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"My treasures do not click together or glitter, they gleam in the sun and neigh in the night." — Author Unknown

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On This Page

Event Planning

Horse Shows

     Online Management Software

     On Site Programs

     Awards and Trophies

 Develop a Marketing Plan 

         Online Fillable Forms 

         Online Payments

         Online Surveys and Polls

         Affiliate Links

         Branded Items for Clients, Campers, Special Events and Staff  via e-Stores

Signage

Public Speaking

Photography

Farm Calendar         

Public Relations and Publicity

         Free Publicity

         Print

         Television and Radio

         Press Releases

         Crisis Management

         Media Kit 

 E-mail Surveys, E-Newsletters, E-invitations

 Corporate and Other Partnerships

 Promoting a Special Day, Week or Month and Using Themes

         National Day of ...

         Holiday

         Month Long National AwarenessTheme

Camp or Retreat

      Resources for Do-It-Yourselfers

       For Children  

          Mounted Activities  Dismounted Activities  Supplies

       For Adults

  Other Resources                                                                          (Top of Page)

Del Camino helps small horse facilities, services, and independent horse professionals find timely information that benefits their program and success.  We want to see horse sanctuaries and retirement stables grow and prosper. We would like riding and boarding stables to be well-operated and fully supported by their local communities.  The benefits of involvement with horses to humans is a well-established fact. The therapeutic benefits to individuals, and cultural benefits to the wider society, mean every effort should be expended to develop viable humane businesses that employ well-trained, good tempered, well-seasoned horses. It can be done.

How This Horse Business Resource Section Works    (Top of Page)

1. None of these listings were solicited. 

2. This page distills information from a variety of sources, as well as our own experience, before sending you off on your own quest.  
   The descriptive paragraphs at the start of a section are there because we believe they are important.

3. We update this section of our website fairly often, so we recommend you return regularly.  Why not add this page to your browser's Favorites list?  Doing so does not cause us to send you junk mail.

The focus of the site is to be rich in content, and easy to read onscreen.  A majority of small horse businesses and horse non-profits are on slow dial-up connections (cannot afford cable or DSL) and using older versions of operating systems and browsers on older computer platforms (usually donated by people who upgraded to newer technology.)  Therefore, you won't see tons of frames, flash, page transitions, and multimedia effects here.  We avoid colored text on dark backgrounds, which can be nearly impossible to read on a monitor.  We even keep the pictures small and to a minimum to facilitate page loading. So if the visual effects are bland, you now know why!  We don't want our visitors to give up due to long page-loads and hard to read color combinations and time-consuming bells and whistles - they just don't have that kind of time.

Event Planning                                                                           (Top of Page)

Do you host special events such as cookouts, theme parties, weddings, reunions, conferences, etc. at your ranch?  Do you put on horsemanship seminars or training clinics?  If so, why not take a page from many non-profits and use convenient specially-designed software to automate many of the housekeeping functions?  You will make a much more professional impression, increase perceived value of the event, and collect more money while concentrating more of your time on the horse aspects of the event that require your expertise.

DoJiggy  is easy, affordable online event and fund-raising software to help non-profits and community organizations hold auctions, silent auctions, golf tournaments, walk-a-thons, luncheons, conferences, and other fund-raising or awareness-raising events.  It includes scheduling, marketing, reservations, payment processing, reports, lists - everything you need to plan, market, manage and succeed with a first-class event.

EasyWare also includes an interface to PrintTix for integrating easy online at-home ticket purchase and print technology into your accounting software and website.

Cvent handles all aspects of a conference including: Online Registration Event Email Marketing Payment Processing  Travel, Housing & Budgeting Strategic Meetings Management.  Major non-profits such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and NARHA use cvent services.

Horse Shows

Online Management Software              (Top of Page)

HorseShowTime designed for USEF compliant shows, offers online competitor registration, ring scheduling, results posting, USEF membership verification, High Point calculation and Rider of the Year calculation and management reports.

Hoofpicks designed for a wide variety of shows, clinics, workshops and special events — even lessons.  Handles simple to complex types, from in-barn recitals, to local schooling shows, 4-H, Special Olympics Equestrian, 

On Site Programs                                 (Top of Page)

If you don't want to pay fees for internet-based services, or you do not think your show clientele can access the internet, there are programs you can use that provide all the forms and step-by-step planning.

Awards and Trophies

Hodges Badge Company has supplied horse shows large and small with ribbons, numbers, banners, decals, forms, and of course, ribbons and trophies since 1920.  

Special Events                                               (Top of Page)

If you like to throw a party, or put together other social events, this combination of marketing and revenue-generation may be an annual event that brings in a substantial portion of your operating expenses or capital improvement dollars, and enables you to publicly recognize your major clients and employees.

A special event, whether a silent auction, horse show, trail ride or a party, is an opportunity to network with people.  Attend the most successful special events you can in your town to learn what attracts individuals as well as businesses before planning your stable's event.  Set goals and use a committee of talented people. 

The easiest way to do that is to partner with an equine non-profit and donate some of the proceeds to that charity.  Most of the good annual events for equine non-profits in Phoenix require the dedicated work of many people for nine months of the year - but produce as much as 25% or more of their annual funds.  We know a great equine non-profit in Tucson that takes such pains over its annual black tie event that they even care how the napkins are folded.  Don't laugh - they are highly successful at capturing the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of attendees!

Here's one aspect of special events where tables are sold as food for thought: Who will be your table captains?  Perhaps you just assumed people will come from the company that purchased a table, and one person in particular  will play "host" and fire up your dinner guests to participate in the Silent Auction or learn more about the charity you are benefiting.  Just because a local bank sponsors a table does not mean there will be people sitting in those chairs who bid on your items.  If you are satisfied with selling all the seats and do not care how much the auction items raise, this is fine.  If not, it is much better to recruit and educate someone from the bank to be the "table captain" and bring its employees or guests and then engage them as participants during the party to get them interested in your mission and projects.

After your special event, follow up!  Use e-mail and survey software to get attendee satisfaction with their experience.  Zoomerang offers a free version of their service for simple surveys, and there are templates you can easily customize, so this is not time-consuming and no programming is required.  Want some help?  Contact us.

Develop a Marketing Plan                     (Top of Page)

The first things you need to begin marketing your equine-related special event is your business plan and corporate identity, beginning with a color scheme and logo, with or without a tag line.  From these come a marketing plan that tells you the optimal timing of a show, clinic, camp or open house to get profitable results without sacrificing your main revenue sources or becoming overextended — an events calendar.  It also shows you when and what type of publicity and advertising you should use to reach the most targeted audience at the least expense.

If you want to transition from constant travel to competition venues with your horses and clients, to stay-at-home events that also bring in high quality business, promote client retention, and elevate your farm's profile in your community, then in-house special events are well-worth considering.  If you have been doing a small clinic or workshop for your boarders and lesson or training clients for awhile, but have never put much effort into marketing it to a wider audience of horse people, the current recession may spur you to give it a try.

You are competing today for seconds of people's attention, and first impressions are lasting.  They tell a great deal about your organization's culture, competence, understanding of your market (the people you serve by the service you provide with or for horses).   If you don't know who your audience, or client-base is, stop and ask yourself "who do I want to write checks to participate in this event?"  or "who do I want to pay to advertise at or sponsor elements of this event?"  or "who do I want to attract as a clinician or guest speaker or celebrity draw to this event?"  Then design for that audience's respect and interests so they will take you seriously.

