I'm not a businessman; I'm a business, man!

Okay okay…you’re a barn rat whose spent every summer and break from school since you were 12 working at the barn. You know horses inside and out. You’ve moved hay out of the field in July, cold hosed a leg and gotten a tricky horse into a trailer. You’ve got the horse moves down. Now, in your last semester of high school you’re day dreaming about college. You promised your parents you would go, get an education and make a good living. You’re gonna live in a dorm, ride on the team and study….IDK….

Here’s the deal: the horse business is A BUSINESS. In the U.S. alone 1.4million people report being employed full-time in the Equestrian Industry. This includes: vets, farriers, barn owners, breeders and the racing industry. The Equestrian Industry contributes $39 Billion into the U.S. economy. So, it’s a real job, but that doesn’t mean you’re not sending your parents into an early grave when you tell them you’ve decided to major in Equine Sciences.

Before we go any further, this post is not suggesting Equine Sciences is not a valuable field of study or worthwhile major.

The problem is, and this might get indelicate: money. As a contrast to another area of study that makes parent’s hair turn grey overnight, Music, the market for a professional horse person is not the same. This is to say, there just aren’t going to be as many consumers of horse products/services as there are music. To drive this point home, in 2016 the Music Industry contributed $143 Billion into the US Economy. And that’s because almost all of us consume music in one way or another. Either by listening to Billie Ellish or a jingle that plays over an advertisement.

When you break down your expertise further into a specialty area say, Barrel Racing, Jumping or boarding your pool of potential customers gets smaller. Meanwhile, your cousin who majors in Trombone Performance has more options, because more people hear trombones than learn to turn and burn. Those are just the harsh realities of the horse business. And just like in any industry, the best of the best make more money. For example, Nellie Miller was the top Barrel Racer going into the 2019 NFR Championship. Her prize winnings before that show totaled $154,610. That’s a lot of money! That’s also within the range of the average median STARTING SALARY of a pharmacist.

We don’t know how much money Ms. Miller had to spend in order to get to her races, how much on vet bills, fuel, lodgings, tack, training fees but all of that has to be subtracted from those winnings to understand how much she REALLY made at the end of the year from her winnings. We also don’t have the figures for how much money she makes training other horses or coaching other riders or through promoting products. Needless to say, Ms. Miller worked REALLY REALLY hard in 2019 to make that prize money, and probably worked EVEN HARDER to get to the top of a competitive sport and will have to DOUBLE DOWN on her hard work to stay on top in 2020….(plus invest wisely a portion of her earnings into a retirement fund).

So yes, there is money to be made and “wealth” despite what the IRS says, comes in many forms that can’t be accounted for by dollars and cents. For example, I can’t calculate the monetary value of considering my dogs as co-workers or listening to whatever kind of music or podcast I want to while I’m at work….but it’s valuable to me. That said, deepest heartfelt gratitudes are not considered legal tender and will not get you a new transmission at the repair shop. You need to make money to live. AND that’s why Moms Dads and Grandmas sweat profusely when you “major in horses at college.”

When I talk to students I do mention certain business skills you need to have in order to survive as a business person. Among them: writing clearly. This is both useful for applying to jobs and also sounding like a competent person a bank would loan a bunch of money to so she can start a horse barn. Researching, and critical thinking skills are part and parcel of your business plan. You need to be able to convince someone you know what you’re talking about. If you’re trying to apply for a grant for your therapeutic riding program or horse rescue, those are done in written form, backed up with research. You really must be able to use written language to make a clear point. I cannot be any clearer about that topic. Of all the skills you learn in school writing clearly, correctly is in the top 3 most frequently used in your lifetime as a business person.

There is also a basic understanding that a legal business has to follow business laws (tax, liability, DOT). And that an illegal business can land your little behind in jail for things like: tax fraud, liability lawsuits, contract violations etc…etc…etc. It is the boring, confusing, kind of scary things that get you in more trouble than anything. Jail time, huge fine, gotta sell everything I own to pay for that kind of trouble. So that’s when you need accountants, tax preparers, attorneys, real estate agents and insurance adjusters. Professionals who with some explanation on your part about what your business is can keep you from making life altering mistakes. A good accountant is worth her weight in gold. Someone you trust, who can explain to you the value of an LLC or how to use Quickbooks is an asset worth paying for.

