Running an equestrian business means juggling horses, riders, bookings, payments, staff and admin, often while trying to find time to promote the business too.
For Meagan Bruneski, owner of MeadowView Reins in Big Lake, British Columbia, technology has helped make that workload much more manageable.
And when MeadowView Reins opened bookings for its summer camp, the result was impressive: the camp sold out, with $0 spent on marketing.
A growing business with plenty to manage
Located in the Cariboo, around 45 minutes from Williams Lake, MeadowView Reins is a working ranch and outdoor classroom offering riding instruction, camps, Canadian Pony Club activities, Equine Assisted Learning and outdoor experiences.
Like many equestrian business owners, Meagan isn’t just teaching.
There are horses to manage, customers to communicate with, activities to organise, payments to take and bookings to keep on top of.
MeadowView Reins uses EC Pro, an equestrian business management platform designed to bring much of that day-to-day administration together in one place.
Customers can create an account, register each rider and book eligible activities online. Rider information such as height and experience can then be used to help ensure they are only shown suitable booking options.
For a business offering everything from regular riding instruction to camps and trail rides, that makes managing a varied schedule considerably easier.
Selling out summer camp without a marketing budget
One of the clearest examples came from MeadowView Reins’ summer camp.
Rather than spending money on advertising, MeadowView Reins was able to make the camp available to book online through EC Pro.
Customers could see the activity, select the appropriate rider, choose their booking and complete the process online.
The result? The camp sold out with $0 spent on marketing.
It’s a simple result, but it demonstrates something that’s easy to overlook when running a busy equestrian business.
Growth doesn’t always have to mean spending more money attracting new customers. Making it easier for people to discover and book the activities you already offer can be just as important.
Making it easier for customers to say yes
A rider coming for regular instruction might also be interested in a camp, clinic, Pony Club activity or another experience.
But if finding out what’s available means seeing a social media post at exactly the right moment, making a phone call or waiting for someone to respond to a message, there’s more opportunity for that booking to be lost.
Putting activities online gives customers the flexibility to browse and book when it suits them, while reducing the amount of manual administration behind each booking.
For MeadowView Reins, EC Pro now supports bookings across different parts of the business, from its Riding Academy to selected trail riding experiences and camps.
Technology designed for equestrian businesses
EC Pro is equestrian business management software designed specifically for businesses working with horses and riders.
Alongside online bookings and payments, the platform helps businesses manage lesson schedules, rider information, horse workloads and suitability, staff, events and customer communications.
For businesses like MeadowView Reins, the aim isn’t to add more technology for the sake of it. It’s to reduce the amount of administration happening behind the scenes and make booking simpler for customers.
That means more time can be spent on the part of the business that really matters: the horses, the riders and creating great experiences.
And occasionally, it might just help sell out a summer camp without spending a single dollar on advertising.
Discover how EC Pro helps equestrian businesses manage bookings, payments, horses, riders and more.
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