Online Fillable Forms                                                                   (Top of Page)

We consult with horse businesses to improve efficiency and make it easier for clients, job applicants, and visitors to take action (pay monthly bills, sign up for a service, or apply for a job).  Invariably, a glaring need exists to get paperwork under control.  An absolutely necessary evil of commercial equine events, paperwork such as applications, release forms, sign up sheets, timesheets, horse descriptions, show entry forms - you name it, have to be created, made available to the people who use them, completed, received by someone, used, and finally stored. 

Are your basic client, camper, reservation, event entries, or job applications available on your website in obvious places?  Are they in a form that does not require specific software, like a certain word processor or spreadsheet package? 

If they are forms with sections (fields) for the applicant to complete, or boxes to check, did you type a line or symbol, or create a database field that they can fill in without changing the form?  If you created a form, can they download it, fill in the data on their computer, save the form, and send it back to you as a form rather than just a document, so you can import it right into your  client management software and generate a report or make the information available to an employee who does initial follow-up calls part-time from his home computer?  If you are not using fillable forms online, YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD and you are reducing the chance that the visitor to your website will TAKE ACTION by as much as 50%.

For help turning your spreadsheets and documents into fillable forms in .PDF or other formats, and making them available on your website, contact us for more information.

For online software to do it yourself, visit FormSite, an online web form builder and look at the sample forms, like the camp registration, and the features of the free plan as well as those that cost money to use. There are templates for volunteer applications and other forms you might use.

Online Payments                                                         (Top of Page)

Don't forget how important it is to make online payments, for board, training, lessons, carriage ride or dude ranch reservations, and show or clinic entries, etc. easy to do on your website, and not just on a single page, but at various appropriate entry and exit points.   An excellent example is on this page of Equine Voices, a horse rescue in Green Valley, Arizona that specializes in PMU mares

For detailed step-by-step help choosing the right method and setting up convenient online payment via your website from your customers, see our E-book How to Make Your Horse Boarding Business Profitable in 10 Easy Steps .

Affiliate Links

Take advantage of opportunities offered by horse suppliers to link to their products and services enabling your clients to purchase.   Of course, your website needs to receive high volume traffic for this to produce significant funds.  All the more reason to have a great website with useful, attractive, compelling content, and be easily located with a few keywords via any major search engine!  A link sitting on a never-visited site isn't going to put hay in the mangers.

For step-by-step assistance choosing the right affiliate links for your website, see our E-book How to Make Your Horse Boarding Business Profitable in 10 Easy Steps .

Print                                                                             (Top of Page)

To effectively market your special event, everything you produce for print distribution discussed below (press releases, media kit, brochures, etc.) must be available in digital form on your website, too.

Signage

Don't forget the importance of clean, crisp, signage that carries your corporate identity and colors and all looks coordinated in the same fonts and as many as possible in the same materials.

  TIP:  A well-placed street sign promotes your event 24 per day, 7 days per week.  About 18% of the neighborhood residents are new to your area. Well-worded, good quality signs can be used for years — they are one of the most economical marketing investments you can make!  Plenty of professional signage at the right height for your event will enhance your farm's professional image.  Even if you must get a permit to put up a street sign, the cost of the sign and the permit may still be one of the best promotional investments you make in your stable's future.

You'll need signs:

Branded Items for Clients, Campers, Special Events and Staff via e-Stores 

Today, online shopping solutions enable you to offer logo items without the initial outlay of cash for inventory to stock and resell.  What was formerly only available to larger companies is now accessible, via printing on demand and drop shipping, to even the smallest home business and start-up.

Do not underestimate the value of a coaster, calendar, mug, ball cap, refrigerator magnet, t-shirt, or mouse pad.  Companies worldwide spend millions per year to provide permanent positive reminders to buyers, investors, employees, and, yes, vendors.  Small service businesses like riding academies, bed and breakfasts, wedding carriage operators, and boarding stables have even more reasons to recognize clients and staff and participants in clinics and special events like in-barn shows.  See the Advertising and Marketing Resources page for resources and links for promotional items and logowear.