But there are other skills you need as a business person that aren’t in particular horse skills. Decision making, networking, branding, web-design. Some ability in these areas save you money because you maybe don’t need to pay someone else to do things for you, like perhaps your website. Or maybe you generate a lot of money selling horses because you make wonderful sales videos. Equestrian businesses are “high-input” businesses, meaning, they cost a lot to make some money. So if you can save money by knowing how to do things you’d otherwise have to pay for, well you lower your inputs. If I knew in 1997 I was going to run a barn I would have Majored in Entrepreneurship and minored in Diesel mechanics.

As it is, my educational background and professional background both contribute strongly to my ability to get things not directly horse related done quickly. I’m comfortable with a myriad of computer programs, I can easily and professionally respond to emails, talk to insurance agents about claims, understand the ins and outs of ethical behavior, develop contracts and releases that shield my business from harm…whereas my husband who is a professional farrier and went to Farrier School has a much harder time getting these types of things done quickly. What takes me an hour could take him week…mostly spent asking me to do it for him. Knowing your way around the more boring, printer and scanner aspects of your computer is a necessity for your business.

So…another option for horse crazy people is to consider a “Horse Adjacent” career. Perhaps studying something else that you have an interest or a passion for, like say design. Perhaps you become a creative director and help businesses develop their brand. You’ve got a big market for that skill set: every business in the world. But, you can use those skills and specialize in part on Equestrian Businesses. Helping high end breeders market their stallions and foals. Perhaps you think Real Estate seems like a fun gig, you can specialize in Equestrian Properties while still selling houses in town. All the while using your steady income to afford your horsey lifestyle outside of work. There are options for horse people that don’t lead you full-time in the barn. If you balk at having to move a thousand bales of hay in 104 degree July heat annually as part of your barn budgeting strategy, that’s okay. You can do something meaningful that pays well and you can make it work for the horse industry as well. The options are endless for horse-adjacent careers. As I mentioned above, horse businesses require all kinds of professional services. Horse people also need: doctors, physical therapists, mental health therapists, personal trainers….the list goes on. You could find a horse-adjacent career that satisfies multiple interests in your life!

So as you move closer to deciding what you will study balance your desire to do what you love and feel a passion for vs. the reality of that passion and what that passion is going to pay you to be alive. At 17 or 18 years old it’s difficult to wrap your head around the nagging stress of not being able to afford things. Not just vacations, but being able to fill your gas tank all the way to the F and still pay your phone bill and eat all within the same week. We ancient people we’ve been there and know that nagging stress has a way of eroding away fun and passion. It’s worth giving a good think about how the horse business really works out on paper before committing 4 years of your life and student loans into something that may not work out how you’d like.

THE Funnest Job in THE WHOLE WORLD

It’s getting to be about the time of year when my job-shadowers will be calling, and the folks from UNL will be not far behind needing some real life information about managing an equestrian business for one of their Equine Sciences classes. Each year I have around 2 or 3 High School aged students who come to the barn and follow me around while I work, grilling me with questions. And about an equal number of College Students who come from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who also hurl questions at me for a project they have to do in one of their required classes.

Although it can be a little strange to be followed around all day by someone you don’t know asking you questions and writing things down on a clipboard I make a point to talk to as many as I can every year. To me, it’s important to participate in the education of our next generation.

The students who have come to job shadow over the years range in experience from “I’ve never even seen a horse in real life” to “We have 6 horses at our house and I rodeo through the summer with my cousins.” The questions they ask are good ones, like “what kind of education did you get in order to do this job?” “Do you have a college degree?” And this is where the fun begins. I DO have a college degree! In Political Science. I even have a Master’s Degree….in Mental Health Counseling. Pause for confused face

My educational background in horses is well…the traditional model:

I grew up as one of those barn rat kids who get left at the barn all weekend long…you know the ones who ride, then graze the horse, then ride again, then eat lunch, then sweep the barn aisle…I morphed my barn rat status into Working Student when I entered High School. I spent summers under 3 different trainers across the country. One in each in Georgia, Colorado and California. Each differing styles of business, although all related to dressage. Each with differing levels of responsibility. I learned all about the lifestyle of a professional horse person, feeding strategies, supplements, training programs, lesson programs, barn management….Since tender years I have moved hay, shavings, feed sacks, hauled buckets of water inconveniently long distances…

