Mary Ashby McDonald - Starting & Running Your Own Horse Business: Marketing strategies, money-saving tips, and profitable program ideas

STARTING & RUNNING YOUR OWN HORSE BUSINESS

SECOND EDITION

BY MARY ASHBY McDONALD, DVM

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Burns
Art direction and book design by Mary Winkelman Velgos
Text production by Liseann Karandisecky

Front cover photograph by 2009 Mark J. Barrett, www.markjbarrett.com
Author photo by Dr. William Janecke, Christian Veterinary Mission, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Interior photography by Dusty Perin/www.dustyperin.com, except for page 9, Dr. William Janecke, Christian Veterinary Mission, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Illustrations by Jim Dyekman, 84 and 85; Joanna Rissanen, 86; and Elayne Sears, 171
Horseshoe icon by iStockphoto.com

Indexed by Samantha Miller/Sciendex

2009, 1997 by Mary Ashby McDonald

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McDonald, Mary Ashby, 1959
Starting & running your own horse business / Mary Ashby McDonald. 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-483-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Horse industry. 2. Horse farmsManagement. 3. StablesManagement.
4. New business enterprises. 5. Small businessManagement. I. Title.
II. Title: Starting and running your own horse business. III. Title: Horse business.
HD9434.A2.M33 2009
636.10068dc22
2009023771

I dedicate this book to my husband, Jack McDonald III,
and to my children, Ashby and Jack IV.
Thanks for believing in me, loving me, and persevering with me.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7

I would like to thank the following people: Mr. and Mrs. M. Pierce Ashby, for purchasing my first pony, Duke, and enabling me to earn a bachelors degree in animal science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Catherine Ashby Akins, for her invaluable contributions and support; Charlie D. Akins, for taking me to my first horse show; Pat Betts, for giving me my first riding lessons and teaching me and hundreds of others how to ride properly; Susan DeBries, English professor, Day Star University, Nairobi, Kenya; Joe Fargis, for teaching me how to equitate as a junior, and, along with Conrad Homfeld, being my first employer in the horse business; Kathy Farrow; Sarah Fletcher, M. D.; and Dr. A. N. Huff.

Building a User Base is adapted from the article, Horse Marketing: Expanding the User Base, May 1988, written by Dr. A. N. Huff, Extension animal scientist emeritus, and is used with his permission. Sections on breeding are adapted from The Selection and Promotion of the Breeding Stallion, by Steve G. Jennings. This excellent self-published book is available through S.J. Publications, P. O. Box 615, Front Royal, VA 22630.

I would also like to thank Betty, Mike, and Tim Jennings, of Professional Auction Services, Inc.; Maribel Koella, a partner with Collins, Sharp & Koella; Melissa Aberle Johnson; Pam Marks, Marks Insurance and Associates, Inc., Germantown, Maryland; Dr. Thomas N. Meacham; Jack McDonald III, Chartered Financial Analyst; Trish Palys, equestrian trainer; Barbara Person, equine insurance specialist; Susan Smith; Daniel W. Sutherland and Elise J. Sutherland; Susan Terranella, manager, Rio Vista Farm, Leander, Texas; Carla McDonald Hawkinson, President, Board of Directors, Tennessee Valley Hunt; Dea Kelly Thomas, Master of Foxhounds, Tennessee Valley Hunt; Alexandra W. Malik, owner of Medway Ranch, for having faith in me and giving me the opportunity to manage her ranch; Dr. Nathaniel White, Marion Dupont Equine Medical Center, Leesburg, Virginia; and Teri Abrams, Harmony Hills Equestrian Center.

This book is designed for anyone interested in reducing expenses and making money in the horse business. Some people will say this is an unrealistic notion, but it really is possible to keep costs down and maintain a positive cash flow.

In 1982, I took over management of the Medway Ranch in Austin, Texas. The ranch was practically unknown to the public. There was no letterhead, logo, colors, brochures not even an ad in the Yellow Pages. Through the application of sound business practices, including an advertising and promotion campaign, the ranch turned into a respected, profitable enterprise in just a few years.

By making a horse business successful, we reap more than just monetary reward. We can better appreciate the many pleasures that attracted us to horses in the first place. There is the gratification of walking into a clean barn, where well-kept horses are munching on sweet-smelling hay. Do you remember the first time one of your green horses accomplished a flying lead change? Or the delight in the eyes of a parent whose young son received his certificate for horsemanship at summer day camp? How about the students who come to you as beginners and ultimately win a handful of ribbons at a show, or the tremendous pride you feel when one of your horses or students progresses to the U.S. Equestrian Team? These are the joys that make laboring through the hot days of summer and frigid winter nights in the barn worth the effort and make you grateful you dont have a desk job. Some of us believe its the ultimate in mixing business with pleasure.

By making a horse business successful, we reap more than just monetary reward. We can better appreciate the many pleasures that attracted us to horses in the first place.

Whether you own or board one horse or 100, the goals of this book are to provide you with many ways to save money, labor, and time, and to make your job easier and more profitable. As you read, keep a list of the ideas that you would like to use in your own operation. Put an expected date of completion next to each entry on your list, then follow through.

Heres wishing you the best with your business.

Mary Ashby McDonald, DVM