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.
I strong>love helping an individual launch a successful horse business. I don’t do this because it makes me rich or because it makes me famous—it does neither. I do it because my story has led me here.
The other day, I was considering my future and what I want to do with the rest of my life. I’ve got a lot on my plate, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work in front of me. Not only do I write articles for this web site and consult with horse business owners, but I’m also hard at work on my first novel, and occasionally I take freelance writing jobs.
I consider shutting down Riding Instructor University on a weekly basis, mostly because I feel guilty for indulging two passions. I love to work with horses and horse people, but I love writing more—and rarely is there enough time in my schedule for both. I compromise often.
But it would be wrong to close the doors of RIU and move on to other things. It would be wrong to deny other people the knowledge that I have amassed over the years, and it would be wrong to close the valve that allows me to stay connected with the horse community.
When I was seventeen I sustained a terrible injury that completely changed the course of my life. Not only did I break my ankle in several places, but the doctors discovered that I broke my ankle because of osteoporosis. Then, a year or so later, I cracked a couple vertebrae in my back.
I take medication for osteoporosis, but another fall from a horse could render me completely immobile. Therefore, riding and competing are out of the running in terms of career choices. I taught for a long time, and now I do this.
The point here is that my story led me to where I am today, just as your story led you to your destination. We all have different histories that make us who we are; my reasons for entering the horse business are entirely different from yours.
Our stories serve to unite and define us, to inform our decisions and to smack us down for our mistakes. I am as much a servant to my story as I am a choreographer.
We talk a lot about the specifics of the horse business here at RIU. I dispense advice about budgets and scheduling and stable management. But the real issue is your story and how it influences your career decisions.
Take the advice you find here and apply it to your own horse business. Disregard the irrelevant information and absorb the relevant. Remember that there is no one right answer, that each of us has to make decisions based on our experiences rather than just the numbers or the facts.
I strongly believe that the horse business is as much about heart as mind. The odds might be stacked against you and you might feel alone. Vulnerable. Helpless. Frustrated. But you can turn any hardship around by applying the very things you’ve learned from horses to the horse business.
Maybe you became a riding instructor because you did not have a strong adult influence in your life as a child, and you want to provide that security to other children. Or perhaps you train horses because you see the potential in all animals and you want to see that potential realized.
What’s your story? What have horses taught you? And where can you go from here?
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About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Chief Equestrian Officer of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. She believes that any horse business can succeed provided its owner practices smart strategy.
