🐎 How to Build Profit During Show Season — Ribbons & Revenue

If you’re an equestrian entrepreneur heading into horse show season with a full trailer, a packed calendar, and no clear business model to support it… you’re not alone.

Early mornings. Showgrounds. Horses to prep. Clients to coach.
The ring might change, but the hustle doesn’t stop.
And for many equestrian business owners, what should be an exciting, profitable season ends up feeling rushed, draining, and harder to sustain than expected.

Because the problem isn’t showing.
It’s trying to run a business that was never designed to support the pace and pressure of show season.

Let’s change that.

Here are four ways to build profit during show season — not just around it.

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✅ Structure Your Services Like You Structure Your Training

Your program follows a system. Your business needs one too.

Instead of offering one-off lessons and absorbing unpaid work, create a service structure that reflects the real time and energy you put into every show.

Consider:

• Lesson minimums to qualify for showing
• Pre-show prep rides or strategy sessions
• Post-show video reviews or performance consults
• Day fees that cover your presence, support, and logistics
• Shared cost policies for stabling, travel, and supplies
• An annual Show Team Fee for admin, coordination, and extras
• A minimum rider threshold per show to protect your schedule

📋 Pro Tip: Create a pre-, during-, and post-show timeline that outlines what’s included, what’s expected, and when payments are due. This gives your clients clarity and protects your capacity.

And don’t forget the extras.
If you or your staff are bathing, holding for braiders, clipping, picking up items, or managing anything outside your regular scope — that’s a service. If you’re paying for entries, stall cleaning, or team supplies up front — that’s a reimbursement.

Small tasks add up fast. Set the standard now.

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💸 Price for the Role You’re Actually Playing

Coaching at shows isn’t just teaching.
It’s managing people, horses, logistics, timelines, and emotions — all day long.

You’re guiding warmups, fielding questions, solving problems, and keeping things running smoothly. That’s not “just a lesson.”

Make sure your pricing accounts for:

• Time away from your regular schedule
• Admin hours spent planning, registering, coordinating
• Physical and emotional bandwidth
• The visibility and responsibility of leading a team on show days

You’re not charging more — you’re charging accurately.
This is what professional, high-integrity leadership looks like.

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🧭 Start the Season with a Real Plan

The best show seasons don’t just happen. They’re mapped out.

Hold a Show Season Planning Session with your riders or your team.
Talk through where each client is starting, what progress looks like, which shows align with their goals, and how much they want — and are able — to commit.

Include budget conversations too. It’s so much easier when you know what’s realistic before the entries are in.

Then set your systems:

• A clear way to sign up for classes or shows
• Automated reminders for forms, payments, and timelines
• A checklist that outlines what to expect before, during, and after
• A follow-up process that includes ride reviews and next steps

The more your business runs on structure, the less it runs on you.

This is how show season becomes something you enjoy and profit from — not something that leaves you exhausted and unsure what comes next.

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💰 Let Your Busy Season Fund the Rest of the Year

For many coaches and barn owners, show season brings in some of the highest income of the year.
Between day fees, travel support, and stacked schedules, the numbers look good — but they don’t mean much if they’re gone by September.

You’re out there making the dream happen.
You don’t need to subsidize it just to keep it alive.

Use this season to create breathing room for the next:

• Set aside a portion of your profit to cover slower months
• Move money into a tax account — GST/HST and income tax included
• Pay yourself a regular salary (not just what’s left at the end)
• Start saving for the goals that matter — maybe it’s a truck, a trip, or time off

Profit isn’t something that just shows up. It’s built — and protected.

You shouldn’t feel broke when you’re booked solid.
Make the season work for you, not the other way around.

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🐴 Before You Load the Trailer…

Whether you’re coaching a full team or supporting a few ambitious riders, your time, energy, and leadership deserve structure — and real return.

This summer, I’m creating a guide to help you bring more strategy and sustainability to your show season. It’ll include real-world pricing examples, structure ideas, and money tips to help you keep more of what you make.

📩 Want first access? Just sign up for Money Meetings on my website and I’ll send it straight to your inbox when it’s ready.

You’ve already built the momentum.
Now let’s make it profitable.