Equine needs spur Airbnb of horses
Online platform Staller helps equestrians find extra space on the road
The rapidly growing sharing economy has reached the world of top equestrians with an Airbnb-like online platform that helps horse owners find barns and stalls near their next competitions.
The online platform, Staller.com, which launched in Florida a couple of years ago, has recently expanded into the Lower Hudson Valley, in New York, where top equestrian events attract hundreds of competitors and their mounts.
Horses who compete at those high levels need some rest between events, but unlike for human travelers, the options for overnight housing can be slim.
Wealthy owners and competitors, such as Jennifer Gates, the 21-year-old equestrian daughter of billionaire Bill Gates, have the means to purchase properties near the major riding events to use between competitions.
But other owners have to find barns where they can rent stalls for their horses. Until recently, finding suitable accommodations has largely relied on word of mouth.
“It’s difficult to find properties. If you have specific amenities you want to have, it’s difficult to find the right one,” said Arturo Ferrando, an equestrian enthusiast who co-founded Staller.com along with Pablo Jimenez, his longtime friend and an entrepreneur.
One of the first Northeast barn owners who listed their properties on the site was Diana Walters, who founded The Pavillion Farm in North Salem, N.Y., about 50 miles from New York City, about a decade ago.
“People can find The Pavillion Farm through the site, finding out the cost,” Walters said of Staller.com. “It gives transparency to the market. You can see what everybody is charging.”
Pricing for Walters’ horse stalls starts at $30 per day, according to Staller.com. A basic stay for a stall a night ranges from $20 to $50 in the Northeast farms listed on the platform.
With competitions held throughout the U.S., top equestrians need to travel from region to region. Each competition has to offer stables for participating horses, but between competitions, owners might want to stay nearby to prepare for the next one, said Eric Hasbrouck, head trainer of The Pavillion Farm who has often been on the road with his own horses.
“Horses work two weeks a month. The other weeks they have to rest and exercise,” Hasbrouck said.
Like Airbnb, HomeAway and other short-term rental platforms, Staller.com allows farm owners to list photos of their barns, horse stalls and training facilities along with detailed descriptions and pricing.
The platform enables equestrians to filter their searches and compare among different stall options. When they find the right one, they can book and pay their horses’ stay in a matter of clicks.
Walters said she thought about launching a similar online platform years ago. So when she learned Jimenez and Ferrando were already building the online market, she joined as an advisory director and an investor.
“You can compare and contrast, which is very important,” Walters said.
Since the Northeast expansion of Staller.com started a couple of months ago, owners of about 50 barns in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania have listed their properties, Jimenez and Ferrando said.
“We are very happy that we’re able to provide the platform for them to get more exposure and to showcase their property,” Jimenez said of farm owners.
Staller’s phone app is currently under redevelopment and will become available soon.