The Equestrian Services Blog

Good Bye 2008.....

2008-12-27T13:29:58-05:00

There is no doubt that many of us are looking forward to putting 2008 to bed. It was a difficult year for so many reasons. While I read many sources for financial and economic forecasts, I am at least beginning to see some common themes. I am beginning to see the bottom somewhere between now and the middle of 2009 with a slow recovery on its way.

From our business perspective, projects are slowly beginning to thaw after being deep in the freezer. If a recovery starts in earnest 2010 and 2011, then planning and design projects will start back up with construction moving through 2010 with product ready to move again in 2011.

We are wishing all our colleagues, associates and friends a Happy & Prosperous New Year.

Successful Management Tips

2008-12-04T09:06:00-05:00

In my many years of managing staff and client relationships, I have learned a few things along the way. In my experience there are two (2) concepts that are paramount to success.

The first is managing expectations. This concept is the foundation which both your staff and client relationships are based upon. This occurs the moment you open your mouth to speak about a job description or a service you provide. To create this foundation for success, one must plan in advance and think through to the future. Nine times out of ten this occurs in an unconscious manner. To run a successful business means you must have good staff relations and good client relations. Preparation is the key to this success. If you make promises or set expectations that you cannot keep, you are doomed for failure. This applies to both staff and clients. Think through the management of a staff member and be realistic in the job description and in your expectations. Have these both conveyed in verbal and written communication. In addition, you must create a process whereby you have measures for your success. Waiting a full year to give feedback in a review of an employee is ineffective. This is also catastrophic in client relationships. Create a forum where you can collect feedback from your clients, collect feedback from your staff and provide direction to your staff – this will allow you to “manage” the relationship and have opportunities to make course corrections all along the way.

The second concept is the art of listening. In this day and age of multitasking, this is a very hard task to master. When you are meeting with an employee or a client, giving them 100% of your undivided attention is a true blessing that will make you a great leader. The practice of listening is a true art form. Notice the word “practice” in relation to the art of listening. Just like meditation, this is a practice. If you are in conversation with a staff member or client and you find your mind is wandering, gently bring yourself back into the "now "– into the present moment and focus on hearing and listening to what is being said. This technique can permeate your entire life and also enhance you personal relationships.

“Listening is an art that when done well delivers tremendous benefits. The goal of listening well is to achieve win-win communication. Win-win communication not only fosters understanding, affirmation, validation and appreciation, but it also creates an atmosphere of trust, honor and respect. When someone truly listens to you, don't you feel special?” – Terry Wildemann

So whenever you are in the presence of another………..just listen. You will be amazed at the transformations that can occur.

If you can master these two techniques, I guarantee you will see immediate results.

Jennifer Donovan

Principal

Equestrian Services, LLC

Equestrian Management, LLC

Giving Thanks This Season

2008-11-12T19:10:00-05:00

I have always been grateful to have horses in my life. My horses and the horses at the barn were my friends when I struggled throughout my school years, they were my buddies and never broke up with me when I got dumped by high school boyfriends or had a relationship drama. When my world got complicated with college, graduate school and becoming an adult, horses were simple and brought me back to my center.

Horses taught me most of the lessons I learned about life and for that I am grateful. They taught me nothing comes without work and that you have to have discipline and focus. They taught me about being a gracious winner and even more important, about being a gracious loser.

I am grateful for my relationships with horses because they center me. Horses can let me know when I am too much into my head, thinking or worrying too much. But when I am happy about other things in my life, they feel happy for me as well. It is true, we can project our feelings onto horses, but the truth is that they project onto us. It is that projection, for me, the horse’s sense of centered, simple calmness that I treasure and am grateful for in this fast paced, crazy world.

Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. People who have the feeling of gratitude are more positive, happier and more healthy. It’s hard to be grateful when there are challenges in our lives, but I have learned through being aware and in the moment, in the NOW, that finding one thing to be grateful for can change your attitude and how you are seeing a situation. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer says, “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”

Being a part of a horse community in this fast paced world is a very special opportunity. It offers a slice of nature, and allows us to step back from our busy electronic lives and reconnect by touching animals, or objects such as horse’s coats and wooden stall doors. Staying connected to ourselves, to our loved ones, to nature and to animals is very important to everyone’s continued mental and physical quality of life.

I am grateful this holiday season for the opportunity to be around horses and to find a place where I can reconnect.

Kristi Seymour
General Manager
Bergen Equestrian Center

Ride Better with an Open Mind

2008-11-11T10:52:00-05:00

Living in North Central Florida (after spending 18 years in West Palm Beach) I noticed that there still is a discipline bias when it comes to different riding styles. So many visitors to The Oaks of Lake City are hesitant to come, ride or sign up for lessons because their child has ridden western, for example, they are afraid that the staff will be prejudice against them and will not teach them enthusiastically. They drive up to The Oaks and see our beautiful 11 acre cross country course and think that if they are not English riders or jumping riders they will not ‘fit in’. Frequently, I will hear potential students or home site buyers describe their riding experience as ‘not that type or riding’, or ‘we just ride western’.

To me, the basic goal of riding a horse is pretty simple…keep one leg on each side of the beast and keep him moving forward and stopping and turning left and right on command. When I got my first horse, she didn’t come with a saddle and my parents told me that I would get one eventually. That didn’t stop me from climbing onto the back of that Quarter Horse bareback (using a fence or rain barrel) with a halter and exploring every arena, every trail that I could find through the woods of Marietta, Georgia.

When I did get to ride in a saddle I really didn’t notice what kind it was, and I didn’t think to ask. Some were flat, some had deep seats, some had a funny thing sticking up in the front (a horn). They all had stirrups and they were all held on by a girth. I learned the parts of the tack lingo later, much later after finally getting a riding lesson.

Now, I am not going to get into the history and science of each discipline (don’t get me started as this is one of my favorite subjects) but I will try and share with you my experiences of riding each discipline (or seat) and let you come to your own conclusions.

Western riding is done in a saddle that has a horn and lots of straps. The idea being that the western rider can strap useful things to the saddle for working with cows (like a riata and hobbles) or carry a bedroll or a water canteen. The western rider usually wears jeans that are tighter and long enough to cover their western boots. Baggy or slouchy jeans are not usually comfortable when riding in this saddle. Riding this seat the rider learns the walk, jog, and lope (which in English is called a walk, trot and canter). Western saddles are also used on gaited horses like Missouri Fox trotters as well.

Hunt Seat riding is done in an English saddle that has flaps that the rider’s knee rests on. The rider’s leg is bent unlike in the western saddle for the purpose of getting higher out of the saddle when jumping over an obstacle. This rider learns the walk, trot, canter and hand gallop (which in western is called the walk, jog, lope, and gallop). The hunt seat rider will wear riding pants and boots that go up to the knee (or boots and half-chaps).

Dressage seat riding is also done in an English saddle that usually has a longer, straighter flap so that the rider’s leg hangs longer underneath the rider (resembling the western rider’s leg position). The rider usually wears tall boots and snug fitting riding pants so that the pants are not bunching up around the rider’s legs. The dressage rider learns walk, trot canter and collected and extended versions of these gaits.

Saddle seat riding is also done in an English saddle that is called a cutback and is relatively flat compared to all the other saddles. This seat is used on horses that have a high stepping or elevated trot. The horses used for learning this seat are usually Saddle breds, Arabians, Morgan horses and gaited horses. These riders usually wear slightly flared long pants (or jodphurs) that cover short boots (jodhpur boots) and have an elastic band that goes down under the riders boots to keep the pant leg of the rider down.

The different disciplines throw in a few new moves that one may have never thought of like spinning, pirouettes , changing canter leads when going a new direction (or not), trotting in place and moving the horse sideways.

All seats are fun to learn given that the horse the student is learning on is a patient and kind teacher (called a school horse or schoolmaster). All kids and adults that are horse crazy should be given the chance to learn each of these different seats. This will give the rider a well rounded education and an even broader love for the different types of horses that exist. The passion born skills for riding evolve out of timing balance and feel. Riding takes very little talent but a lot of hard work (and a lot of practice) to be good at it.

Any good barn manager or horseback riding instructor (and the workers in a training/boarding barn) should also have an appreciation and working knowledge for the different seats used to ride different styles and breeds of horses. Some barns or training centers specialize in one seat or type of riding, while other’s embrace all disciplines of riding. A true lover of horses should also be open to learning all disciplines and should appreciate every breed of horse.

Shelley Van den Neste
General Manager and Riding Director
The Oaks Equestrian Center - an O'Connor Signature Facility

A Weekend with Walter Zettl

2008-11-06T17:08:00-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to host Walter Zettl and his wife, Heide, at my home, while he was being hosted by The Oaks of Lake Cityfor the first annual Walter Zettl clinic on October 18-20, 2008. This was our first clinic at The O'Connor Signature at The Oaks Equestrian Center, since we had just had our Grand Opening the weekend before.

I took the opportunity to interview Walter during those evenings to get his thoughts on this equestrian facility.

Shelley Van den Neste: What is your overall impression of The Oaks?

Walter Zettl: It is spectacular!

What is your impression of the riders participating in the clinic?

All of the riders tried very hard to get their horses in harmony with themselves. They all tried to get the horse obedient without any force, and they were all nicely dressed with polished boots and clean horses.

When I was 16, I was grooming horses in the barn (every day) - eight horses, from basic level horses to Grand Prix in dressage and jumping. I had to clean each horse, saddle, bridle and pads, so that at any time, I could go to the show. I also cleaned the box stalls and aisles, so that I was always ready for inspections that came without warning. Sometimes, another trainer would come behind us and put a piece of straw into the horse's tail, which had been carefully combed out, and if the trainer came into the arena and saw this, the rider would get the night-shift. So, every one of the workers tried to have the cleanest horses so they didn't have to take the night shift.

You were never late. If you were punctual, then you were 15 minutes late already.

Does the Oaks facility lend itself to teaching a top clinic?

Absolutely! It is a well-thought-out facility; the footing is super and springy without being too deep, very horse-friendly. One has the ability to train horses in both cross-country and pleasure riding. For every type of riding, the facility is super: for dressage, three-day eventing, or pleasure riding, and there are many wonderful trails.

Was there a professional approach to the clinic by the staff, the administration and the facility?

They were professional and very helpful to me; the spectators and everyone else could feel at home. Everything was very clean, including the barn, the viewing lounge, the office and the wash rooms. You can see how well the facility is managed in the smallest details.

Would you like to return to give another clinic?

For every clinician coming to this place, it would be an honor and a pleasure. Yes, absolutely... Let's pick a date when we are through!

What would you change if you could?

I would add circle points to the dressage arena (or markers to show the take-off and the landing at each letter). I would also like to see in this wonderful place "the prayer of the horse" on the barn's wall - everyone should be able to see and read it.

During the clinic, I took the following notes from Walter during 16 hours of auditing:

Be playful with the horse. For example, when we first started cantering, we would take the short side and ask two one-tempis to do something on the short side, since nothing ever happens there. We cantered a large serpentine over the rails of the dressage arena, and then we asked for a flying change on the shallow serpentine over the long rail to get the hind leg more suspension (or the suspension gets a little higher). All these playful elements help keep the horses sharp.

He made the students take up the reins *carefully*, and then sometimes asked them to do canter or half-step trot right away; the point of this being that when the reins are taken up, the hind leg should be engaged enough to do anything out of the walk (like turn on the haunches, canter, rein back, take half-steps in trot - anything!
Always read his book (especially know the exercises) before riding with him.
One of the directions that Walter repeated over and over is that the riders' leg aids should be invisible, so the rider must find out how little she has to do to make the leg aid effective, and always turn the toes in because a lot of riders have their heels on the horse, putting the spur more on than off.
Make hundreds of transitions during the lesson, such as: walk-trot-walk, walk-halt-walk, walk-canter-walk, canter-halt (only two or three steps), walk-halt-rein back, and rein back-half-step forward. This will help the rider to always think about getting the hind leg active in between.
Be sure that when the horse is stopped, he stays long and quiet while the rider does nothing.
Ride up in heaven - not down below earth. A Chinese proverb reads, "Rider and horse should always strive to get in harmony." Learning is like rowing against the current; when you stop rowing, you go backwards.

Shelley Van den Neste
GM and Riding Director
O'Connor Signature at The Oaks Equestrian Center, Lake City, Florida

Shocking Truth About Equestrian Communities

2008-10-22T14:40:00-05:00

We keep an internal data base on equestrian communities and have travelled far and wide and toured some of the most pretigious ones in the country. Here is the shocking news......besides our own Inagural O'Connor Signature at The Oaks, we have not found ONE equestrian community who got it right!

We have found some that were planned well, and even designed well.....but EVERY single one of them have missed the most important piece of the puzzle. How to create a sustainable financial model!!

The brutal truth that no one seemed to consider is that the equestrian facility will loose money. It will always loose money. Many developers have made the choice to own the facility seperately. They were successful in attracting buyers and selling real estate, but now that they have sold all their real estate they are struggling with the monthly deficit they are paying out from their own pocket. Either they will continue to pay, or they will push the facility onto the folks who ride there, or they will bankrupt the entity and close it down eventually and there goes your equestrian lifestyle!

Horses attract buyers. This is a fact. Many of those buyers are what we call passive enthusiasts - they do not actively ride, but enjoy seeing the horses, enjoy the open space, and generally enjoy the idea of the lifestyle. In order to create a sustainable financial model, EVERYONE needs to help pay for the equestrian component. Generally is it considered "open space" or "common area" in our CCRs. You still collect revenues for services provided, but everyone helps pay for the horses to be there. Otherwise....it won't work! We are going to visit a community that has over 1,000 residences. Less than 80 decided to join the equestrian club and they are not assessed monthly dues. They are loosing a lot of money every month and they will have no choice but to decrease services and cut corners. Everything will eventually go downhill from there...If each one of the 1,000 residents chipped in $20.00/month everything would be fine and dandy. We would argue that everyone benefits from the horses being there - so everyone should help pay.....otherwise it won't work.

If you are a developer - heed our words. If you are a potential buyer - get the facts!!

If you know of any community that has an equestrian facility that is being subsidized by a Home Owner's Assessment and/or a true Membership Club Model with a Membership Initiation and annual or monthly dues - please let me know.

Jennifer K. Donovan, Principal, Equestrian Services, LLC

500 attend O'Connor Signature Launch

2008-10-14T19:22:00-05:00

The day was perfect. The red carpet was out and 500 people gathered to learn more about this exceptional project. We had many equestrian demonstrations from dressage musical freestyles, to World Championship Reiners, to the famous Gypsy Vanners, to hunter/jumpers to four-in hand driving by the World Silver medalist Chester Weber.

The day went off without a hitch. The EQSV team worked hard on this event (starting back in June) to market, invite, coordinate, create the buzz, and then actually be on hand to serve as Welcome Ambassadors. Michele, Kisti and Lindsey rode horses and welcomed everyone as they came in the community. Gary and Michael were on hand to answer questions about the property, and to keep on eye on the Olympic Medals David and Karen O'Connor brought for display. Alex worked her magic by being ring steward and Ambassador to all the demo riders. Shelley performed her musical freestyle. Mandy, Deb and Deena raced around caring for all the horses. I myself attended to David & Karen O'Connor by making sure they were not mobbed by folks who lined up for autographs.

We were very pleased by everyone's reaction. Everyone I spoke to said "they have never seen anything like this before." And the demo riders and vendors said "we have never been treated so well before... thank you so much."

Folks lined up with the developer to tour lots for sale. Many more requested information and asked to be placed on our mailing list.

Now full turn key management is in place, the facilities are open for business, and we move into the next phase. Onwards and upwards to launching the second O'Connor Signature.

Come Experience the O'Connor Difference!

Jennifer Donovan, Principal

The Grand Opening of the First Branded Equestrian Amenity in the World

2008-10-08T17:21:00-05:00

As I am preparing to travel from Virginia to Lake City, Florida, I am filled with anticipation. Five years ago I had a revelatory conversation with David Light, Editor of Farm & Ranch Magazine and friend. David was the one that compared the potential of the equestrian amenity to the golf model. If people would purchase real estate to live next to a golf course, surely they would purchase real estate to look at beautfiul pastures with grazing horses. It was a brilliant concept! We noted that many developers were doing it - but many were doing it incorrectly. We talked and created the concept and David gave me permission to run with it. And run with it I did.

The inaugural O'Connor Signature is complete with a big Grand opening celebration on this Saturday, October 11th. All the facilities are complete and the hospitality style staff is in place and horses are in the barn. On Saturday we celebrate the beginning that marks a change in the equestrian industry. We have created a standard never before seen in the equestrian world. A model that improves conditions for the horses, creates wonderful working conditions for our staff that translates to loyalty and continuity, a sustainable financial model for the developer and ultimately the Home Owner's Association, a brand that has international recognition and speaks to instant authentiity and credibility, assurance to home buyers for continuity of service with Olympic level horse care all in a friendly welcoming hospitality style environment.

Stay tuned.........the next Signature property is currently in development. One day we'll be like the Jack Nicklaus and the Gary Players of the world!

Jennifer Donovan, Co-Founder, Equestrian Services, LLC

The Importance of Lesson Horse and Tack Selection:

2008-09-30T14:03:00-05:00

Wow! After evaluating twenty-some lesson horses in less than two days, and after reviewing the importance of tack fit for lessons horses, I thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the lessons learned from this kind of exercise.

We recently started turn-key management of the Bergen Equestrian Center, located in Leonia, NJ, and I had the pleasure of conducting a lesson horse and tack evaluation staff training session at the Center. The staff were great, putting in long hours and helping get through the evaluations with great enthusiasm and a deep love for the horses. It was so rewarding to receive comments from the staff about how being advocates for the horse is so important....yes, clients make our facilities possible and providing them with an excellent experience is our focus, but we are all there because we love the horses! And lesson horses are such amazing, generous creatures...

Lesson 1: Temperament and disposition are very important and we all know that; a willing, calm and friendly attitude goes a long way! But, it’s not enough; the lesson horse must also be a versatile, healthy mount with a low, long-term price tag.

Lesson 2: Training in different disciplines and levels makes a lesson horse more versatile and therefore better able to make money for the facility by serving several different sectors of the market.

Lesson 3: Even if a lesson horse has good temperament and training, he still needs to be healthy and have the right conformation for the job. Health is important in terms of the bottom line because a lesson horse with a high monthly vet/care bill may be taking on a full work load but if he costs more to keep healthy than he makes, then he loses the facility money. And conformation matters because if we tax a horse's body beyond its capabilities we will cause health problems and break down. We owe the lesson horse the right start in terms of health: only horses with the right age and conformation to do the job required should be selected for lesson programs.

Lesson 4: Tack selection for lesson horses is also important and frequently not taken into consideration. When it comes to the health and price-tag of a lesson horse, tack can tip the balance. The wrong size and type of bit can hurt a horse’s mouth and cause riding issues, and bad saddle fit is the number one cause for back pain in horses. It can lead to soundness issues, dangerous reactions to the pain that are frequently mistaken for misbehavior and treated as such, etc. Some saddle brands and designs fit some breeds, sizes and/or types of horses better than others so a horse's final purchase price is dependent on the price of the tack he will need.

I will write more about this issue for the next Equestrian Services newsletter so please check in again for that. In the meantime, more lessons will arise as we continue our evaluations and trainings and I will share them as we go...and I welcome lessons learned from others! That is the beauty of the horse world; we learn something new every day!

- Alex Abella, Director, Equestrian Management

The Trainer - Client Relationship

2008-09-15T19:49:00-05:00

Equestrian trainers and instructors are in the helping profession. In any helping profession, the knowledgeable person who is being paid for his or her service is in the power position. In the equestrian industry this relationship often times is blurred and compounded by the trainer's intimate involvement with their client's emotions, hopes, dreams, and their desire to achieve a goal. Many times these relationship's turn confusing because they turn into friendships. In this relationship there is money paid from a client to a trainer or instructor for a service. As a result, the trainer-client relationship is an unequal power relationship. An equestrian trainer or instructor has the information and skill set that the client wants and needs and it is important for trainers to see this role differential and act accordingly.

Boundaries

Boundaries are mutually understood, unspoken physical and emotional limits of the professional relationship between a professional and a client. When these limits are altered or blurred, the relationship becomes ambiguous. Unethical conduct and other unprofessional behaviors may occur. Professional boundaries are the "limits that protect the space between the professional’s power and the client’s vulnerability”.

What is a Fiduciary Relationship?

This is a special relationship in which one person accepts the trust and the confidence of another to act in the latter’s best interest. Parties are not on equal terms and the fiduciary act must be met with good faith and for the benefit of the dependent party. Whenever trust and confidence is placed in your hands as a professional, you must honor and respect that and have the utmost awareness of the power differential. You have created a fiduciary relationship.

Boundary Violations

A boundary violation may occur any time the professional relationship becomes blurred and the trainer puts his or her needs in front of what is best for their client. When a trainer uses his/her power over a client for a tangible or intangible benefit or gain, he or she is committing a boundary violation.

The trainer is in the position of power and knowledge. This makes the relationship quite uneven and the trainer must always be in control of the emotional elements of the relationship.

A decision concerning a boundary violations can be evaluated based on the ethical premises of:

Beneficence -- the likelihood that it will do good
Non-malfeasance -- the likelihood that it will not cause harm
Client autonomy -- the likelihood that it will foster client independence
Fidelity -- the degree to which it reflects what was promised and is true to the articulated goals of the professional service

The professional relationship represents a fiduciary contract -- that is, an agreement between non-equals in which one person has more power, and therefore more responsibility. Thus, while both have duties and responsibilities, it is the trainer or instructor who has greater duties and responsibilities. The trainer is responsible for establishing the boundaries of the trainer-client relationship and is accountable for his/her own behavior, regardless of whether any harm was intended.

A very prevalent example in the equestrian industry that is quite "standard" is a trainer that sells horses to their clients and makes a sales commission off the sale of the horse. This is an example of a conflict of interest. What is to prevent the trainer from suggesting the client buy a very expensive horse when they really only need an uncomplicated less expensive horse? The higher the price tag, the more money the trainer makes. A great alternative is for the trainer to estimate how much of his or her time it will take to find a horse for a client, calculate the hours and multiply it by their hourly rate. It would be quite reasonable to charge a flat fee for locating a horse. So now the trainer is paid for their time, and they get the same fee if they sell a $5,000 horse to their client or a $50,000 horse. This has now removed the conflict of interest and removed the tendency to want to up-sell their client for monetary gain.

This issue is rampant within the equestrian industry. By identifying and addressing the issue, we strive to eliminate these scenarios through increased awareness, education and modeling.

At Equestrian Professionals, Inc., we teach professionalism and model high ethical standards as an example throughout our organization.

I am interested if anyone can identify other examples of unethical behavior in the equestrian industry. I'd love to hear from you.

Kristi Seymour, General Manager
Bergen Equestrian Center - Managed by Equestrian Professionals, Inc.

Who Will Manage your Equestrian Amenity?

2008-09-08T11:45:16-05:00

In the past, developers had only two options for running their equestrian facilities. The first was to hire their own employees. Many developers are not horse people so this option often is problamatic. How would you know if the Barn Manager knew what he or she was doing? When you don't know yourself?

In addition most Home Owner Associations are not set up to run payroll - they are set up for contract vendors.

The second option was to lease the facility to an outside operator.

Below I examine some current beliefs....

"I can lease out the facility to an operator or concessionaire and my facility will operate effectively. "

Fact: This is possible, but there are a couple of reasons as to why it is unlikely. First, there is a revenue shortfall in virtually all equestrian business models; that is why no big businesses feature a “line” of equestrian riding and boarding facilities. Most people get into horses because they love horses – not because they expect to get rich. And many of those people work with horses because they relate more effectively to horses than to people. Passion often overrides business sense. Without some form of subsidy, sooner or later your operator will realize they are coming up short, and some part of your program or facility operations will start to suffer – which will put your investment at risk. Second, many concessionaires are effectively sole proprietors. What happens if your operator is unable to work for an extended period or has to leave the area? What is the contingency plan to care for that barn full of horses?

When you work with an outside operator, here are some things to consider:

Do they have all of the necessary insurance? Liability? Care, Custody & Control? Workers Comp? Can they even get liability insurance? Many insurance companies will no longer insure HOA-owned equestrian facilities.
What credentials do they have? Certifications? Education? CPR? First Aid? Do they bring systems and protocols?
What is the motivation for this operator to cater to the needs of your community? Chances are there are none. Their sole motivation will be to make enough money to survive. There is much less value to you and your residents in this model.
Will they fund a capital replacement fund? Do they care about the facility if they do not own it? Again, since there is no money, they can’t afford to.
Understanding there is no money in this business, what corners are they cutting? Generally the corners that are cut involve staffing. Overworking and underpaying –this leads to inconsistent care and, ultimately, a hostile working environment that affects your residents, members and guests.
How will your residents provide feedback? And who is ultimately accountable? Generally, in this business, the buck stops with the trainer or, perhaps, the barn manager. What protocols will be in place if the residents are unhappy?

Helpful Hint: We believe success is created through a holistic, sustainable approach – that the needs of the developer, stakeholders, horses, employees and, most importantly, our customers are met from day one, all the way out to 10 or 20 years down the road. The only equestrian model that works and is sustainable is one that operates within a community, resort or a municipality – where everyone shares the cost and the benefits.

Continuity of service is paramount to success. Equestrian Management, LLC is the first professional equestrian management company in the world. We can make it work.

Beautiful Pastures

2008-08-26T20:52:00-05:00

Maintaining Great Pasture

Finally it's the grass growing season again (fall) and chances are your horses are rolling around in the dust . Having super dry pastures in late summer are an inevitable part of late summer. If you want to maintain great looking pastures as well as good forage for your horses you'll need to institute a pasture resting program. Proper care -- resting and rotating -- of your pastures should be a maintenance priority for your farm.

Creating a Sacrifice Area

This is probably the single most important thing you can do to help maintain your pastures. When your pastures are dry and the grass is brown and crispy - you may be well on your way to dust which eventually turns to mud when the rains come. Turning your horses out on these fields will be detrimental to recovery. Once you have created mud or dust and torn up the turf, you have very little chance in getting grass to grow back and you may have invited some serious erosion problems.

A sacrifice area is an area of pasture that is designated for turn out when the ground is wet or the ground is super dry. This paddock area (if it has grass now will not have grass for very long) by design will have a dirt surface or an engineered surface created out of blue stone. Horses are turned out in the sacrifice area until the ground in the other pastures has stablized enough to sustain horse traffic.

The location of your sacrifice area should be convenient to the barn and hidden from view as much as possible or screened with landscaping because it will not be very attractive.

Dividing Pasture

The second most important factor to maintaining great looking pastures is to split your pastures from one large one into three to four smaller ones. Rotating and resting your fields will go a long way to helping the grass to regenerate. In good growing conditions, fields can regenerate in two to three weeks time.

Mowing

Most people think there is no need to mow fields because the horses do the mowing. This is an often misunderstood concept. Your best defense against weeds is consistent mowing. Your pastures should be mowed several times throughout the growing season to a height of six to eight inches (six inches being better). Mowing will reduce the weeds and improve the grass stand.

Herbicides, Seeding & Fertilizing, Liming

Often it will take an aggressive act to eradicate the weeds and spraying a broad leaf herbicide may be your best bet. Talk with your local farm extension or state university, sometimes they will offer guidance and assistance free of charge. Soil samples should be taken and analyzed before applying fertilizer, and/or lime. You will want to get your soils in balance before you do any seeding.

- The Equestrian Services Team

Running a Successful Equestrian Facility

2008-08-21T18:57:00-05:00

Have you ever wondered why large, successful businesses that own horses aren't in the business of serving equestrians? Companies like Budweiser, Mars Candy and Campbell Soup - all of these companies own large horse farms and have a history of horse ownership. Why aren't they owning and running equestrian centers as a business? Why?

Because there is no money in the equestrian facility business model.

There's an old joke in the equine industry that says "What's the best way to make a small fortune in horses?" The answer? - "Start out with a large fortune." It's long been an accepted idea that businesses in the horse industry are not run like other businesses - they are emotionally driven instead of economically driven. Many of the people running these enterprises have shunned the business world. They have, in fact, avoided dealing with people by working with animals instead. These factors have lead to a variety of problems in the industry. Many of these businesses are not financially sound, and the "isolation" of barn operators fosters an "old school" mentality which resists change.

The "old school" mentality of barn operation consistently overlooks or under appreciates four main components of running a successful equestrian business: (1) you must fully embrace the idea that this really is a business you are running and you must be realistic in your economic expectations (2) your success is integrally linked to customer service - this is a service based industry so you will have to learn how to serve clients (3) you must have a business plan - this will help you have a clearly defined vision of what your services are as well as a detailed look at your competition and (4) you will need a solid operational budget detailing your revenue projections as well as your overhead costs.

If you have accurate data, realistic economic expectations and plan properly, you won't end up with a mortgage or expenses you can't cover each month. Just because you could run a robust lesson program at 100% capacity doesn't mean that it will ever happen - especially during holidays and during cold winter months. Be conservative with your revenues, plan your budget based on 70% capacity during warmer seasons and as little as 40% capacity during the cold winter months. Also be liberal with your capital expenditure numbers. Often if you call a supplier and get a quote on an indoor arena, the price you are quoted may seem reasonable. However, you haven't budgeted for site work, pad preparation and the number that was given to you doesn't include anything - no kick wall, lights, garage-style doors, man doors, irrigation, base preparation, seating or footing costs. Once you really add up all the numbers, you may be shocked that the true costs is twice what you expected and budgeted for.

The devil is in the details......so make sure you really do your homework. Call other local facilities and ask if they can tell you what they are paying for water or electricity, or insurance - they may have data that can paint a realistic picture.

Success can be found in managing expectations... yours, your clients' and your bankers'.

The Importance of Quarantine

2008-08-14T20:21:00-05:00

Illness is a fact of life for all living beings and, to horse-owners, an illness that attacks our herd might as well be attacking our family. We dread it and fret over it, and yet few of us prepare for its eventuality as properly as we should. It may be because of the “it won’t happen to me” syndrome, or perhaps it is the added expense and land allocation that stop us, but the truth is this should be our slogan: Have Horses, Must Quarantine.

With the Equine Herpes Virus attacks that afflicted several riding and track operations in the U.S. last year and in the beginning of 2006, and the worries about new viruses threatening both animal and human populations --such as the infamous Bird Flu-- this is a timely issue to tackle. Biosecurity requires a three-pronged approach:

Vaccinate regularly
Do not introduce new diseases
Do not allow transmission of existing disease

All three are important management strategies, and a quarantine area can help you with at least two of them.

Proactive Quarantine Areas

We all know quarantine areas as the place where sick horses are segregated, hence preventing the spread of disease. However, they are not only for horses that are ill. In fact, their most important role is that of protector from illness, separating newly arrived horses from the regular equine residents and preventing the introduction of new diseases. The quarantine area can be your knight in shining armor, riding in just in time to save your horses. But in order for it to be effective, it must be prepared for battle before illness strikes.

A quarantine area need not be an ugly, unsightly component of your farm. It can be a cute little stall or run-in shed with a sweet little paddock or turn-out area of its own, but it does need to be at least 300 yards from your central facility and from contact with your main herd. This is because air-borne illnesses and infected insects tend not to travel beyond the 300 yard boundary. If you have ample availability of land you may even want to go beyond that distance (up to 2 miles is best!), but make sure that the distance involved in feeding and caring for a quarantined horse doesn’t also cause a management nightmare. Having to feed and clean two separate locations can affect your bottom line in terms of labor hours, or if you are the main caretaker for you horses, it can become an additional burden, so location planning is key. And this brings us to the next point: efficiency.

Efficient Quarantine Areas

Like with all other elements of your equestrian facility, planning is possibly the most important aspect of your quarantine area. Planning will help you correctly locate the quarantine area within your property so that it is not only effective, but also efficient.

So let’s look to the purpose of a quarantine area for answers on planning for it. What does the quarantine area do? First, it segregates sick horses from the rest of the herd so that, at the very first sign of illness, the disease can be contained as much as possible. Second, it separates newly arrived horses from the herd so that, should there be latent disease in the newly arrived horse, the regular residents are not infected.

Now, how does the quarantine area do what it does? It segregates through distance, but it also needs time to be effective: 14 to 21 days of quarantine are usually sufficient for a concealed disease to emerge as symptoms in a new equine resident. Then, once a disease has manifested itself, your vet (and sometimes the State vet, if the condition is highly contagious) will tell you for how long the horse or horses must be quarantined. In addition, you may be instructed to handle sick horses with rubber or disposable gloves and/or change clothes and shoes between handling of sick and healthy horses, so that you don’t transport contagion on your person. Needless to say, the sick horse’s buckets, grooming tools, blankets…they all must be segregated from your healthy horses.

Therein is the importance of planning: time and distance will determine the success of your quarantine area and, by extension, of your operation during a crisis. You will want your quarantine area to be at a certain distance, and yet easily accessible and manageable. If you must change clothes between the quarantine area and your main barn, you may want the quarantine area to be on your way out, so that you only have to change once and so that the last contact you have before going home to shower was contact with the quarantined horse/s. Quarantine clothes and shoes may even need to “live” at the quarantined area, so plan for even a small storage space. You will also want to have access to water, electricity and all the comforts of an equine home, so planning for your quarantine area must be done in unison with planning for your water access routes and electrical work. Think of direct outlets, because x-ray machines sometimes require direct contact to an electrical source, rather than through an extension cord, and you may have to clip areas of your horse’s coat for veterinary interventions. A quarantined horse may have to be off pasture, so planning for a dry turn-out area is essential.

The health of your horses may well depend on having an assigned quarantine area and facility, and it may save the health of your operation as well. The cost of having to plan, design and build one may seem unnecessary to you at first but, believe me, disease can happen to any of us and it is better to be safe than sorry. And the first time you lose an irreplaceable horse (and aren’t they all?) the cost of that quarantine area will seem insignificant in comparison. Better to be safe; don’t be caught thinking “what if….”

Alex Abella, Director Equestrian Management, LLC

Development Tip

2008-08-08T13:02:12-05:00

Designing and constructing any amenity is costly. Unfortunately, with most amenities, developers do not have the luxury of building the amenity in stages over time to stagger up-front expenses. You can’t build only three holes of a golf course at one time, or build half of a swimming pool – it’s all or nothing.

But for developers tapping into an exploding market such as horseback riding, where demand is continually increasing and sometimes hard to gauge, staging construction of the amenity is usually a viable and wise option. Staging an equestrian amenity allows the developer not only to spread the construction costs over time, but it also ensures that the amenity is not overbuilt (a waste of money) or underbuilt (a sales buster).

Although trails need to be built early in the development process due to their impact on the site design, equestrian recreation areas such as arenas, cross county courses, round pens and rings can easily be staged throughout the development process as sales occur and income is generated. Likewise, an experienced equestrian planner and designer can design the barn or barns in such a way that the construction of stalls is staged to meet demand. This ensures that a developer is not stuck with expensive stalls which sit empty, but more importantly, it enables the developer to remain agile in the sales process by continually meeting the demand of equestrian buyers. We have seen seasoned developers have to turn away qualified equestrian buyers because the developer did not plan for enough stalls to satisfy market demand.

This is just one of the many advantages of an equestrian amenity, but it is a benefit that must be carefully planned for and executed. When done right, a staged equestrian amenity has a very positive impact on a project’s return on investment.

Designing and Operating a Successful Equestrian Facility:

2008-08-04T08:48:00-05:00

Horses appeal to many people for many different reasons. For some, it is their sheer magnitude, presence and beauty. For others, it is the pursuit of the interconnectedness (becoming one with the horse) that is possible through riding. For still others, horses represent natural open space with minimal human manipulation. Horses, open meadows, woodsy bridle paths-all these images remind us of our connection to the earth and to the web of life.

Whether the private individual desiring to bring their horses home or a resort or community looking to create an equestrian amenity, the programming phase is an essential first step to designing and operating a successful equestrian facility. Many can design a barn (this is actually the easy part), the complex and key component to success is understanding precisely what the barn and any associated facilities are to achieve. This is programming. Effectively and accurately developing a program that meets a client's individual goals, produces valuable results including i) the remainder of the design process to proceed more directly and with fewer iterations ii) construction to proceed with fewer changes and iii) the establishment of a well-defined framework for operations from the design phase. This adds value by reducing both the time and cost of the overall project.

Horses in Distress: Preparing for Nature's Wrath

2008-07-30T07:20:00-05:00

It is that time of year again, when we should consider how to prepare for a Hurricane.

Regardless of whether you stay or evacuate, start early to clean up your property and remove all debris that may be tossed around by hurricane winds. If you plan to weather the storm at home, here are some guidelines:

The choice of keeping your horse in a barn or an open field is entirely up to you. Use common sense, taking into consideration barn structure, trees, power lines, and the condition of surrounding properties.
Remove all items from the barn aisles and walls, and store them in a safe place.
Have two weeks supply of hay (wrapped in plastic or waterproof tarp) and feed (stored in plastic water-tight containers). Place these supplies in the highest and driest area possible.
Take two plywood boards and spray paint on one side of each board, "HAVE ANIMALS, NEED HELP." On the other side of each board paint, "HAVE ANIMALS, AM OK FOR NOW." Put both plywood boards with your feed supply.
Fill clean plastic garbage cans with water, secure the tops, and place them in the barn.
Prepare an emergency animal care kit (waterproof) with all the items you normally use: medications, salves, ointments, vetwraps, bandages, tape, etc. Place the kit in a safe place where you can get to it after a storm.
Have an emergency barn kit containing a chain saw and fuel, hammers, a saw, nails, screws and fencing materials. Place this kit in a secure area before the storm hits.
Have an ample supply of flashlights and batteries, and at least one battery-operated radio.
Using camper tie-downs, secure all vehicles, trailers and maintenance equipment.
Notify neighbors where you will be during the storm.
Before leaving the barn, attach identification to all horses.
Turn off circuit breakers to the barn before leaving. A power surge could cause sparks and fire.
Do not stay in the barn with your horse during the storm.
Place a supply of water and hay with each horse.

Remember, trees could be down blocking roads, and you may not be able to return to the barn immediately following the storm. Leave two buckets of water in your horse's stall.

Vaccinations

The very first thing to do and in many ways the most important is make sure your horse is up-to-date with a tetanus booster and has had a vaccination for encephalitis, commonly known as sleeping sickness. This disease is carried by mosquitoes and the height of infection is July and August, just when storm, hurricane and flood season is at its height.

This disease can kill both humans and horses, and should not be taken lightly. Horses should be vaccinated at least every six months, but most large stables do this every four months. See your personal veterinarian for details.

Neighborhood Disaster Committees

Most horse owners live in horse communities. Contact your neighbors long before hurricane season, and organize your own neighborhood disaster committee. Schedule meetings at which horse owners discuss who has what in the way of equipment, concrete barns, flood areas, etc., and explore ways in which neighbors can help neighbors to accomplish a great deal. Contact your county animal disaster team and they will be glad to help you form such a committee.

Animal Identification

After Hurricane Andrew, 80% of the horses found carried no identification. This made the job of reuniting animals and owners much more difficult. Veterans of that storm compiled a list of suggestions to help ensure that your animal can be identified in the confusion that follows a hurricane. The following list includes a variety of alternatives from which you can choose:

Take a picture of your horse with a family member in the photo as well. Then staple a copy of your coggins test to the picture, along with other information such as tattoos, microchip ID, special scars and any other permanent identification. Place all these items in a zip-lock bag, and keep them in a safe place where you can get to them after a hurricane.
Purchase fetlock ID bands and place them on both front feet before a hurricane hits.
Put a leather halter on your horse with a luggage tag attached showing the horse's address, phone number and owner's name and any medication information. Write any special needs on an index card; place this inside a small zip-lock bag, and wrap it around the side of the halter with tape.
Take a second luggage tag with the same information and braid it into the horse's tail hair. (Caution: Do NOT tie the tag around the tail; this would cut off circulation.)
Neck ID bands with the same information can also be used. Check with your local tack store.
Using small animal clippers, body clip the same phone number your horse's neck.
A permanent method of identification is Freeze Branding. For further information on this option, check out: www.horseweb.com/kka
Do not put a copy of the horse's coggins test on the horse. Animal Rescue may not be the ones to find your horse. A coggins test is a passport out of state and, as we learned from Andrew, not everyone is honest.

One of the goals of Animal Rescue is to find loose horses and get them reunited with the owners as soon as possible. These suggestions will help tremendously. Remember, you cannot have too much identification with your horse.

If you plan to evacuate in the event of a storm, have a destination and routes thought out well in advance. January, February and March would be good months to do this. Plan to leave 48 hours before the arrival of the storm. The worst thing that can happen to you is to get stuck in traffic with a trailer full of horses and a hurricane approaching. Hurricane Andrew tossed loaded tractor trailers around like they were match sticks.

By the way, if you choose to get out of the area altogether, take all your animals. Don't take your horse but leave dogs, cats and birds at home alone.

After the Storm

After the storm has passed, roads will probably be blocked or flooded. Working in pairs, try to locate your nearest neighbor. Here are some other post-disaster pointers:

Be very careful when you venture outside. Live electric wires could be all around you.
See to your animal's needs, keeping them as calm as possible.
Carefully try to clean debris from the barn, and clear the driveway out to the road.
Place one of the plywood signs you made earlier at the edge of your driveway, at the roadside, with the appropriate writing facing the road. Place the other sign in a clear area with the appropriate side facing upwards. Aircraft will be flying overhead, and this will help them determine the severity of the effects of the storm. If you do not have a severely injured animal, put the OK sign up. In either case, help will get to you as soon as possible.
Watch for fire ants. Ants will look for the driest place to nest and will move from wet to high ground when their nests flood. Check your barn/stall walls and feed/hay areas. Ants will also seek refuge from wet ground on fence rails and tree branches, so take care when clearing debris after a storm.
Snakes will also seek high ground. Do not put your hands or feet in recesses you cannot see. Snakes will also hide between hay bales and banked shavings.

New! Equestrian Services Blogs!

2008-07-25T18:39:00-05:00

Here we go.....Equestrian Services posts its first blog.

Why do most equestrians have bad experiences at some point either with a boarding facility, a training facility or trainer? Across the board, I hear the same types of complaints. "I called a barn and they never returned my calls." or "I know this trainer has a great reputation, but why is he/she so demoralizing?" "The last time I walked into a facility, everyone either ignored me or looked at me like I was an annoying distraction."

If you have experienced these types of scenarios - you are not alone. In fact I would venture to say you are in the majority. Why is this? Why are some of the most famous trainers and instructors in our field emotionally abusive? Why do we tolerate this? In the corporate and business world - this can no longer happen. So why do we let it happen to us?

I would be interested in hearing your comments. And I am pleased to announce we are launching a hospitality-style professional equestrian management company modeled after successful golf course management. Why shouldn't you get the red carpet treatment? Think Ritz Carlton style staff in a barn.....now doesn't that sound more like it?

- Jennifer Donovan, Principal
Equestrian Services, LLC
Equestrian Management, LLC