“Ten Ways to Engage Newcomers and Youth to Horses”
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First Chat (460) Elise Chand
About This Episode
“Ten Ways to Engage Newcomers and Youth to Horses”
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“Ten Ways to Engage Newcomers and Youth to Horses”
Consistently, I’m hearing from worldwide horse industry leaders that equestrians are “aging out of horses” faster than newcomers, especially youth, are becoming involved. So a Top 10 discussion on how to engage newcomers and youth is one idea.
1) Traditionally, we’ve focused on youngsters and engaging them through lessons (as one example) in a lesson barn. This has left the parents (usually, the mom) at loose ends, just hanging out until the lesson is over… or dropping off the youngster and coming back later. Consequently, it’s become even more critical that we figure out how to engage the parents in barn life — get their hands on a kind horse, talk with them, welcome them into the barn, introduce them to other parents, create an environment where they feel a part of things. This is especially important for non-equestrian parents… our “world” has its own language, its own pace, its own traditions, and its own ways of doing things. We even wear funny clothes. All while working with immense, sometimes unpredictable animals. This can be incredibly intimidating to “outsiders,” so it’s incumbent upon us to welcome them in.
2) We’ve also tended to focus on the one kid in the family who loves horses and not paid much attention to the other siblings… especially the younger ones. So we need to make sure we’re looking at the entire family and figuring out how to engage all of the kids. If there’s a little one in the mix, does the barn have a gentle pony and offer leadline lessons? If there’s an older child in the family, how can we engage them? It’s equally important (as in #1) that we ensure that everyone feels welcome in the barn and that we find a place for each of them… introduce them to other siblings, hold get-togethers, have a place where waiting siblings can gather and sit and chat, have a small fridge with bottled water and Cokes, etc.
3) The fastest growing segment of the horse world is actually women over 35. We need to ensure we’re engaging them in every way possible… Some really wonderful ideas include reaching out to parent associations at local schools and inviting them to the barn for special events — maybe it’s an exhibition that some of your students put on (darling, little girls on sweet, little ponies are impossible to resist). Maybe it’s a horsemanship demonstration (there’s nothing like seeing a little kid easily managing a 1,200-pound horse to illustrate the confidence kids learn in the barn)… Maybe you invite a local guidance counselor to come in and talk about the important role of horses in children’s lives… how they instill confidence, self-esteem, etc…. how it gets kids outside and away from social media and texting… how it connects kids with other kids…. and so on. Include some refreshments, ensure that the horses and facilities are gleaming and ship-shape, and have a sign-up sheet for anyone interested in learning more.
- A great idea is to focus entirely on this demographic, whether or not they have kids. Engage with local women’s groups — professional associations, clubs, etc. — and hold a wine-tasting at your barn or facility. Have music playing, light food (cheese, crackers, grapes, etc.). Maybe invite someone to come speak on a topic of interest (it doesn’t have to be a topic about horses). You could include something fun just to get their hands on horses — maybe bring out your gentlest horse and invite anyone who wants to to pet or brush him/her, give them treats, comb or braid their mane, etc. Anything to get them touching a horse. Casually engage in conversation with your guests, asking if they were interested in horses, even as a child, have they ever ridden, etc. Effectively, plant the seed that it’s never too late to explore even a childhood love of horses.
- Engage with a local tack shop to hold a fun “fashion show” of equestrian attire – you could use your riding students as models, young and mature, and invite their family members and friends to come watch.
- You could offer a referral program — refer someone to come tour the barn and get 10% off your next riding lesson or next month’s board, etc.
4) Hold an “open barn” and blanket neighborhoods, bulletin boards, schools, etc., within a reasonable driving distance with attractive fliers. Activities from points 1-3 could be incorporated, depending upon the demographics in your target area.
5) Here’s a simple one, but something that an astonishingly few number of barns actually do: put a nice, professional, and easy-to-read sign at the farm’s entrance. It should include the barn’s name, a phone number, and a VERY brief description of services offered. It’s worth engaging a professional sign company to make it. In the States, this would cost about $200 USD. Putting up smaller signs (in the US, we call them “real estate signs” — they’re smaller, made of a cheaper, but weather-resistant, material) on strategic corners around your barn is incredibly helpful, especially if your barn isn’t on a major thoroughfare.
