A horseback riding business offers lessons to people of all skills, from someone who has never been near a horse before to the experienced rider who wants to improve on a skill or learn a new skill, such as a different style of riding.
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
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Start a horseback riding lessons business by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Horseback Riding Lessons Business
- Form your Horseback Riding Lessons Business into a Legal Entity
- Register your Horseback Riding Lessons Business for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Horseback Riding Lessons Business
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Horseback Riding Lessons Business
- Get Horseback Riding Lessons Business Insurance
- Define your Horseback Riding Lessons Business Brand
- Create your Horseback Riding Lessons Business Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your horseback riding lessons business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Horseback Riding Lessons Business Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a horseback riding lessons business?
Opening a horseback riding business is a costly venture. You’ll have to buy land if you don’t have it, and you’ll have to build stables if you don’t have them. You could expect to spend $3,000 and up per acre for good flat land, and about $100 square foot for stables and indoor arenas, depending on your location. Additional costs include:
- Any licenses and permits, including a certificate of occupancy and a sales tax certificate. These fees vary from county to county and state to state.
- Liability insurance.
- Horses that are fit for giving lessons. Prices for horses range from under $1,000 to well over $10,000, depending on bloodlines and previous training.
- Horses that are fit for trail riding;
- Fencing required to build rings and paddocks. Depending on the type of fencing you build, this could run anywhere from $20 a linear foot to over $40 a linear foot.
- Tack for each horse. Tack varies on brand and quality. In this case, you do get what you pay for.
- Inventory if you are selling tack and accessories.
- Horse feed.
- Watering troughs.
- A truck and trailer. You’ll need a minimum of a 2500 HD full size pickup, but should preferably have a 3500 HD pickup. You could expect to spend upwards of $50,000 or more for a good truck.
- Tractor (optional – this comes in handy while mucking stalls). You might find a good used tractor with low hours for about $15,000 to $20,000.
- Barns.
- Indoor and/or arena(s).
- Utilities for the barns and arenas.
- Payroll for help if you are not running the operation by yourself.
What are the ongoing expenses for a horseback riding lessons business?
The ongoing expenses are high for a horseback riding business and include:
- Utilities
- Mortgage payments on land and barns
- Maintenance
- Inventory
- Liability insurance
- Payroll
- Additional horses
- Tack for your horses – you’ll need different sized saddles for kids and adults
- Vet care
- Feed
Who is the target market?
Customers my range from the very young to elderly. Experience may vary from none to years of riding experience. Your customers may be well off and prefer to pay for all of the services you offer for boarding and more, or you may have customers that prefer mucking their own stalls, using their own vets, and feeding their own food, whether for financial reasons or because they are used to caring for their own horses.
How does a horseback riding lessons business make money?
A horseback riding business makes money in several ways; though the largest stream of income comes from giving lessons and boarding horses. Other streams of income include doing special parties, trail riding, selling tack and feed, and training.
How much can you charge customers?
The national average for horseback riding lessons ranges between $45 to $60 an hour, depending on your location, the student’s skill, and what you need to charge to cover your overhead.
How much profit can a horseback riding lessons business make?
Profit is dependent on you. You need to figure the costs of running the business for a year and then divide that by 12. Subtract boarding fees that you receive. That will tell you how much you need to make with lessons, training, and retail to make the profit you envision. If your overhead is $36,000 per year, or $3,000 per month, you will need to sell 60 lessons at $50 to break even.
How can you make your business more profitable?
Make your business more profitable by keeping expenses low, adding more stables for boarding, marketing your operation to sell more lessons, and building up your retail store, if you choose to have one.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your horseback riding lessons business is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your horseback riding lessons business were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?
Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a horse stable. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
Release of Liability
To avoid liability and potential lawsuits, horse back riding businesses should have their clients sign a release of liability. Here is an example of one such form.
Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional service agreement for your business when you sign up for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive access to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get complimentary legal advice.
Certificate of Occupancy
A horse stable is usually run out of a large outdoor space. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.
- If you plan to lease office space:
- It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
- Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a horse stable..