Free Publicity

Press Releases                                                                     (Top of Page)

Master the art of the one-page press release!  Put together a media database to email press releases and newsletters to.  Then actually do it in a timely fashion!  Remember that "news" by definition is fresh.  What to put in your database, and how to keep it up-to-date with the actual names of contacts, deadlines, special issue themes, special interest sections, is practically an art form of research and organization.  If possible, you should have an employee with publicity or public relations experience spend several hours on this aspect of marketing your stable every month.  You do not need to be putting on Celebrity Events all the time to warrant publicity.  Every organization should plan to distribute at least eight press releases per year. (See also Advertising and Marketing, Print Media)

Timing the publication of your public notices of your event is important.

Most local publications are happy to print brief, well-written press releases accompanied by good photographs. 

Also, many will discount advertising space to new advertisers.  If there is a newspaper or magazine that closely matches your target clientele in your area, you can probably get a feature article with photos about your event into an issue in which you advertise.

Do you need a press release written for your special event and distributed electronically quickly?  Do you need a planned set of press releases for your next calendar year prepared and a list created of media to distribute it to?  Contact us for help.

We have referred to the media kit in disaster preparedness, crisis management, free publicity, and other marketing sections on the Advertising and Marketing page.  Without a media kit you are in danger of missing many opportunities to get factual, positive information about your event in front of the public in a timely way.  If you need fast affordable help putting together an up-to-date useful media kit for your stable?  Contact us.

Television and Radio                                                          (Top of Page)

If you have taken photos of past events, and can list Who What When and Where on a 3" x 5" index card, you can take advantage of television, radio, and YouTube.

Several specialty cable and online television and radio networks focus on animals generally, horses specifically, sports, outdoor lifestyles, children's activities, or health wellness and fitness.  Virtually all of them are voracious in their quest for programming content. 

Regular state broadcast news channels frequently use community locations for background interest for Weather segments.  Invite the weather producer to use your facility for a day of shooting, and know in advance what message you want to deliver in a  one or two minute "sound byte" with representative activities taking place.

TIP:  Virtually all of these shows have a "Current Events" or "What's Happening" section of their website and/or their broadcast that offers free listings of interest to their viewers and listeners.

For more information and links to resources, visit our  Advertising and Marketing page.  If you need help, Contact Us.

Crisis Management                                                  (Top of Page)

Prepare for the Unexpected

If the press shows up at an accident during an event along with the paramedics or fire department, you are likely to be rightly focused on managing the incident rather than the microphone and camera turned on you.  Having a media kit and a "just in case" generic statement ready in the show or barn office could be a blessing.  Plan in advance a paragraph that shows compassion and calm efficiency, without assuming or placing blame, that you could use as a framework for comments for just about anything from a loose horse to a rider fall to a barn fire.  Don't let any over-eager reporter force you into commenting before you get to spend a few minutes reviewing your "notes".

Visit our  Advertising and Marketing page for resources and tips on how not to get caught flat-footed and ensure you have peace of mind to handle any crisis with poise and professionalism.

NOTE: Don't forget to update your farm Emergency Procedures and Disaster Plan well in advance to allow for larger groups of people and horses at special events, and train staff to respond appropriately to a variety of situations.

Photography                                                                               (Top of Page)

Take action photos of various aspects of your event every year!  When it comes time to promote your next show, clinic, trail trial, or camp, you need photos of participants having a great time enjoying horses.

Arrange to have a specific skilled person take the photographs who you have briefed on what you need.  Ensure that person knows how to get good proportional photographs of horses, and understands safety around horses.  You may even be able to use a professional horse event photographer who sells copies to participants via his or her own website.

If you really, really, cannot afford to us a professional videographer, then recruit an employee who is an experienced amateur and get busy.  Be SURE to see samples of his or her work, before you commit to a project.  You can start by adding video clips to your website, media kit, and sponsor presentation kit.

