Riding Instructor University :: Horse Business Consulting, Tips & Tools

Managing Multiple Riding Instructors

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In larger barns, multiple riding instructors are sometimes necessary to serve all clients. They might specialize in different areas of equestrian sports, or perhaps they work with different levels of riders (e.g. beginning, intermediate, advanced). Whatever the case, it’s the horse business owner’s job to manage these riding instructors and ensure they are always on [...]

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RIU is Back

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It’s been a couple months since my last post. Unfortunately, personal circumstances have prevented me from keeping up with the site, but 2012 is a new year (full of new advice for horse business owners).

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Teaching Overweight Riders

Today’s question comes from Kacy of Starline Stables in Texas: I would like to see an article done regarding overweight riders and the challenges they face learning to ride. I’m on the thinner side and can’t relate very well. If I had a better understanding what they’re going through, I might be able to teach [...]

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Equestrian Professionals: How to Cope with Allergies

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After spending the last week and a half with a wicked case of the flu, I’ve got runny noses, watery eyes, fatigue, and sneezing fits on the brain. Although my illness wasn’t related to allergies, the symptoms sure are similar.

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Helping Students Break Bad Habits

One of my students came to me several years ago from a riding instructor who had taught her diagonals backward. Another was taught to simply kick her horse whenever she wanted to change gaits. Bad habits are common among students who have received prior riding instruction, but how do you break those habits?

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How to Refuse a Horse for Training

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Sometimes horse trainers are so focused on finding and wooing potential clients that they forget about the other side of the coin. Sure, you need clients to survive in the horse business, but you aren’t the best fit for every horse in the world. So what if you have to refuse a horse for training?

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How to Name Your Barn

After talking about serious subjects over the last couple weeks, I thought we’d jump the tracks a little and talk about something more fun: Naming your barn! It’s a decision you’ll have to live with for quite some time, so it takes serious thought. The name of your horse business is the first impression you [...]

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When You’re Away: Leaving the Barn in Good Hands

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All horse business owners need a break once in a while, and you can’t be at the barn every single day of the year. Whether you’re taking a much-needed vacation or traveling to horse shows, it helps to have a strategy for leaving the barn in good hands.

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You Tell Me: Responding to Criticism

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We talked earlier in the week about clients who don’t listen, and a couple weeks ago we discussed client criticism. Now I want to know how you deal with the latter issue.

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How to Build Up Endurance for Horse Training

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Back in high school if someone asked me whether or not I played a sport, my answer was always the same: “Yeah, I ride horses.” And the response was inevitable: “Riding horses isn’t a sport!” Oh, how little my peers knew. If you’ve ever spent half an hour posting the trot or an afternoon riding [...]

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Helping Male Students Get Comfortable
in the Saddle

Today’s question comes from Teri of Phoenix Farm in Woodinville, WA:

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You Tell Me: What’s Your Cribbing Solution?

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Why don’t we get back to basics a bit here at RIU? I’m curious about your solution to the time-worn issue of cribbing. It affects barns new and old, regardless of discipline or philosophy, and sometimes it runs rampant.

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Teaching Students Proper Balance

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Balance is one of those things that occurs in one of two ways: Either the student is born with it, or he has to work for it. Either way, riding instructors should focus on balance in the saddle from Lesson One.

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The Cost of a Sick or Injured Horse

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Veterinary check-ups, regular visits with the farrier, health-related supplements—they all cost money. Keeping a barn full of horses in tip-top shape could easily bankrupt a cash-poor horse business owner.

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How to Even Out Horse Business Revenue

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The above graphic is not an uncommon representation of horse business revenue. Your income changes from month to month depending on your clients’ needs, and that continuous fluctuation can wreak havoc on your finances.

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Happy Valentine’s Day…

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I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. I’m not a big-displays-of-affection type of girl, and I think most of the V-Day traditions are pretty silly. That said, Valentine’s Day is supposed to remind us of love, and who do we love more than our equine pals?

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Reducing Employee Turnover in the Horse Business

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It takes a lot of work to find reliable employees in the horse business. You’ve got to advertise, review applications, interview prospects, and make what you hope is an informed decision. And if you have high employee turnover, you encounter this monstrous task more frequently than you’d like.

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Taking a breather…

We all need time to relax, recharge, and prepare ourselves for future creative effort. That’s my long-winded way of saying, “I’m taking a break for a week, and it’s not ’cause I’m lazy.”

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You Tell Me:
Music in the Barn?

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Sometimes it helps to get a little frivilous. We horse business owners like to kick up our heels now and again, and how can you kick up your heels without music? I’m curious about your daily barn ritual.

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Resolving Business Partner Disputes

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Today’s question comes from Tim in Oklahoma:

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Dangerous Horses in the Horse Business

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Despite what you might have heard, dangerous horses do exist. They might have been made dangerous by the ways in which they’ve been treated, but that doesn’t make them any less of a threat to your horse business.

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Helping Your Students Overcome Fears
in the Horse Show Ring

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Butterflies are a given when it comes to the horse show ring. You know it, I know it, and perhaps your students are about to discover it. The first horse show is always the worst because your neophyte riders don’t know what to expect.

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Maximizing Barn Space

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Today we have a question from Betsy in Michigan, who wants to know:

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You Tell Me:
How is your horse business faring in this economy?

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No matter where I go, I’m constantly hearing about the economy’s impact on the horse industry as a whole, and on individual horse businesses. My clients are suffering from the economic climate, some more than others, and I’m curious about you guys out there who are in the grind every day.

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How to Keep Your Horse Training Overhead Low

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If you’re not careful, horse training can become quite an expensive profession. Between tack and other equipment, administrative supplies, and the upkeep on your stable, it can be difficult to stay afloat.

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Happy 200!

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A horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves—strong, powerful, beautiful—and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. —Pam Brown Today marks the 200th post here at Riding Instructor University. It’s hard for me to believe, as it seems like just yesterday I sat down at the computer and [...]

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How to Deal with Client Criticism

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It happens in the horse business just as often as—sometimes even more than—it happens in other industries. Your client stops you in the middle of work to tell you you’re doing it wrong. And you want to snap the guy in two because, hey, who is he to criticize you?

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Packing Your Horse Business Go Bag

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You wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, wash your face, get dressed, pour a cup of coffee, and hope you get out the door with everything you need. Maybe the morning news is still weighing on your mind, or perhaps you’re still trying to sort out the dream you had about horses on two legs serving your meal at a local restaurant. Mornings are full of distractions.

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You Tell Me: What’s Your Favorite Bit?

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For some reason, I’ve been hearing a lot of controversy lately about the selection of bits among all different types of riders. So I’m bringing the debate to the people most equipped to provide a reasonable response:

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Safety Words for the Horse Business

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A safety word or “safeword” is a word or phrase used in certain sports to indicate someone is in trouble. In professional wrestling, for example, a performer might utter the safety word to tell his opponent that the match has gone too far. You can also use safety words in the horse business—in fact, I highly recommend it.

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Death in the Barn:
Helping Students Cope with Loss

Riding Instructor University

It’s an eventuality that all riding instructors must deal with at some point. A lesson horse will pass away, and you’ll have to tell your students what has happened and console them in their grief.

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Horse Job Spotlight: Stable Manager

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A stable manager, or barn manager, is responsible for the well-being of the horses housed at a particular equestrian facility. He or she takes care of day-to-day operations, troubleshooting problems and providing customer service.

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Coping with the Physical Strain
of the Horse Business

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Just about everyone suffers some type of physical injury or malady as a direct result of his or her involvement in the horse business. It might be minor—an ache here, a sprain there—or it could be more serious: broken bones, deep lacerations, head injuries.

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You Tell Me:
Beginners or Advanced Students?

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Several of my clients have expressed to me over the last few months their desire to work only with advanced students. “I’m tired of baby beginners,” I keep hearing from riding instructors.

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Create a Statement of
Horse Boarding Standards

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If someone were to ask you about your horse boarding standards, you could probably rattle off a long list of rules you enforce and products you use to ensure the safety and well-being of your equine clients. But have you actually written a statement of horse boarding standards?

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Farm Freebies: Payment History template

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If you don’t keep meticulous financial records related to your horse business, it’s easy to drop the ball. Last week I published a payment record template to help you keep track of incoming payments (accounts receivable) from multiple clients, so this week we’re focusing on individual clients.

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The Simple Pleasures of the
Horse Business

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Your horse business might be suffering right now. Perhaps you owe a lot of money to the bank, or maybe you’ve lost a fourth of your clients to the economic downturn. Sometimes the horse industry starts to look bleak.

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Hours of Operation in the Horse Business

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When you need to buy something early Sunday morning and you aren’t familiar with the store at which you want to purchase it, what do you do? I don’t know about you, but I locate that store’s web site or find its phone number in the Yellow Pages so I can inquire about their hours of operation.

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You Tell Me:
How Long Should Riding Lessons Last?

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Lend me the wisdom of your years, O Riding Instructor. All of you guys out there, I’m curious about your riding lesson programs. I know you all do things a little bit differently from each other, and maybe we can learn something from your methods.

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Teaching Students Basic Equestrian Safety

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One of the first things riding instructors should teach new students is basic equestrian safety. This is true regardless of whether or not the student has taken riding lessons elsewhere; you have no way of knowing what another riding instructor taught or didn’t teach.

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Farm Freebies:
Payment Record template

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Lost checks, misplaced cash, unfilled invoices. If you don’t have an airtight organizational system, collecting, processing, and recording payments can become a nightmare.

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How to Beat the Recession in 2011

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The way I see it, we’ve got two options. We can sit around and mope and gripe about the state of the economy. Or we can thank the Lord for our blessings (no matter how meager) and make something of ourselves regardless of how the economy is faring.

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How to Use Your Equestrian Professional Planner

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Did you download your Equestrian Professional Planner just before Christmas? If not, go visit that link and download your copy. I’ll wait.

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Happy Holidays from Riding Instructor University
Vol. 3: The Equestrian Professional Planner

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Organization is an essential part of succeeding in the horse business. Many equestrian professionals hit the ground running with no plan and no structure, then wonder why they fail. I don’t want that for you, whether you’ve been in this business for two years or twenty.

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Happy Holidays from Riding Instructor University
Vol. 2

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Continuing with this week’s Farm Freebies Extravaganza, we’ve got two more great organizational templates to help you keep your horse business in check. I’m a big fan of organization, and I hope some of these templates are benefiting your business.

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Happy Holidays from Riding Instructor University
Vol. 1

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Okay, I admit I’ve kinda dropped the ball over the last couple weeks, failing to post here and all. I guess I underestimated the toll the holidays would take on my time, and consequently left myself no room for you guys. My sincere apologies.

