Making a living doing something you love is what most would consider a “dream job”. What horse lover has not at least considered, even for a brief instant, what life would be like if they could make a living with horses? For some, that’s all it will ever be, a brief consideration.

Others may dabble in the industry part time but be unwilling to jump head first into a full time horse business, knowing the risks and high chance for failure. Then there will be a few who want to take that risk. For those people it’s just a matter of deciding what part of the industry they want to stake their claim.

For those who are intent upon starting a horse business of some kind, breeding is one option to consider. Like any potential business there are pros to consider as well as cons and doing research in advance to make yourself aware of both sides, is always the smart thing to do.

The Pros
Walking To the Barn Vs. Driving to Work
There are some people who actually enjoy working in an office. The excitement of the corporate world gives them great satisfaction. Others long for freedom from the white walls of a corporate career and a daily commute. For these folks, getting up and heading out the back door after a cup of coffee and merely walking to work, would be a dream come true.

Seeing the Fruits of Your Labor
As you progress with your knowledge of bloodlines and genetics, it can be very rewarding to look forward to the birth of a particular foal and see that he/she is everything you hoped and more.

Maybe you are breeding for a Perlino Foundation Quarter Horse colt and you end up with exactly that-except he has an even better conformation than you hoped for and you are able to sell him for a nice price as a stallion prospect. Being able to have an idea in your mind of your end goal and reaching or exceeding it can bring any breeder a very high level of job/career satisfaction.

Selling Quality Horses for Top Dollar to Happy Customers
This is how you begin to establish yourself in this business. Let’s say you are a halter horse-breeding farm and you sell ten weanlings after your first year to show homes. If even half of those weanlings do well in the show ring, you will get customers from it. It may be repeat business due to the customer being so happy with their first purchase, or it may be more of a referral sale-someone seeing one of your colts or fillies at a show and asking about their breeding.

The Cons
Breeding Quality Horses Requires Quality Knowledge
This is not meant as a discouragement to anyone from going this route if they feel they have a lot to learn. Much learning can take place through trial and error and as you go, although,  you do need to have some knowledge.

Starting a breeding business if you are a novice horseman or horsewoman is not only dangerous, but does not serve your horses or customers well. Now, that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t hire the knowledge. If you have the money to spend, a qualified breeding manager can teach you all you need to know as well as ensure your breeding program runs smoothly. If this is not an option be sure to take the time to educate yourself before embarking on this journey.

Large Upfront Cost and Slow Return
Starting a quality-breeding program requires quality stock. You may choose to stand a stallion along with some great mares, or you may choose to focus only on top quality broodmares and pay a stud fee for your pick of stallions.

Then you will also have to pay for the upkeep of every horse in your breeding program. Whichever way you decide to go is going to require a decent amount of money. Even if you are prepared to spend this kind of money-be advised that it will take at least a year for your first crop of foals to be ready to sell as weanlings.

Highly Competitive Market
The horse industry has been around for years and in that time many farms have established themselves in the breeding industry. This is not to say that this market is impossible to break into, but it will likely take some time and patience.

Arming yourself with great marking strategies, as well as picking a good nitch for your breeding program (such as Dunn colored reining prospects or Swedish Warmblood hunter/jumper prospects) will go a long way towards helping you enter this competitive market.

Unlike other livestock such as cattle, horses have only one stomach and also unlike other livestock, very little digestion occurs in the stomach. When a horse masticates (chews and swallows) feed passes through the stomach and small intestine and heads to the hindgut where the majority of digestion takes place.

In the hindgut, friendly microbes break down undigested feed in a fermentation process. Due to this quick rate of passage through the intestine, which affects feed efficiency (nutrient absorption), it is of great importance that a high quality, balanced diet is being provided.

Forage
The most important part of any horses diet should be forage. Bermuda, Orchard, Timothy, and Bluegrass or Legumes such as alfalfa and clover are great examples of quality forages. Forages are extremely important to the horse’s digestive tract because they aid in gut motility.

Ideally, 4 hours is the longest a horse should go without grazing or chewing. This is because the horse’s digestive system was designed to have forage moving through it consistently throughout the day.If you are lucky enough to have a large pasture this will not be a problem and your horse can graze as often as he likes.

Boarding your horse or housing it in a paddock is also fine, but it is important to remember to provide plenty of forage in these instances. In fact, horses in these cases should be given enough hay to eat frequently throughout the day, as this prevents boredom and the behavioral problems that often come from boredom such as weaving or cribbing.

If you board your horse and are limited to feeding only twice a day, you may want to provide more at each feeding by mixing a high quality forage like alfalfa with a lower quality grass forage. The same holds true if you are on a budget. A mixture of high quality with lower quality to provide more chewing time for the horse is better than giving them a smaller amount of only high quality forage.

Please understand the difference between lower quality and poor quality. Lower quality still has nutritional value and should still be higher quality than what you might feed to other livestock. Never feed your horse poor quality hay that is dusty or moldy.

Feeds
For some time there has been much confusion over whether to feed your horse a sweet feed or a pelleted concentrate. If you’re looking for an easy black and white answer you probably won’t find one. The answer is-it depends. The difference between a sweet feed and a pelleted feed is mainly in the processing not in the ingredients.

Sweet feeds often contain more molasses or sugar, though some lower quality pelleted feeds have a high content of the same. Molasses is not necessarily bad for the horse and can actually offer many advantages by increasing palatability of the feed, and generating more internal body heat (which is helpful during winter months.)

Molasses should not be fed in high amounts however, as that can be harmful to a horse’s digestive system. When deciding between a sweet feed and pelleted concentrate, the key word to remember is quality. If you choose a sweet feed, try to pick one with lower starch content. Starch gets turned into sugar in the digestive system and too much of this can make your horse overly “hot.”

If you go with a pelleted feed choose one with known quality forages as the top ingredients. This ensures proper fiber content for your horse and makes it less likely that the feed has a high content of low cost sugary fillers. Also, avoid purchasing feed with generic ingredients listed on their labels. Examples of this would be “grain products.” This translates to mean that the manufacturer can choose any grain they want and their label will be accurate.

Manufacturers like this will switch ingredients based on the market and what is currently the lowest in cost. A horse’s individual situation should determine the amount of concentrate needed. Things to consider would include size of the horse, age, level of work and any know health conditions. For example, a growing colt will need more concentrate to meet its nutritional requirements than a middle aged, lightly ridden trail horse.

Amount of fat, calories and protein in a particular feed should also be considered using the same factors. Many think that the horse gets most of its energy from protein, but this is not true. A horse’s body will first draw energy from fat, then calories and then protein. Therefore, a racehorse will need a feed with a higher fat content as will a pregnant mare. A pasture ornament on the other hand, might do well on just forage or forage and a lower calorie feed.

Fluids
Last but not least horses should always have access to clean water. Roughly 62% of a horses body weight is made up of water and on average, a horse will drink 10-12 gallons of water each day. A dehydrated horse will be at a greater risk for impaction colic and other health risks. Water is also needed to produce the amount of saliva needed to chew forage and feed.

Consider investing in a quality water tank that can be hooked up to your well. This type of tank keeps water moving and prevents water from becoming stagnant. If this is not an option, be prepared to change your horse’s water at least twice a day. Making sure your horse has plenty of water is key to its health and digestion.

Organization
Do you find yourself always rushing and frequently late for appointments? Have you ever scheduled your Farrier only to be surprised when he shows up during a lesson? Do you have to hunt through the stack of paperwork on your desk for the sticky note your wrote your new clients number on? If this sounds like you, it may be time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get organized.

Practice Promptness
Lacking punctuality is a common human flaw. If it’s the exception rather than the rule, then it’s probably not having a negative impact on your business or relationships. It’s when you find yourself frequently “running five minutes late” that you may be sending the wrong message. Showing up late for an appointment-any appointment, especially on a regular basis, tells the other person that your time is more important than theirs. This type of message creates disrespect and poor customer relations. Practice promptness with your business and customers. Stop what you are doing 15-20 minutes prior to your next appointment to give yourself time to prepare (saddle horse for a lesson, tidy the barn for a new client tour, brush horse for potential buyer) and then commit to giving the person your full attention. This not only shows people you value their business but it helps you stay organized and on schedule through your entire day.

Cleanliness With a Cadence
Have you ever found yourself at the end of a busy day on the farm and you realize you have about 4 solid hours of cleaning to do? Then you find yourself cutting corners putting off the less important tasks for morning? Avoid falling into disorganized habits like this and learn to “clean as you go.” For example, let’s say you have a lesson at 8am, 9am and 10am and each lesson is scheduled for 45 minutes. Instead of wasting the 15 minutes in between, utilize that time to clean up from the previous lesson and prepare for the next. If your client wishes to discuss their lesson, ask them if they wouldn’t mind walking with you as you clean up from lesson one and prepare the horse for lesson two. If you build a rhythm like this into your workflow you will soon find yourself cantering through your day with cadence and organization.

Utilize Digital Aids
We all use aids on horses to improve the flow of communication between horse and rider. What if we placed that same level of devotion on customer/stable manager communication? The results would no doubt be very positive. Utilize digital aids to improve the flow of communication with your customers and employees. Invest in a blackberry or phone capable of receiving emails, so you always have contact with your customers on the go. Also, consider investing in farm management software like LaRaedo to keep customers informed of events, lessons, or anything else on the schedule. You will improve customer satisfaction as well as feel prepared to face each and every busy day with a smile.

A budget is a plan for the present to get you where you want to be in the future. Successful businesses whether horse business or other, always have a budget. If you are new to business, creating a budget may seem like a daunting task. Instead of letting it overwhelm you, consider breaking the process down in simple, easy steps. You can use accounting software to begin your budget such as QuickBooks, or even a simple Excel spreadsheet. Here are some ideas to get started:

Expense Equitation
Before embarking on your journey into the horse business it is important to know your expenses and know them well. Just like an equitation show, the emphasis is in the details. The more detailed you get with your expenses, the better you can prepare for the future of your business. Create a list of monthly expenses based on historical spending.

If this is your first shot at a horse business and you have no historical spending to go from, visit other farms in your area and gather information on what their expenses include. Also research the Internet for possible expenses. You will probably miss some your first year in the business, but the more you can make yourself aware of them, the easier it will be to bring your business to stable ground.

Income Impulsion
Impulsion is the controlled energy in the forward movement of the horse. With a proper budget your business and income can move forward too. Create a list of all possible sources of income and update it frequently. Ideally, your income should come from a variety of sources. When creating your budget initially, estimate the amount of income you expect to have from various sources and estimate conservatively.

It is better to come out above budget than behind. Again, if you need help deciding where your income should come from, visit other barns in the area and talk to others in the horse business. There is no way to avoid all mistakes but learning from others can prevent you from making unnecessary mistakes.

Expense & Income Comparison
Once you have established your income and expenses, add them both up and compare. Is your income more than your expenses? If this is the case, your budget is off to a great start. What if your expenses are more than your income? If this is the case, it’s time to revisit your expenses and look at ways to reduce those expenses.

Perhaps you can find the same quality hay for cheaper by offering to give your hay supplier’s child a free weekly riding lesson. Or possibly you can do more work yourself and take on fewer employees to start with. There are many ways to reduce expenses; you just need to be creative.

Review & Planning
Plan a time weekly to go over your budget. After you have been in the business a few years you may be able to reduce this to a once a month review. When you are first starting out however, reviewing your budget weekly helps everything stay fresh in your mind and keeps you on a better financial track.

Also, carefully plan the future use of any excess income. If you come out ahead of budget your first year, planning efficiently how to use your extra income could make or break your future in the business. Consider spending some on growing your business. Examples of this would be spending some of your profit on marketing to gain more business or purchasing farm management software like Laraedo to improve efficiency.

When you have allocated some funds for the growth of your business, you should focus on saving the rest. Saving money will cushion your business if you are hit with unexpected expenses or prevent you from going into debt if you happen across a “too good to pass up” opportunity.

Most horse farm owners can spot a good conformation a mile away or tell the difference between an original Stubben saddle or Billy Cook saddle and an imitation. In fact, most horse farm owners have a wealth of knowledge on their equine friends but have no idea how to go about marketing this knowledge.

To run a successful horse business you need to not only know horses, but also how to market your skills and services. In the last decade, marketing techniques have changed drastically to include digital forms previously not in existence. To stay competitive in the industry it’s necessary to know what the popular channels of marketing your business are and how to use them.

Video Marketing
Most people watch TV, and this form of media has conditioned us with short viewing attention spans. Keep this in mind when considering video marketing for your farm. A good video is easy to watch, interesting, honest and relatively short. There are many instances where one might consider a video.

If you breed horses, having a video of your stallion is a great idea. Also, having videos of your foals or weanlings for sale is beneficial. In these cases videos will enable you to expand your sales territory, as someone in another state may be willing to purchase a weanling based on a great video.

If you offer horse training at your farm, having a video to showcase your talents will put you ahead of the competition. What if you own a boarding facility? Take a video of your top of the line boarding facility, giving a tour of the barns and pointing out all the amenities. Then post the video on YouTube and/or your website. Show prospective customers something that catches their eye and they will remember it.

Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is basically the digital form of “word of mouth” using social networking platforms, and is a must for any business owner today. The beautiful thing about social media marketing is it usually won’t cost you a dime!

Set up a Facebook page for your horse farm and send out friend requests to everyone you know-even your non-horse friends. They may know other people who have horses who would be interested in learning more about your business. Link your Facebook page to your website or blog.

Also, sign up for a twitter account and tweet about the latest happenings at your barn. Spending just a small amount of time on this daily can greatly increase your customer base and get your name out there.

Web Marketing
If you don’t yet have a website for your farm, consider getting one. The first thing everyone wants to know if they can’t immediately pay a visit to your facility is – if there is a website to look at. If you do have a website, update it frequently and keep things fresh. This will keep customers coming back to your website.

Also, consider starting a blog and linking it to your website. Your blog can be anything you want it to be and you can write about anything you want. Use it as a means to connect with your customers. Blog about the new horse you just bought or blog about how you unexpectedly hit the dirt and fell off a young horse for the first time in years.

Blogging is a great way to help you appear personable and approachable to your clients and customers. If you have the funds, web advertising is a great web marketing too. Put an ad for your facility on a popular horse website. This will draw more potential customers to your website.

Word Of Mouth
No matter how digital our world becomes, word of mouth will always be an important marketing tool. People will still always ask friends if they “know” someone who could give their daughter riding lessons and people are always more willing to try a known over an unknown.

The most important thing to remember about word of mouth is that it is based purely on reputation. No matter how many dollars you can pour into advertising and marketing, your reputation and how you treat your customers will still be discussed and talked about. Treat all your customers like VIP’s and you will succeed greatly with word of mouth marketing.

Sometimes I wake up full of ambition and ready to take on the world. Then the phone rings and the neighbor stops in and before I know it, lunchtime has arrived and I’ve accomplished nothing. Instead of taking charge of my day, I realize my day has taken charge of me. Don’t become a procrastinator or an easily distracted person-instead become trailblazer. Here are some tips how:

Ride out Distractions and Focus on the Finish Line
Have you ever seen a racehorse speed to the head of the field, lead into the homestretch, then pull over to taste a succulent looking patch of grass on the side of the track? No, of course not!! Why-because racehorses are trained to focus on the finish line and if they aren’t able to learn this focus they don’t become racehorses.

Consider your day and strive to keep on track by focusing on the finish line. Distractions are everywhere! Text messages, phone calls, emails, TV, and the list goes on. If your sister calls right before feeding time with big news, give her a few minutes, but be upfront and tell her that’s all you have-a few minutes. Tell her you can call her back later, at the end of your workday, when you have more time to talk.

Another example-Let’s say later on in the morning you’re cleaning tack and your phone vibrates in your pocket. You pull it out and it’s a text from your friend. You text her back, put the phone back in your pocket and go back to conditioning your favorite bridle. Your phone vibrates again, you pull out your phone again and text back. Ten minutes later you realize you are still on the throatlatch.

Do you see how ineffective this is? If you’re right in the middle of a task-finish what you are doing! Realize the choices that we make day-to-day can define our lives. Focus on the finish line and designate a time during the day to reply to texts and emails-possibly over your lunch break. You will get more accomplished and this will improve every aspect of your business.

