Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Catskill Horse E-Zine Can Help

Welcome 2014! I can hardly believe it is already here. The sun is shining on our snow covered mountains here in the Catskills and the horses are enjoying the break from the wind and white out conditions yesterday. No doubt many folks are still in bed this morning recovering from their New Year's Eve celebrations and indulgences. Thankfully I am not starting the year out with a hangover! I am one of many that have made some resolutions for the New Year and one of them is to continue pushing hard and growing Catskill Horse.

Hats off to the volunteer team that writes the articles and provides the content for the publication. Our unique hits are up to 5000 per week and that is not bad for a publication that only started out just over a year ago. Not only do our writers contribute their time and effort to the writing side of the enterprise, they also garner new advertisers and get together to formulate plans to develop the magazine further. In 2014 we are adding lots of new features to the e-zine and we are looking forward to helping local horse business owners achieve their dreams and develop their businesses as well as providing a great resource for all horse lovers.

Starting out in 2014 we welcome Mill Street Stables of Gilbertsville, New York and Northfield Farm of Otego, New York to our roster of advertisers. Mill Street Stables opened just six months ago and is already busy with lots of fun horse activities Northfield Farm has been a touchstone for many riders over the years and they continue to develop riders in all disciplines. Both farms have indoors and offer boarding as well as training services, so if you are looking to get a head start on the show season and keep working throughout the winter it would be worthwhile to set yourself up at least through April with a winter board program. You know how long the snow can last here in the mountains!

Our advertisers tell us that they have seen " A distinct increase in local business as a result of ad placement in Catskill Horse," and that is what we love to hear. While we offer free directory listings and free ad placement for horses and tack for sale and free listings of events, we appreciate the advertisers that support us as this allows us to create more help in return.


Beginning this year Catskill Horse will be offering a limited number of class/event sponsorships. So if you have a forthcoming event be sure to contact us if you'd like some help. And don't forget if you purchase a Catskill Horse T-shirt, mug or journal and send us a photo of the product with you and your horse, you are entered to win a $50 Gift Certificate to ' The International Equestrian Shop," TheHorseStudio.com  - The Horse Studio also do a good job of giving back to area businesses with their various sponsorships of events, and to horse rescues and therapeutic riding programs.

Other plans in the works include the transition of our facebook group Catskill Equestrian Group to a discussion based group, feeding the horse ads and events posted there directly to Catskill Horse facebook page and to the e-zine. While presently you have to email in your jpgs and free ad info we plan to add an interactive system that will allow you to place your ads directly.

The article slider will be extended as more contributing writers are added to the roster. You can also expect to see more Catskill Horse reporting on local events in 2014 as we extend our reach. There are lots more plans in the works so be sure to check in regularly to keep up to speed.

Please don't forget to support our advertisers and let them know you found them here. The more we can garner in advertising $$ the closer we will be to offering a print publication as well as digital download. Our goal is to bring together everyone in the equestrian community and provide a clearing house resource for services and products while educating and helping horse owners in the region and beyond.

Happy 2014 everyone. May all your dreams come true. And if we can help, please let us know.