I just joined.
A few questions : Pets included horses ?? (have my own and a boarders)
- 2 hunting dogs.
Do I pay the sitter or just tip the sitter ??
My house is not off grid , but pretty close : Do I supply the food or food allowance ??
jasper
Pets can include horses. Taking care of your boarders’ horses might violate terms. Check with membership services.
No need to pay or tip, unless you voluntarily want to. As hospitality, hosts sometimes offer welcoming dinner if there’s a handoff overlap. Or some offer food as gifts.
Hosts aren’t obligated to supply food, but that can make a sit more appealing to more sitters, especially if you’re nearly off grid.
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You are not to exchange money with the sitter. They get use of your house for the sit. There are sits with horses. You need someone who can take care of the horses, unless you have someone else coming in to take care of them. You can supply food. But what if you get someone with allergies or different tastes?
That can be easily solved by asking first.
Welcome to the forum!
Just be aware that THS can not be used for business purposes whatsoever, and your home must be vacated for a Sitter throughout the duration of the Sit, and that no third parties will interfere with the Sitter’s enjoyment of your property.
It is a good idea to read the terms of service of THS as it will give you a clearer picture.
THS is a mutually beneficial agreement without payment, so it cannot be payment, part of business and the sit must be beneficial to both parties - also to be able to get a sitter and a god pet-sit. It is important to make a profile that is accurate when it comes to description of pets and the tasks involved.
You’ll be able to get a lot of help here should you wish to. Hope you will have a good THS-adventure.
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You mention a boarder. Will he/she be staying in the home during the sit? If so, this is definitely not allowed on THS, no other person/s to be in the home during a sit.
I think OP is boarding someone else’s horse (not a human) — quite common among horse folks, because not everyone has accommodations for a horse.
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@Maggie8K oh of course, silly me, now I read it as such 
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It’s still a fair point though if the boarded horse’s owner is going to be coming and going on the property while the HO is gone.
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Plus, I guess, boarding other people’s horses could be regarded as business and it would be against THS T&Cs.
I think the best thing to do is follow @Maggie8K ’s advice and check with THS.
Do you mean the forum or have you joined as a paying Homeowner? If that is the case and this is not the right place for you, you might be able to get your money back. So definitely, I would get in touch with members service.
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That depends if he’s asking about food for humans or pets…in the case of pets, yes, @jasper , providing food for animals is essential. If you are remote, then asking sitters for a list of staples you’d be willing to get for them would be nice but it’s not required. If your sit requires a lot of duties/chores, then it is nice to make the exchange feel even to offer some extras.
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Welcome @jasper!
We would recommend not paying the sitter as that goes against THS policies. You could leave a tip…however, coming from us who have done this full-time for two years…we would not take it. If you were to leave a welcome basket, maybe a gift card to a local grocery store, bottle of wine, etc…those are more appreciated to us as sitters.
As for food, that is up to you. You could either ask the sitter what ‘staples’ they would like in the house, or just fill it with some basics (milk, bread, eggs, coffee, etc). We have had sits that do not include food and we have just brought our own. So that is completely up to you.
As for the horses, yes they are included in the sit. Please mention in the ad whether you prefer someone with experience with horses or not. Also list the responsibilities and try to be as thorough as possible so sitters are fully aware before applying.
Best of luck!
Definitely don’t buy any food for your sitter without talking to them first. Of the basics listed above, I don’t eat any of them so it would just be wasted food/money. I regularly have HOs ask me about leaving me some food and I always thank them but tell them it’s not necessary because literally every time it’s been done I’ve not eaten what they’ve left because it isn’t stuff I liked. The only exception was when I went a couple days early to stay because I was going to be handling a small farm so there was a lot to learn. In that case the HO learned what I liked and did a shop (not at my request) and I ended up with a pile of cheese, my favorite veggies, and a bottle of wine for every day they’d be gone (hello France 
).
If you join, i wouldnt use the term ‘hunting dogs’ in your profile