a horse that is really just yours living in the barn.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deposits and prepaid boardA move-in deposit or a season paid up front is not fully earned the day it lands. It counts as income as the board is actually delivered, month by month.
- Business horses versus personal horsesA horse the barn owns for lessons or breeding is a business asset with a purchase price and a depreciation schedule. A personal horse living at the barn is not, and mixing them up muddies both.
- Hobby-loss scrutinyThe IRS looks harder at horse operations than most small businesses when it comes to deciding if they are run for profit. Clean records of income, expenses, and business decisions are the best defense.
- Contractor 1099s for barn helpAnyone paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who helps at the barn but is not on payroll, such as a fill-in feeder, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions horse boarding stables miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hay and grain
- Shavings and bedding
- Farrier care for barn horses
- Vet care and vaccines
- Arena footing and dragging
- Fencing repairs
- Liability insurance
- Barn utilities
- Manure removal
- Working student stipends
- Barn help wages
- Tractor fuel and maintenance
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A boarding stable year, kept every month.
Board checks land every month, but hay season and a barn full of personal and business horses need a closer look than a typical small business. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for barn help gets built, and a monthly set-aside is set so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring's move-ins and lesson bookings changed the number.
- October
Before hay season
Before the big hay buy, Gus looks at what a stock-up will do to a single month's number and any equipment worth buying before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for horse boarding stables. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions horse boarding stable owners ask first.
Can Gus tell the difference between my board tiers?
Yes. Full board, pasture board, and partial care get their own categories, so you can see which tier is actually worth the stall space and feed.
I take a deposit when a horse moves in. Does that count as income right away?
No. Gus holds it as board owed and counts it as the boarding actually happens, so a busy move-in month does not look bigger than it was.
Two of my own horses live at the barn. Does that complicate things?
It just means Gus asks which horses are yours and keeps their feed and vet costs separate from the boarding business, so the books stay honest.
My books are a mess from years of doing it myself. Can Gus still help?
Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Do you handle sales tax on my boarding income?
No. Whether board is taxable varies by state. Gus keeps records ready so your accountant or preparer can answer that for your state.
I bought a used tractor this year. Does that come off my taxes?
Often, yes. Gus logs it as equipment the day it shows up and flags it, and the accountant decides how much comes off this year with your whole year in view.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever