Shark Tank Advice for Barn Owners and Horse Trainers.

As the saying goes, " The best way to make a small fortune in the horse business is to start with a large one." But it doesn't have to be that way.

If you look at the wonderful Shark Tank TV show, you will see folks from all walks of life heading in for the opportunity to secure investment in their products or services, hoping to become the next Mark Cuban. Well O.K. not him exactly, but maybe enjoy a wealthy secure lifestyle.

When you have a horse business it is most likely you are investing heavily in yourself. So it is important to have strategic partners with more knowledge than you, often hard earned knowledge that they are prepared to share. It is important to make your business 'scalable' by starting with a great business model and finding your own niche. The special component in all this is you. Your training and management.

Most horse lovers realize that it is highly unlikely they will ever become wealthy in the dollars and cents way by which most of society rates success. As passionate horse people many of us get involved with horses for the love of them. We cannot imagine our lives without the horse being part of it. We miss them when we travel. We find ourselves seeking out any horse to pet, if our neighborhood is devoid of the company of our own equines for too long.

But while we may never become rich and wealthy working in the horse business and while we may find it very rewarding, there are always times when horse business owners fail. They suffer untold worries and sacrifice family time to keep their businesses going at all. Harassed at times by boarders (about everything from rates, care, bedding, barn hours), badmouthed by competitors they have never met, their hard won clients back solicited by so called 'friends.' But almost without question, one of the biggest impediments to their success, is the lack of proper understanding of how to cost their expenses and properly charge for their services.

Yep - you'll get on that unknown three year old and ride the bucks and risk your life. But you won't look at the numbers, stand your ground with respect with a screaming boarder. You are after all, more likely to stand your ground with a 1500 pound animal than a client of the human variety.

Your horse business, however small and starting out it might be, is your business. Your bread and butter. You need to take insurance to protect your down times or downside/liabilities and to protect your assets. You have to pay lease/rent or taxes and depreciation on your property. You need to cost out your product use - hay, grain, bedding. Of course labor costs also. You need to cost out repairs/improvements. And then, as Robert Irvine succinctly points out in his show Restaurant Impossible, you have to x it by 3. That is what you charge as a gross profit margin in most industries. So why is the horse industry different?

I actually had a non-professional trainer ( who had never run a horse business but trained people on the side for cash in her down time for extra income) suggest that a 5% margin was a good margin. What?? Who for? The client perhaps. And yes, she boarded her horse somewhere or other all the time.

But as a business owner you have to follow the rules of business to succeed. You cannot worry about the homeowner down the road that will undercut you and let a horse run about on rough board in electric fencing. Sure, there is a market for that and good luck to them. But as someone who sincerely wants to make a proper living from a horse operation, you must look at your real day to day costs. Sure the barn down the road may charge less because you think their hay costs are less and they bale their own. But baling hay costs lots of money and time. That is time you spend training someone and earning money. That is a major capital cost in equipment they have to cover ( plus repairs) that you don't have to cover. At the end of the day - their barn may fill quicker than yours. But when it is full the overflow will come to you. If someone else if offering horse related services too cheap, believe me they are cutting corners and they won't last. They will burn through a bunch of ultimately unhappy clientele and then move to resource some more. Hang in there and resource the good clients. The ones that value your worth. The ones that don't bitch, complain, steal from you. Because they appreciate you and all your training and advice.

For costs especially fixed costs such as insurance, vehicle maintenance, electric, water, manure disposal, etc. keep them as low as you can by shopping three quotes on everything. For the rest use a good dose of common sense. Have a fee schedule from your vet and farrier. Charge a client when you have to stand for an hour or more holding their horse for supervision while others work on it. Laundry costs money. Hold fundraisers so you can offer laundry services by buying commercial machines. Barter services. The list of innovative ways to grow your services and business as a result, goes on.

Invisible costs are not so invisible. The boarder that helps themselves to extra hay or bedding or grain is truly stealing from you. The lights left on for hours in the indoor are real expenses. The broken gate/stall/boards, the crib damage, the dropped saddles. All these costs must be recovered. These are not OK running costs that you must absorb.

Don't forget your time to maintain horse pastures and fence are real costs too. 

 

Photo Courtesy WIllowview Hill Farm

When staff mess up as Robert Irvine would say, " You are not their friend, you are their boss." Treat staff with respect and be sure to earn it back by being respectful, assertive when needs be and fair.

I am not going to give you a whole business plan here - that is a whole article on it's own. But I would say don't feel bad about putting your rates up to a to a realistic level - not just cover your expenses but to actually yes - make a profit and pay yourself a proper salary. Believe me you will have clients and when the 'folks down the road' figure out you are charging different rates they wll be the first ones to bring theirs up also. There is another saying, " A high tide floats all ships." This is something that everyone needs to understand. There is enough for all. There is a market or niche for all. And if you consistently undercharge you will help create a market in which your business is grounded and runs ashore.

Where you will not just 'win' the clients but 'keep the clients' will be in how well you train/board and do your job. The clientele that wants a cheap rate will get a cheap job. Often if they really looked at their costs, the vet bills would probably be much higher because the care or training is not as good as it should be on a day to day basis.

Your experience is unique. Your training unique. Your care and facility unique. Your expenses unique. Do the math. Seriously folks. This is one time when all thoughts you had as you looked out at the fresh green lawns from the math classroom window and yearned to be riding instead of doing math believing that math really wasn't so useful to a horse person were unfounded. Build a good foundation. Build it. And yes, THEY WILL COME.

Just as when you ride your horses. Be honest with your horse. Be honest with yourself. The hardest person to properly rate is yourself. So if you need it - get some outside input. Collaborate with other professionals. Just as one parent shares with another, good horse people help other good horse people.

Horse Transportation - The Do's and Don'ts

Exciting New Changes at Catskill Horse

For our readership and advertisers alike, there is lots to be excited about this Spring at Catskill Horse.

While sadly Jeannette Spivak Moser-Orr has departed Catskill Horse as Copy Editor, we are very pleased to announce Kim Sanford has been promoted from one of our leading Contributing Writers to this post. I have already received new proofing on one of my own articles and am very grateful for the input and corrections!

We receive many compliments on Kim's articles and are very proud to have her on our team. No worries. Kim will still be writing as well as proof reading. We couldn't let that talent go to waste.

On other news we have had several writers waiting in the wings as it were, interested in coming on board as part of 'The Merry Band at the Catskill Horse," and please look for announcements of a new six writers -yes, count them six- joining up.

These writers will provide a super addition to our cadre of articles. From all walks of life and walks of horse life - these equestrians will bring a super new dynamic to the magazine.

Meantime we are also so pleased to welcome new advertisers Chrisomaso Production Co, a noted apparel manufacturer for the equestrienne,  and the regional USDF association ENYDTCA  to the magazine.

We look forward to providing lots of additional coverage for all our advertisers with the additional staff.

With FAT Tuesday around the corner ( Mardi Gras), we are in party mode here at Catskill Horse. So watch out. There are a lot of new things coming, and we are very proud to note our reach is extending well beyond the Catskill region. As far as MA, PA, NJ and OH and across the pond. So don't be fooled by our name. We live here. Work here. But our reach is far beyond the shores or state lines.

On the board are some interviews with high profile big name riders from both the U.S.A. and abroad, increased coverage of local events and lots of fresh new products from our advertisers.

So please check back often and don't forget, you can advertise your horse related biz for free on our Directory ( this will always be free), your events, your horses and equipment for sale.

Please visit us on facebook and give us a follow too - http://www.facebook.com/CatskillHorse . At inception our facebook profile picture was a newborn foal. As the publication is growing we figure we will update the photo. Given that facebook actually works and we can ( we have been having some trouble with that upload). Here is a look at the same foal as a yearling. As the publication grows so is she and one of the fun new things coming to Catskill Horse magazine is a video diary of how this foal develops and starts work under saddle - an insight into the workings of one of our advertisers.  Stay posted for more on this coming soon!

Beautiful Spirit. Beautiful White Horses...

Today. A dull snowy day. Another one. Warmer than before. But still wishing for a little inspiration.

You plow out the long driveway. Again. And you run about doing your errands. You hope the store in the small town of Stamford, New York has managed some fresh produce. And thanks to Matt, the greengrocer - ( can you tell I'm English yet??). they do. And then to the P.O. Box. Hello to all the wonderful staff there. So helpful all year around. A caring bunch. You pick up 'your' mail. Throw it in a "recycling happy"shopping bag, a $1 deal, what a bargain and now you realize you really have become properly 'green' trained in at least one area.

Harder drive home than going out. 1989 pick up slides about.  4WD employed. But you live on a hill. You know just when to punch it. You know your truck and you've lived on this peaceful Catskill south facing slope for more than 15 years now. What?? Yeah, that time thing has supersonic speed when you hit 40.

