01/24/2026
š±š±š±š±FINANCESš±š±š±š±
I get asked this ALOT.
ā”ļø #1 Get yourself a tax guy. Do NOT do you taxes yourself unless youāre a tax person. š
The IRS LOVES horse businesses and will come and check on you! So many people say they have a business and itās solely a hobby, itās a lot to keep track of, sales etc. You will be a lot better off getting someone who knows everything you can write off and how to write it all off. If you spend $1000 but you donāt have to pay $20,000ā¦. is it expensive?? If you make $5 dollars, itās considered a business. Donāt leave money on the table.
>>> Side note: the IRS took down the mafiaā¦ not the murders. šš
ā”ļø #2 No matter what anyone says, the only way to make money is to sell horses (or sell something, sales is always a money maker no matter what sector of the world youāre in) and winning it. Winning it is certainly not guaranteed.
Training horses DOES NOT make money, you might as well work at McDonaldās. No kidding. If you get that $1200 bucks a month, take out outrageous feed and hay prices to feed one RIGHT, your time, labor, the place you have to have to keep horses, trucks, trailers, insurance, whatever else and break it down, I bet itās less than $10 an hour. Depressing but in most cases, TRUE.
Itās a tough business model because itās based solely on what you can produce in a day.
Itās also expensive to learn- and I have paid more than my fair share of āstupid taxā on my bad decisions. Millions. Iām sure.
You need to be aware of what MAKES money and what COSTS money so you can use your time the best and focus on things that do make you money.
Itās my personal goal every year to win $100,000. There is no guarantee to that though, so have another plan to eat.
ā”ļø #3 You need to learn money management. You might have $20k in your pocket from a sale, but that DOES NOT mean you MADE $20k. The horse business is super cyclic-able, which means feast or famine. You need to save for bad times, because you WILL have bad times. Just about the time I start getting low on money, an alfalfa truck always shows up. š
ā”ļø #4 As a general ruleā¦ you cannot be your own best client. Which means you donāt want to own 15 headā¦. unless youāre buying cheap and selling them. Or can train them yourself and sell them. You need a plan. Horses are expensive. Thatās just reality. This also means you need to know when to let fluffy the unicorn GO. If you want to have a horse business, you better make business decisions, not emotional ones, and EMOTIONS COST MONEY!!
ā”ļø #5 KNOW YOUR MARKET!!!! I have to be aware of what I can realistically do. I donāt have a following to sell broodmares and babies, although people like our mares and we have sold some in utero. That market is not going to be my bread and butter. It costs too much to get them cooking and the time I have in it is outrageous.
ā¼ļøPeople cannot buy from programs they donāt know exist. ā¼ļø
ā¼ļøPeople can not breed to stallions they donāt know are stallions. ā¼ļø
ā ļøItās a social media world and if youāre in the horse business, itās your job to market YOURSELF!!!!! ā ļø
ā”ļø #6 Just be prepared to have some thick skin. Work under stress/pressure. Donāt be afraid to think outside the box.
Itās my personal goal to have LESS horses than everyone else. If I can show up to the Futurity with 2, and place on one, versus showing up with ten and placing on oneā¦ who thought this out?? I personally try to diversify for seasons. Sales are better at a particular time of year. Studs pick up slack in the spring. I do lots of little things to just help out. I have owned 20+ businesses now and stick to the same 4 the last several years. Itās important to grow businesses that are scalable and that can run without you.
ā”ļø #7 I will tell you itās ALWAYS the client you least expect that spends the most money with you. Whatās that saying, ā90% of your business comes from 10% of your clientele.ā
I also work hard to support small business. I buy from entrepreneurs, I support them the most, and I understand the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to get a business off the ground. When you see me give a shout out on the pageā¦ thatās why! Because I want to take care of those who take care of me. Be mindful of where you spend your money.
ā”ļøAsk yourself: How do I spend LESS time and make MORE money. This IS a business and people are SUPPOSED to make money!! The horse world is lightyears behind the outside business world. If you want to have a horse business, it doesnāt mean you need to starve. āš» Think BIGGER. Be Critical!!
šø I went in to the stallion game knowing I had to stand up against the big farms with huge marketing budgets, and that I did not/could not spend like that. It was my goal that when you thought of āTres Seisā you thought of Adios Pantalones, and I wanted him to be a household name. I would say now, I have achieved it. I want him to rise to the top as the BEST son of TS at stud. It is a MILLION HOURS to make that happen, a million TOUGH decisions, and the microscope I put him under myself is more critical than any mare owner ever could have been, but at the end of the day, POPULARITY will always rise to the top of this business. You cannot be the best and cut corners.
Lay out your goals and GO GET THEM!!
