Olympia, WA., May 1, 2012 – Nationally known equestrian confidence coach Cathy Rivers, as part of her Big Horse Dreams, The Confident Equestrian Program, has designed a new e-Workbook that provides a proven learning progression for mastering confidence skills in order to improve your training, riding, competing, communication and overall enjoyment of your partnership with your horse.

“The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook” operates on the principles of human dynamics and high performance. Concepts that teach the complexities of how to best learn, communicate, relate to each other, as well as manage stress, maintain well-being and strive for goals. All important components in order to realize our potential mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

For Rivers, a human dynamics expert as well as an accomplished rider and horse breeder, confidence is not only a vital aspect to achieving one’s individual potential, but is very much a part of creating a successful partnership between owner and horse.

“Confidence is such an essential ingredient to creating the success you want in life, and plays such a big part when working with our horse,” says Rivers who is launching “The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook” as a companion to her popular and proven Big Horse Dreams, The Confident Equestrian One-on-One and Workshop programs.

Designed to guide the reader, “The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook” is organized into ten separate easy-to-understand skill areas that range from ‘’My Well-Being,’’ to ‘’In the Saddle.’’ An assessment workbook, Rivers expertly offers 101 skills that lead you towards the mastery of mindset, proven horsemanship techniques, and how to be the leader for your horse. Skills that she explains are needed to create and establish consistent confidence in the rider and for the benefit of the horse.

‘’In any aspect of your life,’’ says Rivers, ‘’you have more authentic confidence when you are physically, mentally, technically and emotionally equipped. The same is true for having confidence working with and riding your horse. The more you can bring all of yourself to your relationship with your horse, the more you will experience a true and lasting confidence.’’

‘’The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook’’ presents both horse owners and equestrians a roadmap to improving horsemanship and confidence over time.

• Confidence assessment
• 101 skills organized into 10 Skill Areas
• Designed to create and support confidence
• Track your progress
• Companion questions
• Coaching support through Big Horse Dreams programs

By utilizing a grounded holistic approach towards self-awareness and change, Rivers wrote ‘’The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook’’ as a vehicle to ask each reader questions that allow the opportunity to assess self behavior, behavior of the horse, approaches towards training, self-esteem, care, horsemanship, safety and trust. Through this assessment each reader can begin to see strengths and weaknesses in the area of personal confidence and begin to develop skills to create authentic and lasting confidence for a better partnership between owner and horse.

‘’The Confident Equestrian e-Book’’ is also a proven tool for riders who are looking to boost competitive confidence.

‘’You can have great technique in your chosen equestrian sport,’’ says Rivers, ‘’but not the confidence to match it; it’s the confidence key that let’s you and your horse succeed.’’

Cathy Rivers of Big Horse Dreams, Inc. is the Equestrian’s Confidence Coach. Rivers believes magic happens for the equestrian when their confidence surpasses their riding technique. Rivers offers various levels of Equestrian Confidence programs ranging from the Show, Perform, Win Workshop to her 6-month Gold Medal Program.

Supporting people, especially equestrians, to flourish and experience successful and satisfying relationships with their horses is near and dear to Cathy’s heart.

Rivers lives on her farm outside Olympia, WA where she breeds and trains Swedish Warmbloods.

Cathy Rivers
BIG HORSE DREAMS, INC.
www.bighorsedreams.com
360.480.0183
Connection, Confidence & Leadership

For the equestrian who is ready to ride like a champion.

For more information, media inquiries, interview request or to review a copy, please contact:

Sarah Redfield, Marketing Director
Email: sarahredfield@aol.com
Tel: 541.420.0416

To order The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook please visit:

Big Horse Dreams, Inc.
Website: www.bighorsedreams.com/programs

John Medeiros, CEO and designer of the John Medeiros Collection, has long harbored a love of horses. As a young child, he had horses, and would ride them and change the horse shoes. Ever since then, John Medeiros has thought that horses are powerful beings and that the horseshoe symbolizes strength, power, luck, and success. In fact, the shape of the horse shoe naturally inspires his creative process. The anvil collection, currently in the line, uses horseshoes as does the new Laurea bracelet, not yet available in stores.