Farm Calendar                                                                            (Top of Page)

A terrific way to develop repeat participation in your special events, and promote them all year is to sell or give away farm calendars.  Feature a photo of the event for the month(s) you offer it.  If you hold a clinic every year at the same time, even if you invite different clinicians, a photograph of last year's clinic with a caption promoting the coming clinic has a positive effect.  Your Marketing Plan helps you design this calendar and choose the photos almost effortlessly.  The hardest part is when you have too many really great pitures to choose from!

E-mail Surveys, E-Newsletters, E-invitations                      (Top of Page)

Communicate regularly with clients, last year's campers and lesson students, special event participants, and vendors through e-mail.  With templates, signatures, and distribution lists, you can quickly produce and send e-mails to each group using features in robust user e-mail software like Microsoft Outlook. 

If you want a more polished e-newsletter, with opt-in and opt-out subscription managed automatically for larger databases, the capability to conduct e-mail surveys and polls, and even event invitations, an online service stores your templates, address lists, and is able to import and export data, see our  Advertising and Marketing page.

Want some help getting started with one of these options?  Contact us.

Public Speaking                                                                          (Top of Page)

Will you have an announcer, or will you have to perform that role for your special event? 

Or perhaps you are the expert conducting the clinic. 

In either case, you may need to polish your public speaking skills.  Just turning on the remote microphone is not enough!  If you really want your event to succeed, how dynamic you are as a clinician or master of ceremonies has a real impact — how enjoyable it is and the perceived value for the fee for the participants, and also for repeat business and full participation from word-of-mouth endorsements for next time.

Corporate and Other Partnerships                     (Top of Page)

Corporate events can be staged at your facility to bring you the benefits of their professional paid publicity.  Even a department picnic that is covered in the company employee newsletter can help you. This is called "co-branding."  They get the benefit of getting their name in front of people interested in your service, and creating community goodwill.  You get money, or the ability to do events you could not afford to do otherwise.

Promoting a Special Day, Week or Month and Using Themes

Holidays, National Recognition Days, National Awareness Weeks, are excellent bandwagons to jump on to promote some aspect of your equine business.  Benefits include:

1. Re-introducing a product or service for which revenue is falling off.
2. Capitalizing on other local state and national advertising about the theme.
3. Reminding existing and potential clients that your horse business is plugged in to the fabric of society and positive values to solidify goodwill.
4. Generating interest in a special event and attracting community business sponsors and advertisers to help underwrite it.
5. Supporting a conservation or safety rule or procedure of your horse business with marketing materials of a higher authority who endorses it as a "best practice".

Most stables hold an annual Christmas party, and some even advertise gift certificates for riding lessons during the Holiday Season.  Some have Independence Day picnics.  Others that cater to children have Halloween playdays.  But with a little imagination and investigation, you can do MUCH MORE to reach out to the clientele you want by tying in to OTHER days, weeks and months.

Do you have an annual Open House, or offer a special series of classes, or invite a Big Name Clinician to your ranch each year?  If so, how could you marry that service to a nationally advertised theme and double or triple the value of your promotion — perhaps even rate some free publicity?

Do you have logo items commemorating the day or event available for purchase on your website?

If you give a clinic and do not even have T-shirts, sports bottles and visors with your logo associated with that event and a special occasion or public awareness message you may be stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.  It is hard work to put on a clinic, why not make it pay on several levels.  Done properly it is a more satisfying and professional experience for your clients and guests, not crass commercialism.  Need some help?  Contact Us

Day of the Week                                                                         (Top of Page)

Support our Troops - wear red on Fridays.  If your clientele includes military on bases nearby, families of the deployed, or veterans, make Fridays special — and let the public know with regular reminders.

National Day of ...

The National Day of the Cowboy is July 25th, 2009.  Perk up the summer doldrums at your barn celebrating with authentic attire, tack, music, poetry, games, food, activities, folklore and fun.  Visit the National Day of the Cowboy Association .  What a nice change of pace for a dressage or hunter/jumper barn it would be, too!

