How To Make Money With Horses

There are actually a number of tested avenues to make money with horses.

Even though it can be extremely fun to own a horse as a hobby, it is also very expensive. They need a lot of space, food and attention. Also, some horse breeds are more expensive than others because of their traits which can include intelligence and even appearance.

Due to the fact that they are expensive, maybe you will want the costs to be supplemented. Earning money with horses actually seems quite difficult because when you factor in care and upkeep of these horses, the expenses can be overwhelming.

However, if you have a thing for horses and don’t mind being around them most of the time, then you’re in luck. Maintaining your interest will bring immense experience that will put you in good stead when starting a side business. This way, you can make a bit of extra cash.

In case you possess the time and means to venture into horse activities that can make you money, you can even decide to make it a full-time job. However, you need to remember that horses and their maintenance aren’t cheap. At the start, you’ll need to have adequate savings that will initially cover maintenance and other expenses.

With this in mind, here are some of the ways you can make significant money with your horses. Most of them will not require a lot of time nor equipment.

 

1. Table of Contents

   House other horses in your stable

Since you already house your horses, why not make it a business by boarding other people’s horses too? If there’s ample space, housing horses can be a simple way to generate extra cash without having to do anything elaborate. However, you’ll need things like stalls, hay and plenty of space so that the horses can at least roam when they’re outside.

How to go about it

With additional space, you should be able to provide a haven for other horses. You can do this while charging the horse owners on a monthly basis. This facility might include services like blanketing, grooming and stall cleaning. It also might not. It all depends on your preference and capabilities.

 

Advantages

• Except you plan to provide full boarding options, boarding is not costly to execute especially if you have enough space for it.
• If funds are appropriately allocated, this business could be quite profitable.
• It can be done at any time or during any season.

 

Disadvantages

• You need to have enough space for multiple horses.
• You also might need to employ people to render some services especially if you decide on full-care boarding.

 

2. Offer Riding Lessons

This is a very popular way of making additional money. It is quite popular because you will also be able to spend time with the horses. Riding lessons will enhance the riding abilities of younger riders and also give them confidence to go about it.

 

How to go about it

If you’re a horse owner planning to engage in horse riding lessons, ensure that your stable and horses are prepared for visitors. This is important if you plan on gaining a good reputation in the business and hope to attract more customers.

Before you begin to give out lessons, ensure that you’re comfortable enough to work with riders and establishing communication with them regarding all they have to do during the course of riding the horse. You’ll need to select your charges and stick by them. Even in the event that you feel that you’re under charging, don’t increase the prices. This can finally be done when you have established some reputation and clientele.

 

Advantages

• It is not expensive to offer riding lessons.
• It could begin as a side business, but it could also grow to become much more than that.

 

Disadvantages

• You will need to self-advertise to get clients.
• Your earnings might not be consistent.

 

3. Braiding Services

Lovers of horses who go to shows and provide braiding services to horse owners will be able to do this without having to pay too much as startup fees. It doesn’t cost a lot to braid tails and manes, yet you will be able to earn a considerable sum if a significant amount of clients use your service.

 

How to go about it

If you haven’t, you should start taking lectures on how to braid the tails and manes of horses for shows. Some of these competitions will need fancy braids and others will need basic ones or none at all. To get most of your initial customers, you will have to market the services you offer. Once you have proven to be trustworthy and reliable, you will be able to increase your number of clients.

 

Advantages

• It is not expensive to start.
• The skill is quite easy to grasp.
• You will be able to work with different clients each day.

 

Disadvantages

• It will need you to learn a new skill.
• The profit isn’t really high.

 

 

4. Rent out your horse arena 

If you already own a place where you ride your horse, then you need to consider leasing that space to other horse owners for a fee.

Most of the owners that enter their horses into competitions regularly look for places that are safe and serene enough to practice in. Even some owners that ride for pleasure may decide to switch scenery and use a different space.

 

 

How to go about it

To begin, you should tell your friends who are also horse riders that your stable will be available for rent over a period of time. There will be riders that would rent the space for several hours while others will only need it for an hour or less. Your clients ought to be able to use a trailer to bring their horses to the arena. This will ensure that your arena becomes a favourite of theirs and that they come again in the future.

 

Advantages

• It will not take a lot of time or effort.
• You’ll be able to make extra money with minimum fuss.

 

Disadvantages

• The profit isn’t huge.
• It can be a volatile business and success may fluctuate.

 

5. Exercise Horses

I know it can be challenging to eke out the time to take out your horse for rides, but horses should exercise as much as possible. In case you have ample time, you could decide to offer an exercise service where you give give horses their much-needed exercise – for a fee, of course.

 

How to go about it

Once you can ride a horse, you have also learned how to exercise one. Horses require frequent long walks. What this means is that whenever you want to exercise horses, you just need to ride the horses. It isn’t compulsory that you know any commands or training tips to exercise horses.

 

Advantages

• This is something you can enjoy doing, while also making money.
• You won’t need any added equipment.

 

Disadvantages

• It will be quite difficult to get clients.
• It will require travel at times.

 

6. Stable Cleaning Services

Being a horse owner, I’m sure you know the importance of keeping the stables clean. It might be very tasking, but it can’t be helped.

 

How to go about it

Cleaning stables involves bringing out the mats and rinsing them, sweeping and discarding the waste, wiping clean water bowls and food troughs as well as washing blankets. Even though these tasks are time-consuming and arduous, almost everyone will be able to complete them.

 

Advantages

• It is a simple task that can be done at any time.
• It is easier to get customers who would want to patronize you regularly.

 

Disadvantages

• It is time consuming.
• The profit isn’t high enough for the amount of work done.

 

7. Pasture Care

Just like stable cleaning, pastures need to be frequently tended so as to keep the grass levels low as well as prevent weeds from springing all over the place.

How to go about it

This is very similar to tending to your house’s lawn. It should be done at least once or twice in two weeks. To complete the job, you will have to transport all the necessary machinery.

 

Advantages

• Finding regular clients is easy.
• The work isn’t that tedious.
• If you already own the needed equipment, it will be simpler to save costs.

 

Disadvantages

• You will have to find a way to regularly transport needed machinery.

 

 

8. Horse Transportation

Admittedly, you’ll have to spend a lot to get this up and running, but it is still a viable way of making money.

 

How to go about it

To be able to move several horses to an event at a go is no mean feat. To do this, you’ll need to use a large trailer. This trailer has to be inspected and cleaned regularly to make sure that all the horses remain comfortable throughout the journey and arrive at their destination without any hitch.

 

Advantages

• It will be highly cost-effective if a trailer is already in your possession.

 

Disadvantages

• You will need to get several equipment to make it work.
• It may lead to wear and tear of your trailer in the long run.

 

9. Horse Tack Cleaner

Bridles, saddles, breastplates, girths and martingales are equipment that need regular cleaning to increase their lifespans. If you can, look for a horse owner and try to learn from their tack cleaner.

 

How to go about it

You just need to be familiar with cleaning tack items. Also, you need to know the right cleaning products for each equipment. As soon as you’ve come to terms with the process, you’ll then be able to offer cleaning services to potential clients.

 

Advantages

• It is simple to learn.
• It is quite easy to recoup the money used to buy cleaning supplies and subsequently start making profit.

 

Disadvantages

• It can be time-consuming.
• You’ll need to spend time, money and energy before you start to see dividends.

 

10. Manure Cleaning Service

If most of the options on this list don’t suit what you’re looking for, then you can decide to pay attention to manure – which is one thing that no horse owner can escape. If you decide on this, you can start to remove manure at stables while also delivering that same manure as fertilizer to farmers and the likes. With this, you should be making profit in no time.

How to go about it

It is never fun to shovel and dispose manure. But, if you decide on focusing on it, you should be able to turn a quick profit due to horse owners who are tired of this task patronizing you to do it for them.

 

Advantages

• This is one of the simplest ways to make money with horses.

 

Disadvantages

• It is a dirty job.
• You need to have available transport.

 

11. Horse Leasing

Another way you can make money through horses is by leasing your horse. For a fee, you can give out your horse for riding lessons for several hours.

 

How to go about it

The target market should be riders graduating from a division to another. Some of them outgrow their horses and you can give them an opportunity to practice with a larger one. That way, you can make extra money.

 

Advantages

• It decreases the horses’ cost of upkeep.
• It allows your horse to exercise (if you’re too busy to personally do that).

 

Disadvantages

• It will require paperwork and proper due diligence on the persons planning to lease your horse.
• Your horse is at risk if they enter the wrong hands.

 

12. Retailing Horse Equipment 

If you’ve owned horses for a while, I’m sure you would have come across different brands of horse equipment and you would’ve also settled on the best ones for your horse (s). Another way you can put this to good use is by become a retailer for a particular horse equipment brand.

How to go about it

A lot of affiliate programs use commissions to reward their retail marketers. To earn, you will post a link to the website of the company accompanied by an endorsing quote that talks about the products they have. That way, you get a commission anytime somebody uses your link to purchase a product from the website.

 

Advantages

• You’ll be able to passively earn money without having to do a lot.
• There will be no need for you to find extra time in your schedule to do this job.

 

Disadvantages

• It isn’t as profitable as most of the other options on this list.