Top Pain Points for Horse Businesses (and Why They Matter)

Nov 29

Messy or inconsistent books
Hard for owners to track profitability, cash flow, or expenses by horse/client.
Unclear cost of care
Many barns don't know true costs per stall, per service, or per horse.
Delayed invoicing / missed charges
Extras like meds, supplements, training rides, or haul-ins often go unbilled.
No separation of business vs. personal expenses
Leads to tax headaches and inaccurate financials.
Tax-time panic
Lack of clean records for deductions, depreciation (trailers, tractors, arenas), or 1099s.

Late payments / unpaid board bills
Horse businesses often rely on handwritten notes or texts for billing.
Disputes due to unclear contracts or itemized charges
Owners forget what’s included vs. extra.
Manual, inconsistent invoicing systems
Creates errors and lost revenue.
Lack of automatic reminders
Leads to chronic delinquent accounts.

Classification issues (employee vs. contractor)
High audit risk—especially with grooms, trainers, and working students.
High employee turnover
Due to low wages, long hours, and unclear management.
Tracking hours for barn staff
Many barns still use pen & paper.

Liability risk
Missing waivers, outdated boarding contracts, or no medical release forms.
Zoning or land-use compliance
Manure management plans, setback requirements, and permitted use issues.
Insurance complexities
Care, custody & control (CCC), mortality policies, training liability.

Feed and bedding waste
No tracking → higher costs.
Supplement & medication tracking
Easy to lose track of what’s billed vs. given.
Equipment and tack depreciation
Not tracked, leading to loss of deductible value.

Seasonal fluctuation
Show barns and breeders especially struggle with predictable cash flow.
Expensive capital improvements
Arenas, fencing, footing, tractors, barns → big investments requiring planning.
Thin profit margins
Many boarding barns barely break even.

Arena conflicts
Trainers vs. boarders, riding lessons vs. schooling.
Overbooked or underbooked service providers
Farriers, vets, and chiropractors need predictable schedules.
Hauling coordination
Multiple horses going to the same show or vet trip.

Text-message chaos
Instructions for care, supplements, turnout, or training get lost.
No centralized system for updates
Leading to misunderstandings with clients.
After-hours client messages
Burnout for barn owners and trainers.

Still using paper binders and whiteboards
For health records, stall assignments, feeding plans.
No digital bookkeeping systems
Difficult to scale or share information.
No dashboards or analytics
Decisions are based on “gut feeling.”

Vaccinations, deworming, farrier schedule tracking
Missed reminders can create health and liability issues.
Show records, registration, and paperwork
Often disorganized or inaccurate.
Worker comp / OSHA compliance
Especially important for large barns.

Pain Points We Can Directly Solve:

Clean up messy books

Christine Cederlind