6) Become a member of the local Chamber of Commerce and engage with other business owners, even if they’re not in the horse world. For other businesses that ARE in the horse world (local vets, farriers, feed stores, tack shops, trailer companies, agricultural services, etc.) — reach out to them and develop a relationship. Make sure they have several of your fliers and business cards (and make sure that both are good quality, professional, and include your name, your barn’s name, a phone number, your address, a website address).
7) Become a member of the local/regional horse associations that make sense for your barn. In the US, this would include disciplines, breeds, animal welfare groups, agricultural services, colleges/universities, etc. Don’t engage every single one of them — pick two or three, at most, that are relevant to your business.
8) Support relevant non-profit organizations and be on good terms with them... maybe even host some of their horse-related events and fundraisers.
Therapeutic riding centers, Special Olympics, and others are phenomenal organizations — so you’re not only helping them, but you’re developing good karma and you’re also making your barn a welcoming, active, and inclusive place that people associate with in a very positive and engaging way..
9) At all times, be a professional and run your barn like a business:
- Everyone on your staff should have a t-shirt or polo shirt that they wear at all times. Or, at minimum, a single color of t-shirt that designates anyone in, for example, a red t-shirt is “official.” Ideally, have your barn name printed on the shirt. This is a very inexpensive way to present a professional image.
- You should have the aforementioned barn signs.
- You should have the aforementioned business cards and fliers, and you (and your best representatives) should carry them at all times, ready to hand out to anyone who might possibly have an interest in horses or know someone who is. For example, an elderly person may not be the first individual you’d think to hand a business card to… but they may have grandkids who like horses. Always think about the many ways people are connected, and how you and your barn can be part of those connections.
- This is a bit of a rant….. For pity’s sake, whenever you share information about upcoming events, include the location – I can’t tell you the numbers of times I’ve seen great events posted on Facebook or on tack shop bulletin boards, that include the farm’s name, MAYBE the date of the event, and that’s it. They don’t put a phone number, web address, physical address, or any meaningful details. This limits participants to only those who know exactly where the barn is located… so they’re already your customers.
- Have clean, easy-to-read documents, always on hand/stocked and ready to go. Someone wants information about different lesson plans? Someone wants details on boarding options? Someone wants to look at your boarding contract? It’s very reassuring that you are a professional, can be counted on, and are focused on the details — as opposed to having to scramble to find something or have to get back to the inquirer at some later point. People see these as indicators of what you would be like to work with later, when they’re reliant upon you and your staff to care for their beloved horse, to instruct their precious child, etc.
10 ) Remember at all times that you ARE your barn. The way you interact with other people and with horses, how you manage the help, how clean (or messy) your facilities and equipment are (including the farm truck), whether you happened to be in a bad mood when you ran into that anxious parent at the grocery store, etc.
For people who have worked day-in and day-out in a corporate environment, this is a known factor in doing business. But for individuals who haven’t had that experience, it can come as a bit of a shock — you mean I have to be “on” all the time?
The reality is that every single interaction has the potential to create a great impression — or a dreadful one — of you and your business/barn.
Time Stamp
00:42 – Background
01:07 – Introduction of topic
09:00 – 1) Traditionally, we’ve focused on youngsters and engaging them through lessons
10:15 – 2) We’ve also tended to focus on the one kid in the family who loves horses and not paid
11:50 – 3) The fastest growing segment of the horse world
15:26 – 4) Hold an “open barn” and blanket neighborhoods,
19:40 – 5) Here’s a simple one, but something that an astonishingly few number of barns actually do:
22:40 – 6) Become a member of the local Chamber of Commerce and engage with other business owners,
27:38 – 7) Become a member of the local/regional horse associations that make sense for your barn.
30:36 – 8) Support relevant non-profit organizations and be on good terms with them
32:00 – 9) At all times, be a professional and run your barn like a business:
40:11 – 10) Remember at all times that you ARE your barn.
45:37 – Contact details see below
Elise’s Contact Details
Phone: (940) 300-4705 (Texas USA)
Email:
Website: www.becauseofhorses.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Because.of.Horses
Also Listen to
Third Chat (528) Elise Chand 3 – “Ten Questions About Horse Industry Education, Now And In The Future”
Music
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