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Why Riding Instructors Should
Start Rewards Programs

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Why do students work hard at math and science? To earn good grades. Why do boy scouts learn new wilderness skills? To earn merit badges. And why musicians do and athletes and artists work so hard on their craft? To win competitions.

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Teaching Riders to Use Less Leg

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Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons for students to learn in riding lessons is degree of leg pressure. This, like so many concepts in horseback riding, is based on individual perception and control, and cannot be easily demonstrated by riding instructors.

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How to Attract Long-Term Horse Business Clients

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There are so many benefits to finding long-term horse business clients that I couldn’t possibly list them all here. Consistent source of income, anyone? How about brand loyalty? And here’s a good one: You get to work with people you know.

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You Tell Me:
Who are your favorite kids to teach?

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This week here at Riding Instructor University we’re looking for stories, anecdotes, and lists of great qualities. Specifically, inquiring minds want to know who your favorite students are. Who do you love to teach in riding lessons? And why are those kids so special?

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Selling Horses:
Talking to Buyers Part 4—The Follow-Through

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Selling horses is no easy task, and the end of your meeting with a buyer is one of the most important moments in the process. This is the time to close the deal or send the buyer on his way, whichever is most appropriate.

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Selling Horses:
Talking to Buyers Part 3—The Demonstration

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After the initial meeting and the introduction, the next step in selling horses is the demonstration. This is where the buyer gets to see your sale horse in action, which in most cases means under saddle.

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Selling Horses:
Talking to Buyers Part 2—The Introduction

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When meeting someone who might be interested in buying one of your horses, professionalism is the key to fostering a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship. If your buyer doesn’t think you are a professional, the sale is already lost.

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Selling Horses:
Talking to Buyers Part 1—The Initial Meeting

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If you want to successfully run a horse business in which you offer horses for sale, you must develop the ability to talk to people. This is an area where I struggle because I communicate most effectively through the written—rather than spoken—word. When faced with an actual human being in front of me, I find myself tongue-tied, red-faced, and completely out of my element.

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You Tell Me:
Do You Negotiate the Price of Sale Horses?

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You’ve put ads in the paper, you’ve spread word of mouth, you’ve spammed every web site on the Internet, but no one’s biting. We’re talking about sale horses this week, and I’m curious how RIU readers handle this part of the horse business.

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Thank You

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No regular post today, just a message of heartfelt gratitude to all the veterans who have valiantly served the United States as members of the armed forces. Thank you for your service.

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Selling Horses:
Get Your Sale Horse Noticed

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Some horses sell within a couple days, while others stay on the market for months (or even years) without so much as a low-ball offer. We can’t assume that every sale horse that gets snapped up in record time is just so phenomenal that no buyer can resist him, so perhaps it has more to do with how he’s sold.

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Selling Horses:
Which Qualities to Highlight in a Sale Horse

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If you’ve been selling horses for any length of time, you know that all buyers are different. One might be concerned primarily with the outer appearance of the animal, while another focuses on his physical abilities, and still another wants to know about his personality.

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Selling Horses:
How to Prepare a Horse for Sale

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Placing an advertisement in the local paper is not the first step in selling a horse. It’s important to get the word out, but not before the animal is prepared for sale.

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You Tell Me:
What Scares You?

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In honor of Halloween, I’m asking all you horse business owners out there to tell me what keeps you up at night. You’ll feel better if you get it out in the open, I promise.

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Are you a good neighbor?

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In an ideal world, you might want to own a horse business located in the middle of nowhere, but most of us don’t have that luxury. It makes sense to build barns near major metropolitan areas so we can take advantage of the larger client pool. The problem is that populated areas mean close neighbors.

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What To Do When a
Horse Gets Loose

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It happens more often than horse business owners care to admit. Someone gets careless with a lead rope or a faulty cross-tie comes unclipped. However it happens, the first order of business when a horse gets loose is to keep everyone safe.

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Teaching Your Students to Mount and Dismount

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If you’ve been a riding instructor for any length of time, you know that one of the most challenging parts of your job is teaching students to mount and dismount. These two seemingly simple movements require more coordination than most other horseback activities combined.

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Why a Recession is Healthy for
Horse Business Owners

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Everywhere you turn, someone is talking about the economy. It’s doom and gloom all over the news, and it’s hard not to think about it. But what does a recession mean for horse business owners?

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Are Your Stalls Really Clean?

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Dirty stalls are a major pet peeve of mine. Our horses work really hard for us, and they don’t deserve to stand in urine and feces. Seriously.

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Horse Trainers:
Red Flags to Avoid

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There are hundreds of articles and books and white papers out there about how to find a quality horse trainer. What you don’t see very often is advice on finding a quality horse training client. If you aren’t selective in the people (and horses) you accept in your training program, your professional life will be one long headache.

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You Tell Me:
Does Breeding Matter?

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You Tell Me: How much does breeding matter? And why?

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7 Ways to Spruce Up the Barn

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No one wants to look at overgrown lawns, out-of-control bushes, peeling paint, or broken fencing. Neglecting the aesthetic aspects of your barn will turn away prospective clients and give current clients a reason to look elsewhere.

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What’s Included in Your
Horse Training Fee?

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Horse training sounds pretty simple, right? People hire you to work with their horses, you solve the animals’ problems, and you get paid for your effort. No problem.

