Getting Started with BarnBeacon: First Steps for New Users

Welcome to BarnBeacon. This guide walks through the first steps to get your barn set up so you can start managing horses, billing, and operations from day one. The setup process takes most facilities a few hours to complete and will save you significantly more time than that in the first month of use.

Step 1: Set Up Your Facility Profile

The first thing to complete is your facility profile. This is the foundational information that appears on owner-facing communications and invoices: your barn name, address, contact information, and the basic billing settings that govern how invoices are generated.

In the Facility Settings section, complete:

• Barn name and physical address
• Primary contact phone and email
• Billing cycle day (the day of the month when invoices are generated)
• Payment due date (typically 1 to 15 days after invoice date)
• Accepted payment methods
• Late fee policy if applicable

Take time with the billing settings. These defaults will apply to all owners unless you customize individually. Getting them right at setup is easier than correcting them after the first billing cycle.

Step 2: Add Your Horses

The horse record is the center of BarnBeacon's functionality. Each horse you add gets a full profile that stores health records, feeding instructions, care notes, billing charges, and owner connections.

For each horse, enter at minimum:

• Name (barn name and registered name if different)
• Breed, sex, date of birth
• Stall number or location
• Identifying information (color, markings, microchip number if available)
• Current feeding program
• Any active medications

If you have previous health records to enter, start with the most recent: current Coggins expiration date, last vaccination dates, last farrier visit, last dental float. You do not need to enter years of historical records before you start using the system. Enter what you have and build from there.

Step 3: Add Your Owners

Create an owner profile for each boarding client or horse owner. Each owner profile holds contact information, emergency contacts, payment information, and their linked horses.

For each owner, enter:

• Full name and contact information
• Emergency contact
• Billing email (where invoices will be sent)
• Their linked horses
• Any notes about billing preferences or special arrangements

Once owners are connected to horses, the billing system can generate invoices that aggregate all charges for all of their horses in a single statement.

Step 4: Set Up Recurring Billing

The most time-saving feature of BarnBeacon is recurring charge automation. For each horse, set up the recurring monthly board fee so it auto-populates invoices at each billing cycle without manual entry.

Navigate to the billing section for each horse and add:

• Monthly board fee with the applicable rate
• Any recurring monthly charges (monthly training fee, hay surcharge, automatic blanketing service fee)

One-time charges (farrier visits, vet charges, extras) are added as they occur throughout the month and will appear on the next invoice automatically.

Step 5: Configure Health Reminders

Set up health reminders for upcoming care events. For each horse, review what health maintenance is due in the next 30 to 90 days and enter those due dates into the system so reminders fire before they arrive.

For horses with current records, enter the date of last service for each category (vaccines, Coggins, dental, farrier) and configure the reminder interval. BarnBeacon will calculate the next due date and alert you ahead of time.

Getting Help

BarnBeacon's support team is available by email and live chat. The knowledge base covers common setup questions, billing workflows, and feature-specific guidance. If you run into anything during setup, reach out rather than spending time trying to work around an issue.

For more on the ongoing operations that BarnBeacon supports, see equine facility management. For an overview of the health tracking capabilities, see equine health tracking.

Most facilities are fully functional within a day or two of starting setup. The time invested pays back quickly.