Pursuing the dream to have your own company is a bold decision that involves investment, planning as well as the careful weighing of risks. Even when you have enough confidence in your business idea, motivation, skills and knowledge of the equine industry, how do you go about making your entrepreneurial vision a reality?
The BETA or British Equestrian Trade Association receives several calls each week from start-up companies as diverse as haulage, online horse auctioneers, dentistry and retail enterprises. For many of these individuals making these phone calls, planning for their future entrepreneurial adventure has been a long process that started with seeking-out the necessary qualifications.
A HORSE REHABILITATION CENTRE IS A BUSINESS LIKE ANY OTHER
An equine rehabilitation centre is just a business and needs to be run like one, otherwise it may risk putting the horses in jeopardy. Running a company in the equine field is like running any other business. This means, of course, developing a thorough business plan and getting your hands on every document and piece of paper needed to do business in your country and region.
Developing a thorough business plan is key for getting your new equine rehabilitation centre off to a successful start. Your business plan needs to include an accounting of cash resources on hand as well as the projected cash flow sources to keep your horse rehabilitation centre afloat for at least 5 years. It needs to also include short- and medium-term fundraising strategies as well as a description of the company’s short-term management structure.
Running an equine rehabilitation centre really requires paying attention to many moving parts. Running a business that involves horses means 24/7 care. If you also provide training or teach lessons to educate people and provide qualifications, or if you also train horses in your centre, you will have both lesson horses and client horses. A proper business plan will ensure you have thought about all the necessary details, from hiring employees to the prices you want to charge.
If you require external financing to back and finance the construction or start-up setting up and processing costs, preparing a carefully written business plan is an extremely important step.
CONTRACTS
Contracts are crucial. If you plan to be the manager of your own equine rehabilitation centre, you will need to create specific contracts for almost every aspect of the business. Contracts need to be in place to explain in detail what your employees are supposed to do and are authorised to do, as well as the rehabilitation centre’s responsibilities to its workers.
GETTING FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM BANKS
As long as entrepreneurs in the equine field research what their resources are, what kind of support they will have available, what is their competition, their weaknesses, and where they visualise themselves in the near future, they are likely to have a successful plan. The specialist nature of the equine industry has definitely contributed to a false impression that banking institutions are less likely to grant loans to horse-related companies. However, it isn’t different from any other business, the only thing is that if there are animals involved you need to take into consideration that a person will need to be committed to those animals 24/7. Banking institutions will need to see clear evidence of such level of support. Other horse-related businesses involve large investments in a specialist kit. But if that kit is not being utilised it cannot be put towards a different purpose.
WHAT IS THE REQUIRED TRAINING LEVEL TO RUN AN EQUINE REHABILITATION CENTRE?
A career in the equine industry, and specifically in the equine rehabilitation requires a postsecondary training on how to become a horse rehabilitation therapist; a bachelor’s degree in equine science is also recommended. Individuals who want to dedicate to this field professionally need to fully understand the anatomy of the horse and to able to implement different rehabilitative techniques. Those individuals planning to work on this industry need to ideally develop riding skills and be able to eventually demonstrate some experience working with horses.
Equine rehabilitation involves the care and treatment of horses. Part of the knowledge gained in an equine study program includes a deep understanding of horse anatomy and manual therapies for horses. Equine rehabilitation also involves the rejuvenation of horses through muscle therapy, massage and specialised treatment. Those individuals who complete a certification in this field will be qualified to provide equine rehabilitation services. Equine rehabilitation might sound like an appealing job for those individuals who actually own horses, love horses or are actually educated in veterinary science.
