Special Invite to Owners of Equine-Related Businesses...Come Party!

Special Invite - Catskill Horse Magazine Fourteen Party

 

 

This is a special invite to the owners and marketing teams of all equine-related businesses. You are invited to come and celebrate the 14^th year of publication of the all-volunteer Catskill Horse Magazine and enjoy some special editorial support to grow your business.

 

Cash in on the success of the publication and enjoy a ramped up editorial and advertorial opportunity with a “Party Fourteen” package.

 

It includes 14 spectacular services to boost both brand and bottom line.

 

“This is a ‘give back’ offer that provides an inexpensive yet productive venue for creative content that engages a highly targeted demographic of 165,000 readers/month in the equestrian marketplace across multiple disciplines and across the U.S.. I’m happy to be able to share our success with others and to help fellow business owners raise both their sales numbers and their profiles alongside a glass of giggles to celebrate the results at package completion, ” says Nikki Alvin-Smith. 

 

 

As a local .org (extra SEO, GEO and AEO booster) digital community magazine the “Complete Resource for Everything Horse” may have begun as a small affair. But spurred on by the talents of the contributing writers known as The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse and with a leadership driven by a deep desire to bring the horse community together, the magazine continues to outdo itself. Its content offers clarity in equine care and management and training practices, with an active Yay or Neigh review column and this popular with a reach much further afield than where it began in the beautiful Catskill Mountains region that is known as New York City’s summer playground.

 

To receive your Party Fourteen invite, please email Editor@CatskillHorse.org 

 

New Year - 2026 Marks 14th Anniversary of Publication

2026 will mark the 14th year anniversary of the publication of Catskill Horse Magazine and The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse is very proud of that achievement.

 

Now reaching over 165,000 views per month the readership has blossomed far beyond the reaches of where it began in the mountains of New York's Western Catskills. What began as an earnest attempt to create a central hub for all equine enthusiasts in the Catskill Mountain region of Upstate New York now finds avid readers up and down the Eastern U.S. and even across the seas. 

Feature articles found among the digital pages include an impressive array of topics from advanced level dressage training advice that professional equestrians appreciate; to research overseas of horse breeds under threat of extinction and activities and events that readers interested across multiple equestrian disciplines can enjoy.  

Amazingly perhaps given the increase in expenses and the changes in the publishing world the magazine is still free to read for all. And it is still the community resource its original mission intended. The premise was to spread human-authored thought led advice and education from its band of dedicated volunteer contributing writers and the editorial features, news pages and event pages have all delivered on that original intent.

Over time writers have come and gone. Some have moved along to create their own marketing enterprises or advanced their writing careers where others have continued on their life journey in other directions. For each one that has made a contribution however big or small we thank you. 

Helping writers and horse aficionados navigate their careers has always been a central part of Catskill Horse's ideals. To have played a part, however small, in helping a writer gain confidence through publishing their works or by providing thoughtful, full reviews of their books in the Yay or Neigh review column is a wonderful ripple effect of working hard to create the magazine.

The expenses of producing the publication are in part covered by the stalwart advertisers, and in part underwritten by the publisher Horse in a Kilt Media Inc.

The intention was always to keep the magazine available to all, and to create a diverse and inclusive publication that would help horse people and of course then indirectly, horses themselves.

As Catskill Horse Magazine canters into 2026 we hope and expect that to be able to continue. Though for security purposes it may be necessary for readers to enter an email address to enter past a viewing wall in the future. That is all yet to be figured out. 

 

A heartfelt thank-you to you all dear readers, and of course to our advertisers, and to our band of contributing writers and IT professionals. 

The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2026.

Catskill Horse Editor: Nikki Alvin-Smith

 

 

 

  

Winter Horse Training Tips 

 

When winter finally arrives - and it will - motivation to keep your horses in full training can often wane. 

 

There are many stellar reasons to take a step back and modify the training schedule. Not just you, but also your horses would likely appreciate an abbreviated work program. One that allows them some respite and downtime to refresh. 

