Horse Boarding Real Estate Business Plan

EquineAcres is designed to provide, first and foremost, a single source for the equine owner.  It will provide everything from a place of equine boarding, practice, and enjoyment, through a full range of products and services necessary to support the horse, to a community atmosphere designed to meet the emotional and social needs of the members.

3.1 Product and Service Description

The following is a detailed listing of the initial products and services available to EquineAcres members and guests.

Membership Lease

• One 5-acre retreat w/private barn room, water, and electricity.
• Full board including twice a day feeding and visual inspection.
• Weekly computerized reports detailing all horse activity.
• Computer horse history report assembled from owner records.
• Locked-gate security.
• Access to 24-hour “vet on call.”
• Access to on-site farrier.
• Access to EquineAcres products and services.

Feed and Hay
EquineAcres (EA) will offer feed and hay for purchase by members. Current business contacts and volume purchase capability will provide the ability for EA to purchase well below market cost. Since the feed and hay will be available at EA, this will also allow for the resale of these products to EA members slightly above average retail cost.

Tack and Supply
EA will also offer tack and horse supply in the same scenario as cited above. However, EA will also continue the resale of tack related items via the Internet. The Internet resale of these products has been well established in past and present business operations.

Web Service
EA will offer website design and hosting to its members. This will be available at a low cost as an additional “page” on the EA home page, and at a higher cost as a completely independent website. EA possesses the business contacts and necessary technical expertise to conduct this business.

Contract Services
EA will contract with local horse services. This may include “vet on call,” farrier, trainers, and more to-be-decided services. EA will contract to receive a percentage of revenue from contractors in exchange for marketing their services to EA members.

Close Care
EA will offer four stalls in the central barn for close care of member horses for an additional per night fee. Uses might include sick horses, foaling mares, and horses being prepared for show/sale.

Horse Sales
EA will offer a service by which a horse may be featured on the EA home page for sale. EA will also be available to field calls about the horse, show the horse to prospective buyers, and provide a “show room” for horses being offered to sale. A separate resale service contract will be executed with a commission paid to EA upon sale of the horse.

Food Vendor
EA will contract with a local mobile food vendor (event style) for weekends and special events. A percentage will be paid to EA.

Special Events
EA will host special events on a regular basis (one per month). These may include clinics, play-days, and barn-dances. Each of these will provide an opportunity for additional incremental revenue from guests and hosts alike.

Barn Rooms 
EA has contracted with a local builder to design and build these unique Barn Rooms for resale as an external product. EA cost to purchase these pre-fabricated kits is $1,000 each and the market will easily bear resale at $2,000 each.

To-Be-Decided
Additional Products and Services will be added to the EquineAcres menu as sources and demand are identified.

3.2 Sales Literature

Sales Literature for EquineAcres will exist in three forms, each pointing to the primary website:

1. A 4-page, full color, fold out brochure: available by mail, request via the website, and point of purchase displays at related retail outlets.
2. A postcard size teaser: will be used for display on bulletin boards, and as a direct-mail piece as needed.
3. Extremely active and professional website: the core of the EquineAcres sales literature (website will be designed and maintained by Edward Graves).

3.3 Fulfillment

The ownership of EquineAcres has established substantial business contacts over the last five years while conducting a small, related “side business.”  These relationships are now prime to be leveraged into larger, more formal relationships.  In addition, the unique and varied set of skills possessed by the EquineAcres ownership allows for almost no externally hired expertise or contract service.

Due to these existing relationships and previous business dealings, and with an established history, the average profit margin on all products can be reliably placed at 100%. Please refer to the Product and Service Description section, for a fuller description of the sourcing for each EquineAcre product and service. 

3.4 Technology

Yet another way in which EquineAcres will differentiate itself from other related businesses lies in technology expertise.  The experience and background of the EquineAcres ownership allows for the introduction of full computerization (primarily recognizable in reports to members and member Web pages) to an otherwise typically non-computerized market.  The affluent target market for EquineAcres will instantly find comfort (and appreciate) in this level of technology which is generally unavailable from most any of their other equine related vendors.  It is important to stress here again, that the ownership of EquineAcres possesses the knowledge and ability to implement and execute these technologies without external assistance (or expense).

3.5 Future Products and Services

The equine marketplace offers an almost endless array of products and services.  EquineAcres will remain in constant contact with suppliers, seeking new products and services to offer through EquineAcres.  In specific, the largest equine trade show in North America, “Equitana USA” will be held this June 14th – 17th.  EquineAcres plans to attend this event to gather additional product and service ideas and contacts.

Of greater impact however, is the EquineAcres product itself.  Future plans call for expansion of EquineAcres in two capacities: 

• First, with the conversion of the “Back 80” acres over to additional five acre retreats, substantial additional revenue can be generated from the primary income source: Memberships.  And, as a result of membership expansion, substantially increased sales of products and services to the increased membership base will result.
• Second, and of the greatest potential, is for the expansion of EquineAcres as a whole to additional markets.  Tulsa and Oklahoma City are located equidistant (less than 60 miles) from the initially planned EquineAcres.  EquineAcres*2 and EquineAcres*3 (etc.) are planned within easy access to each of these much larger markets upon successful implementation and refinement of EquineAcres*1.

3.6 Competitive Comparison

EquineAcres is a completely unique entity, in the equine marketplace.  As such, it has no direct competitors.  Rather, there are multiple competitors to each of the individual components that comprise EquineAcres.  However, the EquineAcres concept coupled with its ownership’s previous business dealings and contacts will enable EquineAcres to offer each of these products and services at extremely competitive prices.  The combined concept, convenience, and price competitiveness of the entire EquineAcres “menu” has not been approached by any other existing business to the owner’s knowledge.