So yes, student, I do have a very good traditional classroom education, and quite a lot of it. None of it in any way related the equestrian field. In large part, because my parents wouldn’t let me. And also because I thought I wanted to be an attorney and argue before the Supreme Court about really important Constitutional Questions…but I ended up simply getting a job at a law firm, where I learned I really didn’t like the day to day life of a lawyer. So I worked as an office professional, because you know, rent is expensive. Board is expensive. Car payments are expensive. Groceries are expensive. Insurance is expensive. Gasoline is expensive. Target runs are expensive…..well so for a good long while I enjoyed my steady salaried income that provided me with the money I needed to live, and enough time off to show my horse. I made enough money outside of the horse world to be a horse person.

Now as a professional horse person, I work to afford to be able to be a regular person!

Much of the education of the professional horse person, in my opinion MUST come from vast hands-on equestrian experience. I would not even consider running a horse boarding facility of any size if I did not have as much experience with horses as I do. IN MY OPINION: if you can’t put a standing wrap on a horse leg TODAY, or understand the basic floor to ceiling needs of a live horse and how much work it takes to maintain it…well you probably shouldn’t run a boarding facility.

The very best way. THE VERY BEST WAY to learn to be a horseman is the same way in which horsemen have become horsemen since Xenophon sat down to write “The Art of Horsemanship” 2,400 years ago. Learn from someone who knows horses. And learn from the horses. In short: experience. One horse is a lot of responsibility, but 10-35 is a whole other situation. A horseman has to speak, move and act horse everywhere they go in their barn (and try to remember to not act horse in the Grocery store). A boarding facility owner is called upon, frequently for all things horsemanship from catching a collic early to catching a loose horse.

To work in horses, you really REALLY REALLY need to have spent quite a lot of time with them.

From the outside looking in as my, 8 year old student puts it so eloquently “YOU HAVE THE MOST FUNNEST JOB IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!” She’s not entirely wrong. Although I feel like taste tester at Ben & Jerry’s might be a couple notches above my work, but what we do here at Lincoln Equestrian Center is fun. It’s a whole hekkuva lot more fun than say filing paper, waiting for a fax or decoding insurance codes. I know…because before I was here I was there…in the copy room…scanning endless documents in a space crammed with so much office equipment you come to understand that yes, electricity DOES have a smell.

I don’t often miss those days, although I do miss my wonderful co-workers, leaving work on Friday and actually LEAVING WORK. I always love doing anything that helps other people out, so that was good, as was the pay.

Now I do what I love for a living, and it’s both terrific and extremely challenging. The reality of the Boarding Facility owner is work. Labor. It’s a labor or love 365 days a year. Yes, I do pet horses every single day…but I also have to feed them every single day and make sure they are alive every single day and communicate with their owners and make business decisions every day. It’s physically, and emotionally tiring work some days. Love for horses in terms of barn management is less about having a horse on every shirt you own, and more about getting up and doing what’s right for the horse every single day no matter how badly you don't want to even if you are sick or hurt or really want a vacation.

So to my shadows: Its often as hard as it is rewarding. You need to think about that. If you really have a passion for horses, you need to think deeply and be honest about how much drive you’ve got for labor. Think deeply about how much time you are willing to put into learning the million and a half little details of horsemanship you need to have on recall in order to be truly good at this job. Know that along the way you’ll need to pick up 2 million more little details…

It’s a lot! I’m glad for all the myriad experiences I’ve had in my life both equestrian and “business causal” because each of those challenges and experiences has brought me here. To a place where I’m mature enough and have enough experience with people AND horses to run my own business…

….we’ll get to the business side next time!

An Homage to Auditing or more than just sitting there

Perhaps you were not quick enough to get signed up for a clinic. Maybe we didn't hear about the clinic in time and think "well shoot.  I wanted to ride!! I really wanted to get some feedback from This Wonderful Teacher" Guess what?  Even if you aren't riding you can still learn a great deal from auditing a clinic. Clinicians by nature, are teachers. Their classroom is the arena and EVERYONE in the arena, not just the one on the horse, are the students.