[picasa width="400" height="400" autoplay="0" showcaption="1"]http://picasaweb.google.com/horselogos/HorseInspiredJewelry[/picasa]

The Laurea bracelet is a cuff that features interchangeable ends. The bracelet comes in four different styles, one of which is the horseshoe symbolizing luck. The LAUREA bracelet was created as a combined effort between father and daughter, John and Nina. The two wanted to create a piece that would be easily customized to its wearer and the momentous event she was marking by its purchase. The LAUREA bracelet was named for the Italian word meaning graduation and new beginnings, and comes from the same root as Laurel, which is often used to commemorate achievements. This piece is perfect not only for a literal graduation, but to mark an anniversary, wedding, promotion, birthday, or any momentous occasion.

John Medeiros Jewelry is all hand made in the United States by jewelry artisans. All designs are registered, trademarked, and backed by a lifetime guarantee program. The pieces are rhodium and 14kt gold plated and use cubic zirconium, sea shell and freshwater pearls, and Austrian crystals as stones. John Medeiros Jewelry is the fine jewelry alternative–real jewelry hand crafted from non precious metals.

Business: John Medeiros Jewelry
Jewelry Collection: John Medeiros Collection
Sara Hawley – Marketing Coordinator 
Email: shawley @ johnmedeiros . com (remove spaces) 
Phone: 401.435.4114 ext 16
Fax 401.435.4664 
Website: www.johnmedeiros.com

What’s Stacy’s success factors that has made her the bareback / bridleless reining Queen?

Stacy Westfall, the champion reiner, is in equestrian news, on TV, and people are searching for her on the web. I attribute her equestrian success to her goal magnifying actions, a few of which I will expose here so you can follow her lead and ride your equestrian dreams to greater heights.

But first a little introduction on Stacy and reining…

Stacy’s Accomplishments

In 2003 Stacy Westfall won the National Reining Horse Association Freestyle reining competition riding with with no bridle, not even a neck rope. For two years Stacy was undefeated in major freestyle reining competitions and in 2006 she won twice while riding bareback and bridleless.

Stacy Westfall, the first women contestant, competed and won the 2006 Road to the Horse Colt Starting Challenge and the sold out crowd loved her. The 2006 Road to the Horse DVD with Stacy is now completely sold out! Many horse people feel Stacy’s relationship with her horse is inspiring, beautiful, and total amazing.

Reining

Reining developed from the moves a ranch horse had to perform as part its regular cow horse duties. The American Quarter Horse dominates the reining field, but any horse can be trained to rein. Reining is is one of the world’s fastest growing horse sports and is growing in popularity around the world becoming a rising star in the horse industry.

A winning reining horse must be trained to a very high degree in its controlled movements. It has to go forward, stop, turn, spin, and back all to soft cues given by its rider. Only obedient, supple, and relaxed horses make it to the top. Reining is a partnership effort between an well trained horse and rider. The rider must be able to guide the horse and control his every maneuver from spins, sliding stops, to cantering. Reining is not the easiest horse discipline to train a horse well for.

Freestyle Reining

Freestyle reining is similar to freestyle dressage in that the riders are allowed to create their own patterns with some required movements, and choreograph them to music in a way that entertains and show off the horse and rider’s skills. Some freestyle reining competitions also allow the riders to ride bareback (without a saddle), or without a bridle, which increases the difficulty.

Stacy is the first women to win in the freestyle reining competition at Quarter Horse Congress. She is a NRHA champion freestyle reiner and 2006 Road to the Horse Champion that trains her own horses.

Horse Training

Stacy Westfall uses natural horse training methods she learned on her own and through other horse trainers to start her young horses. She and her training partner, husband Jesses own and operate the Westfall Training Center. She is also a mother of three young boys which makes her equestrian accomplishments even more astounding.

Horse Back Riding

Stacy started riding ‘Misty’, a Shetland Pony that was trained to rear on command. She trained her first colt at the age of fourteen. Like most horse crazy girls while growing up she rode any horse she could get her hands on.

Read more about about reining champion Stacy Westfall on her website www.westfallhorsemanship.

Stacy Westfall’s Blueprint to Success

Now on to Stacy’s Success Secrets and what you can learn as an equestrian and horse business owner to improve your chances of success.

Stacy has consistently taken actions that have lead her closer and closer to her goals. There did you catch the first success secret? ACTION! The repetition of the right actions is the golden key, knowing exactly what you want, planing the steps, then taking action on those steps time and time again. The power is in taking consistent action!

Since this blog is specially for horse business owners I will talk here about the actions Stacy has taken to build her equine business. If you want to learn her horse riding and horse training secrets then visit her site and buy her horse training DVDs and check her event calendar.