The National Day of Prayer is May 7th, 2009.  If you have a faith-based business and/or predominantly religious clientele, this might be an appropriate day to share The Artillery Horse's Prayer, The Horse's Prayer, The Draft Horse's Prayer, The Farrier's Prayer, The Cowboy's Prayer in some memorable way.

National Trails Day is the first Saturday in every June, and part of National Great Outdoors Month (see below).  Even horse businesses that have no connection to trails, like downtown tourist carriage ride concessions can find a historic trail in the vicinity that incorporates horse history, and participate. American Trails has many resources that also help educate the public on the value and impact of trails.  The National Trails Training Partnership (NTTP) has many resources as well. 

National Parents Day is the 4th Sunday of July.  Very special parents bring their children to horsemanship and riding lessons every week, or several times per week.  Parenting is the most important job they will ever have, but to provide a stable family with met needs, parents juggle many jobs. Parents Day is a great opportunity to honor the family member who pays the bill and drives the "kid taxi," or the parent who is deployed abroad and unable to watch the child ride. Have a special get together featuring the friendliest horses in your string just for the parents, with a supervised activity elsewhere on the farm for the kids so a babysitter isn't needed.  Take pictures for the parents who are unavoidably distant.  Have an Open House for Single Parents.  Brainstorm other ways to share the relaxing, renewing atmosphere of the equine world with these people who deserve their own break and a chance to connect with the appeal horses have for their kids.  This can be a day to appreciate existing clients, or attract new ones.

National Picnic Day is June 18th.  Any kind of horse business could hold a casual potluck complete with checkerboard tablecloths and horse treats.

National Make a Difference Day USA, the national day to help others is October 24th, 2009.

National Hat Day is January 15th.  What fun!

Arbor Day varies by state, and each state honors the State Tree.  Here in Arizona it is the palo verde, and we celebrate the last Friday in April.

Here's a terrific day for any kind of farm, because you get to pick the day of the year that works best with your event calendar.  Progressive Agriculture Safety Day™ is a complete day camp program that teaches farm safety to children.  Children are the largest demographic injured in farm accidents every year.  Rural minorities are also among the largest demographic injured in farm accidents.  Provide a public service by hosting a very professional Progressive Agriculture Safety Day™ at your stable.  [Just be clear that it is apolitical, since "Progressive" is a specific, polarizing collectivist oligarchical political ideology, and you do not want to politicize a genuine community service activity that benefits children.]

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the third Monday in January. Can American horses help us remember, celebrate, and act on the values of a great American who envisioned a time when character, not color, would define how we measure a person's worth?  Yes.  Because unless your horse business is about breeding horses for color traits primarily, horses are valued for how they move, their temperament and their training, and their abilities as social animals to uniquely partner with people.  Their complete honesty in response to humans is observable, and produces epiphanies in horsepeople every day.  Americans, including African-Americans, and Hispanic Americans, were predominantly rural and connected in some way to horses until The Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, and The New Deal drove the small American farmer and farm worker into the maw of the city and ground individual enterprise into anonymous large-scale projects.

Many great African Americans were famous jockeys, horse trainers, stunt cowboys, equine veterinarians, breeders, mounted rangers, farriers, harness and saddle makers, and teamsters as recently as the early 1900's.  Their biographies as respected community leaders and American horse people have been surfacing in newly uncovered memoirs in recent years.  Especially for today's children, nearly 40% of whom are people of color, including the 70% of African American children who are being raised without a male parent, our horses can make a difference.  They can provide a fun and wholesome connection to an American heritage in which most of America's men of all colors worked hard to provide for and protect their families, and more often than not that meant being a good "hand" with horses or mules.  In emphasizing the victims of societal and economic wrongs, historians and teachers often overlook the quiet heroes and ordinary families who succeeded by the standards of the day, and shared the same hardships regardless of their ethnic background, that applied to the country as a whole.  This is unfortunate, because it is the example of their strength, hope, and courage in the face of adversity that illustrates the content of their character, and teaches all Americans how to judge a person by his actions, not his appearance.  So the stories of these men are inspirational and educational to all American children, not only children of color.

