Scale Up Your Horse Business: A Checklist for Success

Horse shows, horse training, lesson barns, or sale horses…whatever business your are running, it needs to to make a profit at the end of the day.

Whether you want to add a couple more clients to your lesson program or to expand your facility’s offerings , there are some best practices to incorporate into your equine business that will make it easier to grow.

Your priority is to focus on changes that  a.) make easy for potential customers to find you, and b.) enable you to handle higher customer volume without higher stress.

We’ve compiled some of our favorite horse business tips below to get you started.

Consider How Potential Customers Will Reach You.
Most potential clients aren’t ready to commit to the personal exchange of phone calls or email until they’ve done some basic research on you.

  1. Invest in a quality website that showcases what you offer AND provides a clear path for potential clients to take action.  If you are a riding instructor, showcase what type of riding you teach. If you are a horse boarding facility, emphasis your amenities and staff caliber.
    A good website will have:
    • Quality photos
      • Hire a photographer to take some great photos of your horse venue and staff.
        Be certain to include clear, recent headshots of you & your core team. Eye contact in photos builds trust in your brand/ business for potential customers.
    • A posted price list for 3-5 of your professional services or products. No one wants to make an awkward phone call to ask you rates.
      • Transparency is a great practice! Better yet, post this pricing list at your facility like a restaurant menu.
    • Links to your business social media pages.
      • Social media is a great complement to your website. It is more personal and provides a behind-the-scenes look at your day-to-day.
    • A contact form that automatically emails you when an inquiry has been submitted.
      • Set up a simple auto-response on website inquiry emails.
        • For example: “Thank you for your inquiry! We’ll get back to you in 2-3 business days”. This will reassure potential clients that their inquiry has been received. Sometimes they may reach out to you while you’re at a multi-day show or in the middle of a jam-packed lesson day.

2. Use a distinct, professional email account for your business

      • This can be as simple as yourbusinessname@gmail.com or hosted by your website such as yourname@yourbusinessname.com

3. Incorporate email marketing in the form of Newsletters or regular announcements about upcoming events.

Email Marketing Best Practices Include:

    • Keep a spreadsheet of your professional contact list.
    • Use an email program like MailChimp, ConstantContact, or iContact. With varied pricing plans (and many perks available free of charge) these programs enable you to schedule emails in advance, customize your formatting, and manage your contacts.
    • Automate opt-ins through a landing page/ lead collection form on your website.
      • You can share this link on social media to enable your followers to subscribe to your business updates.
    • Ensure your email marketing is legally compliant.
      • Include an opt-out / unsubscribe link or instructions.
      • Only use the emails you collect for the purpose collected, and always protect your email list.
    • Use emails as an opportunity to showcase your partners & sponsors to your client base.

Make it Easy for More Customers to Pay You:

  1. Have a Stand-alone bank account for your horse business.
      • Intermingling personal and business funds is a recipe for disaster. At best, the IRS will consider your horse business a “hobby” and disallow legitimate business deductions. At worst, lawsuits may come after your personal assets.

2. Incorporate accountant-friendly ways to accept digital payments from clients. (That means no Venmo, sorry! Venmo is for sharing a round of margaritas, not for running a scalable business.)

      • Set your business up to accept electronic payments through a service like StriderPay™️.  It automatically route funds to your PayPal account with zero merchant fees & will organize all you incoming payments into convenient spreadsheets.
      • Digital payment is especially important If you allow ship-ins to your facility for XC schooling or indoor arena use,


Remember, it should be easy for interested parties to become your clients. Basic digital marketing efforts and the adoption of electronic payment methods will make it easier for you to grow your business and sustain the growth you achieve.

Looking for more great tips for your equine business? Join STRIDER for our popular Equestrian Professional Development Webinar Series. With special guest speakers and the opportunity to have your questions answered during live Q & A sessions, this series is designed to help equine businesses owners level up their operations fast.