Equestrian Business Marketing Strategies

I discovered these marketing strategies Stacy is employing…

• Professional Help

She has a beautifully made and easy to use website that’s obviously professionally designed. People like to buy products and services from companies that look successful and professional.

You can not be expected to know everything so hire experts in areas where it really matters – like your business website creation and marketing. This is one of your best business investments. Your site has to do more than just look good, people have to be able to find what they are looking for fast and easy on it too – good usability!

I see too many horse businesses with websites that look like their child made it, and there is no excuse for this when you can have a professional looking website up in minutes with a free blog at WordPress or Blogger. But I do recommend that you go with WordPress on your own domain site. What first impression does your website say about your equine business?

• Quality products

Stacy sells Horse Training DVDs, Pocket Reference Cards, Rope halters, and Horse Lead Ropes on her site. If you have a horse boarding business you can sell some horse health and care products to your clients. You business’ long-term success involves selling quality products or services that meet the needs and desires of your customers. Don’t sell anything you would not be willing to purchase and use.

• Events Calendar

Her events page is more stuffed than a Clydesdale’s hay net! What a schedule! Dates, locations, and links to event websites. Do you put on any events? If not, why not, consider a few events that you can hold and then post them on your site. You don’t have to do it alone, you can join forces with other horse businesses or a charity to put on an event and make sure to get a few commercial sponsors.

• Media Gallery

You can find links to photos, videos, and article files on this page. But strangely missing is a link to her Press Release page where she should have posted the stories about her that have been published in the past and new press releases for current use. Maybe the press releases are posted on another page of her site that I missed. But don’t you miss adding Press Releases to your horse business site.

Don’t know how to write a Press Release?

I signed up for the Joan Stewart’s The Publicity Hound® Newsletter to learn more about business promotion. Horse business owners can get thousands of dollars in free publicity by following her tips, tricks and tools. Joan is a former newspaper editor, a small business owner, AND she was tapped by Entrepreneur.com as its public relations expert. Click here to read all the columns she wrote for Entrepreneur.com and check out her educational tools for business owners.

Short videos posted on your site and other video sites like YouTube can also help your business in multiple ways acting as sales brochures, and customer educational tools. The Road to the Horse website http://www.roadtothehorse.com does have a nice Media page http://www.roadtothehorse.com/media.shtml you can check out. They have past news articles posted and articles and hi-res photos and the Road to the Horse logo images for print use. This is another nicely designed website you can lasso web design ideas from.

Learn about what videos can do for your business. Hey it is 2008 and more and more people are watching videos online on a daily basis, so start making and posting videos for your business! One of Stacy’s reining videos has received more than 100,000 views!

• Newsletter

News from Westfall Horsemanship http://www.westfallhorsemanship.com/index.php?page=newsletter

Too many horse business really miss show ribbon on this marketing strategy. It is so important to collect the names and email addresses of your site visitors and have a way to stay in contact with them. Most people will not buy from you on the first contact – in fact it takes many contacts before most people make a purchasing decision.

• Members Only Content (Build a community)

You can sign up for, “The Herd” her members site for training tips and a weekly contests where you can win some of her Westfall products. Master mind and come up with your own membership site.

• FAQ Page

On Stacy’s site you will find a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page where you can find the answers to common questions on company location, horse training by Stacy, her products, clinics, apprenticeship course, and about her horse Roxy. In fact that page goes on and on stuffed full with more interesting info about Stacy, her company, and her products.

Not enough business sites add a FAQ page and it can be so helpful to your site visitors and help you gain more sales. Study Stacy’s FAQ page and start designing your own. It will save you time in the long run. One reason people search the Internet is because they are looking to research products. Give them the info they are looking for.

• Valuable Content

Content comes in many different forms from articles, videos, photos, case studies, press releases, FAQ page, product reviews, testimonials, to resource information and links. Keep value in mind when adding these.

• Contact Page

A contact form also helps stop you from receiving so much email SPAM when you post your email online. Full contact info and a contact page help build trust and confidence in your business.

• Belief

Last but not least, she believes in herself and is willing to take chances. You can see this by the actions she has taken. Stacy wouldn’t have attempted any of the actions that has helped her become a success if she didn’t believe that the chance of success was possible in the first place. But guess what, taking the right action steps helps you strengthen your belief as you build on one tiny success after another.

Summary

Success came to Stacy because she believed in her goal, made a plan and worked her plan. Taking consistent action is the key! She hired professional people when she needed help in areas beyond her expertise. Her website is well designed and has many of the items that helps build a business.