Leaping black labs greet you at the door. Promising to break the Pella glass screen. Bounding. Untrained ( well just a bit), but in your head at 15 months old they still count as puppies. Seriously, must make some time to train them with the new 'dog halter' you purchased a year ago that now resides in the all important 'kitchen drawer.'

Open the recycled bag - mail instead of groceries flood the homemade temporary island that has stood center of the kitchen for too long..ooh about 8 years. And out pops two big envelopes. One, from the wonderful folks at the IRS who still deign to supply small business with actual published/printed manuals on their craft. 2nd.......another big brown envelope. I open it enthusiastically. I recognize the name. Juliet Harrison. Equine photographer extraordinaire.

I open it hastily but carefully. My mom is also an artist of some repute and I have been well trained to handle all art with due diligence and reverence. Carefully I extricate the contents. A black and white ensemble of images in a tidy book of 'White Horses." An adjunct to exhibitions. A galley of Baroque. An essence of true feeling for the horse.

A composition from a different eye somewhere attuned to your own. Juliet Harrison. Horse-minder. The tiny moments. The things we notice as horse people and as keen horse trainers and artists. There is after all, so much art in the eye of the true horse person. We see the details. We notice the hollow above the horse's eye. The health statement that it makes. We notice every rivulet of sweat after work. Carefully examining where and why. Knowing that as a trainer this tells us if the horse is being trained correctly. By ourselves. Sometimes a tough pill to swallow when your beautiful mount expresses that you have rushed. You have hurried. You have pulled. You have pushed.  When you above all should have done neither. But let be. Trusted your horse to be responsible for himself. As you give the same as a parent to your children. Your prodigy. Your legacy.

The moment of a snowy, dull, 'I Can't Ride It's Too Cold,"day is broken into a thousand happy pieces as you turn each page. And remember. This is why I do this. This is why I love horses. This is why I share what I have learned in the many years.  Juliet's images have touched me. Juliet sees. Juliet shared.

And in the package I also find a beautiful postcard. It says ' Pay It Forward Gift.'

This is my best way of paying it forward. Take a moment. Take a look. A good look. And however professional a trainer, however many kudos or awards you have won. Whoever comes to you for instruction. Whatever horse of whatever breed. Whatever rider of whatever level or 'want to be" equestrian. Take a look. And remember to share what you know with an open spirit. Because above all, that is what every horse gives us everyday.

My heartfelt thanks to Juliet Harrison. She brings us light, spirit and heart. Embrace it.

Note: Want to see Juliet's wonderful work? Visit her gallery at Equis Art, 7516 North Broadway, Studio 5, Red Hook NY 12571 or online at http://www.Equisart.com

The Best Tool to Improve Your Riding Is?

Although it is cold and dull outside right now it really won't be long until Spring arrives. I always figure when the Patty's Day parade is over, we can look forward to seeing the green grass pop and start the arduous chore of grooming out those winter coats for the horses that did not get clipped out.

Willowview Hill Farm's Tiberio Lafite,  one of my husband's Grand Prix mounts is always happy to see Spring

My Grand Prix horse Charrington is always exuberant in the Spring. Luckily my husband is always up for the excitement of those first outdoor Spring rides. Working outside is always a great way to condition your horse, working gentle hills, interval canter/trot and videos taken outside are always more fun to watch.

I've usually already started the horses that have had a winter break back up before this, using the longe line to build their strength and top-lines up before I ride them on a daily basis. Even 2/3 times a week with side reins on the longe line will condition them quickly. Horses have great muscle memory.

Winter months are a good time to reflect on how we can best improve our education and riding skills before the new season arrives. With the flurry of activities of booking clinics, filing show entries, calling the vet in for vaccines and ordering new show gear and fresh saddle pads and tack, it is good to enjoy the anticipation of a better season than last year.

It goes without saying the best way to improve quickly is to have a regular lesson with a good trainer. If you are looking for a trainer there are lots advertised on the magazine here at Catskill Horse and differentiated in the Business Directory by discipline. Not everyone can manage to afford that, but it certainly better to work with someone even once a month than no-one at all. How to make the best of the time you spend in the saddle when your paying for the advice from the trainer? Have a video taken of your ride.

