Starting an Equine Business:

STEP 1
SAVANNAH PETRACHENKO OCT 30, 2012

I DE N T IF Y TH E L O CA TI O N
I plan on opening my business in my hometown of Welland, Ontario. There is a barn there that has changed many hands and I would like to purchase or rent. It is a barn made up of 13 stalls, attached indoor arena, office, tack room, feed room, two grooming stalls, hay loft, and two apartments. There is also an outdoor sand ring and 6 large paddocks with shelters. The location is perfect for the kind of business I am going to open, Trail Riding Facility, since there are more than 20 kilometers of public trails along the canal right behind the barn.

I DE N T IF Y TH E B USI N E SS
I would be competing with others in the equine trail riding business around the area. This would not be too difficult, however, since the other businesses are either rather far away or they lack in quality of facilities, horses, and trails. My business would likely flourish because I would not only provide trail rides to the consumers, but I will also offer training for clients horses to help bombproof them. There is no such training available in my region and it is a big requirement that most people want for their horses experience.

PL A N TH E I D E NT I FI E D A RE A S
Factors of Production Requirements and Arrangements Land: The property includes over 20 acres of land. This is plenty because we are able to use the public trails. The land has good drainage and will be easy to manage. There is also a hay field that can be used as additional income. Labour: I will hire one full-time employee and one part-time employee. I will also take in coop students for high schools and colleges. Capital: I will already have two horses that can be used for trails and I can buy others for less than $1000 each and train them myself for use as trail horses. I also have some saddles and bridles already that are needed for trail riding with large groups. Infrastructural Requirements and Arrangements All of the infrastructural requirements are already met when buying the facility. As I mentioned before, the facilities include 13 stalls, attached indoor arena, office, tack room, feed room, two grooming stalls, hay loft, and two apartments. I dont even have to worry about buying a house since there are two apartments already. I can also have extra income by renting out the second apartment to either one of my workers or to someone in the public. Investment Requirements and Arrangements I would have to invest in about 5 horses at $1000 each and I must also factor in my time spent training them as a cost. I would also need about 5 more saddles and bridles to start off with. I also have to think about the startup costs of hay, grain, shavings, and employee salaries.