By Don Blazer


People who are “busy, busy” don’t prioritize their work.  They are usually very busy working, but are seldom business successes.

People who are “busy, busy” generally are behind on much of what is important, and are usually complaining that they simply “don’t have enough time.”

Busy, busy people waste their time going from one chore to the next without a plan…they see something that needs to be done, so they do it.  That’s admirable in some ways, but not good business.  Too many times the chore has nothing to with their business, or it may be a business project, but one that isn’t significant to the success of the business.

Being “busy, busy” isn’t smart business.  You can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything; you have to let some things go.

The first step to putting a stop to “busy, busy”, is to prioritize.

What is the most important thing you do for your business?  That should be your number one priority.  Eliminate anything below priority two, no matter how much you want to do it.  If you still think it needs to get done, delegate.

If you are a horse trainer, you may say “training horses is my number one priority.”  That would be wrong if you want to be a successful horse trainer.  The number one priority of all successful horse trainers is keeping clients happy by satisfying their expectations.

If the client’s expectation is to win a world championship, a successful horse trainer sees to it the client gets the trophy even if it is on a horse trained and purchased from another trainer.  (That’s right, successful trainers don’t sit on horses, they meet client expectations.)

You need to know your clients expectations, and you need to focus on meeting those expectations.

It is efficient to get a job done right.

But it’s business success to get the right job done.

While profits and growth are usually the main topic of business talk, there is another side to capitalism….it is “failure” and it is just as important as its flip side.

Failure can be the catalyst to creating business success if you recognize it early and then use it in a positive way.

Change is constant and failure is one of the signals that “change is taking place” in your business.

As retail people often explain, “everything has a shelf life.”

What you were doing profitably eight months ago may not be very financially rewarding today.

If your horse training business has been based on “going to horse shows every weekend”, a weak economy may be contributing to your “failing” profits and telling you that the shelf life is running out on your present approach.

Don’t get busy doing seven to 10 new things you think might help your business.  Get busy working on your number one priority: meeting your client’s expectations.   They still want to go to horse shows; so instead of shows every weekend, how about four “week-long shows” during the year?  Your clients save money by doing the “economy size” shows, and you may even have greater profits due to the efficiency of concentration.

A recent survey of horse owners by a US equestrian magazine revealed: 85 per cent of horse event participants are women, 40 per cent report an individual income in excess of $150,000 per year, the ratio of horse owners to non-horse owners with annual incomes of more than $100,000 is 4 to 1 and 2,200,000 people own horses in the US.

That information should give you some good ideas to aid the profitability of your business, so get busy, but don’t get “busy, busy.”

 

By Don Blazer

The economy is certainly depressed.

People are losing their jobs, home foreclosures are escalating, credit card debt is overwhelming and recovery may be sometime in the distant future.

What your particular situation is, only you know.

You are a part of the current depression because you are part of the “collective” which brought it about…we all contributed to it….it is bigger than the individual.

While you are suffering the effects of it, more or less depending on your own circumstances, you can do very little to make a noticeable impact on the big picture.  To help make the big picture “rosy” again, you’ve got to work changing your smaller picture.

You can’t control the global or national economy, but you can control the circumstances of your business world.

You are where you are based on the decisions and actions you’ve taken.  Those decisions and actions were based on what you think you know about your horse business, and what you hoped would make profits better and efforts smaller.

Maybe you expanded into something which has turned out not to be a super profit maker.  Maybe you are continuing to send out an expensive brochure even though you know it isn’t closing sales.  Maybe you are trying lots of things you have really scrutinized.

What to do?   Ask the following question: what “service or product” is it that makes you the most money?   In every business, about 80 per cent of the income is produced by 20 per cent of the effort.

What 20 per cent of your effort produces 80 per cent of your income?

Knowing that, and then focusing effort there is the only major step you can take to turn any business depression into profitable growth.

Whatever the problems your clients and prospects face, there is an opportunity for you.

Suppose you are training race horses and your client’s business is suffering and the client wants to take his horse out of training.

You are about to lose income.