 

In the North-East U.S.A, inclement weather often makes for a slip/slide affair on outside arenas. Those blessed with access to an indoor arena are obviously much more inclined to keep a full work program on point than those folks that need to work around snow and ice and dark evenings with no lights outside.

Professional trainers will often opt for heading South, Florida and South Carolina being the most popular destinations. You only have to look at the events calendar on our publication to see that the Florida Winter Circuit is already to go. With just a small list of local events to attend, the page is full of tempting sunny locations for winter work and competition.

Horses do seem to actually love the winter. And do enjoy keeping some level of activity up under saddle to keep their minds busy and bodies active.

Willowview Hill Farm, located in Stamford NY, keeps all horses in training all winter long. And even Grand Prix horses like this one enjoy long turnouts.

But what training can you do to keep your horses ticking over during winter months and how best can you take advantage of the quieter moments on the farm? Here are some tips on how to accomplish that - 

Winter is....

 

A great time to train your young horses to longe and free longe. Boot and wrap them if needs be to avoid injury from slipping over or catching a hoof with a shoe, but get them active.

 

 

 

An opportunity to take advantage of breaks in the weather to get out in the fields and ride. The fresh air is good for the lungs for both horse and rider. The horse has a long neck so cold air is not a big problem for the healthy horse.

Often a peaceful time at the barn - these quieter times offer more opportunity for training new tasks where the horse can focus wholly on the rider, without interruption from others using the space. Try and pick those very quiet times for best results. Added bonus, it is always good for any horse to be used to working in a space alone versus company.

Winter is also a great time for social equine horse events that include a good dose of education. Here our very own publisher, Horse in a Kilt Media's Paul Alvin-Smith - Grand Prix dressage trainer, is training an ANCCE Andalusian stallion at home 

(above photo) and also can be found out and about regularl giving clinics (below photos).

 

Always park your horse trailer in a handy, accessible location and keep the snow plowed out for easy hook up. Even if you are not going to a clinic it is always important to have it handy in case of an emergency.

Don't forget to clear the 'clutter' from horse areas, especially those where you plan to exercise your horse. Safety first!

Take advantage of winter riding gear to ensure you are comfortable temperature wise - otherwise you will be tense when you ride and that will translate into a tense horse beneath you. Insulated/heated riding boots, heated vests/jackets, ear warmers and of course, gloves!

 

 

A .org Link Benefits Your Business ~ But They Are Hard to Secure

An established .org business such as the community resource magazine that is Catskill Horse, offers business owners a valuable lift in organic searches to help grow their company profile in the competitive net neutral marketplace.

Most .org domains are non-profit entities, or government owned sites, that are hard to access for backlinks. No two way street as it were. Adding a .org as a link from a site to a .org business adds little value when it comes to SEO.

Catskill Horse offers an enterprising means to not just get your business in front of a large marketplace of regular viewers ( currently over 100K+ per month), it also elevates your website in the organic searches and it is relatively inexpensive to accomplish.

Best way to garner the full benefit is to take a long term or annual contract with a 12x month frequency and take advantage of event feature articles and editorial support with an advertisement. But there are other options too.

In addition to more than 15 horse business categories listed in our Directory Service Guide listings:

 Plus a special section for stallion owners:

And a special section for equine art:

 Look at the categories your non horse-related business can be included under:

 

 

" We have special promotional rate offers that run seasonally for 3 month blocks to help folks manage their budget," explains Catskill Horse magazine Editor Nikki Alvin-Smith, " The rates start at just $195.00 so it is a super opportunity for biz owners to improve their branding and sales reach. As always our magazine is here to help grow the community."

While Nikki Alvin-Smith contributes her services to Catskill Horse magazine as part of a community service effort, her 'daily driver' job is as a professional PR/Marketing Specialist/Strategist and Content Writer. Thus her experience helping companies grow their brand and increase their sales and profits provides additional insights that advertisers that support Catskill Horse magazine can utilize to their advantage.

