What is Barn Chat?

Private messaging between the people at your barn - boarders, barn staff and the providers who look after your horses - inside Stables.

Barn Chat is private messaging built into Stables. It replaces the texts and group threads a barn usually runs on: a boarder asking about turnout, staff coordinating feed changes, a farrier confirming a visit. Facilities and horse owners open it from Barn Chat in the navigation; service providers use Messages.

Who you can message

Your contact list is built from the people you are already connected to in Stables:

  • Facilities - your clients (horse owners) and your staff.
  • Horse owners - the owner and staff of the barn where your horse is boarded, other horse owners at that barn, and anyone you share a horse with.
  • Service providers - your clients, the barns you work with, and your team.

If nobody is connected to you yet - for example, your horse is not boarded at a barn on Stables - the list is empty until you are.

What you can do

  • Send a direct message to one person, or start a group chat with several.
  • Attach up to 5 files at a time; images display right in the thread.
  • See new messages at a glance: an unread dot appears on Barn Chat (Messages, for providers) in your navigation.

Who can read it

Only the members of a conversation can see it. There are no barn-wide channels, the barn owner does not see conversations they are not in, and Stables AI does not read Barn Chat. More in Who can see your messages.

To send news to all of your clients at once, use Announcements instead - see Email all your clients with Announcements. For step-by-step help starting a conversation, see Using Barn Chat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Barn Chat the same as texting?
No. Messages stay inside Stables and are never sent as texts (SMS). Each person reads them in Barn Chat, where an unread dot shows new messages.
Why is my contact list empty?
Barn Chat only lists people you are connected to in Stables - your barn, its staff and boarders, your providers or clients, and anyone you share a horse with. Once one of them is on Stables and connected to you, they appear.