The Dust Bowl and the New Deal stripped Americans of their land, their heritage, and their pride. The manmade ecological disaster that came during the Great Depression, and the crushing New Deal taxes, price and wage controls, lending manipulation and crop meddling as government "solutions" uprooted families from local mutual support networks. The cities had electricity and indoor plumbing for all but the slums, and were efficient hubs for both creating conditions that prevented self-sufficiency, and for distributing the skewed government largess to a dependent city poor and for organized labor.  This enabled opportunistic politicians and featherbedding bureaucrats to exacerbate, rather than reduce, racial and special interest group competition for resources and opportunities.  The policies of the New Deal, combined with the effects of The Dust Bowl, fanned the great migration that had begun with the Great Flood.  This helped to achieve the political goal to create "voting blocks" of aggrieved groups, instead of a country of people with shared principles, dreams, and problems to overcome. Growing up during that time of movement into new chains, a young MLK became a minister, husband, father, and courageous visionary.  At no time did he demand debilitating entitlements that would doom his people to subsistence lifestyles.  He knew only too well that the man or government that feeds you, clothes you, and gives or withholds your medicine, gives or withholds your education, gives or withholds your transportation, gives or withholds your jobs, is, without question, your master, not your benefactor, not your friend. 

Today, b lack farmers are still struggling to regain land lost then with the help of the then newly formed USDA.  Despite decades of governmental preferences designed to "right" those wrongs of the 30's and 40's, they still face the federal government's market manipulations and regulations that are relentlessly driving all small farmers off their lands in favor of agri-business monoculture that has partnered with government and politicians for non-agricultural political goals. Today we have an America full of urban youth of all colors who are disconnected from the land that sustains them, the generations that made that possible, and the soil and animals they are being taught to romanticize, anthropomorphize, and worship from afar as abstract concepts.  Your horses can help bring today's children back out of the role of political pawn, and into the world of self-confidence, pride of heritage as Americans, and respect for the black man who put food on the table for his wife and children by his horsemanship. 

It has been 105 years since a black man has ridden to the roses in the Kentucky Derby, a prized laurel in an extreme sport, America's first national sport, once dominated by black talent. The horsemanship of the black trainers and grooms who managed the careful collection, care, and embarkation of tens of thousands of American horses for England in The Great War languishes in an historical backwater.  

Do we really need to import unskilled laborers who cannot speak our language, nor read or write their own, much less English? A few miles from stables housing the most cherished family horses and valuable sport horses in the world, the most unemployed, yet able-bodied young men in America are African-Americans and Hispanics who can speak English and read and follow the written feeding, exercise, and supplementing instructions of their trainers, veterinarians and owners.  These are young men who are not going to wire their earnings out of the country, but spend them here.  Many of these youths are young men who have a heritage, but do not know it, of nurturing, and earning the trust of an animal that requires a leader who is responsible and dependable. Those habits of their forefathers, if revived, spill over into human relationships, studies, and are part of, oh yes:  character.  The American horse stands waiting in his pasture or stall, calling to the youths on the street corners with his giant heart.  "Come back to our partnership.  We need each other.  Don't you remember the ancient wisdom?  When you ride a horse, you borrow freedom.  There is nothing so good for the inside of a man, as the outside of a horse.  I am here, waiting patiently.  Where are you?" Politicians glibly admonish these cynical, despairing youth whom they incessantly refer to as victims to do "community service."  A man who respects himself after a hard day's work earning an honest day's pay taking care of vulnerable half ton animals and has the respect of the trainers, owners, veterinarians and farriers needs no cajoling or bribing with "stipends" to serve his family or neighbors - for him it is a way of life - the content of his character. 

