Buying and selling horses can be an extraordinarily complex and nerve-wracking process. In the past, buying horses was only about who you knew and selling horses was challenging because it was difficult to reach your audience. And those difficulties were often magnified at a show like the Congress where the number of horses for sale can be somewhat overwhelming. Well, times have changed drastically since then.
Today, apps on our mobile devices facilitate these processes in an easy-to-use manner. Long time equestrian Alison Koenig invented the Sales Paddock App and has revolutionized the way horses are bought and sold in the equine industry.
GoHorseShow had the chance to catch up with Alison at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress to talk to her about this exciting new platform.
Q: Hi Alison! What is your background in the equine industry?
A: I grew up having horses. I ended up with a Quarter Horse and did Quarter Horse hunters. I trained for a while for a couple of different people. Then, I had my place in Wisconsin where I showed AQHA hunters and hunter under saddle. Next, I had two little kids and decided to retire from training, that is when I started the Sales Paddock app.
Q: What made you want to start the Sales Paddock app?
A: I decided to start the app after coming to the All-American Quarter Horse Congress. I realized how hard it was to sell horses here because if you don’t have a network, your audience is limited. With all the Congress commotion, it can be challenging to look at every flyer posted around the fairgrounds. Once I saw the need for something to bridge the gap; I googled “How to Make an App.” Then, I just started moving forward with it.
Q: What are some key features of the app?
A: The best part of the app is the horse show check-in. We do a lot of hunter jumper shows, but this app works for quarter horse shows as well. Just check in wherever you are, and you will receive notifications about horses near you. For example, if you are selling a horse, you can send notifications about that horse directly to interested buyers. So, if a horse wins a major title or is showing in a particular class, that notification is sent out. The other unique part of the app is that you can “save” horses. If you are a horse trainer, you can save horses into a collection. This makes it possible to create multiple lists for different clients.
Q: How do you feel technology ties into the equine industry?
A: It saves you time. We as an industry are not utilizing it enough. There are a lot of old-school people who do not take the time to learn how to use apps like this. If they realized how much time this would save them, just technology in general, I think they would be much better off. The younger generation of trainers and exhibitors are picking this up like wildfire. Overall, technology makes buying and selling horses more efficient for everyone involved.
Q: How does this technology directly benefit the industry?
A: It brings us into the next generation. The app makes everything so mobile, whereas similar websites do not usually provide this ability. Most people use Facebook nowadays. However, Facebook does not allow people to “sell horses.” I think in the future, there will be a big crackdown on selling horses via Facebook. We realized that we needed to bridge the gap between people who have great horses to sell but have all the information on the computer. Therefore, we have made a website to help this.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to start their own business in the industry?
A: Just start. Do not be afraid to start. I just started researching it and soaking up all the knowledge I could. Don’t think you have to train horses. A lot of people have the misconception that to be a part of the equine industry, you must be a horse trainer. However, there are so many other paths you can take. Do not be afraid to think outside of the box.
Q: How do you look to expand the app in the future?
A: We have a lot coming up. We are going to add an “In Search Of” tab and are going to keep upgrading the app. We want to make it faster and add little tweaks to the chat. A “recommend” button is also in the future.
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The Sales Paddock app is an excellent tool for both buyers and sellers. It makes shopping for horses more efficient at prestigious shows like the Congress. Stay tuned for all of the new upgrades coming to the app.
Alison will be at the Congress if you’d like to speak to her about her cutting-edge sales app. Please contact her at (615) 933-9131 or email her at [email protected] for more information.
Please be sure to download the Sales Paddock App at the App store or on Google Play.
CLICK HERE to view her ad in the October issue of GoMag.
CLICK HERE to visit the Sales Paddock website.
CLICK HERE to become a Facebook Fan to keep up with the latest updates and news.
