After taking about 6 months off to have a baby, it felt great to get back up on the proverbial horse. As soon as the doctor said it was okay to ride, I rode a few times at home, and then helped my dear friends at Newbury Farm at the 3rd week of the Vermont Summer Festival in Manchester VT. Despite the blistering heat and my slightly achy muscles, I was happy to rejoin the horseshow community. This most recent hiatus from the horse world was one of several, and as usual I was interested to notice what had changed (not much) and what stayed the same (almost everything):
- Fashion changes, but not dramatically. Since 1994, the developments I’ve noticed are sweat-friendly fabric for riding shirts, safer hard hats, half chaps instead of full chaps, and no more rust britches.
- Transportation modes around the show evolve. Since 1994, the golf cart has become ubiquitous. Many horse shows have created “lanes” to separate the horses from the golf carts.
- The most important and interesting development (in my humble opinion) is that horse people are starting to welcome and adopt technology into their work and personal lives. Many trainers and barn managers use their phones as an important tool to help run their businesses. In addition to using them to text, call, and email, they also use apps to help them stay organized while they are on the road. Stable Secretary, a barn management software with a web app and a mobile app that makes it easier to track and view equine health records, log equine business service records, and create and track invoices for horses in your stable, has received excellent feedback from users. Stable Secretary enables trainers and barn managers to access all of their equine records anywhere, anytime – and they really appreciate it! ShowNet is a HUGE help for tracking ring updates at shows, and it also records videos and tracks results. Equestrian Connect streamlines submitting entry forms. These three programs, created by horse people, resolve some of the biggest pain points for professionals in the horse industry – creating invoices quickly, submitting entries, keeping equine health and service records organized while at the horse show, and keeping the schedule running smoothly on competition days.
I enjoy being a part of the horse world in many different capacities. It’s been fun to watch these improvements happen, and I look forward to seeing more!
Leave a comment – what changes have you noticed over the years? What other technologies have become useful for horse trainers and barn managers?
