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There are a few facts about the horse
industry that are undisputed. Every horse has an owner.
Every horse owner has varied expectations of what they
will get from our industry. However, you can be assured
that everyone who has ever owned and shown a horse
has done it because they wanted some enjoyment from
the sport. They wanted to experience the competition,
as well as the camaraderie of like-minded individuals.
Some owners and exhibitors choose to do it themselves.
Others get the assistance of a professional trainer.
There is no right or wrong approach to the sport, and
people have been successful using both methods. Again,
they still share the same reasons for entering the
sport of showing horses. They spend their hard-earned
money and valuable time doing something they love and,
hopefully, have fun doing. The reason I mention this
is that the minute they stop having fun is the minute
they stop having horses.
So how does an industry starving for new entrants (i.e.
buyers of horses) make sure that those already here
are satisfied while attracting new people? How does
it compete for dollars with other recreational pursuits?
How do you make sure the guys and gals who are having
fun with horses keep having fun and don’t go buy a
boat?
There are no easy answers to the dilemmas mentioned
above but there are some places to start. First of
all, we need to make sure that every exhibitor, owner,
and professional feels welcome. It doesn’t matter if
they have been involved in the industry for as long
as memory serves, or if they just came on the scene
yesterday. We need to encourage them and, most importantly,
we need to mentor them.
Second, we cannot take advantage of inexperienced newcomers.
Warren Buffett said, “Your career is long and the business
world is small. Always act with integrity. Never take
the last dollar off the table. You can always do a
slightly better deal, but that incremental dollar or
windfall is not worth creating an imbalance that affects
the relationship. You have to have the intuition to
know when to say, ‘I'm going to make sure that we walk
away feeling like we've both done well.’” Truer words
have never been spoken. As an industry, we have idly
sat by and watched some within it take advantage of
new entrants, both financially and emotionally. Very
rarely has anyone ever received any justice for this
bad behavior. We need to begin policing our own industry.
We need to acknowledge the fact that collecting as
much in commissions as the owner of the horse is collecting
on a sale is wrong. We have to leave something on the
table for the new owner so that he or she, in turn,
can make something. I know this sounds like a broken
record, but I will keep repeating it until the industry
acknowledges and fixes the problem.
Third, we need to keep in mind that not everyone shows
horses to win a gold trophy or a silver buckle. Not
everyone shows to win $100,000 or a new trailer. We
must keep in mind that state championships are valuable
to many people and they aren’t something to make fun
of at the horse shows. We need to realize that some
within the sport (me included) would like to have a
ribbon won at a local show handed to us in the ring
and not have to retrieve it from a box in the makeup
ring or show office. We must address the fact that
not everyone is concerned about qualifying for the
World show. Some people, many in fact, go to horse
shows to have fun, blow off some steam, and see their
friends. This is hard to do when a show has 100+ classes
and runs 18 hours a day. Maybe we need to reevaluate
the need for all of these individual classes.
Finally, the professionals in our industry need to
remember that their clients chose them not only for
their ability with a horse, but also because they like
them as people. Their customers want to be around them,
they want to learn from them, they want to feel valued
as customers. Those clients understand that the show
and barn is your office as well as the responsibilities
you are charged with while there. However, they also
want to have fun. They want to have dinner with you
once in awhile so they can get to know you better.
They want to be at your stalls and get to know the
other clients in your barn. They want to be able to
play with their horses.
Most successful businesses are built on successful
relationships between the people that run or own the
business and the clients. You can have the best business
in the world and fall flat on your face if you treat
your clients poorly. In a great business climate when
things are booming, you might be able to overcome poor
customer service however you will pay for it when things
get bad.
So it’s up to us to make sure that our shows are a
fun place to be. Are we up to it? I don’t know, but
time will tell.
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T.G.
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