Having sat through numerous clinics over the course of my life both valuable and perhaps not so much I've been able to pick up a lot. Yes, it's certainly wonderful to be the rider but if for whatever reason you've not scored a riding spot all hope is not lost. For a fraction of the cost you pay to ride, auditors have the pleasure of observing the ENTIRE DAY of rides...that's right for anywhere from $0 to $200.00 (depending on the clinician/symposium) you can go home with tons of knowledge and insight. 

Here are the top 5 reasons to Audit a Clinic:

 1: It's Cheaper than Riding   Yes, that's right. It's worth repeating. Auditing a clinic is a more affordable option than riding in a clinic. Throughout the course of two days a rider can absorb a lot of the same lessons as if you'd ridden in the clinic. If you think you only learn riding techniques by riding them, well, to be frank.  You're wrong.  You watch videos, read magazines and books.  A clinic is just the same.  Most riders when paying attention will have some of the bodily feelings of riding even while sitting in a chair while they watch a horse go, so in a way you're riding every ride and getting that feeling. Every clinician has a trademark or an emphasis...that will be repeated and worked on throughout the clinic. Guaranteed you'll go home from even a day of auditing with that idea imprinted in your mind and YOU'LL TRY IT AT HOME!

2: Clinicians Interact with Auditors Ever watched Youtube and wished you could ask George Morris a question? If your answer is yes, then you should know many times clinicians will answer questions from auditors.  So long as you are polite and wait until it's a good time most clinicians are happy to answer your questions. It's also not all together uncommon for clinicians to engage with auditors with non-mounted learning experiences especially as it relates to riding position.  If you stick around for lunch there are often plenty of chances to interact with clinicians.  

3: Try Before You Buy Has someone in the area brought in a new clinician? Perhaps someone you haven't heard about, and your budget is already shot from buying fancy stirrup irons?  Not certain you are ready to pay $150.00 for a lesson? Audit the clinic. Watch this new person teach and see if you think that person is someone you'd like to work with or if their methodology is something that's helpful to you. If yes, then you are certainly poised to immediately speak to the clinic organizer and get a spot in the next clinic.  If no, well then you just saved a whole bunch of money.

4: Support Your Community If there is no interest, people won't organize clinics. How do clinic organizers know if people are interested in clinics? Well, folks sign up to ride and people come to audit. If perhaps you're too busy to ride in THIS clinic or can't do a clinic right now because your horse is injured...well audit. Let the organizer know that you're interested. Organizing clinics takes time and energy, if there is no interest there will be no clinics, and it could be a long time until someone in your area tries again to bring someone in. Auditors ARE part of the clinic experience, they bring an essential vibe to each clinic that's appreciated by both rider and clinician alike.

5: It's fun Don't tell them, most especially if they aren't famous for a sense of humor, but clinicians are funny. It's a great time to be with your horsey friends over the course of a couple of days learning and enjoying the horse world without having to haul the horse and do the thing. It's relaxing, entertaining and good to experience something a little different than your normal weekend of cleaning the house once you get home from the barn.

Not enough yet?  Okay...how about 2 more BONUS reasons to audit a clinic.

6: Get Inspired!! Inevitably there will be at least one great ride and one ride that's got some pretty awful moments.  Both types of rides are totally inspiring. One ride is the one you want to have and the other fills you with pride in the person who gets through that tough spot. Auditing a good clinic will really inspire you to go home and try some new things. 

7: What's Happening? Just moved to the area? Audit the clinic, meet new people who are active in the community.  Looking for a new trainer? Go to a clinic and watch them ride. Trying to sell a horse/buy a horse/check out a barn...AUDIT a clinic. Go to the place where the people who you need to talk to are going to be. 

HOrsemanship: A Beginners Guide

Strictly speaking “horsemanship” is a term that simply means: the art and practice of riding horses.  However, many (including myself) would argue that horsemanship is a broader term, extending beyond simply riding. In my mind horsemanship is a skill set which encompasses the competent handling, management and riding of horses. 