- After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.
- If you plan to purchase or build office space:
- You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
- Review all building codes and zoning requirements for you business’ location to ensure your horse stable will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Horseback Riding Lessons Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Horseback Riding Lessons Business.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a horseback riding lessons business
Find out what type of clientele is in your area. Are there more who want you to care for the horses or more who prefer to care for their own horses? If you find there is a mixture of both, you might have two separate barns: one where you provide services such as vet services, shoeing services, feeding, and cleaning; and one where the customer provides all of that for a greatly reduced boarding fee.
If you just give riding lessons, consider hosting riding birthday parties, holding clinics, and offering trail riding sessions. And, if you have the space, add more barns for boarding or a retail store, or offer nutrition courses for the horse owners.
How to keep customers coming back
Make sure you understand your customers’ needs and provide what they want. Even if you have to have two ranges of pricing for the different services you might offer. Be sure that you know how to give lessons. Knowing how to ride and imparting that information to another are two different things. You’ve got to have the communication skills. Keep the barns warm and dry and the horses well-cared for, and you’ll find that you have customers for life.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
The perfect person to run a horseback riding business is someone who loves horses, doesn’t mind working outside regardless of the weather, and is physically active. Other factors include being able to work with customers, having business management experience, and having stable management experience. Depending on the side businesses you may want to add retail management knowledge and some knowledge in horse nutrition.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a horseback riding lessons business?
Most days will be spent doing several activities. Some of these, you may do less frequently and will depend on the type of business you will be running in conjunction with a horseback riding business.
- Mucking stalls
- Feeding and watering horses
- Turning out horses
- Giving riding lessons
- Going on trail rides
- Cleaning the barn
- Caring for the turf in areas
- Ordering inventory
- Customer service
- Planning birthday parties if you offer birthday party rides
- Training horses
- Breaking green horses and/or training problem horses
- Keeping fields and courses mowed and maintained
- Ensuring watering troughs don’t freeze
- Cleaning feed buckets and watering troughs
- Slinging hay
- Preparing for horse shows
- Maintaining any special equipment you might use for therapy riding
- Maintaining tack
- Trailering horses to and from your facility, whether for shows or to help customers get their horses to your facility
- Vehicle maintenance, including trucks, tractors, trailers and landscaping equipment.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful horseback riding lessons business?
You may be really good at riding and training horses, but you also need to be able to teach others how to ride or how to get ready for a show. You’ll also need horse training skills; basic medical skills to help horses in an emergency; retail, marketing, and customer service skills; and business management skills.
What is the growth potential for a horseback riding lessons business?
The growth potential is unlimited if you have the space to expand and if you are boarding, training, and giving lessons. If your facility gives only lessons, the growth potential is high. Lessons are usually an hour long and many stables offer lessons for a person once or twice a week. Adding other businesses on the side, such as boarding, selling tack, and training horses significantly increases your growth potential.
Not sure if a horseback riding lessons business is right for you? Try our free Business Idea Generator and find your perfect idea.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
What are some insider tips for jump starting a horseback riding lessons business?
Insider tips include knowing your horses and planning ahead to make it easier to expand. Instead of starting with a barn with a few stalls, if you plan on expanding, build the barn with 30 stalls right away. You’ll end up saving money in the long run.
Knowing your horses is an important part of starting a horseback riding business. Some horses are great for trail riding but not so great for giving lessons to people who have little to no experience.
Also, be sure to have all of the equipment needed to clean stalls and care for the horses. Have a vet that will come to your facility lined up for emergencies. You may not be able to get a sick horse into a trailer. For boarders, be sure to have a contract that has been reviewed by an attorney ready to sign before you allow a horse to stay one night in your stables.
How and when to build a team
If you find yourself running out of space, you may want to add more barns and more services. If you are considering adding more barns, you should have the income to hire paid help. Be sure to thoroughly vet each person you consider hiring. Remember, not only are thousands of dollars at stake with liability and the value of the horses and equipment, but a horse’s life could be at stake if you hire someone who doesn’t have experience.