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Mystery Shopping for the
Horse Business

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Sometimes horse business owners need to take the lead from other industries. If you want to find out how well your employees are performing on the job, mystery shopping is one of the best places to get objective, empirical information.

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The Riding Lesson Program

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Riding instructors often miss the mark when it comes to setting up their businesses. They look at each lesson in a vacuum, assuming that it stands alone as its own separate event. In reality, each lesson is part of an overall riding lesson program.

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Horse Job Spotlight:
Horse Trainer

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There are few horse jobs more well-known than that of the horse trainer. These are the professionals who get horses ready for everything from basic riding to high-level competition, and collectively they possess the most equine knowledge with regard to riding and horsemanship.

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Sharing the Load

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Running a horse business is no easy task—it takes considerable strength, skill, and energy on a daily basis. This is why many horse businesses run by single individuals often fail. You’ve got to learn to share the load.

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Apology for the Hiccup

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Yesterday you might have noticed that Riding Instructor University was unavailable (I got several e-mails to that effect—thank you all for your concern!) and it’s only been back up in the last half hour or so. No thanks to my web host, I finally stumbled across the right succession of maneuvers to repair the database.

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Horse Job Spotlight:
Riding Instructor

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Learn about the duties, responsibilities, require education, and wage potential for riding instructors, as well as other interesting factoids.

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How to Challenge Students in
Riding Lessons

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Each riding lesson you teach should introduce your student(s) to new material. You might work on movements or techniques taught in previous lessons, but you must bring something fresh to the table.

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Why Horse Trainers Should Never
Make Guarantees

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Guarantees are common in the business world. Entrepreneurs know that customers are more likely to buy when they feel their purchase is secure. Guarantees provide that security.

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Top 20 Amenities for Horse Farms

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The types of amenities a horse farm should provide depends on the clients that horse business serves. Clients who compete on a regular basis and ride expensive horses require different amenities from clients who trail ride every once in a while and consider their horses pets.

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The Role of the Telephone
in the Horse Business

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The telephone is one of the most important tools a horse business owner can have in his or her arsenal. It serves a variety of purposes, not the least of which is to summon help in an emergency. It is important for horse business owners to use their phones wisely and to always have a phone on the premises.

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What do your students
want to learn?

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Great riding instructors ask their students questions. They solicit feedback on future riding lessons so they can constantly improve their performance. Most important, they teach what their students want to learn.

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Scaling Back:
An Announcement and a Tip

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Some of my regular readers might have noticed that I’ve been somewhat absent from the blog these last couple weeks. Part of that is because I’ve been sick (some sort of evil upper respiratory bug that just won’t die), and part of it is because I’ve had to re-evaluate my priorities when it comes to blogging for RIU.

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Riding Instructor Specialty

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Some might say that riding instruction is a specialty unto itself. It’s a narrow subset of the horse business as a whole, and it requires a specific set of skills and strengths. However, in my experience, riding instructors thrive when they specialize even further.

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You Tell Me: How Many School Horses?

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You Tell Me: How many school horses does a riding instructor need? And what do you think is the most important thing in determining the perfect number?

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7 Things Stable Managers
Should Never Say

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1“Feeding can wait.” Horses require consistency in their feeding schedules. If they are fed too late or too early, the resulting irritation can cause colic and a host of other problems. When you’re managing a stable, make sure feeding schedules are a top priority.

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7 Things Horse Trainers
Should Never Say

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1“Your horse is the devil.” You’d be surprised how often I’ve heard this from the mouths of horse trainers, and it’s just not a good idea. Your clients don’t want to hear that their horses are demons on hooves, and the truth is no horse deserves this label.

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7 Things Riding Instructors Should Never Say

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1“You aren’t good enough.” Each of your students will have a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Your job is to appreciate your students’ strengths and help them work on their weaknesses, not to tear them down.

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You Tell Me: Automatic Waterers or Water Buckets?

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So You Tell Me: Which do you prefer in the barn, automatic waterers or water buckets? And why?

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Tips for Schooling Students at Horse Shows

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One of the most stressful responsibilities a riding instructor can undertake is schooling students at horse shows. It’s nothing like teaching riding lessons at home, and no matter how carefully you prepare there never seems to be enough time.

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Full Board Versus Partial Board
for the Horse Business

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Diversification is the name of the game in the horse business. The more options you can offer potential clients, the better your chances of scoring new customers. One example of this is offering both full board and partial board.

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Horse Training at
Someone Else’s Facility

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P urchasing an equestrian facility—or buying land and building it yourself—is expensive. Too expensive, in fact, for most start-up equestrian professionals. Unless you’ve won the lottery or inherited a chunk of change from Great Aunt Mabel, you might have to pursue horse training at someone else’s facility.

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Starting a Family-Owned Horse Business

Striking out on your own in the horse business might sound a bit too scary for contemplation, but what if you had a partner? Family-owned horse businesses fair extremely well because of the shared responsibility and creativity, but there are a few landmines you need to watch out for.

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How are You Training Your Horse Business Customers?

Every interaction between a horse business owner and his or her clients is an opportunity. You are communicating something about yourself and your business each time you send an e-mail or initiate a conversation over the water trough. And that information gets filed away in your client’s mind for future reference.

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Should Riding Instructors Let Students Ride Outside Lessons?

