10 Creative Ways to Boost Your Stable’s Income in 2023

Written By Shya Beth

The last couple of years of economic turmoil have caused upheaval across the country and in virtually every industry, and the horse world has not been excluded from that. It’s no secret that nearly all costs of equine management and stable operating costs keep going up, but besides raising your boarding and lesson rates, what else can you do? Depending on your interests, talent, time, and your property’s layout and design, there are multiple possibilities to maximize revenue. By taking these ideas into account and seeing what could work for your business, you might be surprised at the ways you can expand and create different streams of cash flow.

Masterclass Lesson Series

You’ve most likely ran into the scenario where you would wish there was more time to teach your students on a particular horse topic, but have been unable to dig deeper due to the time constraints of focused riding lessons. What about all the other topics that riders should know about—equine first aid, grooming and horse care, career opportunities, nutrition, and more?

Host a series of educational masterclasses to teach your current students what they need to know to be well-rounded horsemen or horsewomen. While it would vary on the subject and format, you could explore a single subject over the course of a few weeks and expand your income while helping your students strengthen their horse sense.

Mini Clinics

Similar to the point above, hosting stand along, 2 or 4 hour mini clinics can be a great way to generate a new source of income, and draw new clients and potential students. Scheduling on weekend afternoons or evenings and focusing on having your attendance made up of potential clients rather than current ones can make this both a way to make money now and source new clients.

Additionally, you could make attendance mandatory for students who plan to lease, or offer a free mini clinic to students who pre-purchase a lesson package.

Tiny Tots Riding Series

Depending on your barns target student ages and skill levels, starting a Tiny Tot lesson program that specializes within that age group could be an additional revenue stream. Growing in popularity, kindergarten-age children is a niche area that not many barns target. These leadline style lessons would be perfect private lessons or small groups for 20-30 minutes each, but you’ll need to take a different approach to these “glorified pony rides”. More enthusiasm and encouragement, as well as tinier expectations of your little rider's abilities, to start. This can be a great way to introduce the next generation of horse crazy kids, if you are up for the task.

An Oldie but Goodie - Summer Camps

Horse and Pony Summer Camps have been around for ages, and there’s a good reason why. Summer Camps are often cited as a huge moneymaker, but make no mistake –they are quite a lot of work!

While most camps would include riding time and unmounted activities, you can put your own custom spin. From mounted games to equine art focused sessions, put your thinking cap on! Each day could have a theme, such as equine careers, jumpers turned barrel racers, introduction to horse sports and more, as campers are more likely to sign up if they know in advance that each day will be different with the opportunity to experience something new.

Memories in the Making

If you’ve got a charming or chic barn with beautiful surrounding land, why not consider hosting outdoor weddings, anniversaries, parties and more? Perhaps your pavilion by the pond with some decor would be the perfect place to say “I do”, or another pleasant looking area is just the place to host an event or celebration of life gathering. All kinds of events need space to host their guests, and rented essentials and decor can turn barns fields and even forests into spectacular venues. Reach out to event organizers and planners in your area so that when they have a client looking for the perfect venue, they know who to call!

Invite the Photographers

Collaborating with local photographers, reaching out to art/photography schools or photographers who teach classes and offering access to your property and horses for equine themed shoots is another way to add additional revenue. Some photographers might want a simple setting of photographing horses in the field or barn, or use some of your calmer horses in their shoots with clients or in a fantasy/holiday setting. Work out the ground rules and what you and your horses are comfortable doing, and if the photographer has horse experience or not. Make sure to share the photos on your barn’s website and social media!

Rent Outbuildings

Have some unused farm buildings? Perhaps the easiest on this list that requires hardly any work from you would be to rent out space in unused farm buildings. From a lockable shed to an outbuilding that no longer has a purpose, renting space out to other businesses, mechanics and even artists or equine related businesses could be a viable way to increase your land’s income and use.

Sell Branded Items

You don’t need to open up an Amazon shop and become an ecommerce guru in order to make additional income from selling branded items. Have your barn name and logos printed on everything from sweatshirts, baseball caps, t-shirts and tote bags to coffee mugs that can be printed on demand from online retailers, Walmart or local shops. Encourage clients to purchase, and you can even add their horse’s name to make it more personal. You’ll be able to add this as an additional income stream as well as cultivate a sense of loyalty and community amongst your clients.

There are countless ways you can leverage your business’s income streams while still having training and/or boarding being your business’s aspect. Using some creativity, market research and reaching out to others in your community can help create additional sources of income that fit your properties, skills, and lifestyle. The sky’s the limit!