Thursday, May 5, 2011

How Do People React When They See Your Horse?

By Beth Moore


For years I struggled trying to grow my horse's manes and tails long, thick and luxurious. Finally, after years of failing, I learned the secret to amazing mane and tail growth from an old horse trainer. Once I discovered how simple and FAST it is to grow the mane and tail I always dreamed of, I discovered much more that I didn't expect. I found out that having a gorgeous horse impacts many more aspects of both the horse's life and the owner. It positively changes the way people react and respond to your horse in unexpected ways, everywhere you go!

The first and most obvious change is that you and your horse both get noticed a lot! You Suddenly Get TONS of Attention. Everyone wants to talk to you about your jaw dropping horse. They compliment, they ooh and aah, they pet and praise your horse. They ask if they can take a picture. They want to know everything about your horse. The horse owners want to know how on earth you got the mane and tail to grow so long and thick and beautiful. When you tell them how FAST and easy it is, they all want to know your secret.

This has the secondary side effect of you meeting lots of new people! I'm a little on the shy side when it comes to approaching strangers. As soon as I show up on the scene with one of my gorgeous horses, every one comes up to ME and starts talking. This has really added a whole new dimension to my life because I was so shy, that I had trouble meeting new people. Now, thanks to my horses, I have more friends than I know what to do with! A friend of mine even met her fiance this way. He came up to her and started talking to her about her horse. It's a real ice breaker and conversation starter.

This next observation is one that I suspected for a long time, but couldn't really prove it until I made my horses stand out by having attention getting beauty. I had horses that I was showing that I KNEW were better than some of the prettier, flashier horses that were getting better ribbons than me in the shows. I knew it was because my "Plain Jane" horse wasn't catching the judge's eye or even getting a second look. It isn't fair, but its human nature. Our eye is naturally drawn to what is pleasing to the eye...so we give it more of our attention.

Once my horses became the most stunning horse in the show ring, the tables were turned. I started winning WAY more ribbons with the same horses! I hate to admit it, but now I sometimes think that my horses win over horses that are better than they are, just because they stand out. I feel bad...well, just a little!

All this attention often leads to another unexpected surprise- FREE Publicity! I've been on club trail rides, and various types of organized rides where the press has been there from newspapers, different magazines and all kinds of publications. The same is true for horse shows, training seminars, fairs and exhibitions that I have gone to. Who do you think the professional photographers want to get a picture of? They want the most beautiful horse there that everyone is making a big fuss over. They know that the public loves to see pictures of beautiful horses. They always gravitate right to me and my horse.

This has resulted in me getting free publicity for my barn, which helped to fill it up. I also have gotten a ton of free publicity for my training services and even for selling horses and getting bookings for my breeding stallion. And, almost always, the photographer will mail me copies of the pictures they take, just for asking for them. Then I use those professional quality pictures in my paid advertising. This makes me look way more professional than if I had just taken pictures myself.

People very often contact me when they see my horses in some newspaper or magazine and inquire more about what I have to offer. Once, when a picture was taken of one of the horses during Summer Camp, the rest of the Summer Camp filled up immediately when the picture appeared in the local newspaper! This has helped my business and increased my bottom line- ALL FOR FREE!

I have found that I can save a lot of money buying a plain looking horse because the current owners don't put that much value on it. I look for these knowing that I can get them cheap and turn them into stunning horses. If you are looking for your first horse, and need to keep the price low, I'd look for a good horse that is on the plain side because you know you can make it gorgeous!

The next point is rather obvious, but I'll say it anyway. When you make any horse more beautiful, You Increase Its Value. A beautiful horse is always going to sell for more money and quicker than a horse of equal quality that does not have the outstanding looks. The best way to make a horse more beautiful and even to hide some flaws, is to grow a breath taking mane and tail on it. People will scramble to pay top dollar for a horse their friends will envy!

Since making a horse beautiful increases its value, I have taken that a step further to Make Extra Money with it. I have bought many of those "ugly duckling" horses and magically turned them into beautiful swans seemingly over night. I have actually sold horses for several times what I paid for them simply by growing a thick flowing mane and tail and cleaning them up. I can count on an average of three to four inches of growth on the mane and tail per month, so in just three or four months, I can add a foot of growth.

I can't help but swell with pride when I look at my 16 year old gelding that is completely blind. I've had him for about 10 years and he's been blind about 4 years now. He's been fully trained using Pat Parelli methods. I could spend hours just primping and pampering him and admiring his breathtaking beauty. His thick forelock goes down past his nose and covers his eyes, so most people don't even realize he is blind. He is so gentle and trusting and sweet, that people are shocked when I brush his forelock away from his eyes to reveal that he is totally blind. They can't believe that he is so calm for not being able to see a thing! Pat Parelli natural horsemanship training methods had a lot to do with that.

I've recently decided that I think he would like for us to get back in the show ring again. I don't want him to be treated any differently from the sighted horses, but I feel confident that no one will even know with his beautiful forelock covering his eyes and his stunning mane and tail taking the attention away anyway.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment