The WHIA Conference (pronounced WeeAh) by many attendees was an amazing success last week. There were so many inspiring and professional horse business women and men providing attendees with tons on valuable information.

This conference was packed full of current trends, new methods, and innovative ideas on ways to best market and stay informed on improving and increasing product sales in the horse industry.

Women make up a large percentage of the businesses in the horse industry and are key decision makers. Belonging to an organization like WHIA where we can meet and learn from each other is probably the best way to stay ahead of the game. We need to continue to develop this trust and support one another in building relationships, which in turn helps build our businesses.

There were several panels, each consisted with a specific business related topic. The list below provides the speaker’s name along with a link to the website pertaining to the horse business they are in. I really liked the idea of having panels because it gave the audience a chance to ask questions and share their own business building experiences which added even more information for everyone.

Speakers in this group included:

Marketing Your Horse Industry Business
Lynn Baber – Amazing Grays
Jo Ann Challberg – Dressage Training Online
Lua Southard – Equine Resources International
Nanette Levin – Book Conductors, LLC
Wayne Hipsley – Hipsley and Associates
Kate Richards Wilt – My Racing Heart, LLC

Making the Most of Social Networking and On-Line Marketing
Kimberly Kincheloe – BB&T Insurance
Cathy Ebsen – Web Services, Etc.
Tamara Meier – Riding Arts, Inc.
Sheryl Kursar – Equestrian Aid Foundation

Making Money in the Horse Industry
Janet DelCastillo – Backyard Race Horse
Jennifer Foster – EQ Bookkeeping
Marie Taulbee – LaRaedo Horse Farm Software

Keeping Your Horses Healthy and Safe
Deb Metcalfe-Stolen Horses/Netposse

New Techniques and Products that Keep Your Horse Healthy
Pat Cleveland – The Balanced Horse Project
John Harnage – Equine IR/Equine Thermal Imaging
Linda Rubin – Your Health 321, LLC
Molly Wells – Equinessence

An additional treat for everyone in attendance was the lunch time speaker, PJ Cooksey, who provided the humorous ups and downs overview of her life’s work while becoming a top race horse jockey.

With all the wonderful horse related businesses in attendance, there were many who contributed door prizes so much that not a single person left without having won something horsey related to take home with them.

I thoroughly enjoyed my two-days which totally flew by so quickly and am already looking forward to attending next year’s conference.

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There have been a ton of really great opportunities happening for me in recent days , especially one that stands out above the rest that I want to share with my readers.

The Women’s Horse Industry Association (WHIA) will be celebrating their second annual conference on September 22 and 23, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

There will be many speakers that are involved with the business of horses as well as dozens of exhibitors showing off their fine merchandise and equine business materials. In fact, I was given the l opportunity to speak about my awesome, revenue building horse farm management software. I am so excited, I can hardly sit still!

Another reason why this conference is so inviting is because it is right around the corner from the start of the FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky which begins on September 25 and runs through October 10, 2010. The games are held every four years and this will be the first time that the WEG will be held outside of Europe. The WEG are the major international championships for equestrianism and considered by many horsemen to be more important than the Olympics.

My big dream would be to attend the WHIA conference with my horse loving daughter, Genna, who will be turning 21 years old on September 23. What an awesome way to celebrate her 21 years on this earth than to attend this conference with her and spend some time at the World Equestrian Games. I’m not sure yet how it will all come about but I’ll figure out a way. I always do

Genna, without her actually realizing it, was instrumental in bringing my software dream into fruition. On our many drives to the barn, from city life to country, we would or should I say, I would brainstorm with her about creating the perfect barn. The main idea was how we could best serve the customers that frequent the barn whether it be for lessons, horse training or maintenance of their boarded horse.

Oh, I had plenty of ideas and she would listen patiently and most likely she was already in her mind, at the barn riding and having fun. But that was alright with me, my fun was dreaming up new ideas.

Hope to see you at the WHIA in September. I feel we are already friends since we have one great connection – the love of horses.

What are your plans for attending the World Equestrian Games this year? Will you be going and what events are you interested in attending?

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