Prioritize, Set Goals and Keep a Schedule
It’s true, business used to be done on a word and a handshake, but today everything is computerized and digital. Change is good and change can help you manage your time. Keep a schedule on your computer and phone to track your time throughout the day and stick to your schedule as closely as possible. Make a list of tasks to complete during the day.

Tackle the largest ones early on when you have the most energy and cross them off your list as you go. Set both short term and long-term goals and write them down along with action steps to reach them.

Farm management software like LaRaedo can also help maximize your time and can be accessed on the go from your blackberry, iphone or other portable device. Utilizing the tools available to you will help you stay competitive in the market and maximize your time and your profit.

Be A Workhorse First And Then a Playful Pony
We’ve all heard the expression “work hard and play hard” and it’s something we should all do. No person’s life should be completely consumed with work and only work. This leads to cranky mares and stubborn irritated stallions (or people.)

Make time for your work and put your work first-completing all of it to the best of your ability. Then kick up your heels (or feet) and take a spin around the pasture (or living room.) When you finish your work first you will enjoy your recreational time more. People who allow themselves relaxation time are hands down more even tempered and well balanced. This type of attitude and work ethic will flow into your business and show, in both your happy customers and your profits.

When business owners think of making money, the first thought is often-“How can I increase my customer base or sales?” While this is a good thought for any business owner to have, there is actually something else to consider putting at the forefront of your mind. Expense reduction has a more immediate positive impact on your bottom line than increasing sales ever will. Before you focus all your energy on increasing your customer base, take a look at your expenses and see where you might be able to bring in more immediate consistent income.

Don’t Balk At Bartering
Bartering is an old fashioned way of doing business that is almost completely obsolete in the corporate world. In the horse world however, bartering should always be considered as a cost reduction strategy. For example, instead of hiring three employees with ten years experience in the horse industry, hire two employees and one working student (an individual willing to work in exchange for room, board and training.) True, time will have to be spent training the working student, but this way you are saving the cost of one whole employee and helping someone break into the industry that might otherwise not be able to find a job. There are many ways to barter in the horse industry to reduce expenses; it just takes a little bit of thought and creativity.

Break Out The Bargain Shopping
Before paying full price for all that lesson equipment at the fancy tack shop, check out avenues of obtaining gently used items for half the price. Ebay is a great place to look for used saddles and other equipment, as is Craigslist. You could also put a free want ad on Craigslist, listing the items you need. If this doesn’t work consider attending an auction to look for good deals on used items. It can be very satisfying to find a quality item and know you got it for a good price.

Inventory Inspection
Take a close look at your inventory. Is there feed that is going bad and getting wasted because you’re buying too much? Is there tack in your barn not getting used and just sitting there? Are there horses on your farm that are eating but are not being ridden or used for personal or business use? Trim the fat off of your business. Keep only what you need and use and sell the rest. Then you are only paying for upkeep on items that are contributing to your business.

Use Internet To Increase Operating Efficiency
The Internet is full of ways to reduce expenses for your business. If you can’t afford a website for your business consider free web hosting. Yes, you will have to deal with all the extra advertisements but it is a way to get your name out there until you can afford a better website. In addition to this, utilize free online listings. There are hundreds of places online you can advertise your business for free. Set a goal to put your horse business on twenty free listings and watch your business increase.

Proper Collection Is Not Just For Horses
Take your accounts receivable seriously by collecting on unpaid invoices. This does not mean you need to be the stereotypical “bill collector,” but realize there is nothing wrong with reminding someone that they owe you money for a service you provided. Remember- you’re running a business. Even if horses are just a hobby to your customers, they are a business to you. Collecting on invoices that are due or past due, keeps your cash flow steady, so you don’t have to charge that hefty feed bill and end up paying extra in interest.

