1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 January Voice | Page 29

JANUARY
tei A|E|^^| u (ING
■0 RSE
professonal horseman, i.e. the thrill
of competing or love for horses,
etc., he is in the horse business for
one reason and that is to provide
for himself and his family. Train­
ing horses is his bread and butter
and the more successful he is the
more money he makes and the bet­
ter he can live.
It has been said that “the Walk­
ing Horse trainer does not make
his money training horses”. This
recent trip through middle Tennessee brought an awareness of is a break-even proposition at best.
several services which the “VOICE of the Tennessee Walking He makes his living buying and
Horse” magazine could render to various groups in the business selling horses and standing a stal­
which, for the most part, have been somewhat neglected. As most lion.
of For the man who is in busi­
ness
for himself this is perhaps
you realize any such publication should contain information and material
true. Anyone who knows the funda­
of interest to everyone and should be something other than a simple mentals of business knows that to
news source. With this in mind we are adding this monthly article on operate and maintain a business
The Horse Business to the regular format of the magazine. We will try such as a training barn involves a
to make each installment both interesting and informative. It is to be certain amount of fixed overhead
aimed primarily at the individual who is responsible for the successful and operating expenses, including
personnel. These expenses vary in
and profitable operation and management of a training barn for both direct proportion to the number of
pleasure and show horses. We plan to include article s on stable con­ horses in training. Even at $100 or
struction and equipment, public relations for the professional trainer $125.00 per month training for each
and horse owner, finances as it applies to operating a stable on a busi­ horse, the trainer is certainly not
ness basis, transportation, owner-trainer relations, stable advertising getting rich.
It is for this reason that many
and promotion, management problems and many other items of interest
professional trainers have found it
to people who depend entirely or in part on the Walking Horse business advisable to work directly for one
for a livelyhood. This is not an attempt to tell the professional trainers individual or to set himself up with
or other experienced horsemen how to run their business but rather to a partner or other backers in order
present ways and means to successful operation of such a business and to get the financial backing and
to include new ideas and recognized advancements in the Walking management assistance he must
have in order to operate a success­
Horse world.
ful business. This is a sound and
Some years ago when your writer first became interested in Walking logical business manoeuvre. In
Horses, we were informed by a person whom we considered an authority effect, a trainers’ backers are per­
on the subject that “you couldn’t put any stock in anything that is found forming the same function that a
in a book or magazine on horses”. We were also told that “the only way banker affords other businessmen,
t,: learn anything about training horses or running a stable was to do and that is to provide working
’ i yourself”. Perhaps this is true, but if so, there are a lot of volumes capital with the prospect of mak­
r valuable information that are going to waste. Is it that we dont read ing a long-term profit on their in­
enough or that we are afraid someone may know something about horses vestment.
that we don’t know and we are reluctant to admit it. At any rate we here
The trainer who is operating suc­
are going to present this article which we believe will be of general cessfully entirely on his own is
value and interest to everyone who is interested in the future of the fortunate indeed. In addition to be­
Tennessee Walking Horse.
ing a good trainer he undoubtedly
To set the stage for this series of articles perhaps it would be a is also a good businessman, a sales­
good idea to discuss the various types of business arrangements now man, a promoter and an excellent
found in the operation of Walking Horse Stables across the country. To manager who must keep up with
operate a training stable successfully is a difficult task. It involves many equipment, personnel and the
people, including a professional trainer and of course horse owners. It many other details involved in
is the relationship between these two groups that determine the success operating a professional training
or failure of a barn.
barn.
This may appear to the layman
the trainer
To begin with, the trainer is a most important person in the over­ to be a somewhat exagerated dis-
all operation of a stable. The singlemost important factor to remember cription of the professional trainer
about a trainer is that, regardless of his outward motives for being a and his job. It definitely isn’t! In
A