It’s the new year and we wanted to know if trainers were making any changes for 2015. Did they learn anything in 2014 that has set up 2015 to even be a better year? Is the lower gas prices helping them? If so, how? Are they changing their prices for hauling or anything due to the lower gas prices? Do they have any advice for others to help them start the new year off on a good note? Let’s find out what they had to say.
Leanne Williams (Erie, Colorado)–I did some checking with my fellow trainers in my area. It seems like most of us will be going up to $850 a month from $800. The trainers with their own barns are able to charge less than the ones who lease stalls. The ones who lease stalls are at the mercy of the barn owner. If they charge $500 to $600 for a stall and the trainer charges $400 that’s $1,000 a month! My day fees will stay the same at $45.00 per day. For mileage, I have changed to a flat fee for instate shows instead of per mile. For out of state shows when I have a full trailer, I also do flat fees. I try really hard to make showing affordable for my clients and still make a living. If I don’t have a full trailer, I charge 55 cents a mile. My policies stay the same: no drama and communicate when there is a problem. Let me know what your goals are and how you expect me to help you reach them. I have kept my business small for 2015. I will only take six horses in training. This way, I’m able to pay myself for horse care and not have to hire a full-time person to help. I’ve learned to only take as many horses as I can handle. Even when I have good help, I feel responsible for each animal and that can cause a lot of stress for everyone. It makes the horse shows a lot more enjoyable.
Melissa Henry-Shetler (Saegertown, Pennsylvania)–I really don’t plan on making many changes. I’ve been very fortunate with great customers that I’ve been able to keep my prices steady for the past several years. I haven’t increased anything in quite some time. I also offer partial training (three days per week) when many trainers do not. This allows customers that normally cannot afford to show very often to travel with me more. Otherwise, they would skip certain shows so they can afford training. It’s really a win-win. Then, I have more customers attending shows during the season. I’ve been blessed with great customers that allow me to continue doing what I love.
Ronald Stratton (Blountville, Tennessee)–For 2015, I plan on concentrating more on the fall halter futurities that payout big money–like the East Coast Futurity, Big Money and WCHA Futurity. Last year, I didn’t go to these shows, but this year, I plan to center our show season around them. Nowadays, the people that are contacting me are looking for halter prospects that are eligible and can be competitive at these shows.
Missy Thyfault (Shelby, Ohio)–I am currently working on having my website updated. Things have advanced so much that I feel it could have a more current feel to it. I also have been assisted by my customer, Dave Crawford in updating me to online billing. I may add a credit card option to help avoid late pays. I am placing an order for hats and hoodies for my customers to show my appreciation for their business. It has been a few years since I have done that. I am grateful for the successes and steady business in 2014 and always plan on the New Year surpassing the last. Personally, I always try to ride with a few trainers over the winter that I respect to learn new things and keep an open mind. My prices are staying steady aside from an increase of price in my braiding and banding charges. I was lower than the industry average in previous years. My mileage prices did not shoot up when the fuel prices did, so I do not feel mine will go down with the temporary drop in price. I have not felt I needed to change my program structure at all as it has done well for me. I am always trying to stay current and push myself further as a trainer and coach and to remain enthusiastic.
Chelsea Carlson (Junction City, Oregon)–As a younger trainer, I’ve been making changes to my business since I started it a couple years ago. Seeing what worked best and how to approach situations has been a major key in my program’s development. I feel as though 2014 was a very pivotal year for my program and business plan. It seems to me, through conversing with many established horsemen and women I look up to, that sometimes, trainers forget that we are running a business. Throughout 2014, and beginning 2015, I have made changes to my prices to reflect the service provided and costs behind it all. I’ve learned a lot about self value as a person and professional this year and plan to take that knowledge and mindset into 2015.
Anne Shafer (Cleveland, Missouri)– I don’t do any price changes as maybe most trainers do at the beginning of the year. Mainly for the fact that I have a flat boarding fee but in the winter months my clients are charged a heat fee every month that I need to use it. If I do not use the heat, they are just charged the boarding and training fees. I try to keep costs down as much as possible and only raise my rates if most of my expenses have increased such a shavings, hay and grain. As for hauling with the lower gas prices, I did not increase my rate for mileage when gas prices went up. I basically ate the added cost of fuel, so my clients could still afford to show. So now with lower prices, I may be able to either make a little money or break even. What people don’t realize when trainers haul horses, is that our rigs do not usually create a great deal of revenue. By the time we make our truck and trailer payments, insurance, maintenance, tire replacement, and the hours spent hauling all over the countryside plus down time with our rigs, the revenue generated for hauling is not that great.
Katy Jo Zuidema (Micanopy, Florida)–Our biggest change is based on hauling. We’re looking for a better way to get our horses to the shows. We’re tired of driving all night and then arriving at the show and having to prepare our horses when we’re exhausted. We’re also tired of our help being exhausted and having to deal with the hazards of being on the road as well as the expense. Our goal is to hire a private hauler to do all the driving for us in a big comfy rig that is easier on our horses. That way they arrive sounder and we arrive rested and ready to go to work.