Horsemanship in my mind covers: knowledge of breeds, colorations, markings, standard brands and anatomy of horses. Knowledge of all pieces of tack, how and why they are used. A functional ability to manage a horse through an endless array of situations: loading in a horse trailer, riding, leading down a barn aisle, familiarization with new places, hand grazing. A horseman should also know equine first aid, the equine digestive system, giving a horse a bath and basic biomechanics…

This is a short list. Because identifying suitable hay, changing tires, mucking stalls, providing and maintaining proper housing, riding correctly, training horses, communicating with vets and farriers, and the entire giant subcategory of "horse showing"  also appear on this list.

When you own a horse you need to know A LOT of things relating to the animal you own and ride, apart from simply how to pilot your steed.  Horsemanship is a broad ranging topic. Becoming a competent horse person is quite the undertaking.

There are many styles of horsemanship.  Traditional, natural and all things in between. Between disciplines and styles of riding and driving good horsemanship means something different. Truly, there is a broad spectrum of expectations.  All of them are hoping to achieve the same thing: happy healthy horses, and good safe riding.

There are a few things a person needs in order to become a true and competent horse person:

1: Time.  Spending time in your riding stable around horses and horse people is important. Becoming aware of the rhythms and patterns of horses and how things are done. Becoming part of the local culture and of course time enough to become fully comfortable around horses, and the situations that present themselves as part of horse life.

2: Observation. A lot of time the best way to learn about horsemanship is through simply watching. Observe horses and observe horse people. Watch what other riders and trainers do, then see if you are capable of emulating what they do. Posture, timing of corrections and asks. What do horse people wear (gloves are a good example)? Observe horses moving and how they act when they are in turn out, when they are in their stall. Watch other people ride, both in clinics, lessons and just for fun. What does posting look like or asking for a lope off? Head set, over-stride. Observe your horse’s reactions to things and the environment and the interactions you share with them.  If a horse is scared or nervous, what makes them better? What makes them worse?  Watch and see. 

Observation includes listening as well. The equestrian world is filled with its own special vocabulary. Listen to how seasoned horse people communicate, pick up the lingo, the special terms and when they are used. 

3: Mentors. If you’re new to the sport or looking to increase your skill, after spending your time in the barn, and observing things, also find the person or people whose horse skills you most admire and refer to them, if possible for help and advice. “If this was your horse what would you do”  Watch how they wrap legs, or handle a spook. Watch how they get a stubborn horse into a trailer or how they lead and handle their horses. Horsemanship is a skill which has been handed down for millennia. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice from people who know more than   you. All horse people get a large portion of their information by asking for help. 

4: Education. Where possible seek out reputable educational materials and experiences. Take riding lessons and askyour instructor or mentor to help you learn how to do things you are unsure of. Read books and magazine articles from reputable sources. Be wary of self-published books, miracle cures for problem horses and guarantees of expertise within short periods of time. Be mindful that ANYONE can post videos on YouTube and the technique you may be watching on YouTube is perhaps dangerous, improperly done or just simply ineffective. 

Good books and magazines have the information you are looking for. “What does the bit do?” “Why do I need to change my posting diagonal?” Becoming a good horseman is primarily an experiential endeavor but a wealth of knowledge can be had from publications. Reading and watching videos can communicate the same concepts you are learning but in a different or more in-depth way. 

Reputable Sources include: (magazines) Equus, Practical Horsemanship, Chronicle of the Horse. (Books) Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship, Complete Equine Emergency Bible, International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds.

5: Find your own Style. You don’t have to be a horseman like Buck Brannaman. You can be and should be your own horse person. It’s okay to meld natural horsemanship techniques with more traditional methods. So long as it’s safe, and effective develop the style that works for you and be confident in how you do it. The shared language between on rider and one horse may not necessarily work exactly the same for another rider and a different horse. 

Becoming a knowledgable horseman takes time and effort, but it’s worth it! In horses there is no end to the opportunity for expanding your knowledge base. Just when you think you have seen everything and done most everything something brand new crops up to challenge what you know. Horsemanship is something you can take pride in, and that pride will carry over into the rest of your life. Giving you more confidence than before you started your great journey.