The Equestrian Money Meeting: From the Saddle to Spreadsheets

Running an equestrian business is unlike any other kind of entrepreneurship.

Your mornings start in the barn. Your days revolve around horses, clients, weather, shows, and logistics. Your body works as hard as your brain. Your business is personal, physical, emotional, and financial all at once.

And yet, most equestrian entrepreneurs were never taught how to lead the money side of their business with the same intention they bring to their riding, training, or care.

That’s where the Equestrian Money Meeting comes in.

What Is an Equestrian Money Meeting?

An Equestrian Money Meeting is a simple, repeatable ritual for equestrian business owners to stay connected to their money, make clear decisions, and run their business like the professional operation it is.

It’s where barn life meets business sense, from the saddle to spreadsheets.

Instead of avoiding your numbers until something breaks, a money meeting helps you stay ahead of cash flow, pricing, expenses, and profit so your business can actually support your riding life.

It’s not about spreadsheets for the sake of spreadsheets.
It’s about leadership, clarity, and confidence.

This is your time to step into your role as Chief Equestrian Officer (CEQO®) and run your business with intention.

Why Most Equestrian Businesses Struggle

Most equestrian businesses don’t struggle because of talent, passion, or work ethic.

They struggle because no one ever taught them how to lead their money.

Without structure, finances become something you react to instead of something you guide. You guess instead of knowing. You scramble instead of planning. You work harder instead of building smarter.

A money meeting replaces:
→ Financial anxiety with structure
→ Guessing with knowing
→ Burnout with strategy

This is your CEQO® time. The time that has the power to change the direction of your profitability and your entire equestrian business.

How Often Should You Do a Money Meeting?

Your money meeting should be short, consistent, and rhythmic.

Set aside 20 to 45 minutes.
Same day each week or every two weeks.
Same notebook, same coffee, same rhythm.

This isn’t something you squeeze in between clients or skip when things feel busy. This is part of running a professional operation.

The 5-Step Equestrian Money Meeting Framework

Step 1: Check Your Barn Bank Balances

Open your business bank account and credit card and write down:

→ Current balance
→ What’s coming in this week
→ What’s going out this week

This creates awareness and keeps you out of surprise mode.

Step 2: Review Your Weekly Cash Flow

This is where you get grounded in what your business is actually doing with money.

You are looking at the movement of cash through your operation, not just the numbers on a screen.

Review what’s come in from lessons, training, board, services, and sales.
Note what’s still outstanding and what is expected to land.
Then look at what your business needs to pay for feed, hay, bedding, fuel, shows, software, insurance, and operating costs.

This step connects the work you do in the barn to the money that keeps it running.

Step 3: Make Your Money Moves

Now you step fully into your CEQO® role.

Based on what came in and what’s going out, you decide how your money moves this week.

→ Move money into tax savings
→ Move money into profit
→ Pay yourself
→ Fund your business savings

Then:

→ Pay your bills
→ Fund upcoming expenses
→ Set aside money for shows, clinics, or travel
→ Create a simple plan for the week ahead

This is where your business becomes intentional.
You stop reacting to money and start leading with it.

Step 4: Review Your Profit and Pricing

This is your bigger-picture moment.

→ Did I pay myself properly?
→ Am I saving enough for tax?
→ Are my prices supporting my goals?
→ Is my business actually profitable?

This is where you protect your future and your body.

A business that cannot support you long term will eventually cost you more than it gives, and not just financially. Furthermore, a business that cannot afford to pay themselves and their taxes? That’s not a business setup for success.

Step 5: Set Your Focus for the Week

End your meeting with direction.

→ Choose one financial task
→ Choose one business improvement
→ Choose one boundary to strengthen

We’re equestrians. We know small, quiet progress leads to long-term sustainable improvement.

Lead your business like the CEQO® you are.

Why This Changes Everything

A money meeting gives your business structure, predictability, and breathing room.

It helps your business support your riding, not drain it.
It helps your work fund your life, not consume it.
It turns chaos into clarity and effort into profit.

You built your equestrian business with heart.
Now let’s build it with profit, structure, and leadership.

That’s exactly what we do inside CEQO® Mentorship. You built your equestrian business with heart and hustle, now let’s build it with profit, structure, and leadership.