# Chaotic Entrepreneurship



## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

So this is happening.


I am going to give it a shot. Whether anyone reads this or not isn't too important, I just like the idea of having this documented.

*
Here we go:*
(ok I started writing this and it was turning into a novel, so I'm going to try again.)

Hi, My name is Cait. I am a 19 year old riding coach and horse trainer living in Ontario, Canada. I teach and train full time as well as taking 1 online college course per semester to work towards a Diploma in Equine Studies. I own two horses currently and am looking to get a third next year. I love my job and have always been over ambitious...if you look in my journal from when I was 8 or so, I was calculating the profit margins for selling lemonade... I kid you not. At 17 I was told that I couldn't get a horse, pay for the horse and keep my grades up: did all that plus started my college courses while in highschool. At 18 I was told I would never amount to anything without a university degree and horses were not a job. At 19 I was told that no-one will take me seriously as a coach. I've sort of made a career out of proving people wrong. This is not to say that I am some wonder-child-horse-trainer and God's-gift-to-equines...no. Far far from it. I have made a lot of mistakes and I will continue to mess up, but that is how I learn.


*My Past:*
I have been the 'horse-crazy-kid' ever since I could remember. Every science project, English paper, history essay was, in one way or another, related to horses. Heck, even my grad quote in the yearbook was "Every class has that one weird kid who is obsessed with horses".

I started taking lessons around age 7. When I was 14 I found a barn where you could work for lessons, and I started to ride a silly bucking TB mare, Missy. I always liked the 'fun' horses. About two years later I was going to do it...I was going to buy Missy, my first horse. Everything was planned...until we got the vet out. Missy had serious joint problems that would show up in a year or two but impact the rest of her life. I was heart broken. One month later, her barn moved again, this time 3 hours away. My best friend left me that day.

I was sort of in 'horse limbo' for a while. Found a barn I could work for rides at, but it wasn't the same. In august of that year, a friend of a friend of a friend had a TB for sale. Ex-racer, 6 year old mare. When I went to see her it took 5 people half an hour to catch her...I was hooked. Trouble makers are fun. That mare was Smoke-Alley (Smokey), who I have now had for 2 years and is the absolute love of my life.

Smokey and I moved away for a year to a working student position at an eventing barn. It was the hardest and best experience of my life. Worked five long days, 5 lessons a week on Smoke, got in the best shape of my life and got a thick skin from the ‘real world’. The lessons were much needed after riding a bucking TB for years and then a year training an ottb with no lessons...my position was non existent. I can’t say enough good things about that experience. During this time I drove back home on weekend to work at my old farm. This is when my business really started. I started teaching the young girls at the farm and working people’s horses for them. Soon I got insurance, business cards and a website. Upon completing my working student position I had earned my English Rider Level 6 and a whole new swiss army knife of skills.

Smokey and I moved back and I found a part time teaching job. So I worked two part time jobs, online college courses and continued to seek out freelance work for my business. In October 2016 I bought my second horse, Junior. He is an unbroke, 8y/o, arab/mustang gelding. Turns out he and Smokey were born on the exact same day. My plans for him are to train him over winter and find some co-boarders in spring.


*My Future:*
I have about 6 million and 3 plans for the future and spreadsheets full of dreams. The big goal is to own my own barn, because I am my favourite boss. The plan was to have that 5 years after I graduated (I was 18 then, so 23 with my own place). With that in mind I am hoping to start renting a barn during either my 20th or 21st year of life. I will probably get 1 to 2 more horses before I start renting, so I can run somewhat of a lesson program and then I’d also like to get horses in for training. 

I am going to keep taking equine courses and working towards my instructor certification. The uncertainty of the future thrills me and I can’t wait to see what is next.






Ok...that turned into a novel anyway. Oh well!

Stay wild,
Cait


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Good for you! I hope everything turns out exactly as you'd like.


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## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

Sounds very interesting. I'm looking forward to updates, and we need pictures of Smokey and Junior.


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## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

Pictures as requested


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## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

I'm assuming the lighter colored one is Junior? He looks kind of like an Arab to me, but I'm not sure. They're both gorgeous.


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## Blue (Sep 4, 2011)

Stay strong! Follow your heart and chase your dreams! 

Keep us in your loop.


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## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 said:


> I'm assuming the lighter colored one is Junior? He looks kind of like an Arab to me, but I'm not sure. They're both gorgeous.


That one is actually Smokey my TB...although everyone thinks she is an arab  Junior is also a little chub so it makes him look less like an arab lol


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

You sound as though you are light years ahead of most people your age who are dreaming of working with horses by realizing that to succeed, you really have to think and treat it as a business. The math is really what breaks most hopeful equine entrepreneurs. 