Where’s the opportunity in these circumstances?

There’s an old saying in the race horse business…any horse is better than an empty stall.

You don’t want to lose all the income, but the client isn’t going to pay for training any longer.   So what if you offered the client this deal: no monthly training bill, and you take 90 per cent of all the money the horse wins? 

The client can see that is a pretty good deal.   He gets what he wants…no more expense, and you get something…the possibility of continued income (maybe even more if the horse wins a big race.)

It may not be a perfect solution…but it is better than an empty stall.

Examine what your business is all about.  Know what makes you the money and focus on it.

The first instinct in a depression is to “cut back.”

Cutting back is usually the wrong thing to do, unless you are cutting back on the 80 per cent of your efforts which aren’t producing the income.

Once you decide what it is you can and should cut back, don’t just reduce it, eliminate it.

Most businesses offer something to clients that is actually a waste…..I can guarantee that “service” isn’t one of those things.

Maintain service and find the waste.

You may feel helpless about the national situation, but you can be very positive in your horse business actions.

By Eleanor Blazer

"How do you know?"

A friend asked, "How can I know if I should put her down?"

Any animal experiencing intense pain with little hope of recovery should be euthanized.  It is the humane thing to do.

Many pet owners believe animals are not aware of the future – only the present.  If this is true, animals in intense pain, with only some hope of recovery, may also need to be euthanized.  Owners need to be prepared to make the decision based on how long the animal will be in pain, if quality of life after recovery will be comfortable and if they can afford the cost of treatment and future care.

We are all different in regard to how much suffering we can handle.

Watching a horse deal with intense pain for hours (or days) is very difficult.  If pain killers are giving the horse some relief, and it is known the pain will subside soon, then euthanasia may be avoided.

You must determine how long to let the horse suffer, especially if the pain killers are not providing relief.

Quality of life must be considered.

Once the pain is controlled the question must be asked, "What kind of life will the horse enjoy?"  This question also applies to horses that are not in pain, but may lead a compromised life.

Horses that must be assisted up after lying down may be candidates for euthanasia.  Arthritis, weakness or a neurologic disease are some of the causes for losing the ability to stand unaided.  It is up to the horse's care givers to decide if the horse is in pain and if they want the responsibility of being constantly available to help the horse stand.

A horse that is down and can't get up risks complications or death.  If the incumbent horse is not aided quickly dehydration sets in, internal organs cannot function properly, the digestive system shuts down, muscles become hard and nerves can be damaged.  If the horse is struggling he can injure himself. 

Wanting to stand and be mobile is a horse's instinct.  The inability to stand is a detriment to the quality of life.

An older horse with poor or no teeth and a compromised digestive system should not be allowed to slowly starve to death.  Horses are designed to eat forage.  Dental problems which do not allow a horse to chew hay and an aging digestive system will lead to decreased intake of nutrients.

The inability to move due to pain or other physical problems can lead to starvation and dehydration.  The horse cannot move to eat or drink.  He may not be able to compete with other horses for feed offered to a group.

If the horse's caregiver does not have the money to buy special feed, have the time to feed multiple meals or have room to keep the horse separate from others, then the horse's quality of life is being compromised.

Reoccurring illnesses such as pneumonia, colic and laminitis need to be addressed.  Are the illnesses reoccurring quicker than normal?  Is the horse recovering fully before the next onset?  Is the quality of life decreasing?

With advances in equine medical care we can prolong life.  But is it humane?  Are we only putting off the inevitable to spare our own feelings?

If the horse owner is willing to assist the older horse when needed, administer supportive medications, provide feed which can be utilized and a safe area, then one last thing must be considered—the will to live.

Observation is the key to recognizing the "will to live".  The first sign is usually showing no interest in feed.  The favorite treat is refused; the nicker in the morning is absent.  There is a loss in interest of what is going on around the barn.  The horse will sometimes stand off by himself in a depressed state.  Despite medical treatment, special feeds and constant care, it may be "time".

Selling an old horse, giving him away or sending the horse to a rescue center may be options to euthanasia, of a refusal to face responsibility.

