From The Publisher – Are You Having Fun Yet?
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14 – September/October, 2026
By Tom Grabe
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 the endeavor. 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 do it themselves. Others get the assistance of a professional. There is no right or wrong approach, and people have been successful using both methods. Again, they share the same reasons for 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 also 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.
Click here to read the complete article
14 – September/October, 2026
