Founded in 1979 by the farmer’s parents and located in Calden- Fürstenwalde (Germany), the farm now employs 12 staff members and three family members. Philipp Pavel, the current manager, grew up on the farm and pursued formal education in horse farming after school. He has 14 years of experience, including equine studies, horse training, and a B.Sc. in Business Administration.

Main activities:

• Horse boarding
• Riding school
• Amateur breeding (max. 2 foals per year)
• Grassland management and pasture care
• Equine count: 180 horses
• Land area: 100 hectares

Cross Visit’s objectives: To demonstrate various horse housing systems (indoor box, paddock box, group housing) with different types of bedding. The farm features three indoor and three outdoor riding arenas, two of which have an automated water adjustment system using a cistern to collect rainwater for irrigation. The other arenas have sand floors with surface watering.

The farm aims to highlight:

• The impact of housing conditions on horse welfare and health.
• The benefits of a modern feeding technique using automatic feeders for hay and concentrate, which reduce labor and control feed intake.
• The farm’s resilience through diversification and providing good working conditions for employees.

This farm features automatic feed dispensers, installed both in active stables and for horses housed in stalls. These dispensers automate the distribution of grain feed for improved efficiency and flexibility.

Investment Cost

• Outdoor models: €15,000 to €20,000.
• Box-mounted units: Approximately €200 per unit.

Benefits

• Reduces manual labor.
• Saves time.
• Distributes concentrated feed in smaller, more frequent rations throughout the day.
• Allows customization of feed for individual horses.
• Enables simultaneous feeding of all horses in stalls.
• Encourages movement for horses in active stables.

Drawbacks

• May cause frustration in horses, leading to behaviors such as irritation, yawning, or fighting in groups.
• Not always a necessary investment, depending on farm needs.

This farm utilizes automatic forage dispensers in both active stables and individual stalls. These systems automate the distribution of forage, offering flexibility and efficiency for horse care.

Note: Pay close attention when programming forage distribution times to avoid unnecessary stress for the horses.

Investment Cost

• Outdoor models: €5,000 to €20,000.
• Stall-mounted models: Starting at €1,000.

Benefits

• Reduces manual labor.
• Saves time.
• Allows rations to be tailored to each horse’s specific needs, such as weight management or respiratory issues.
• Encourages movement for horses in active stables.

Drawbacks

• May cause frustration in horses, leading to behaviors like irritation, yawning, or group conflicts.
• May not always be a necessary investment, depending on the farm’s setup.

This farm, specializing in horse boarding, offers two types of boarding plans:

• Classic Box Boarding: Starting at €330 per month (excluding services).
• Active Stable Boarding: Starting at €420 per month (excluding services).

Additional services are billed through a token system. Horse owners purchase tokens from the stable and use them for specific services such as bedding, horse walker sessions, feed, solarium use, and more. The stable also provides a child-care service.

The farm accommodates 119 horses, with approximately 50 housed in active stables. On average, owners spend €700 per month, including all services.

Benefits

• Simplifies management and billing, as charges are based on tokens rather than individual services.
• Offers a flexible, customizable boarding experience, allowing owners to select the services they need.

Drawbacks

• No all-inclusive boarding option, which could result in horses not always meeting the 3F standard (fodder, freedom, friends) depending on the owner’s choices.
• Higher costs for customers.