The question should be, "What is best for the horse?"

Every situation is different.

Because of worsening arthritic pain, trouble eating, maintaining weight and other health related issues, my friend decided to have her horse humanely put down.

It is hard, but our animal companions deserve to be treated with love and dignity.

 

By
Don Blazer 
 

 Your success lies within.  When you follow your heart and you practice non-judgment you are on the path to perfect horsemanship.

Practicing the fourth secret will change everything about the way you train and handle horses.

 Horses, as humans, are herd animals.  Survival is the first concern.  The actions and focus of horses, as they are with humans, always begin and end with themselves.   Horses, as humans, seek the acceptance of the herd, and the praise of other herd members.  Understanding that, you can understand why the fourth secret has two steps.

 To reach perfect horsemanship you must first 4. Give.  That is the secret!

The first who needs forgiveness is you.  Yesterday is gone and will never return.  While you may wish you had done things differently or behaved in a different way, you cannot change what is past.  Don’t live with “regret” or “guilt” or the wish for what “might have been.”  Simply forgive yourself and begin your next moment with the desire to forgive and give.

 Forgive those you think have wronged you.  Forgive the mistakes others made.

Forgiveness has no “debt”.   When you have forgiven, it is over and all that is to come is new.

When you have forgiven, you have no fears, frustrations or disappointments associated with your horse.  You have only the promise of a new beginning.

And the new beginning is the second step: “giving” not “taking.”

You must change your way of thinking about training and handling horses, but not necessarily what you do physically.

The most common and constantly used behavior modifications with horses are “habituation/desensitization” and “positive and negative reinforcement.”

Habituation and desensitization are simple forms of learning.  The horse initially responds to a stimulus and eventually learns to respond less and less or not at all.  It is habituation and desensitization we use to eliminate “spookiness” in a horse.   We want the horse to get over the spookiness so that he can focus on what we want to teach, or to keep him listening to our requests.

“Flooding” or “sacking out” are forms of habituation and desensitization and they are also a way we “take” from the horse instead of giving.   While flooding or sacking out have been used for years and are still used with results, they are not the way to perfect horsemanship.  There is almost always too much risk of injury or punishment to the horse when we “take” by forcing the horse to tolerate something or accept something which frightens him.

Tying a horse hard and fast to a snubbing post will “take the fight out of him.”  Why not “give” the horse an opportunity to become familiar with something by allowing him to test it with his senses of smell, feel, sight, taste and/or hearing?  Why not “give” the horse lessons over a period of time on standing and being tied?

Because it takes time?   Yes, it takes time.  But perfect horsemanship isn’t instantaneous.

 Positive reinforcement is the adding of something---a reward for having performed as requested.  This is easily understood as “giving.”  Positive reinforcement teaches the horse to become an active participant, seeking the correct answer.  But positive reinforcement can easily lead to unwanted behaviors.

A horse sees you coming and knows you are bringing food.  In his excitement, he kicks the stall wall, and you hurry with the food to stop the kicking.   Repeat this several times and the horse soon becomes an obnoxious and dangerous problem.

In that instance you have not “given”, but have “taken” away your leadership position.  Think rather than react and do not feed until the horse is quiet.

You must “give” leadership, not abandon it.

Negative reinforcement is the removal of something which is uncomfortable.  The shortening of the reins sets a bit barrier which is somewhat uncomfortable.  You give the horse leg cues to round up the body and find a shorter frame and bit pressure becomes nonexistent…a negative reinforcement that the shorter frame is correct.

 Leg pressure is reduced when the horse rounds into the proper frame and another negative reinforcement has been applied.

Riding forward both legs apply equal light contact.  To turn left, the left leg contact is removed and right leg pressure is increased.

This is an example of “giving” the horse an option.  The right leg has blocked movement in that direction, but the left leg has opened the door for the horse to move through.

“Taking” leaves no options.

When you have mastered the fourth secret, you always find a way to give rather than take.

 Don Blazer is the author of Nine Secrets of Perfect Horsemanship.  Visit his website at www.donblazer.com