E very so often a Riding Instructor University reader sends me a question about his or her horse business. Last week I received the following query from a riding instructor and horse business owner named Kiran, who hails from Minneapolis, MN:

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Reward Riding Lesson Students
with a Schooling Show

R iding lesson students work hard to learn all they can about riding and horsemanship, and many of them either can’t afford or have no desire to compete. A schooling show is an inexpensive, no-pressure way to reward riding lesson students for their loyalty and their hard work.

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Hiring Horse Business Employees
Part Three—The Interview

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Most of us have been on one side of the interview process—in the chair across from the hiring manager—but sitting in the other chair is a whole different ball game. Interviewing potential horse business employees might sound like a cakewalk, but you must treat this process as more than a formality.

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Introducing the Horse Business Glossary

For a while now, I’ve been kicking around different ideas for making your life easier. One of the projects that I finally got off the ground was the horse business glossary, which is an organized list of horse business and equine-related terms organized alphabetically.

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Combining Services in the
Horse Business

One of the latest crazes in the insurance industry is insurance bundles. That is, you purchase your car and homeowner’s insurance from the same company, and you get a discount on both.

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Hiring Horse Business Employees
Part Two—The Application Process

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There are few things in the world more boring than poring through a collection of employee applications, but it must be done. If you want to hire the right professionals for your horse business, the application process is your first opportunity to find gems—and to weed out non-contenders.

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10 Tips for a Successful Riding Lesson

Riding instructors have one basic goal: To please their students. If you can accomplish that, you’re riding heads and tails over your competition. But what makes a successful riding lesson?

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Hiring Horse Business Employees
Part One—The Advertisement

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When trying to attract horse business employees, a strategically-placed advertisement is the best tool in your arsenal. It gives you the freedom to give whatever details you deem appropriate, and if placed properly it exposes your open position to a wide variety of potential employees.

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Space-Savers for Barn Storage

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There never seems to be enough space. By the time you’ve got everything labeled and put away, there’s another crop of junk that needs a home. So how do you make room for barn storage?

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Safety Tips for Horse Trainers

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From breaking colts to bringing performance horses to the next level of competition, there are myriad ways for horse trainers to get hurt. And since the horse business is your source of income—which likely comes without workers’ comp—it is in your best interests to avoid getting hurt.

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Farm Freebies:
Staff Satisfaction Survey form

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Do you know how your staff really feels about you and your management skills? In the horse business, staff satisfaction should rank right up there with equine care and customer service.

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Are You Ready to Become a
Riding Instructor?

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While I would never discourage anyone from becoming part of the horse business in some fashion, no one should ever become a riding instructor unless he or she is prepared for the job. This means having the requisite skills, safety training, and devotion to their students.

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The Number One Way to Make
Students Happy in Riding Lessons

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All riding lessons will not go as planned. Every student experiences a bad day every once in a while, and although this is inevitable, unhappy students may leave your horse business and go somewhere else.

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Keeping Kids Safe at the Barn

We’ve been talking this week about getting to know your riding lesson students, but you also need to know as much as you can about your adult employees and clients. Keeping kids safe at the barn means putting them in a secure, threat-free environment.

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Questions to Ask Your Students

A reader named Lisa left a particularly insightful comment on my article about dealing with hyperactive students. She said, in part:

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Dealing with Aggressive Horsemen
in the Horse Business

You have the right to decide what activities go on at your barn. If a client or employee makes you uncomfortable with his treatment of people or horses, you can ask him to leave. It’s that simple.

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Farm Freebies: Horse Boarding Equine Evaluation Template

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Most horse boarding business owners check out their human clients before allowing them to move in. But what about your equine customers?

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What’s Your Story?

This web site is all about developing a solid horse business and letting it take off. It’s about finding your passion, your reason for living, and making money with your skills. It’s about solving problems and improving solutions, and preventing catastrophe.

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When to Remove a Student from His
Horse in Riding Lessons

Bad behavior, failure to follow direcftions, and injured horses are all reasons to remove a student from his horse in riding lessons. Read on to learn how to handle the situation.

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How to Structure a
Horse Business Payment Policy

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Horse business owners are as entitled to payment as any other entrepreneur. If your clients don’t pay on time—or at all—you cannot continue to offer your services. Everybody loses.

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Farm Freebies: Gift Certificate

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Yesterday we talked about incentives in the horse business, but today I want to take it a step further. You can generate interest in your horse business services without actually offering anything for free.

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The Power of Incentives
in the Horse Business

Everyone enjoys a good incentive now and again. When you go to the grocery store, do you clip coupons for your favorite products? If a restaurant is offering a free drink with your meal, are you more likely to eat there than an establishment where you will have to pay two bucks for a Diet Coke?

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Communication in Horse Training

In response to last week’s article, Why Horse Trainers Shouldn’t Advertise Natural Horsemanship, I received several e-mails accusing me of prejudice against natural horsemanship. I invite you to go back and re-read the article, specifically the last few lines.

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Happy Fourth of July from RIU!

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Yes, yesterday was Independence Day, but since most people get today off in celebration of the holiday, I won’t be publishing a normal article. I just want to leave you with this thought: Our forefathers gave of themselves to ensure our freedom, and for that they are recognized each fourth of July. But let’s not [...]

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Why Horses Trainers Shouldn’t
Advertise Natural Horsemanship

When potential clients call, do you tell them that you practice natural horsemanship in your horse training business? If so, you could be making a huge mistake.

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Horse Business Owners are Salespeople

All horse business owners are salespeople. If you don’t believe me, your business probably isn’t growing the way you’d like it to.

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Are Your Students Too Competitive?

