Indiana Horse Network

The local hunt club, the state horse council, the county chamber of commerce : They're all knocking at your door for your time, your money, and your membership.

“I don't have time for this. I have a business to run,” is your usual response. But is it the right response? Membership in these and other local organizations provides benefits beyond those outlined in their new-member brochures. A few area memberships might be just what you need to improve your business.

Four tack store owners from across the country told Equestrian Retailer about the bang that their stores are getting for their membership buck. For Lisa Gorretta of The Paddock Saddlery in Newbury , Ohio ; Bret Mock of Mock Brothers Saddlery in Sand Springs , Oklahoma ; Dina Marcotte of Tony's Tack Shop in Essex Junction, Vermont ; and Annette Pitcher of Golden Royal Saddlery, Inc. in Indianapolis , Indiana ; benefits range from attracting valuable new customers to simply supporting their community.

The Horse Folk

Being involved with your customers is a vital aspect of customer service. If you want to know what your customers' needs are now and what they will be in the future, you've got to go where the riders go. Our tack store owners gave us four reasons they belong to equine-related organizations.

1. To be in-the-know. Keeping informed is the number-one reason these tack stores have sent their membership dollars to local equine organizations. The information gleaned from membership not only helps store owners keep up with what's hot in the industry but also provides gossip fodder for their customers.

Marcotte has owned Tony's Tack Store, a 37-year-old English and Western retail outfit, for only two years, but she has kept the store's long-standing membership in the Vermont Horse Shows Association (VHSA) alive. “We've kept up with it mostly to have the information about when the shows were, what the rules were, and what else was going on so that I would know how to respond in the business. I guess even bigger than that is being able to offer our customers information about what's going on in the industry.”

The Paddock Saddlery holds memberships in the Northern Ohio Dressage Association, the Midwest Dressage Association, the Mid-Ohio Dressage Association, and the North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association. Gorretta says, “Those memberships are all because of our specialization of being in English equestrian sports. Those really are more than worth the money.”

By belonging to organizations based in The Paddock Saddlery's mobile unit service area, Gorretta has found she and the staff get a heads-up on what's new in Florida, where English-riding trends tend to spark. They then make educated decisions on whether to act on the trends in-store by keeping an eye on the horse-show scene across the country.

Being connected in their own region also helps Gorretta and staff gauge what they need to be carrying as far as local riding habits, such as a shrinking pony jumper division or an influx of Fourth Level dressage riders. This helps to control the store's inventory of pony-size bridles when they should be stocking top hats.

Being in-the-know doesn't require constant hob-knobbing, however. If you can't get to the club's events yourself, check out its newsletter or website. Nearly every association has one or both that offers a host of information.

“Those newsletters are periodic pictures of what's happening in that area. You can compete and spend as much time outside the store, but if you're doing what's right for your business, you're spending your time inside the store,” says Gorretta

2. To have a voice. The Indiana Horse Council (IHC) “was formed by horse people so that we could collectively go together as a group to the government, the parks department, etc., etc., to have a voice. It's made of horsemen from every part of the state,” explains Pitcher.

As a business member of IHC, Golden Royal Saddlery's staff is able to have input in all areas of the horse industry in Indiana , including the English and Western disciplines, new legislation, and statewide events that could impact their business. Plus, Golden Royal Saddlery sponsors the largest event the council hosts annually, the Hoosier Horse Fair, and, through membership, has a vote in how the event is run.

3. To utilize word-of-mouth marketing. Horse people like to talk, and inevitably they will talk about where to shop. Tony's Tack Store's VHSA membership is a value to Marcotte for the networking opportunities. She follows the theory, “People that know you build your business.”

Says Mock, whose Western tack and apparel store has held membership in the Sand Springs Round-Up Club since the club's inception 30 years ago, “Everybody in the Round-Up Club wants what I'm selling, so a round-up group is better [than a general business group] for membership. Word-of-mouth is the best advertising you can have.”

Golden Royal Saddlery also belongs to the Indianapolis Police Department's (IPD) Horse Patrol Association, a not-for-profit organization that supports the city's mounted police unit. Pitcher says, “We got involved because money is greatly needed to keep them going. And in turn, they do buy stuff from us. Now the motorcycle police, if they need boots, the IPD Mounted sends them to us. Membership puts your name out there.”

4. To maximize advertising opportunities. Groups tend to support their own. Anyone can place an ad in a newspaper or magazine, but if your business is a member of the organization with which it is advertising, the impact will be that much greater.

Gorretta says, “We don't make direct access of mailing lists through the organizations' membership lists, but we take advantage of advertising in their newsletters.”

