How to Start a Horse Business

If horses are your passion and you have a good head for business, you may want to consider learning how to start a horse business. You can decide to sell supplies for horses, train horses, or give riding lessons, with a horse business, and all of these options have the potential to be a lucrative and fun business to own.

Having experience with horses and also a true love for horses is important, however owning and running a horse business requires a completely different set of skills. You are going to need to conduct a lot of research and also make a lot of decisions before you will be able to open and operate a horse business successfully.

Starting Out

If you happen to be an experienced and talented rider, maybe riding lessons would be something to aim for. If you own a stable, or if you are in the position to buy or lease a stable, renting out stalls may be a better choice for you. If your interests lie more in the retail side of things, opening a retail horse supply shop might be more what you’ve got in mind.

Regardless of your preferences, it’s important to first figure out if a need exists for the services that you are wanting to offer or not. You should definitely analyze how many horses are in your area. If there is a lot of competition, consider starting a horse business in another area that does not provide the same services that you are planning to offer.

Becoming Successful

Send press releases to your local newspaper which outlines the services that you offer and also povides a way for people to get a hold of you. Find publications that are targeted at people who own horses and advertise in them. If you know of any local bulletin boards located where horse owners might frequent, take advantage of that fact and pin advertisements up. Basically use any means that you can think of to let people know about your new horse business.

If you have horses, chances are you already know some people in your community who have horses. Don’t hesitate to inform them about your new horse business. Make sure to have printed sales materials with you at all times so that potential customers you encounter can see your offerings and what you are capable of doing for them.

Once you’ve gained repeat customers, make sure to foster word-of-mouth recommendations by always being professional, knowledgeable, and caring when you are dealing with horses and their owners. People who truly love horses should be able to tell that you too have a love for these magnificent animals.

One terrific idea to help gain new customers is to give discounts to regular customers for referring their friends and family. If you offer services with value added, your business will be seen as different from your competitors’ businesses. Showing that you are willing to go above and beyond for your clients will make your business and the services you offer even more attractive.

Expanding Your Horse Business

After you’ve started your horse business and have begun experiencing success, there are several ways in which you can expand your business. If you’ve got a stable that you run, you may want to consider adding a horse training service or riding lessons to the list of your services. Breeding horses is always an option if you own a stable. If you operate a retail store, you might consider carrying livestock and pet supplies and other products that will help you to grow your customer base.

Learning how to start a horse business is incredibly rewarding for anyone who loves horses and wants to make a living working with them. Just stick with it and persevere, whatever comes your way, and you’ll end up a very satisfied horse entrepreneur.

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