what is the best way to make money in the horse industry?

Question

examples being training, breeding, showing etc...

Answer 1

Open a good dependable stables for boarding. Always people looking for places to keep horses. then gradually move into other services such as grooming farier service and training if you can find qualified people.

Answer 2

LOL Are you kidding me? The only way to really "make" money in the horse industry is to marry money!

Reality aside, it all depends on what you are starting out with. If you are starting with a good deal of money it would be worth it to build a very nice boarding facility in a urban area where board costs range from $300 to $700 a month. However, boarding operations still cost a great deal to run, as hay prices tend to be high.
Farriery is not a big-money career. It is back-breaking work that will probably send you into an early retirement.
Breeding, unfortunately, can be an expensive operation to run as well. Not only must you have excellent (expensive) stock to start a proper breeding operation, but you must have the facilities to back it up, which are expensive. The costs of promoting/showing/etc with your stallion are extremely high and the average stallion only breeds up to 5 or 6 mares a year if they are lucky and the year is a good one. Don't forget the fact that you will probably have mares of your own so that you can have progeny to raise and show...which is expensive on its own end.
Showing is definitely not a big-money area unless you are already at the top. The expenses of shows are ridiculous right now and many top riders are riding other peoples horses and being sponsored because they don't have the money to actually enter the shows themselves. However, a good show record often leads into other areas like training or breeding.
Training might be your best bet. Although you must have the facilities to be well-established, you can escape owning your own stock and therefore avoid the continual costs. It takes a lot to become a good trainer, but working under well-known trainers is very beneficial, as is building up a very solid show record in the discipline you'd like to train for.
Coaching is the last main option for making money. Often times coaches will put out quite a bit of money in school horses, facilities, and insurance, not to mention getting certified and staying certified. However a good coach can make around $50 a lesson, especially in an urban area where their reputation is well known.

If you still believe that you can make money without starting rich, then good luck in your endeavor and please contact me once you have figured out the secret!!!! :)

Answer 3

There isn't nearly the money in the horse industry as one thinks. What do you know? Can you balance making BUSINESS decisions with compassion for the animal. If you can't stop now. If you don't have resources now (meaning $$$$) stop now. If you have both of those - and hope you are blessed with luck as well as hard work you have a chance of breaking even. Yes breaking even - not making $$.
It's real easy to say making money with race horses...but that is the FASTEST way to make it or break it. The best possible chance is "pinhooking" - buying weanlings or yearlings and reselling as race prospects - but you'll need normally $15-30,000 EACH to do that to get the kind that are likely able to increase in value. You have to figure IF you get a mare with a pedigree that is commercial enough to sell her babies you then need a stallion equally commercial enough to sell. You can EASILY have $10-15,000 in a foal (see above sale price of weanlings ;-) ). IF luck is with you and in the mean time the parents have a big winner you can get substantially more. But also - there are fees of several hundred $ to enter the bigger sales that bring the bigger $$.
From a *racing* standpoint a very small % of horses make it to the 'big leagues'. The chances of producing another Afleet Alex or Smarty Jones are astronomical but it is the hope of doing so that keeps small breeders involved. "With 32,000 North American foals born each year, there is less than a 1-in-3,000 chance that a newborn colt or filly will become a champion."
Boarding and training - if you look at the $400-500-800 fees some get you'd think that's a possibility. But remember that is not PROFIT. Figure in QUALITY feed, water, bedding, etc and subtract $150-200 (or some areas more) off the top there just to maintain them. Vet expenses are the owner's but if a horse goes nuts and tears up a feeder - you need to replace the feeder. If the automatic waterer overflows and floods the stall you need to deal with that (bedding adds up as does repairs). If a horse runs through a fence or a tornado hits or any number of things that's your expense - and with horses there is ALWAYS something. Arenas, safe barns and such aren't cheap. Insurance is not cheap - and the equine liability laws will NOT protect you from a lawsuit. Anyone can sue you for anything - doesn't mean they will win but they can sue. Among those I have heard - 4 year old on a pony with the father leading - he was told lead him around and DO NOT LET GO as the child didn't know how to ride...father takes pony away from the barn a ways, lets go and slaps pony on rump..predictably pony runs back to the barn, child falls off...barn owner was SUED - then you have legal fees defending yourself even when it's not your fault.
I worked for one trainer who had a standing account for a vanline - arranged to have all his horses hauled commercially to shows, owners footing the bill of course. Why - he might have done it a bit cheaper himself but with usually 6-8 head or so going...he didn't have to drive and worry about breakdowns and, more importantly, wasn't at risk for liability. Remember - if you haul across state lines for pay you CAN be required to have trucking permits as it *is* hauling commercially. Know the laws.
There's a LOT more to boarding and training than taking $ at the beginning of the month - although many think that's all there is to it.
Do not even attempt training without experience. Showing - some are lucky to make $ but there's a lot of used car salesmen out there too. At what point do you balance the needs of the horse with the push for wins? I know a big time Arab trainer who wins - but the things his horses go through is sad. They MUST win - no matter what. What kind of pressure does that take on young equine minds?
If you find an easy way I'd be interested - am trying to get a place to train myself and breed a few - but no illusions it's for making large amounts of money.

Answer 4

If you have a good race horse racing FOR SURE. But you need money to buy a good race horse. Breeding is always good. The only trouble is you have to find a way to get "noticed". Alot of people that breed have a web site. You can also buy adds in horse magizines to publisize your farm. Showing is another good way to make money. Barrel racing is one of the more popular ways.

Answer 5

yup - like was said.. its REALLY not a "get rich quick" business - people who are in it are in it for the love of horses, not for the love of money...

weanling foals are sold cheap - they do not get good prices till they are 3-5 years of age, and are well trained, have been shown a bit etc.. BUT 3-5 years of feeding the horse and vet care, farrier care etc means there is NO PROFIT made.....

if you want to make money and work with horses, I sugest becoming a FARRIER or a LARGE ANIMAL VET

Answer 6

Training, breeding, showing, racing, competing, veterinary, just about anything with horses as long as you're good at it.

Answer 7

i think you train and then branch out to breeding etc etc

Answer 8

race horse and stud service