Equestrian Business Revenue Tips: XC Schooling

At STRIDER, we are often asked ‘How can I increase my equestrian business’s revenue by offering Cross Country Schooling at my facility?”

If you’re looking to invite riders in your community to XC School at your facility, check out these tips. Using these best practices will help you manage your guests’ experience so that they come back (and bring their friends)!

Capacity

Consider your revenue goals, and the number of horse & rider combinations your facility can accommodate.  Think about whether you would like to have five horses on your XC course per week, or 20 per day each week. How you structure your offer may change depending on those details.

Schooling Options

• Jumping Questions
  • Most riders will haul their horses to facilities that have a range of questions and jump offerings. You will want to have a minimum of 30 jumps, ranging in level from Elementary to Intermediate
  • Ensure that jumps are well- constructed and safe
    • Just starting out, or looking to add a few more options? Questions for all levels can be easily created from logs of varied sizes, ditches, rolltops, tire rolls, and banks.
    • Do you have Training- Intermediate Level questions? Fantastic! Let people know by posting photos on your business’s Social Media Pages.

      

• Footing
  • Efforts to maintain your footing will be noted & appreciated by your guest riders.
  • Consider how long it takes your footing to recover after horses trot and canter around on it following a rainstorm.  Be sure to let riders know about your policy regarding rain/ mud/ etc.
  • Ruts and holes must be marked and addressed quickly. Word of footing that invites accidents can travel quickly!
• Add- Ons
  • Have a Gallop Track or Hill ? Consider offering that as a stand-alone schooling option. Riders often appreciate the opportunity to trailer offsite to condition at an unfamiliar location.  It replicates the show experience well.

Paperwork & Logistics
You’ll need a signed liability release from each rider

• Check with your insurance company that your policy covers such offerings.
• Do you have an easy-to-find / centrally located office where you would like riders to drop off their signed releases? Or, do you trust riders to place paperwork in a box by trailer parking.

A few well-placed signs around your facility make a world of difference! Let the signs serve as Tour Guides so that your busy team doesn’t have to.

• Some that we like to see are: “Trailer Parking” ,  “Office/Check-in”, “Bathroom” ,”XC Warmup” , “Water Jump” , “Lower Field”,  etc

  

Payment:
We’ve all heard horror stories when riders offload, school, and repeatedly “forget” to leave a check.  Sometimes the mistake is genuine, but unfortunately there are times when freeloaders take advantage of your hospitality!

• Discourage no pays with different pricing options 
  • Offer schooling for $35.00 if paid online in advance, and a $10.00 additional fee if paid onsite
• Having folks pre-register and pre-select day(s) and time(s) can make your scheduling so much simpler!
• Are you offering online payments? We recommend PayPal’s Autosweep option which automatically moves funds into your account.

Facility Map

It’s often helpful to have a basic facility map posted online, especially if your facility is tricky to access. Riders need to know which driveway has better trailer access, where to park, and where schooling is permitted.

• Do you have clearly marked paths to access your XC Schooling Options? Would you like to let riders know ahead of time how they should plan to access your jumps?
• Don’t forget to tell riders where the most easily accessible restroom is!
• Freelancers on websites like Fiver and Upwork can convert a google satellite map outline into a black and white map fairly inexpensively for you.
• Have sales horses available? Point out “Sales Horse Row” on your facility map – you never know who is looking for their next equine partner

Trailer Parking

Make sure that you can accommodate trailer traffic at your facility. If you are opening your course up to the public, you may need space for up to 10 trailers at a  time!

• Check that there is plenty of space to easily turn around a large rig.
• Consider whether trailers can come and go with minimal fuss and disruption to your facility’s daily activities. 

If trailer parking is on grass or an unused pasture, make sure to take into account what happens to the ground after a hard rain. Do you have a contingency plan in case someone gets stuck?

Warm Up

Consider where you want riders to warm up.   Ideally, this is a fairly flat area with good footing.  A few adjustable stadium jumps and logs of varying sizes on flat can provide versatile options for all levels.

Wash Stall, Water, & Restroom

The things you use at your facility every day might be the amenities that you forget to mention to a new guest. Remember, you’re selling an educational experience to someone who may not be familiar with you and your team! Make the experience as pleasant as possible by making riders feel welcome even before they arrive.

• Tell riders WHERE the bathroom is located, and clearly post inside any usage restrictions.  It won’t help your business to make $50 off a schooling fee if you have to pay a plumber $600 to unclog the toilet.  
  • We like “Our toilets are as fragile as our horses. Organic waste and toilet paper only please in toilet.  Everything else in the trash bin.”
• Consider whether you want your guests to enter your barn to tack up and/ or hose off their horses. If not, you can easily create an outside wash rack for guests using an old stall mat.
• Be specific as to whether riders should bring their own water for their horses, or if there is drinking water easily accessible on-site

  

Bonuses to Offering XC Schooling at Your Facility:

• Being in touch with riders about all of your XC-schooling related details means you can build a strong email list. An email list lets you engage riders & invite them back for other facility happenings!
  • Consider free accounts on Mailchimp and Zapier to help you with your email endeavors. They even have tools to help you schedule emails in advance so you can save time.
• Need sponsors? Having a large email list and newsletter is a huge value-ad for local and national businesses.

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