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HorsesOnly.com

The Beauty of Cross Marketing …
          Same Horses … New Clients!!

by Patty Vance

Are you preaching to the converted?  Is all of your advertising being placed in the same magazines;  are you attending the same shows and talking to the same people year in and year out?  If so, you are not alone.  Nearly all breeders and stallion owners are marketing to the same people over and over again.  Why?  Because it is what most breeders have done for years and years.

There is a great saying that I like a lot. It is, "If you always do what you have always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."

I am an advocate of cross marketing and believe it is a critical part of becoming and staying successful in the horse breeding business.  I know there are a few of you reading this who are saying to yourselves that you are already successful. That is great. You have established yourself as a breeder,  have great clients and are selling horses and stallion services like crazy.

However,  if you are really smart, you will be always looking for new opportunities to build upon your success.  Nike didn't stop with its basic athletic shoe.  It recognized new opportunities to create new revenue streams and to capture new users for their products.  They have most recently expanded into golf.  Nike has targeted this giant new user group, the golfer,  and are going after it with an aggressive marketing campaign. If you and I could be in attendance at their board and marketing meetings (a "fly" on the wall..),  we would be hearing their marketing gurus discuss new ideas and strategies for the next big Nike market.

This is how the successful business-person thinks ... and the horse business is no different.  Or,  at least it shouldn't be different.

So,  what is cross marketing and what can you do to expand your markets?  What I mean by cross marketing is taking a look at not only the breed you are involved in and passionate about,  but asking yourself honestly,  what type of horse do you raise?  Are they western horses?  English horses?  Are they sport horses?  Define this,  then look at the various other registries and associations where you could be promoting your horses.

If you have a really nice western pleasure stallion of any breed,  there is an excellent market in the Half Arab registry.  Excellent prospects go for very good money and are in demand.  If your stallion is of a colored breed,  the same applies here,  but the added bonus is a double or triple registration if the foal is colored.

For instance,  a new market for Appaloosa stallion owners is to offer services to Arabian breeders of Half Arabs.  If the foal is colored,  it can receive full registration in the ApHC,  because Arabians are an approved breed.  The resultant foal is also eligible for regular registration and full showing privileges as a Half Arab,  with or without color.

So, here you have double registration if the foal is colored,  and at the very minimum,  a  foal that can be registered with full showing privileges if it is a solid color.  Colored Half Arabs are also very valuable in the show market.

Another very fast growing market is the Half Arab reining horse.  Quality Half Arabs are demanding very good prices,  and if you add a little color to the equation,  the money goes up!

If you own a paint stallion,  these same double registrations are available for a pinto Half Arabian in the International Arabian Horse Association (IAHA), the Pinto Horse Association of America (PtHA) and the National Pinto Registry.  If you decide to pursue these Half Arabian markets,  I recommend you nominate your stallion for their sweepstakes program.

If you have an English type stallion,  siring hunter/jumper,  dressage type prospects, consider opportunities for crossing on Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods or Arabians and register with the PHR (Performance Horse Registry). The PHR was taken over by the AHSA and is now open to all breeds with or without Thoroughbred blood. You can register a stallion of any breed with them. Their main focus remains the sports that the thoroughbred is known for,  such as eventing,  dressage,  combined training,  and hunter/jumper.  There are also other registries for sport horses including the American Warmblood Society.  The AWS offers an inspection program open to all breeds of stallions.  Their selection criteria are available at their web site.  There is also a registry for Sport Horses of Color (SHOC).

If you are able to advertise and tell potential clients that your stallion is registered with and /or approved for multiple registries,  you will increase the value of your stallion and his youngsters.  You will open the doors to many new potential avenues for clients and sales.

I would also like to suggest that if you own mares and shop for potential stallions,  keep in mind the same principles.  Make your breeding decisions based on all of the facts.  If purebreds are the only consideration for you,  shop for the stallion of your breed that is not only suited for your mare and budget, but is also being cross- promoted if possible.  If you want to open new markets,  find new clients or maybe participate in some other organizations, consider breeding for a cross market on an even limited basis.

Another rapidly growing organization is A.R.A.B.S. (American Registry for Arab Bred Sporthorses)  Here,  you can breed to an approved Arab bred (part or pure) stallion and the foal will be eligible for their performance and foal books.  This organization has many great events and offers classes to suit nearly everyone at every level.

The sport horse market is growing at a huge rate because it is the one place you can show a horse and be judged solely and completely on you and your horse's ability.  It is very owner-rider friendly and promotes the breeding of excellent horses across breed lines.  You don't have to hire a politically correct trainer to lead or ride your horse in order to receive a good score or placing.  This has attracted thousands of participants and continues to grow at phenomenal rates.  Trainers and instructors are finding their students and horses are being judged fairly and squarely on ability and performance.

The various registries all differ,  but some do honor and give credit for successful records in cutting,  reining and endurance as well as the other more traditional events for sport horses.

The above referenced registries and ideas are only examples of what is available and is not meant to be a complete list off all options. I encourage you to explore all of these and other options that fit individual goals, budgets and ideals. The goal is to increase business and awareness for all.

You can see how careful planning can produce greater results within a breeding program.  If you are a purest,  there is no need to write to me and scold me for suggesting cross breeding.  I respect individual choices and the tens of thousands of purebred programs of excellence.  You don't have to cross breed,  it is just another avenue to explore.  You can do the same thing with purebreds,  with just a little less flexibility.  The point I am trying to make here is to think creatively.

This information is for those that want to expand their markets and at the same time expose their wonderful and preferred breed to new people.  I believe we can do so much more for our own favorite breeds by exposing them to new people.  I personally love all horses and strongly believe that each breed offers very important unique qualities and abilities to the horse world.  Diversity is wonderful and beneficial to everyone in the equine industry.

A cross marketing program doesn't need to change everything you are doing.  It is meant to enhance and expand what you are already doing in your breeding business.  My goal is to get each and everyone involved in the horse business to spend a bit of time thinking "outside of the box,"   to keep an open mind,  and to never stop learning.

Copyright (c) 2001 Patty Vance. All rights reserved. No material, articles or images may be used in whole or in part in any media without written permission from the copyright holder.

For more information about Patty's business experience and specific equine services, please visit her website: www.globalbizgurus.com

"This Gal Means Business" page views since 6-7-2001