The City Slickers

Memberships in organizations in the non-equine sector of business are just as valuable as memberships in the horse groups. While the horse groups are where your core customers hide out, “mainstream” business organizations also hold a trove of benefits. Again, here are four reasons why local business groups are good for your business.

1. To support the local economy. Mock Brothers Saddlery belongs to the Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce (COC) as a matter of tradition; current owners Greg and Bret Mock took over the business from their father, who enrolled the store in a COC membership years ago. Says Bret Mock, “We try to support the local chamber and try to help our business grow. You want new people to know we're out here, and they direct new people to us.”

2. To reach the western-wear crowd. Western tack and clothing retailers probably see greater returns on their non-equine group memberships than those that focus primarily on the English market. Mock estimates that 90-percent of his clientele are ranchers and riders. The other ten percent are folks looking for a hat, boots, or clothing. A portion of those customers find his store through the COC's recommendation.

3. To find other non-traditional customers. So, they don't cater to those who want to dress like the Marlboro Man; that's not to say English retailers shouldn't bother with local business organizations. Gorretta says she has several interior decorators who frequent The Paddock Saddlery looking for equestrian-themed items. While this isn't an avenue she's actively pursued, her membership in the Chagrin Valley COC has no doubt helped drive this less-than-traditional customer.

4. To reap employee benefits. In the way of employee benefits for small businesses, COCs also offer medical insurance packages, retirement plans, and continuing-education opportunities.

Gorretta says, “The number one benefit [to The Paddock Saddlery's COC membership] is access to a larger group pool for workmen's comp, which offers significant savings as opposed to what we can get by ourselves.”

To Join or Not to Join

As specialized merchants, tack retailers might actually have an easier job of weeding out those organizations that are unworthy of their time. Not every group is going to give you a worthwhile return on your membership investment. When making the decision as to whether to send in your check, our sources suggest considering the following:

•  What is the mission of the organization? Does it line up with your beliefs?

•  What expectations does the organization have of its members? This applies in terms of volunteer-time commitments as well as on-going financial commitments.

•  What avenues of exposure are included with membership? Are there additional advertising and sponsorship options for members?

•  How much traffic will the organization drive to the store? In the case of an equine group versus a non-equine group, “look at the traffic they'll bring to your store versus the membership cost,” says Mock.

•  What can the organization offer as far as benefits to store employees?

•  Does the organization have a political affiliation? Gorretta says, “Usually somewhere down the list, I check into whether or not the organization holds some political stance. I don't like to be a part of that, unless it's under my direct control.”

Mock says, “You can't go out there and join every club in town. You've got to pick and choose and decide where you want to get your business from. I'd say stay with the local chamber to start. The rest of it comes down to budget, whether you join this or that.”

Gorretta says, “It is a benefit to be a member of equine organizations as well as the chamber of commerce. If you don't take advantage of every opportunity to let your customers know who you are, you will miss out on revenue fifteen-times that you would've spent on the membership.”

SIDEBAR: On the Downside

With eight reasons to join local organizations outlined here, you might be wondering why you haven't invested in a membership or two for your own store. As a business person, you know that with the good always comes the bad; be sure to weigh each before making any choices.

First, when it comes to joining local horse groups, your store will be called upon more frequently for sponsorships, giveaways, and the like. “You are presumed that you will do more than your fair share. Those memberships do tend to generate more ‘I need,' ‘Will you give please' phone calls,” says Gorretta.

Second, choose your memberships carefully. Competition, in this case, can be bad for business, points out Marcotte. “In a highly competitive area, where there are two hunter associations, you can get in the middle of a feud. There could be a lot of politics associated if you join one club but not another.”

And third, as always, put your best foot forward. Pitcher says, “The only downside to membership in these organizations would be if I was a less-than-reputable business, because then the word would get out. If you represent yourself as you want to be represented, there is no downside.”

SIDEBAR: How to Get Involved

Chamber of commerce, regional dressage organization, state Quarter Horse club…they all sound great. Now, how do you contact or even find out if such groups exist in your area?

•  Talk to your customers. To what organizations do they belong?

•  Be aware. Gorretta found out about the clubs “because I've been involved in the sport for so long. Secondarily, when the [store's mobile unit] is in the area, you learn what the local sponsoring organizations are.”

•  Follow tradition. In the cases of Marcotte and Mock, they kept their stores' memberships in place because the stores have held—and benefited from—the memberships before they took ownership.

•  Check the telephone book. Chances are there are more equine and general-business organizations in your area than you realize.

•  Do an Internet search. More local organizations are taking advantage of the power of the Web every day.

•  Go to the source. Pitcher says, “We're inundated with groups that say, ‘I want you to do this,' and we physically can't do it. There are the Quarter Horse people, the Arabian horse people; the [ Indiana ] Horse Council incorporates all of those, so we chose to support them.”