Nikki Alvin-Smith at Dalhousie Castle Library, Scotland

 

"I write a lot about SMM and SEO. As I call them when writing my column pieces for Nikki's Notes, the two gangsters of marketing. It surprises me how many astute entrepreneurs and even seasoned business managers don't know how to adapt their marketing to address the ever changing Google analytics. It's worthwhile for anybody that is serious about gaining market share to keep abreast of what's hot and what's not."

Listings on the Directory and on the pages is FREE for businesses and details of what information to submit are found on each page. Ask about the current promotions and planned extra bonus features that are coming to Catskill Horse and harness the power of the press to your advantage. 

While a paid advertisement is necessary to garner the valuable .org link to a website, there are other options such as feature articles that focus on the business, event wrap up news features, social media promotion through Catskill Horse various media channels, event coverage and much more. Advertisement design is free.

" Not only is a paid advertisement at Catskill Horse magazine a great way to grow your brand, and improve your sales, it also helps the community at large by keeping the magazine funded. The viewership of the magazine is non-subscription based and free to read. It is a business model that has been employed primarily to help connect horse related companies in the area and promote rural lifestyle. When it was founded 9 years ago, the reach was expected to be mostly regional across the Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley of New York. However, it has grown massively since inception. We have a lot of readership up and down the East Coast, with out of town folks connecting to find places to stay, eat and come enjoy some time Upstate, enjoying all the beauty it has to offer. A lot of NYC folks enjoy reading it and use it as a resource. It has grown to be about horses and rural lifestyle and agri-tourism," states Nikki.

Are you part of "The Merry Band" that is the Catskill Horse? You're invited! Don't be shy to connect.

Please visit www.CatskillHorse.org to learn more.

Happy 6th Birthday to Catskill Horse Magazine

Catskill Horse magazine began as a community resource as an idea to bring together equestrians and horse lovers from all disciplines in Upstate New York.

At the outset we wondered whether the name should be more general to encompass any future growth past the Catskill region. We didn't know then how well received this all volunteer publication would become or the widespread geographic support and readership it would garner. 

The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse began as a small group of avid horse enthusiasts led by yours truly, who met in local restaurants for quick lunches to put together a program of responsibilities. Some took on sales and marketing, others wrote features and covered events, and the initial reception from local equine businesses was frosty. 

Whether the lack of enthusiasm from the industry was due to budget restraints on their end or their lack of confidence that a digital magazine would work six years ago or perhaps a mixture of both, I don't know. Whatever it was, there have been stalwart supporters of the magazine through advertising, sharing on social media of the columns and feature articles since those early days in 2012.

Today I am proud to report our visitors exceed 69,000 per month! The reach has grown to encompass not just Upstate New York and certainly not just the Catskill region, but also reaching into neighboring states. We even have some ardent followers abroad in the U.K., South Africa, Canada and Australia. 

The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse has evolved over time too. Some of our contributing writers have moved away, become too busy to write for us or taken on other tasks elsewhere. New folks come and join in, people from all walks of life, ages and geographic distribution. Everyone brings fresh ideas, new voices and our readership apparently loves it because they keep coming back and quickly become regular readers.

Renewing advertisers are truly the best indicator that their advertising spend with us results in increased branding for their products or services, increased trust in the integrity of their brands and increases sales. 

Sometimes trainers and horse folks in general are just so busy 'doing' everyday that they forget that if they don't keep up with some marketing effort their businesses will slowly decline, as their clientele moves, ages or changes focus.
It is our job to help them grow and our mission is to help the Upstate New York region develop its tourism business and maintain its beautiful bucolic farming landscape through horse farms and rural lifestyle development.

So far we have been successful in our endeavor to keep the magazine FREE to read and FREE to advertise in the Directory Listings and specialist areas such as restaurants, accommodations, job listing etc. 

We invite everyone to come join in! And remember, renewing advertisers receive a discount off our regular advertising rates.

Happy 6th Birthday to Catskill Horse magazine and sincere thanks to everyone past and present, for their support and contributions.