Equine Facility Software Evaluation Checklist

Shopping for barn management software is harder than it should be. Most platforms look similar on a demo, but the differences that matter show up months into daily use: the charge that did not transfer correctly, the reminder that never fired, the report you cannot run because the system does not track that field. This checklist is designed to help you evaluate software before you commit, not after.

Core Horse Management

• [ ] Can you store a complete health record for each horse, including vaccination history, deworming, dental, and farrier?
• [ ] Does the system track last service dates and calculate next-due dates for recurring health events?
• [ ] Can you set custom intervals per horse (not just a barn-wide default)?
• [ ] Is the horse record accessible to staff on mobile devices from within the barn?
• [ ] Can you attach documents (Coggins certificates, vet records, import papers) to individual horse records?
• [ ] Does the system support multiple horses per owner?
• [ ] Can you record and view feeding instructions per horse?
• [ ] Is there a field for medications with dose, frequency, and duration?

Billing and Invoicing

• [ ] Does the system track charges at the horse level, not just at the owner level?
• [ ] Can you create recurring monthly charges (board fees) that auto-populate invoices?
• [ ] Can you add one-time pass-through charges (farrier, vet) mid-month and have them appear on the next invoice?
• [ ] Does the system generate itemized invoices that owners can view?
• [ ] Is there an owner-facing payment portal for online payments?
• [ ] Does the system support multiple payment methods (ACH, credit card, etc.)?
• [ ] Can you set payment due dates and configure late fee rules?
• [ ] Can you generate reports on outstanding balances and payment history?

Scheduling and Reminders

• [ ] Does the system send automated reminders for upcoming health events (vaccines, farrier, dental)?
• [ ] Can you set reminder lead times (e.g., 2 weeks before due date)?
• [ ] Is there a calendar view for scheduled farrier, vet, and other appointments?
• [ ] Can you assign daily care tasks to specific staff members?
• [ ] Is there a way to confirm that daily tasks were completed?
• [ ] Can you manage lesson or training schedules within the same platform?

Owner Communication

• [ ] Is there an owner portal where clients can log in and view their horse's records and invoices?
• [ ] Can you send messages or notifications to owners through the platform?
• [ ] Can owners submit requests or update emergency contact information through the portal?
• [ ] Does the platform support photo or video sharing with owners?

Staff Management

• [ ] Can you control which staff roles see which information (e.g., billing details not visible to barn staff)?
• [ ] Is there a daily task or checklist feature for staff?
• [ ] Can the system support multiple user accounts at different permission levels?

Reporting

• [ ] Can you generate a revenue report by month?
• [ ] Can you see which owners have outstanding balances?
• [ ] Is there a report showing upcoming health due dates across the entire herd?
• [ ] Can you export data to CSV or PDF for use in other applications?

Implementation and Support

• [ ] Is there an onboarding process to help you import existing horse and owner data?
• [ ] Is customer support available by phone or live chat, not just email?
• [ ] Is there a knowledge base or training documentation?
• [ ] How frequently is the software updated, and is there a changelog?
• [ ] What is the pricing structure, and does it scale by horse count or flat rate?
• [ ] Is there a free trial or money-back guarantee?

Questions to Ask During a Demo

1. Show me how a farrier charge gets added and appears on an owner's invoice.
2. Walk me through what happens when a horse is overdue for a vaccination.
3. How does an owner pay their invoice and what does that look like on my end?
4. If I need to update the feeding instructions for one horse at 6am, how does that reach the staff doing the feeding?
5. What happens to the data if I cancel my subscription?

BarnBeacon is built around the workflows above, covering horse records, billing, health reminders, owner communication, and staff task management in one platform. For more detail on how software fits into the broader management picture, see our equine software buyer's guide and equine facility management.

Use this checklist with every platform you evaluate. A system that cannot check most of these boxes is one that will require workarounds from day one.