Got an afternoon spare and some old horse shoes lying around?

We’ve collected some clever, easy-to-do projects that recycle horse shoes.

Although some require welding, many require nothing but nails & glue. See the photos below:

READ MORE: How Much Does an Indoor Riding Arena Cost to build?

Running your own horse business would be a dream for most of us. The perfect life. Everyone will warn you that it’s a lot of hard work (a lot!), and that you won’t earn a lot, but the lifestyle itself is enough to pay for that.

We’ve put together a list of 11 steps you need to take if you want to start your own successful horse riding business.

GETTING STARTED

1. Start by teaching freelance.

If you have the skills to teaching others to ride, start by offering to visit people that have their own horses. There’s still a market here, and giving lessons won’t cost the large overheads that a full-blown horse riding business will.

It’s the perfect way to test the waters – you can travel around a little, visit new places, meet new people, and get a sense for how the role suits you.

2. Get ready for muck and hard work.

If you own a horse, you know what it takes anyway. But teaching riding lessons will often account for less than half of your time. The rest will be the regular effort of keeping things clean, tidy and your horses healthy.

If you’re the kind of person who looks on the bright side of things, you might be able to think of it as part of why you love horses. You really have to earn it – and when you finish a day of work & riding, the tiredness you feel will be a good tiredness.

I hope you’re still with me, because now we can take the next steps to growing into a full riding business.

WHAT’S NEXT?

3. Do you have enough school horses?

Your biggest assets will be your school horses. You need to have enough to teach clients without tiring your horses out. You’ll also need horses that are relatively easy to ride and are well trained. If you have a few horses, you can compensate for weaknesses in one by teaching to natural strengths in another.

As an estimate, 20 students a week can usually be covered by 3 school horses.

4. Teaching, training & trail riding.

When it comes to the time you spend with your horses, you need to do more than just teach with them.

You’ll also need to train them when you can, so they’re easy to work with and become better for skilled riders. You’ll also need to go trail-riding occasionally to keep them stimulated, interested and happy.

The good news is that being told you have to spend a lot of time with your horses is probably the best thing you could possibly be told. Spend more time riding! It’s important!

5. Take care of your tack.

A lot of people will be using tack that you own, so you need to make sure that it’s kept in good condition. Spend the time it takes to teach your students to be respectful of tack and other equipment; it’s a habit that will serve them well.

6. Offer free introductory riding lessons.

When I was young, I used to go to a tennis store that had courts out the back where you could test a new racket. I loved the place and we went there again and again.

Offering free lessons is a great way to let your clients fall in love with your business. I can’t imagine how much I would have loved this as a kid. This will get people through the door. They’ll get a sense of you as a teacher, they’ll see your facilities, and you’ll get to introduce yourself.

7. Put out local ads.

Start with fliers on community noticeboards. Because these are so local, you’ll have success without having to spend too much.

If you want to expand your marketing, consider making something useful like a calendar that people are likely to keep around.

8. Establish systems.

As with any business, a lot of your success will come down to your efficiency. Establish systems and habits so you know what you have to be doing at what point. Make sure your students know, too. Good systems make the difference between being a hobbyist and being professional.

9. Hire working students.

One great option to help with your business is to hire a working student. This is someone who helps out with maintenance of your barn and your horse work in exchange for lessons.

Working students are beneficial for both parties, and even though they don’t generate income, they make your work easier and might lead to referrals.

No business, especially not a horse business, should expect to blow up immediately. You should try to start small and gradually get bigger and busier. A steady stream of clients is the best way to do this.

Focus on doing everything as well as you can. Pay attention to detail and make sure that your clients enjoy working with you. This will lead to reliable growth. 4

11. THE GOLDEN RULE: Activity breeds activity.

The best way to keep busy is to keep being busy. The more you get involved with, the more people you meet, the likelier it is that business will come to you.

Offer to be part of local events. Find a way to participate in markets, parades, special gatherings. Meet people and share with them what you do and where you want to end up. Getting things happening is the best way to get your business into a nice trot.

EXTRA READING:

WHAT WILL YOU NEED

• Good, friendly school horses (preferably at least 2, but 1 can work to start).
• Your own horse.
• Tack + Helmets.
• A fenced arena.
• Insurance
• A bookkeeping system

TESTING YOURSELF

If you’re unsure about whether a horse business is right for you, go through these questions:

• Are you a skilful enough rider to teach others?
• Do you have the space and the horses?
• Is your target market large enough? Is there demand?

If you’re looking at building horse facilities, download a brochure to see what Central Steel Build has done for other horse owners in the past.

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Clever Uses For Old Horse Bits