Are you ready to follow her lead? Study her site and work on yours. Get educated in marketing and design your own marketing plan. Then take action!

Another article on Stacy: Stacy Westfall First Woman Competitor at Road to the Horse

Stacey Westfall Bridleless Bareback Reining YouTube Video:

Stacy Westfall YouTube Video Search results – 65 Videos Listed!

You should also read my past post: Seven marketing boo-boos costing you business

P.S. Visit Stacy’s website to study it and take notes, then let me know what you plan to take from it to better your horse site. Please leave a comment below.

Resources for Business Building:

Free Press Release Tips
Strategies for Getting Media Coverage
Selling 101 for Equestrians – How to Quickly and Safely Sell Your Horse
The SEO Success Pyramid

Note from Joni: A few of the links on this page are to my affiliate sites. I only affiliate with sites that I feel give real value and will benefit my readers.

This article tells how a community benefits from a annually held horse show. It quotes a variety of local merchants on the ways the horse event is helpful or profitable to them.

If you have a horse business I think you should read and make a copy of this article to show to local business people when you are tying to get them to post your ad, flyers, or posters, or help participate in your horse event. It would be good for them to read if you are trying to sell them advertising spots in your event program or sponsorship.

If you sell an equine related products or services maybe it is time for you to consider joint ventures with horse farms, stables, or other equestrian businesses that hold equine events.

Mastermind and discover many ways to boost your equine business with other businesses doing the old – ‘scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ routine.

“The Master Mind is the co-ordination of knowledge and effort in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose”

- Napoleon Hill, from ‘Think & Grow Rich’.

Be open to new enterprising opportunities and you will start seeing them everywhere.

Here is another equestrian news article, “Carnival lined up for horse festival”, you can read that talks about different businesses working together for a horse festival. You may gleam some ideas on working with others to make your equine event most successful.

And from this article, Tennessee walking horse shows once ‘like the circus’” (sorry link page is now gone) you get an idea of what made a horse show an grand affair.

I hope I have stirred your interest in working together with others so you both can gain. If so then you will want to also read this, ‘How To Accelerate Your Success This Year: The Master Mind Principle‘ – Dr Kem Thompson.

Yep, I gave you a lot of reading and thinking to do – homework – but this is effort that will pay off. I would love to hear your ideas about how you could work with other businesses to gain more profit and your thoughts on the news articles. Please leave a comment. Thanks!

Each posting looks to be a full length article stuffed with equestrian related information that is well thought out and written. If it sounds like I am impressed, that is because I am. Many horse businesses could be greatly improved by the addition of a blog with articles of this quality.

Yes writing good postings takes time, effort, and research but they help show potential customers what to expect from you, your staff, or your product. The ability to type well wouldn’t hurt either.

If you have a horse riding facility, give riding lessens, or help people train their horses you really should consider starting an informational equine blog. Put yourself in your potential customers’ shoes. If you were considering hiring a riding instructor and you visited two websites one with a lot of helpful info and the other with just the common web pages of services, price list, and a two-paragraph ‘about’ page which one would you be more likely to hire?

People want information that helps them make purchasing decisions. Posting great information also gives them the feeling that you care and that you are knowledgeable.

“Rider education is my passion!” says Renee Swanepoel and her blog, Encyclopedia Equestria shows that.

What is your horse business passion? Start to blog about it and gain more business!

Has your horse business been helped by you posting informational articles to your site or blog? Or do you see how posting information on your business specialty would help? If so tell us about it in the comments. Thanks!

Tips on getting your horse business known…

1. Who you know is not as important as ‘who knows you’, so put on your thinking cap and conjure up as many ways as you can to meet more people to expose your name and brand to.
2. Talk with people about your business. Let people know what you sell or do. If you love your business then your enthusiastic words may spark their desire to learn more.
3. Create a short, compelling, description of your business to tell people when they ask what you do. Do a search on google.com for ‘elevator speech’ and check out: http://15secondpitch.com
4. Network (stay in touch) with other horse loving people. Check out and join some of the busiest online forums and groups to keep up-to-date on ideas, trends, and opportunities.
5. Consider donating something business related to charity fund raising auctions (on and off line). This will draw attention to your company.
6. Volunteer to talk and/or demonstrate to local groups, clubs, churches, local co-ops, feed and tack stores, western stores, etc.
7. Consider offering your farm/stable/business for special classes, events, and meetings put on by local groups to introduce new people to your business.
8. Consider holding events that help your local charities and don’t forget send out press releases. Write press releases that will interest potential customers.
9. Don’t just go after people with horses but consider people that may have an interest in horses if someone gave them a chance to see what they are all about.
10. People that like dogs may also like horses so consider letting a dog trainers hold classes in/on your facilities.
11. Make a plan to send out press releases on a monthly basis and keep a note book this for filing and working on your ideas for press releases. having your name in print or mentioned in an interview is huge. The credibility you gain in the eyes of the consumer is at least ten-fold over what you would gain from a paid ad.
12. Did you know that many public TV channels off free air time for educational demonstrations? Contact them to learn more. This is good exposure.