There is a lot more to taking a video than just point and shoot. Focus needs to be on the key points of the lesson so you can easily assimilate those ideas. Watching yourself go around endlessly NOT getting it diminishes your self confidence and serves no purpose. As a competitor and earnest practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), I am a big believer in all things positive. Having said that if the cinematographer can edit you down a video that captures your 'Ah-Ha' moments, of which there should be a few during any lesson if your trainer is worth their money, these moments will transfer to the other side of your brain if you watch them enough times. This is extremely beneficial for success with improvement. One of the many hats that I wear includes  professional video services ( & photography services) on a limited basis at any clinics/lessons I attend and this is how I always edit them. Sure, I might fancy the video up with fade ins/outs, wipes, etc. but the content is always succinct.

It should be mentioned that before you take a video it is important to ask your trainer/clinician for permission. It may not be O.K. with them to share their usually hard earned knowledge and education for free on You Tube or facebook or others sources. Think of it as protecting their business. If you are a graphic designer, and you design a fresh idea, you do not give it away for free to the entire world. So it is important to be respectful of their wishes ( on a sidebar here, the same reason you should not expect to audit a clinic for free). Many top level competitors that run a proper clinic circuit will not welcome home made video appearances but will be happy for the hosting video professional to take clinic video.

Northfield Farm, Otego NY Dressage Clinic December 2013 with Grand Prix trainer Paul Alvin-Smith working with Joyce Northrrup who is returning to riding after the birth of her son and working on some dressage basics. When you have had a time away from riding it is a great opportunity to start back up without bad habits and gives a fresh start.

At home riding without a professional trainer of course you can do as you wish, and having a friend with unlimited patience, stand and take a video of your ride bearing in mind the points above as to content can be very useful. If you are starting back up as Spring arrives, take your fuzzy beast in his first back to school workouts and see how things improve. Review the videos critically and with honesty. The first time you see yourself riding there will be instant shame, so expect that.

" I am sitting over my hands," "Riding Front to Back," " Not Sitting Properly," etc. etc.
But because you can see the obvious errors they will be the easiest to fix. Then you'll find yourself reaching a plateau of sorts without some extra help.

This could come from a trainer or self education through good DVDs and books. Again select your material carefully and focus on one thing at a time. And here I will give one of our first advertisers a plug - who just happen to have the largest online selection of quality horse books and DVDs with frank reviews too. Check out TheHorseStudio.com The International Equestrian Shop. Just as it is silly to run around auditing every clinic in creation and never riding in front of a good trainer because it is not the way to improve, running around watching every video and trainer method in creation is not helpful either. When a clinician is instructing the riding student in a clinic, it is not just about what they suggest the rider do but the timing of when they make the suggestion and the method of correction if the student doesn't 'get it'. You can learn a lot from following a series of DVDs that takes you on a diligent path from basics to advanced. And just because you are an advanced rider don't think there aren't a myriad of bad habits or wrongly learned riding faux pars that you can't now recognize and re-learn.

When you reach the advanced levels and train with a big name or Olympic trainer etc. you will always hear that you need to address basics. That is true for everyone. So don't be surprised when you look at a video of yourself and say, "Hey - I see what happened but don't know quite what I did wrong."

So use the dull days of winter to start up your education, get some videos of your work in the saddle and evaluate yourself with a keen eye.

Happy Riding!

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.

Are You Listening to Your Horse. Truly.

I am constantly amazed by how many riders fail to see that their horse is lame or uncomfortable.
The myriad of mistakes that are made just tacking up don't help and as Jochen Schleese, Master Saddler explains succinctly in his new book "Suffering in Silence" an enormous amount of responsibility rests with us. The rider.

First off let's look at saddle position. Incredibly to me, most people don't know where the scapular
 ( shoulder muscle) of the horse lives, moves and places with their saddle. I once visited a farm to view a prospective horse for my daughter. The owner of the farm had a boarding and training operation and her own daughter was now adult and competing. They tacked up the horse together. The saddle was up in front of and over the scapula, and the girth was quickly tightened. Outside we went into the high wind and tiny outdoor ring. Great weather for trying a horse. Seriously. Love seeing them in the elements.
I pointed out that perhaps the saddle was a 'little far forward' figuring they'd fix it.
"No," came the reply, " It's a bit big for him so we place it here because it'll end up there anyway." Enough said.
We watched the horse go.
" He doesn't like to canter," they announced kicking him into next week. No kidding. The young woman ( who was on the heavy side for the size horse which didn't help), dismounted.
" Would I like to try him?" she asked.
" Sure," I answered and undid the girth. I moved the saddle back down his neck and into the right spot. Yep it was too wide for him. I pulled the stupid foam pad up underneath and sighed. It wouldn't help but might be just enough for me to walk, trot and canter him each way to see how I liked him.
It made a significant difference. To the point that the owner gasped when he deftly picked up a canter  on cue and cantered on without issue.

