Harness the Power of Persuasion: Creating a Magnetic Value Proposition for Your Horse Business

Are you drawing a blank on how to write a value proposition for a horse business? Or for that matter what exactly a value proposition is?

If you are like most equestrian small business owners, you are probably thinking, “a value…what?”

A value proposition is simply answering this question:

“When it comes to your equestrian small business, how do you stand out from the crowd?”

Let’s say you run a boarding barn. What makes boarding with you better or different than boarding with the barn down the road?

Perhaps you are an equine bodyworker. What makes a horse owner want to use your services instead of another equine bodyworker?

You design an equestrian clothing brand. Why should I buy your breeches and polos instead of the equestrian clothing brand on the next rack?

You manufacture equine grooming products. Why should I buy your products for my horse instead of a different one?

It doesn’t matter if you are a large equine business or a one-woman horse business.

It doesn’t matter if you provide a horse product.

Or if you provide an equine service.

That which makes you unique is what’s going to help you stand out in your market.

It’s what’s going to help make your brand shine and stand out from the noise in your market. 

Dos & Don’ts of Value Propositions for Horse Businesses

Do:

• Be concise and clear. Short, sweet, and to the point.
• Use the language of your target audience
• Explain what sets you apart / makes you unique in your market
• What benefit they can expect

Don’t:

• Exaggerate the truth
• Use language that your customer doesn’t “get”

How to Write a Value Proposition for a Horse Business

When it comes to writing a value proposition for your horse business, it’s really just a plug-and-play formula.

We help [target client] to [benefit] by [what you do].

So let’s show some examples of how that works.

Equestrian Examples of Unique Identifiers

So, maybe you don’t know what makes you unique. Especially if you have never done an analysis of your market competition. If that’s you, stop here and do some research into your competition. 

After all, how can you know what makes you unique if you don’t know what else is out there? 

Boarding Barn:

• Provide a covered arena and outdoor arena both with lights so clients can ride no matter what time of day
• Live onsite and provide daily checkups on all the horses personally
• Have an eventing course set up for practice
• Test your hay and work with a nutritionist before any horse in your care touches it
• Have extensive experience caring for horses who are rehabbing from injuries
• Specialize in hunter/jumpers

Horseback Riding Lesson Program:

• Offer free riding lessons to a local charitable organization
• Teach riding lessons to kids only under the age of 10
• Have an easy scheduling program for lessons
• Provide fun shows for your clients
• Have a program that offers both on- and off-horse learning
• Provide Horse Camps during weeks that school is out

Equine Bodyworker:

• Extensive experience providing bodywork for off-the-track Thoroughbreds
• Have appointments available in the evenings and weekends
• Extensive experience with senior horses
• Provide sessions to people or dogs as well as horses

Horse Trainer:

• Have extensive experience in training mustangs
• Apprenticed under a well-known, high-quality trainer
• Have certification or specialized training

Farrier or Barefoot Trimmer:

• Study nutrition and how it can help horses with problem hooves
• Have certification or specialized training
• Works specifically with a certain breed or type of horse

Some Other Ideas:

• Use only organic farm products
• Have extensive experience writing about equestrian and horse topics
• Only use top-of-the-line products when waterproofing horse blankets
• Host Horse Clinics on a variety of topics

Keep This in Mind about Value Propositions

Here are a few things you might want to keep in mind when developing a value proposition for a horse business.

First, your value proposition can change as your business grows.

So, while it’s tempting to “set it and forget it”, it’s a good idea to review your value proposition occasionally.

Want to Read More about Building a Brand for Your Horse Business?

If you are interested in learning more about building a brand for your horse business, check out some of these posts:

Building a Brand Identity for a Horse Business

Brand Values for Horse Businesses

Female Equestrian Business Owners Need to Get Visible

Ultimate Guide to Equestrian Brand Photography

How to Create a Vision Statement for a Horse Business

How to Create a Mission Statement for a Horse Business

Booking an Equestrian Brand Photoshoot (What you Need to Know)

Betsy Bird, Cr. Photog., CPP,  of Ride the Sky Equine Photography spends her days doing insane things to make animals look at her. Clearly, she’s desperate for attention. Outside of acting like a total goofball, she invests in growing her business, mentoring photographers, dealing with her teenagers' angst, and hanging with Nitro, the best dog ever. She also tries to spend some time educating and entertaining aspiring photographers by teaching and blogging about whatever catches her fancy at the moment.

Betsy has earned her Photographic Craftsman degree from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) which honors photographers who contribute to the photographic industry through speaking, mentoring, and publishing. Betsy is also a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) with PPA. The CPP designation is held by fewer than 2,500 photographers nationwide and is a hallmark of consistency, technical skill, artistry, and professionalism.

Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Photographers of East Tennessee (PPETN) and the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association (TNPPA). She is also a professional member of the Equine Photographers Network (EPN).

Betsy's award-winning work has been featured in a variety of publications and is found throughout homes and stables in the United States. She is also the co-author of the book, Equine & Equestrian Photography Poses that Sell: The Ultimate Guide to Posing Horses & Humans. She has also been featured on Scenic Trend, the Profitable Photographer Podcast, The Business Animal Podcast, Chatter Magazine, Cowgirls with Cameras Podcast, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Chattanoogan, and the Focal Points Podcast to name a few.