PR for Equine Businesses Teleseminar with Sherry Busch, of RiskOutWest.com.

Horse Cents Infiltrate and Dominate Your Local Equine Market Using Pre-Equestrian Classes “A Simple, No-Holds-Barred System For Filling Your Horse Business With New, Paying Clients – As Well As Taking Care Of Your Current Ones!” http://alove4horses.com/links/go.php?urlid=horsecents

Being remembered tips…

1. Stay in personal contact with your customers. Send them postcards of new products, news clippings, articles, newsletters, birthday cards, ecards, holiday cards or a ‘thank you’ cards.
2. Remember to send out sincere and timely THANK YOUS whenever you get the chance. This is nearly a lost art and guaranteed make people remember you!
3. Go back to the handwritten notes and you will be noticed in this time of hurriedly typed and miss typed emails.
4. If you don’t have the horse or service they want but know or hear of one that would be a good match call or send them a note. People remember people that help them gain their desires.
5. Follow up with everyone that contacts you. You never know which one will be your next client.
6. Follow up as quickly as possible as there is always someone else that may want to sell to them and is willing to follow up fast.

Online marketing tips…

1. Get a web site so you can have 24/7 global storefront working for you!
2. Post updated information about your business, products, services, classes, lectures, demonstrations, shows, wins, events, etcetera to website!
3. Connect with your customers through your “About Us” web page. Give them an inside peek into your horse training philosophy and a feel of the real you with true behind the barn events that make you seem more down home and real.
4. Don’t be too shy to share with your clients your successes, recognition, and compliments that are sent your way. Graciously accept compliments and post your thanks you online — a testimonials page.
5. Display a few of your best products/horses (post small images) on your home page with a link to a new page with more info and large images.
6. Consider making a “Press” page on your website where journalists can locate what they need quickly: your bio, your photo, photos of your artwork, FAQ, etc.
7. Brand your website with a professional email address with your domain name, like: horses @ southwindfarm.com not sillyhorse235678 @ aol.com
8. Never send out an email without your company signature file at the bottom with your web site address. http://yoursite.com
9. Have a few people proof read your website and email sales letters. You will not believe what errors you can overlook! Make your spellchecker your best friend.
10. Start a blog or space on mySpace to draw more people to your website.
11. Tag your blog so more people will find it! Do an Internet search to learn more.
12. Don’t SPAM! I have had many horse businesses add my email address to their email list without my permission — that is spamming. Do not do it; it is bad for your business. Learn about what spam is so you will not be accused of doing it.
13. Think about making a few informational products (ebooks/reports/articles) to sell and/or give away to draw more people to your website.
14. Let me give you a clue about what is the most important part of your website — the W O R D S ! Spend some time working on your sales copy or hire a good copywriter.

Presentation Tips…

1. Visuals are super important — make sure you have great looking images of your products, your logo, yourself, your horses, your business. Good horse photos and equine graphics draw people in and build desire.
2. Always consider the first impression your making because most people will not give you a second chance. Double check your business from top to bottom and left to right — how does it look from your clients view? Ask them!
3. Your business card will draw more attention if it has a strong horse image on it.
   
   
4. Don’t overcrowd your business card or your ad designs. Consider printing on the backside of your business cards instead of crowding too much info on the front. A map on the back maybe a helpful idea.
5. You cannot be great at it all. Know when to hire professionals; like photographers, ad designers, web designers, copy writers. Professional presentation materials add up to more sales.

Learn to Sell

Selling 101 for Equestrians – How to Quickly and Safely Sell Your Horse

Covers advertising and marketing, about how to write advertisement, adding pictures, pricing, and other things to do to sell your horse, local and off line actions.

“The Law Of Attraction” For Equestrians Teleclass
Why You Get What You Get With Your Horse And In Your Life