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The Profitable Horseman's Newsletter The only weekly electronic newsletter published for Professional Horsemen.
December 15, 2006

If you are working long hours for short profits in your horse business, you owe it to yourself to think about making changes. I help professional horsemen find new and better methods to add to the profitability of their businesses.
Welcome New Subscribers!

in this issue
  • There is Something New Every Day in my Blog About the Horse Business

    click on the picture below
  • Getting What You Pay For and Paying For What You Get
  • Need Help With Your Business Borrowing?
  • Others have said
  • Back at the Barn
  • Build the Horse Business You've Always Wanted
  • Speaking about the Horse Business...

  • Getting What You Pay For and Paying For What You Get
    hundreds

    If you ever sell horses, you know what it’s like to try convincing inexperienced riders or the non-horseman parents of a youth rider to buy a well trained horse. Unlike a car, a few years of age and miles on the odometer are two great features. While those features may cost more, paying a little more up front is a less expensive investment in the long run than buying a discounted green broke or poorly trained horse.

    How many times have you ever heard these reasons for buying the wrong horse for the rider?

    • “He is so cute. Things will be different with me loving him.”
    • “I am buying this young horse for my eleven year old daughter so they can learn together.”
    • “It doesn’t matter that he is green, I have a friend who will help me with the training.”
    • “I don’t need a competitive show horse. With the limited free time that I have, I need a horse I can ride on the trails on weekends.

    There are probably over a hundred other reasons for buying less of a horse than an owner should. It doesn’t matter what the reason is, what matters is buyer ignorance.

    Naïve buyers don’t understand the fact that the horse is the cheap part of owning horses.

    As experienced professional horsemen know, a lifetime of costs follow the purchase of a horse. The common costs:

    1. Board
    2. Farrier
    3. Veterinary care
    4. Professional training to attempt to “fix” the bargain horse.

    Numbers 1., 2. and 3. are maintenance costs of ownership. Number 4 is preventable maintenance. While no horse carries a warranty for being problem-free, bargain horses usually have a reason for bargain prices.

    Buying at the lowest possible price is good practice for securing commodities like No. 2 - corn, fuel oil and pork bellies. But, lowest price can be a disaster practice for buying pacemaker batteries, parachutes and horses.

    How do you make a convincing sales presentation to a prospect to invest in a proven horse?

    Tell a story about a wise man who was born about two hundred years ago. His name was John Ruskin and he probably never sold a horse in his life. He did a lot of thinking and writing and the following excerpt is a favorite of mine.

    "It is unwise to pay too much but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money, that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

    The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it cannot be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better." -- John Ruskin, 1890

    People were ignoring quality in pursuit of lower price back in the 1800’s. I’d wager that even in the day of B.C. comic strip character Crock, a square wheel or two was sold as a discounted substitute for a round wheel.

    Within the buyers’ circle of affordability, sell the horse that is the best match and explain:

    1. The horse is the inexpensive part of the transaction. (compared to maintenance costs)
    2. A good match between horse and rider is priceless.
    3. With a busy life, the importance of quality recreational time with a horse is paramount.
    4. Safety trumps price; especially when the unsafe bargain horse leads to an unplanned vacation in the hospital to mend an injured and broken body.

    Use your experience and wisdom from years of being around horses to help the buyer avoid buying a horse incapable of doing what it was bought to do.


    Need Help With Your Business Borrowing?
    close 100 bill

    Call or email me about your business loans. We can put together a plan that makes sense for you.


    Others have said

    "Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other person will in the end prove unprofitable for you. The bargain that yields mutual satisfaction is the only one that is apt to be repeated." -- B. C. Forbes

    "There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey." -- John Ruskin

    "Certainly there are things in life that money can't buy, but it's very funny - Did you ever try buying them without money?" -- Ogden Nash


    Back at the Barn
    back at barn

    “. . . .Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la. . . ” But, I wasn’t too jolly as I slowly drove past a horse drawn wagon full of people in the 8:00 P.M. darkness. On the rear of the wagon, small red reflectors were the only safety device in use. I managed to slow down and pass safely, but I sure wish the pair of Belgians pulling the rig would tell the driver to use some good horse sense and put some battery operated flashers on the back of the wagon to adequately warn drivers. Night time driving of horses and cars can be a risky business; why add to the risk ratio? Common sense safety never goes out of style in the horse business.

    My sister gave me one of my all time favorite Christmas gifts a few years back. The ultimate swivel tree stand. After suffering through years of rickety stands holding large trees, this special stand makes me smile every year I use it. No wiring to walls, shims or jury rigging needed. I had to laugh when I spotted Elizabeth’s cat perched at the top of the tree; a tree tip-over just isn’t possible. The cat failed its audition for tree ornament and moved on to find new mischief.

    Welcome to many new subscribers in the past month. Topic ideas are always welcome.


    Build the Horse Business You've Always Wanted
    dee oct 06

    I work with Professional Horsemen who are struggling with the business half of the horse business. Just like a top performing horse has a strong foundation, so does a top performing horse business.

    If you've had enough with disappointment in your horse business, call or e-mail and we can talk about your business and how I may be able to help you.

    If you know other horsemen who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them! I am on a quest to tell 1000 people what I do and I need your help.

    Life is short,

    Ride hard.

    Doug


    Speaking about the Horse Business...
    megaphone man

    Need a speaker about the horse business for your horse related organization? Talk to me about talking. Keynotes and workshops available. (716) 434-5371


    There is Something New Every Day in my Blog About the Horse Business

    click on the picture below
    herd of horses

    Click on the herd of horses above. They'll take you right to the blog. What's a blog? Click and find out!

    Click on the links below for more information

    Profitable Horseman Web Page

    Past issues of Profitable Horseman newsletter

    Professional Horsemen's Blog- Don't Look Back!



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