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Competition is healthy—to a point. When students are getting too competitive, it is up to the riding instructor to restore balance. Here’s how.

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Do Your Employees Care?

I mean, really care? Are they concerned about the fate of your horse business? Do they put forth the maximum effort in their quest for extraordinary results?

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Farm Freebies: Riding Instructor Schedule(s)

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You’re short on time, just like the rest of us. Sometimes your days seem overflowing with tasks you can’t possibly complete.

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You Need a Day Off

Everyone deserves a day off. Make it a priority instead of a luxury.

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Why Do Your Students
Want to Ride?

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Motivation is a key aspect of riding instruction. If you want to give your students the best equestrian education possible, you must know why they are interested in horses in the first place.

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Creating a Horse For Sale Video

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If you want to sell a horse, pay careful attention to the video you post online or send to buyers. These tips will help you capture the perfect horse for sale video.

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How to Set a
Horse Training Schedule

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Without a horse training schedule, trainers are inefficient and often confused. Use these tips to earn more money and please more clients.

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Farm Freebies: Horse Business Employee Information

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Farm Freebies offers free templates and forms for horse business owners. This week: Free Horse Business Employee Information Sheet

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What Should
Riding Instructors Wear?

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Riding instructors have to dress for success, but what does that mean when you’re alternating between mucking out stalls and shouting orders from the middle of a dusty arena?

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3 Proven Ways to Get People Talking in the Horse Business

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Worried that your horse business is fading into oblivion? Generate some word of mouth by getting people talking.

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Farm Freebies: Barn Rules

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Farm Freebies offers free templates and forms for horse business owners. This week: Free Barn Rules template.

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Teaching Students to Sit the Trot

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Learn the best methods for riding instructors who are teaching their students to sit the trot.

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Five Easy Tips for Managing
Finances in the Horse Business

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Wallet feeling a little thin? Having trouble balancing the checkbook? Horse business owners can regain control over their finances with these five simple tips.

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Warming Up Your Riders

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In some ways, the warm-up is the most important part of the riding lesson. Riding instructors can use these tips to get more out of their students during warm-ups.

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Farm Freebies: Accident Report Form

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Farm Freebies offers free templates and forms for horse business owners. This week: Free Accident Report Form.

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Interview Questions for
Horse Business Employees

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Stumped on what to ask potential horse business employees during an interview? Here’s your inspiration! We’ve got plenty of sample interview questions for general horse business employees, riding instructors, horse trainers and stable managers.

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Interviews for Horse Business Employees

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Ready to hire horse business employees? Hone your interview skills with these helpful tips you can use before, during and after each interview.

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Do You Need a
Horse Training Assistant?

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A horse training assistant can be very beneficial for the career of a horse trainer. However, you don’t want to jump the gun and hire someone you can’t afford.

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5 Barn Safety Tips You
Can’t Survive Without

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Use these important barn safety tips to keep your stable in order and maintain the security of your horses as well as your clients and their visitors.

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When to Retire Lesson Horses

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Riding instructors must look for signs that their lesson horses are ready to retire. Learn some of these signs and find tips for dealing with school horse retirement.

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Teaching Your Students to
Mount and Dismount

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Learn the best methods of teaching students to mount and dismount their horses in riding lessons.

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How Well Do You Know Your
Horse Business Clients?

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Getting to know the people who support your horse business is a good idea. Follow these tips to get to know your clients on a more personal level.

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Hacking for Horses in Training

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Hacking can be beneficial for horse trainers who work their clients’ horses several times a week. Learn the benefits of hacking and when you should use this tool for your horse business.

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How Often Should You
Clean Stalls?

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It’s a relatively small decision, but it makes a big difference to your horse business. How often should you clean stalls?

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How to Pair Students with
Lesson Horses

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Worried about whether your students will be compatible with their lesson horses? Learn how riding instructors can successfully pair students with school horses for valuable training.

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Why Write a Horse Business Plan?

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Explore the reasons for creating a horse business plan, and who will best benefit from this type of structure.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Products & Services

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Learn how to write the products and services section of your horse business plan.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Management Plan

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Learn how to write the management section of your horse business plan.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Operational Plan

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Learn how to write the operational section of your horse business plan.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Marketing Plan

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Explore marketing solutions for your horse business plan and learn new ways to approach marketing and advertising.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Market Analysis

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Learn how to identify and profile your target consumer for the market analysis of your horse business plan.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Competitive Analysis

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Learn how to analyze the competition in the competitive analysis section of your horse business plan.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
Industry Analysis

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Learn how to write the Industry Analysis from your horse business plan, including what questions to answer and how to design the document.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
The Mission Statement

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The mission statement for your horse business plan boils down your goals, objectives and desires into one simple concept. Learn how to create a mission statement and view samples of mission statements created by other horse business owners.

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Horse Business Plans 101:
The Objective

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When writing a horse business plan, the Objective provides a comprehensive overview of goals. Learn how to establish goals, determine action steps and set methods for quantifying results for your horse business.

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Should Students Prepare Their Own Horses for Riding Lessons?

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Riding instructors can groom and tack up the horses themselves for riding lessons or they can have their students do it. Which is better, and what type of system should riding instructors use?

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Teaching Students to Post on the Correct Diagonal

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Learn how riding instructors can teach their students to post on the correct diagonal through repetition and proper set-up.

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Whose Job Is It?

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In order for a stable to function, there must be organization among employees. Read on to learn how to assign jobs and create job descriptions in the horse business.

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Expectations in Horse Training

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Dealing with unreasonable expectations is one of the downsides of a career in horse training. You can mitigate this particular problem, however, by following these tips.

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The Horse Business Office

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Every horse business needs a barn office. This is where you handle those boring tasks that don’t involve horses, but how do you set it up? Read on for tips.

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Teaching Students Horsemanship

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A riding instructor’s job is to prepare his or her students for horse ownership. Teaching horsemanship is an integral part of achieving this goal.

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Teaching Students to Post the Trot:
Part One

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It is extremely difficult to teach students how to post the trot. Use these tips to prepare your students for the trot and to teach correct technique while posting.

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The Green Horse Farm

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What makes a horse farm green? And how should horse business owners protect their environment while running an equestrian facility? Put in your two cents and learn something while you’re at it.

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Training Horses:
Your Place or Mine?

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Should you run your horse training business from your own facility or travel to your clients? Use these pros and cons to set up your operation and make key decisions.

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Become a Horse Boarding Concierge

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Take your horse boarding business to a new level of service my modeling a concierge. These suggestions will help you attract and retain clients.

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Teaching Students Soft Hands

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Riding instructors should make soft hands a priority for all students. Learn the Pinky Test and other ways to help students develop soft hands.

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Cell Phones for Riding Instructors

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Do you carry a cell phone during riding lessons? If so, you’ve got the right idea, but make sure you aren’t committing these cell phone sins while you’re at it.

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Managing Stable Employees

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How you manage your stable employees will determine your productivity, efficiency and reputation. These stable management techniques will help you keep your employees in line.

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Types of Horse Training

problem horse training

Horse trainers should cultivate a niche for which they are known. Use these tips to identify your horse training specialty before you start your business.

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Horse Boarding Amenities

horse boarding amenities

Step up your game in the horse boarding business by adding amenities that will draw new clients your way and keep existing customers happy. These examples and strategies can be of enormous help in high-competition areas.

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Teaching Students to
Use Their Corners

use your corners

When students understand how to use their corners, they can take advantage of the entire arena and avoid getting into wrecks with other riders.

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10 Fun Activities for
Summer Horse Camp

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Gearing up for summer horse camp? Keep your campers happy and occupied with these tried and true activities.

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What Do Your Students
Wear to Riding Lessons?

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An overview of how riding instructors can set guidelines and enforce rules about riding lesson clothes.

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Q: How do you deal with hyperactive students?

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Every riding instructor has faced a hyperactive student. Which techniques work best? And how do you convince hyper kids to pay attention?

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Are Your Students Ready?

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Your students’ lives are valuable, so you must think carefully before pushing them toward new steps in the learning process. Consider these factors if you think you might be pushing them too hard.

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Why You Must Have
an Indoor Arena

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Considering the installation of an indoor arena at your farm? It’s more important than you might think. Don’t put it off for these reasons.

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Are You Too Friendly
with Your Students?

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Every riding instructor needs to establish professional relationships in the horse business. But what happens when you cross the line into friendships with clients?

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3 Mistakes Every Riding Instructor Should Avoid

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Avoid these mistakes in your riding instruction business and you’ll be far ahead of the curve. But know that you will make mistakes, and resolve to learn from them as they occur.

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Screening Applicants in the
Horse Boarding Business

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Review these tips for screening boarders who might be moving into your barn. This will protect your horse boarding business and ensure a smooth transition.

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The Worst Mistake in the
Horse Boarding Business

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What is the worst mistake you can make in the horse boarding business? And how can you avoid it? This tip will help you maintain the integrity of your business.

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On Whips and Spurs

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All horse business owners have a position on whips, spurs and other artificial aids. Learn how to develop a policy for your business.

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How to Minimize Liability
in the Horse Business

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Horse business owners need to protect themselves and their businesses from legal action. Use these tips to cover your bases and ensure you are legally sound.

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John Lyons
Lyons on Horses

Lyons on Horses

Review of John Lyons’s book LYONS ON HORSES. Learn why I gave John Lyons a shot and how you can use this book to benefit your horse training business.

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Lesson Horse Wellness Check-Ups

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Learn to evaluate your lesson horses on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Checking for problems will protect your beloved school horses as well as your investment.

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Kiss Unpaid Bills Goodbye

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Tired of staring at unpaid invoices? There are ways to collect payment for your horse business that won’t feel sleazy or desperate.

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The Horse Business Guide to
Getting Paid

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Are you tired of waiting three months to get paid? Horse business owners can improve their collection efforts with these tips.

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How to Use Riding Lesson Plans

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Get your free riding lesson plan template and learn how to use it! There is no reason why you can’t get organized and give your students a better riding lesson experience.

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The Book Riding Instructors Can’t Live Without

Learning to Ride, Hunt, and Show

Review of Learn to Ride, Hunt, and Show by Gordon Wright. Learn why this timeless classic is a must-read for riding instructors.

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Organize Your Horse Business
with Riding Lesson Plans

Use this riding lesson plan template to make your riding instruction business stronger, more efficient and more organized. Riding lesson plans are excellent tools for all riding instructors.

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Ten Slam Dunk Ways to
Make Riding Lessons More Fun

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Games, contests and other creative endeavors can spice up riding lessons and ensure students come back for more. These ideas should get you started.

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How Much Money Does a
Riding Instructor Earn?