If you haven't already, learn how to write a business plan, and also start accounting for every penny you bring in- you should make yourself a quarterly Profit and Loss statement and keep a record of them (most accounting software can do it for you automatically). Being able to show that you are conscientious and already turning a profit, however small, may give you an edge if you want to apply for a business loan, or buy your own farm at some point. 

Here in the US, there are Young Farmer programs and rural development loans you can get into, I'm not sure what Canada has available. 

Good luck!


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## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

Thank you everyone for the wonderful words of encouragement <3



natisha said:


> Good for you! I hope everything turns out exactly as you'd like.


Thank you 



BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 said:


> Sounds very interesting. I'm looking forward to updates, and we need pictures of Smokey and Junior.


Interesting for sure! & thank you!



Blue said:


> Stay strong! Follow your heart and chase your dreams!
> Keep us in your loop.


Will do, thanks!



Mulefeather said:


> You sound as though you are light years ahead of most people your age who are dreaming of working with horses by realizing that to succeed, you really have to think and treat it as a business. The math is really what breaks most hopeful equine entrepreneurs.
> 
> If you haven't already, learn how to write a business plan, and also start accounting for every penny you bring in- you should make yourself a quarterly Profit and Loss statement and keep a record of them (most accounting software can do it for you automatically). Being able to show that you are conscientious and already turning a profit, however small, may give you an edge if you want to apply for a business loan, or buy your own farm at some point.
> 
> ...


Ah yes...I need to get so much better at recording everything. I have records of income, who paid when and who owes what etc. But the spending I need to keep track of much better. I just need to suck it up and do it. Thanks!


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## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

Dec 3rd 2016


My mare was an angel...a sassy angel. My gelding was a clown. Typical of both.


Smokey (mare) - I have been teaching her to line up at the block, so I just climb up and she will walk and stop at the right spot. This was day two of that and she did great. She walked a little too far and so I just said “back” from the block and she backed up. We also worked on roundness through transitions, leg yield, yielding hindquarters under saddle and stretchy trot. Getting her to accept contact was a real challenge but seeing that she will now follow contact into a stretch is so rewarding.


Junior (gelding) - He was a star at lunging, worked on rhythm and then taught him to lunge a figure-8. Then went for a little ride in the round pen. He discovered he can trot with a human so we had lots of unintentional trot-walk-trot transitions. For his first time trotting with a rider he was very sensible, lots of playful head tossing but no explosive behavior. By the end he was coming back to walk on cue and then it started to hail so we ended it there 


Otherwise I am just trying to figure out my next ‘move’ business wise. Within the next year I hope to find a barn to rent and start running my business through there. Although I have been thinking lately a lot about why I want to move so badly and although the biggest part of it is my ambition, there is more to it. I think I am just getting too comfortable and I need a new challenge. I have a tendency to ‘never sit still’ in life and am always moving onto the next thing. Anyway, just trying to be somewhat logical and enjoy where I am at right now. I love the storms...learning to enjoy the calm too.


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## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

Dec 16th 2016

I'm moving! Moving me, my horses and some of my work.

So I have a lot of planning and preparation to do in the next few weeks. I found an ad a bit ago about renting a room on a horse farm with opportunity to bring horses. I was not planning to move until at least the summer but this place just jumped out at me. I investigated a little more, saw the property, met the people. The family has two horses on their own and are looking to start boarding horses. I am going to care for their horses and the more boarders I care for, the more I get off my rent. There is also nobody teaching lessons there so I would be able to teach lessons on my horses and grow my business. The house is gorgeous, they have 4 big paddocks with shelters, an indoor areas (which I currently don't have), it all seems like a great fit.

Making the decision to take this job was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. I absolutely LOVE the farm I have my horses at now. Everyone there is like family to me and it will be so hard to leave.

I am moving early January and horses coming mid January. If you want to help me plan this all out, I have a thread with questions....click here!

Very excited to see where this adventure leads,
Cait


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## Bright Stride Equine (Oct 20, 2016)

Dec 22

We pulled my mares shoes today...fingers crossed!

After over a year of Laminitis, countless abscesses, pastern injuries, bruises and more.... Smokey is finally (almost) sound. She will likely never be 100% sound, she is always a little off on the front left. But she was at her best point so far since all the chaos with her hooves started. So, since she is in lighter work and there is a nice layer of snow, my farrier and I decided to try her without shoes (she just had fronts). I have ridden her twice so far barefoot and she has gone great. A little off after the workout but after we cool down she is back to normal. For her sake (and the sake of my wallet) I'm really hoping she can stay barefoot, fingers crossed!


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Hope the barefoot situation is successful!

I recently read a really good book that sounds so much like your situation, I am thinking you would really like it. The book is _Ambition_ by Natalie Keller Reinert. The main character, Jules, is a young trainer trying to put together her own program on her own. I really liked the book.

It sounds like you are on the right track, and I wish you all the success.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

You are ambitious. I would love to follow your journal. And for me, the photos did not work.


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