For a horse farm to truly flourish it needs three things: horses, knowledgeable staff and quality customers. The knowledgeable staff and horses usually need to be present first to attract the quality clients, but what if you have quality staff and your barn is not busy? Or, what if you have traffic but you can’t seem to keep anyone long term? Attracting business and keeping it will determine the success of your horse business. Here are some simple tips to get started:

Brand Your Business:
Create a unique name for your business and design a logo. Use this name and logo on business cards, flyers, website and any other media your farm utilizes. This will cement your identity in your customer’s minds and is one of the most direct ways to brand your business. In addition to this, brand your business by creating an environment that is welcoming to your customers. This might mean having a small kitchen/lunchroom area put in off the barn where customer’s can buy cold drinks and relax. It also means making everything as organized and user friendly as possible, with separate areas for each person’s tack and grooming supplies. Bottom line, your goal should be to make a home away from home for your customers. A place they want to come to and don’t want to leave.

Offer a Mix of Short-Term and Long-term Services:
A barn that only offers short term services such as say, 30 day colt starting, will struggle to retain long term clients. If you really want to make your farm a success offer a mix of services. Some of the short term services may be the biggest money makers, but long term services like boarding or lessons create loyalty. Customers talk, and when you have built up a good long term client base, you can usually be assured they are marketing you, word of mouth to all their friends.

Personal Growth Equals Business Growth:
Don’t assume that just because you have been in the horse business for the past twenty years that there is nothing else to learn. There is always something new a horse can teach a human and a person could go through their whole life and barely scratch the surface. Portray an attitude of humility and show that you still want to grow. Reeducate yourself on skills previously mastered and take the time to learn new things. Bring other professionals to your farm and learn alongside your clients. This does not make you less of an expert; it makes you a better leader and business owner. Your clients will respect you and your farm will become a dynamic place filled with fun and personal growth.

Go Digital:
Utilize free digital avenues first (YouTube, Craigslist, Facebook) and get the word out! Take videos to advertise for your upcoming horse show or kids camp and get them out on the Internet. Once you have fully utilized free marketing tools, DO invest money to further modernize, market and organize your business. Purchasing farm management software like LaRaedo is a great example. Tools like LaRaedo help run your business smoothly but also add that extra amenity for your customers who wish to stay plugged into their barn. The more you can offer your customers to make their lives easier the greater their chances of becoming another long-term client.

Horses are the pulse and heartbeat of any working ranch, training stable or boarding facility, but without customers to pay the bills and employees to care for the horses, any legitimate barn would cease to function. Luckily, the majority of customers are a pleasure to work with, and most barn employees are hardworking people, but sometimes a rotten apple in the bunch will chaff your skin like a burr on a saddle pad or tempt you to paw the ground and stomp your foot. Before you react negatively consider the following:

Take a Lesson From Your Horse-Be Fair but Firm
If you have ever watched a group of horses in a pasture or a mare with her foal, then you know horses are honest, fair and firm with their communication. There is no beating around the bush, no lying to spare feelings and if there is any sneaky behavior (such as a yearling colt trying to sneak a bite of his older, wiser pasture mates grain) the consequences are dealt swiftly and directly with a well placed nip or kick. While I’m not suggesting we bring these exact measures into our customer/employee relationships, there is a kernel of wisdom we can take away from our equine friends.

Be honest with your customers and employees and be very clear with your expectations – invoices are due on time, be on time for lessons, work is to be completed thoroughly and on time, etc. When voicing these expectations there is no need to be rude – just be honest. “It is important for Jennifer to be here on time for her lessons because we have several lessons booked after her and want to give everyone the time they need and deserve.” A statement like this is hard to take personally and it is fair yet firm.

Kill Them With Kindness or Sugar Cubes
Some people will always choose to be difficult no matter how you treat them, but many a challenging person (and horse) has been won over with kindness and their temperament sweetened with a little bit of sugar. Practice kindness with your customers and employees, with zero expectations that they return the favor and I guarantee you will see results. Keep in mind kindness does not equal weakness. Do not be so nice that you let others walk all over you, but rather meet negativity consistently with kindness, and go out of your way to help your clients and employees. When they see your sincerity they will respect you and want to return the favor.