A saddle that is too long for a horse will damage his sacroiliac as will as saddle that pinches the wither. The saddle obviously also needs to fit the rider. So do take a look at Jochen's book, it really is an eye opener for many.

When starting a young horse many people do believe that a close enough fit will do and certainly we know the horse will significantly change his topline and shape as he develops the carrying muscles. But is 'close enough' truly good enough. No. Fit the saddle, refit it as he grows. Regularly. It is the best money you will spend. Use someone that has trained professionally and has sincere experience, good equipment and a good reputation for this service. You can often find help at the showgrounds and pre-book with saddlers on site at the major events.

Then there are the students who present their horses for lessons with tack and other issues. Here's just a few:-

1. The polo wraps that do not overlap at the back of the fetlock but are split and wrapped beneath the joint and then overwrapped back up the leg.  Inevitably the polos end up falling down after an hour. Cutting a wrap of any type across the back of the leg where all the important tendons and ligaments meet and then working the horse is a recipe for damage. There is a great DVD Equine Leg Work that explains every sort of wrap you might ever need to apply and how to do it correctly. Or the polos are too short for their oversized warmblood which serve almost no purpose at all. Buy longer and wider wraps folks. They are made in pony, horse and extra long sizes. If the longer sizes are too big for the front legs you can always cut them down but obviously one that is too short is just a liability.

2. The narrow pinching girth that is snatched up tight the moment the saddle hits the horses back. And yes, sometimes they appear to be thrown up there. How would you like being cinched up right off the bat. Take your time. Walk your horse out. Then tighten it SLOWLY. If he is cinchy try a wider girth that widens at the ventral line ( belly). Many horses will work better and be more forward with this type of girth. Jumpers will appreciate the extra protection from fence rubs too.

3. The disappearing, wrinkles everywhere saddle pad without a contour. Again. You get what you pay for. Buy a quality saddle pad or two, wash them after each ride. Adjust the velcro to keep the pad where you place it and be sure to pull it up in the saddle channel when tacking up. Contoured types are more comfortable for your horse and will stay put.

4. Bit issues. So much to cover here and enough to blog about as a topic on its own. Obviously size is most important and type also. Less is more. I have often directed new students to switch a bit or switch a double to a snaffle bridle. 

5. I won't labor on this one. But yes, no foot, no horse. And bringing a horse to a lesson or clinic with small shoes, long toes, poor farrier work is once again compounding a problem that will ultimately cost you and your horse severely.

Once you have 'fixed' these and other common failings perhaps your horse won't appear as lame or uncomfortable. Of course he may indeed have a sincere medical issue that requires veterinary attention. As the trainer at what point should you say, " Stop. Your horse is lame. Dismount."
This is always a difficult question. Ideally you'd do just that. But sometimes a bit of detective work is required. Does the horse warm up out of it? Does the horse appear lame under a different rider? A whole other list of questions to be asked and analyzed. But yes. If I see it, I work a few minutes and see what I can define. If it isn't just stiffness from standing in the stall I will discuss what I see ( discreetly) with the rider.

If your horse is "acting up" it is highly likely he is in pain. Either you are riding him poorly, confusing him and directly causing him pain or he has a health issue. Unfortunately poor saddle fit can permanently damage a horse. Not all vets are good at seeing lameness. Just like us some are better at it than others. So find a good diagnostic vet, not one that will just go through the motions and expense a lot of money on unnecessary full work ups. There is no point in spending the money on your trainer if your horse isn't up to the job. Good training will help in all cases, but the well-being of your horse must be put first and foremost and you and your trainer must know what issues you are working with.

Yes I know plenty of trainers who want to collect the almighty dollar and will simply ' work the horse through it'. So beware. Especially if your trainer is one of those that likes to suck up lesson time riding the horse for you. While sometimes it is helpful to have the trainer 'remind' the horse of his job or help you train the horse ( which is a different program entirely), ideally your horse will be working ahead of you training wise so you can learn how to ride him yourself. Remember, if the horse looks 'off' he usually is!

Listen to your horse. Ninety nine percent of horses will work happily for you if you are setting them up properly to do so.