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Have you ever wondered about riding lesson wages? If you’re thinking of becoming a riding instructor, it might help to understand your income possibilities.

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Age Limits in the Horse Business

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Age is just a number, but it’s a very important number in the horse business. From riding lessons to horse boarding, you can expect to deal with clients of all ages unless you decide to set limits. For example, I never work with students under ten years of age. This might seem extreme for most [...]

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Why Faking It is Dangerous

The world is full of phonies. You’ve got C-list actors who blog about their A-list lives, supposed real estate gurus selling how-to guides for ninety-nine bucks, and eighteen-year-old college students trying to get into night clubs with false identification. What they don’t seem to realize—but will one day discover—is that faking it is dangerous. This [...]

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How to Partner with Other Horse Business Owners

If you’re ready to partner up with other horse business owners, follow these tips to help get everything on the right track.

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Teaming Up
in the Horse Business

Have you considered teaming up with your competitors in the horse business? If so, this might be the perfect time.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Price

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How much should you pay for a lesson horse? This is the question on every riding instructor’s mind, and it can have an enormous impact on the bottom line. After all, the amount of money you pay for lesson horses comes right out of your profits from teaching riding lessons. I hate to be the [...]

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Disposition

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Before buying a lesson horse, make sure his disposition is appropriate for your program. Although not necessarily a deal-breaker, a bad disposition can cause you to lose students.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Vet Check

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An equine vet check is a necessary step in buying a lesson horse. Before you agree to take the horse home and put him to work, have a professional conduct a pre-purchase exam. This is the only way to protect yourself.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Equine History

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Every horse has a history, and you should learn it before buying lesson horses. This will tell you if there are any problems in the animal’s past.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Student Compatibility

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Ready for a bold suggestion on how to evaluate lesson horses? A school horse must be compatible with the students who ride him, at least to a certain degree. This article will help you gauge student compatibility to find the right lesson horses.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Physical Ability

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You never want to buy a lesson horse that doesn’t fit the criteria you need in physical ability. Use these tips to narrow down your search and find the perfect horse.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation:
Behavioral Suitability

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When searching for lesson horses, consider behavioral suitability first. Read on to learn about the fundamentals of ideal lesson horse behavior.

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Lesson Horse Evaluation

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Part One of an eight-part series on lesson horse evaluation. Learn how to choose the best school horses for your horse business.

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Organize the Barn

Clean, declutter and organize the barn for greater productivity and renewed dedication. You’ll feel better about your horse business and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can find what you need.

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When Your Horse Business
Just Isn’t Working

Your horse business has a better chance of succeeding if you fix problems early on. Use these tips to diagnose issues that might be stopping you from achieving your dreams.

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New Year’s Resolutions for
Riding Instructors

Setting new goals for 2010? Consider these New Year’s resolutions for riding instructors and work your way toward a prosperous 2011 and beyond.

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50 Ways to Use Your Horse Business Web Site

If you’re having trouble deciding what to include on your horse business web site, this list will get you started in the right direction.

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Do Riding Instructors Need Web Sites?

Riding instructors and other horse business owners should use the technology available to increase their client bases and improve their businesses.

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20 Rainy Day Activities for Riding Instructors

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Put these twenty ideas for rainy day activities to good use in your riding instruction program.

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Horse Jobs:
Find Your Equestrian Skill

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Use this unique exercise to help you find the perfect horse jobs for your personality and expertise. If you can identify your best equestrian skills, you can find the perfect career path.

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How to Keep Riding Lessons on Schedule

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Check out these tips on how to stay on schedule when you’re teaching riding lessons, regardless of your lesson format.

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How to Communicate with Clients
in Horse Training

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Download your free horse training progress report template and learn how to use it.

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One Easy Way to Earn Trust
in the Horse Business

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Learn the secret to building and maintaining trust with your clients in the horse business. Hint: It’s neither expensive nor time-consuming.

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Where Do Riding Instructors Stand?

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Where riding instructors stand isn’t always as important as their behavior during riding lessons. Keep these tips in mind as you teach your students.

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Customer Service
in the Horse Business

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Tips to improve customer service in your horse business through communication and transparency. Customer service is just as important to equestrian professionals as to other business owners.

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Safety Tips for Teaching
the Fearful Rider

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Learn how to approach timid riders during their riding lessons. Safety should be the top priority for all fearful riders.

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Keeping Students in Line

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Use these tips to keep your students from cross the line with their horses. Riding instructors have an obligation to both set boundaries and to discipline those who step over them.

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What Would Happen If…

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A warning to all riding instructors of the hazards of putting your students in danger. Read this if you want to avoid being held responsible for stupid mistakes in the horse business.

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Helping Your Clients Buy Horses

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Did you know you can make money helping clients buy horses? It isn’t as easy as it sounds, but with these tips you’ll be well on your way to a great new career in the horse business.

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How to Stop Theft at the Barn

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Everyone pays for barn theft, and preventative techniques can save both money and your reputation. Follow these tips to keep your employees, clients and possessions safe from thieves.

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Building Healthy Relationships with Your Students

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When was the last time you connected with your students? Riding instructors can enjoy increased client retention by building healthy relationships with those they teach.

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Should Riding Instructors Yell?

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No one likes to be hollered at, but why do some riding instructors shout? Follow these rules of the road when communicating to your students.

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Conquer the Horse Business

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You need neither tons of money nor buckets of influence to conquer the horse business. All it takes is dedication to your craft.

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