Knowing When to Say Neigh
I once had a friend who managed a hunter/jumper barn that mainly catered to the higher income level horse owner. Full board was $800-$1,000/month and included a stall with daily turnout, feed, lessons, training, etc. She managed both the stable and the books and had one client in particular who was consistently late with her monthly board payment. At first she gave her the benefit of the doubt and allowed the customer extra time to get caught up, but the customer grew increasingly late each month and attempts to collect the money were often met with anger and frustration. My friend had a meeting with the owners to decide a course of action. The decision – to communicate to the client that her behavior was unacceptable and advise her of less expensive options in the area. There were roughly three other barns in the area that were not quite as upscale but still nice – with quality staff. Conversations like this in business are difficult but often necessary and my friend was running a business that had set prices based on the quality of the facility. It was unfair to the other clients as well as poor business to have a client who was not paying their bills.

The conversation went better than expected and my friend not only collected the remaining amount owed, but we helped transport the client’s horse to a new facility – free of charge as a courtesy. In the end she helped her business and the client as well.

Some stable owners make the mistake of taking any client they can get. This isn’t always a wise choice. A client that is a poor fit for your facility may be taking up a spot that could be used for a person who could be a great fit. Likewise, in some cases you may be doing the client a disservice if there is another option in the area that would be a better fit for them. Know how to recognize when something isn’t working out and take action. Make sure you are always respectful to clients or employees that are not a good fit and make an effort to help transition them. This will go a long way towards your reputation in the community and the industry itself.

Diversify To Increase Profits
In business, it is never a good idea to put “all your eggs in one basket,” or in this case all your horseshoes on only one part of the horse business. I’m not suggesting that farms should try to do everything. No one farm can do everything well, and if you are going to provide a service, it should be something your farm excels at. What I am saying is-after you decide on a discipline for your barn (eventing, hunters, roping, etc) choose a variety of services within your chosen area of expertise to market to the public. Offering a variety of services to your customers allows income to stream in from multiple areas instead of just one. This solidifies your business and you can use the information you get from the amount of profit for each service to decide on future areas to concentrate on marketing.


Get a Leg Up With Lessons
Lessons are a great service to help you diversify your farm or ranch and almost any type of horse farm should be able to offer them. For example, if you are a horsemanship barn that focuses on Parelli training, you could offer horsemanship lessons for an hourly rate. If you are a driving farm that raises draft horses to compete in competition driving, you could offer driving lessons. If you own a gaited horse farm you could offer riding lessons to other gaited horse owners. Virtually anyone who owns a horse farm has knowledge they could pass on to others in the horse community.

Corral Those Profits With a Clinic
Most people who own and ride horses have a desire to improve communication with their horse and become better horseman and horsewoman. Take advantage of this demand in the market and hold a clinic at your farm. It might be something as simple as a trailer-loading clinic, or maybe you want to go all out and invite a professional dressage rider to come and teach. Charge a fee to participate in the clinic (some of this amount will go to the trainer) and a separate smaller fee to individuals who only want to audit or observe the clinic. Holding a clinic once or twice a year is a great way to bring in revenue and get your farms name out in the horse community.

Kick Off a Kid’s Camp
Own a few gentle beginners mounts? Consider holding a summer day camp for kids to come and ride and/or learn about horses. Develop a lesson program and charge a fee for the day. Or, if you have the facilities for it, go for the weekend camp. This is great way to diversify and bring in money for your horse farm. Just be sure to check into insurance if you consider this avenue.

Host a Show
If you have the facility for it, this is way to bring in money for your horse business. You would need to have at the very least an indoor or outdoor arena and an area for spectators to sit. Charge an entry fee and get as extravagant as you want by bringing in vendors to sell food or other horse merchandise. If it’s a success, more groups will want to have shows at your facility.

Top Of The Line Training Brings In Top Dollars
If you have the experience, training other people’s horses really pays the bills. If you as the owner don’t have the training skills, consider bringing in an outside trainer to train for your facility. The training can charge their training fee and pay you a fee to keep the training horses at your facility. This is also a great way to bring new people into your facility and if they are happy with the training on their horse, they may return for a clinic or other service.

Bring In Bucks With Boarding
Boarding outside horses is a very popular way to bring in the bucks. You can charge a fee suitable to your facilities amenities. Many boarders look for places that offer the greatest variety of services-a place to keep their horse, a place to ride, and a place to take lessons and attend clinics. The more services you can offer the greater your chances are of keeping your barn on solid financial footing.