Jodie Moore (Langley, British Columbia)–We are going to have to raise the board portion of our board and training bill. The cost of doing business where we live is probably among the highest in North America. We have rented our facility for about 16 years, land around where we live is almost a million an acre, but to move to a cheaper area means a more remote location north, away from the border and the majority of the population. Hay is $410 a ton, and we go through three ton a month. We have to pay for manure removal at $280 a container–we do 16 to 20 containers a year. Minimum wage is $10.25 hour for barn help, and the population here is smaller than our friends to the south so there are far fewer horse owners and lesson clients. The lower gas prices are great, especially once we cross the border, but our gas is still double the cost of yours. It is a tough go up here. We show almost completely south and the Canadian dollar is only worth about 80 cents to convert, so all our US expenses currently cost more.
Kristy Starnes (Summerton, South Carolina)–We aren’t making any major changes this year. We have a fluctuating scale like how many trucking companies do for hauling with a base rate per mile with a fuel surcharge per mile. So as fuel rates come down so does our hauling rate based on what we pay for fuel.
Julie Marie Majernik (Canfield. Ohio)–I am not making any major changes other than raising my board portion of my monthly training from $750 to $800. Our board has been $350 which is low for full care as well as the services we provide the horses in my barn. I expanded my facility and added a 75×180 indoor arena- fully insulated and heated to improve my training facility. I made a show schedule last year and we followed it–hit every show except the NSBA and open world and we followed it exactly. This really gave me and my clients an idea of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to show. I didn’t take every horse to every show, which gave a great balance to my clients not having to show every weekend as well as me getting all of the horses in my program out there. I plan on doing it again for 2015.The new gas prices aren’t really affecting me or my hauling rate. My rate is 65 cents per mile. I just upgraded from a F350 and four horse to a freight liner and a six horse trailer. The cost of the rig, routine maintenance, tires, insurance, and everything associated with wear and tear soak up the fee that trainers make hauling. I wouldn’t have or need the rig I purchased if I wasn’t training and showing for a living. I had to upgrade in order to accommodate more of my clients and make traveling as safe and easy as possible being on the road so much.
Also, I’m going to have help handling my billing. I am going to make sure bills are sent out in a timely manner, set due dates and not let as much pile up. It was so hard doing everything on my own my first year and if I can eliminate this, it will make my months go much easier. I also increased my non show day fee and my show day fee $5 dollars. My non show day fee is $20 and my show day fee is $35. I increased this mainly due to what I spent on supplies last year. Massive amounts of fly spray, Black spray, liniment, shine spray, face glow, shampoo for washing the fake tails and the list goes on and on! It all adds up and I need to work that into my fees since I provide the products.
My advice is to talk over with your trainer what you and your horse would like to accomplish during the show season. Set achievable goals for yourself, with your horse and work with your trainer on what is realistic for you and your horse and go from there. It will make for a fun year!
Dakota Diamond Griffith (Hilliard, Ohio)–The first of the year always symbolizes a time of considering change; fresh starts and establishing goals. Before we look to go up in price, we see if there are areas where we can find cost savings. For example, something as simple as reviewing our business telephone plans, and pricing fuel on Gas Buddy before we fuel up to go to a show. We also try to lock in grain prices when we feel the market is going to be the most stable. Expense review and management has always been a priority in our business before we would ever consider going up in price.
Dakota Diamond Griffith (Hilliard, Ohio)–The first of the year always symbolizes a time of considering change; fresh starts and establishing goals. Before we look to go up in price, we see if there are areas where we can find cost savings. For example, something as simple as reviewing our business telephone plans, and pricing fuel on Gas Buddy before we fuel up to go to a show. We also try to lock in grain prices when we feel the market is going to be the most stable. Expense review and management has always been a priority in our business before we would ever consider going up in price. While some customers feel that trainers should be re-evaluating mileage costs due to a recent decline in fuel, I would say that we have always held our prices down on mileage. My father’s philosophy has been “if you don’t make it fair and affordable for your clients to get to the shows, they may not go to as many.” Fuel prices may be dipping lower right now, but my truck and trailer still cost the same. To offset fluctuating market prices, I try to stay at a rate which doesn’t change drastically and is fair. My business relocates to Florida in the winter, so I split the actual costs to get from Ohio to Florida, in lieu of charging clients by the mile. I do have to re-evaluate my winter boarding prices the first of every year to reflect the regional costs of hay, and grain however, but I always roll back my prices in the summer months when I am up north as a courtesy.
In the event that I do find a need to increase pricing due to the economic climate, I try to consider adding a surcharge to my billing rather than making a formal price increase. It can be difficult to say that I am going to make changes specifically on January 1st for that reason, but I do think the first of the year is always a good time to reflect.
Including your clients in the upcoming year’s planning process is a win-win. I sent a calendar prior to the New Year to the clients offering show, clinic and even dates for get-togethers. That way, they can plan and more importantly budget what works for them, so that we can work together to formulate a better business plan going into the new year. I also try to include several options for hotels, restaurants, etc. so they have choices within their budgets. My clients also work really well as a team and network together to save money by sharing expenses where they can.
The end of a calendar year also marks the deadline to consider proposing changes to the associations for consideration for the upcoming year. Whether you are a trainer or client, if something doesn’t agree with you, use your voice. The first of the year is finally a good opportunity to have reviewed impending rule changes and know the handbook.
Communication is extremely important. If I have three 3 year-olds in training the first of the year, I want my business plan to insure that all the client needs are met and respected for the shows in the new year. Planning is an extremely important detail to be happy and create as much of a drama free environment as possible. At the end of the day, it needs to be fun. Happy New Year!