Middle class black and hispanic parents want healthy character-building outdoor recreation for their kids. Sharing in the American horse culture and discovering that their forefathers did so with distinction helps those children realize that many people of color contributed to this important and unique aspect of our country.  The American horse is not a product and possession of "white America."  It is a legacy and national treasure of all of America.   

If the content of our character is what we should be judged by, horses uniquely help us discover and shape what the content is - but to children, it is just magical fun.  Give a kid an iPod and watch it get lost or broken.  Teach a kid to move safely around a horse to be able to gain its trust and show it affection, and watch a moment of discovery about himself and the natural world that can last a lifetime.

Publisher's Description: "Beautiful Jim Key -- the one-time ugly duckling of a scrub colt who became one of the most beloved heroes of the turn of the century -- was adored not for his beauty and speed but rather for his remarkable abilities to read, write, spell, do mathematics, even debate politics. Trained with patience and kindness by one of the most renowned horse whisperers of his day -- former slave, Civil War veteran, and self-taught veterinarian Dr. William Key -- Jim performed in expositions across the country to wildly receptive crowds for nine glorious years, smashing box office records, clearing towering hurdles of skepticism and prejudice, and earning the respect and admiration of some of the most influential figures of the era, from Booker T. Washington to President William McKinley.
This is the remarkable true saga of a truly exceptional animal -- and the no less exceptional man who led him to greatness."

For Children 10 and Under:

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Valentine's Day - Do you promote special gift certificates or gift packages that include items you sell beginning in late January?  According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 survey,

St. Patrick's Day is March 17^th.

Passover begins March 29^th.

Have you ever held an Easter Egg Hunt at your farm?  It is a time when families are able to be together for joint activities.  Spring and new beginnings are in the air and on people's minds.  Feature an egg hunt as part of a Family Day at the Ranch with demonstrations, education and lots of safe fun for small children.

Mother's Day.  Promote your Gift Certificates, or offer a special Day at the Ranch for the mothers.

Memorial Day is a perfect time to honor those who have given their lives in service to our country - human and equine.  American horses served in our Revolutionary War, Civil War, the Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, World Wars I & II, and serve today honoring our fallen and helping to heal our wounded.

Father's Day could celebrate the dads who often do not get to see their children ride with a special Dad's and Kids BBQ with games and a recital by the students, and a horse-related craft gift they have made for the most important man in their lives.

Besides Thanksgiving, Fall brings many opportunities to hold theme events or promotions for your horses.

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September is National Preparedness Month.  As a senior horse owner or as a horse business, are you ready to cope with an emergency? Prevention is as important as response for accidents.  Summer weather can cause anything from sudden storms to power outages to heat stressed clients or horses. We can help. Get large animal and pet preparedness information to share as a public service from the Del Camino Emergencies Page full of links. Also visit:

Tips Seniors Feed Water  Products and Services       

March is Women's History Month.  The majority of family decisions about spending are made by women in America.  Women dominate recreational horseback riding in America.  Chances are, your clientele includes many women.  Inspire them with historical role models throughout March.  There are many women in the history of American horsemanship whose stories can enrich your barn's events, eNewsletters, blog, social media page or provide a theme for a clinic. From pioneers to entertainers, from top breeders and trainers to top international competitors, artists, authors, and conservationists — there are phenomenal American horsewomen whose c ontribution to your breed or discipline deserve honoring and who your clients would enjoy learning about.  

April is National Humor Month, and kicks off with April Fool's Day.  With all the horse humor and cartoons that most horse people collect over the years, it should be a snap to lighten the mood of adult taxpayers and bring laughter to children among your clientele. 

April is also National Military Child Month

Click to download the free .PDF poster  Visit the Advertising and Marketing page for Horse Businesses or for Horse Non-Profits for ideas.

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