How it works
Three sides of the barn, one set of rules
StableStay is a marketplace for horse boarding and a hiring platform for barn staff, with identity verification, two-way reviews and a safety standard across all of it. Here's how each side uses it.
Horse owners & haulers
From route to stall in four steps
- 01
Plan the haul
Enter where you're leaving from, where you're headed and how many hours you'll drive a day. The planner follows real highways and drops a stop at the end of each driving day, with every bookable stable within reach of that stop.
- 02
Pick a stable
Search by place, dates, number of horses and what you need: stalls or pasture, RV hookups with 30 or 50 amps, a room with a private bath. Or just describe it — "pasture board near Ocala under $30 with trails" — and the AI turns it into filters.
- 03
Request, then pay
Send a request with your horses attached. The host sees their photos, temperament notes and health records before saying yes. Payment is only collected once they accept, and it's held by Stripe.
- 04
Arrive prepared
The booking concierge answers questions about arrival, feed and rules. It flags a Coggins that expires before check-in and writes the host a one-page care brief for each horse.
Hosts
Fill empty stalls on your terms
- 01
List what you have
Stalls, paddocks, pasture, RV pads and rooms — each with its own count and nightly price. The listing copilot drafts your description from a few facts. Publishing requires identity verification so guests know a real person is behind the listing.
- 02
Review every request
See who's coming, which horses, and whether their vaccination and Coggins records are current. Accept, decline with a note, or ask a question in the thread.
- 03
Get paid automatically
Guests pay through Stripe when you accept. Your cancellation policy — flexible, moderate or strict — is enforced automatically, so refunds never become an argument.
- 04
Staff your barn
Post a job or browse screened stable hands from the same account. Order a background check on a candidate; it runs once they consent and you both see the results.
Stable hands
Your experience, verified and portable
- 01
Build your profile
Roles, skills, disciplines, work history and what you need — travel, housing, family. Your last name stays private until you're working with someone.
- 02
Add references that actually verify
List former employers and trainers. We email each one a private link; they confirm you worked together, rate the experience and say whether they'd hire you again. Their contact details are never shown.
- 03
Run your own background check
Order it yourself, see the full results first, and choose whether the badge shows on your profile. Employers can also order one — but nothing runs without your consent, and you always see what they see.
- 04
Review your employers too
When an engagement ends, both sides review each other: reliability and horsemanship one way, safety, fairness and housing the other. Barn owners build a reputation just like you do.
Ready when you are
Browsing is free and needs no account. Sign up when you want to book, list or hire.