STABLE SECRETARY: Horse Care App Pioneer and Innovator
Stable Secretary introduced the first mobile app in 2013 and is currently in development on rebuilding the app according to founder Kate Rice Nilan from Massachusetts. Kate is passionate about providing the best app on the market because she has been a trainer and barn manager and at the start developed the product based on her needs. “Five years ago, there was no great way of viewing a horses’ complete health history and entering that information for others to access,” said Rice Nilan. After tapping into her web development background, she introduced Stable Secretary and had a soft launch, and it immediately caught on! “All of our profits go right back into developing a better product,” she said, and complimented her dedicated, talented team of developers and small staff, including her father who helps with the finances and accounting.
Solving Top Horse Management Challenges
“At Stable Secretary, we are trying to solve two major problems when it comes to horse care: make it easy to access and analyze horse information including health records, and make it easier for trainers to invoice,” said Rice Nilan. In today’s equine world, there are many options available to owners when it comes to the care of their horses and having that one resource tool to better manage the upkeep is critical. “We’ve also included in the software the integration of QuickBooks™ which provides a seamless approach to the billing and payment process,” she added.
Packages to Suit your Needs
There are three paid subscription options available on both the app and online version – professional, the highest level with the most features; performance, has all the health features and basics but doesn’t provide invoicing and essentials – ideal for retirement farms and farms that just need the fundamental health features. “Our professional and performance subscriptions are the most popular,” said Rice Nilan, adding, “Each subscription is based on stable size and can be purchased monthly or annually.” The app is predominately used in the US and Canada but also has users in Australia and Europe. One of the unique offerings from Stable Secretary is a generous discount available for rescues, therapeutics, law enforcement, colleges and universities plus those participants in the USHJA training program.
“As a Tech Equestrian you can’t live without this app because it makes all aspects of equine record keeping much easier and offers select packages based on your unique needs. ”
Mobile App Gets a Major Update
“We were the first barn management software to have a mobile app and we are committed to continually developing new features and expanding current ones.” Rice Nilan shared that she and her team are rebuilding and expanding the mobile app to make it much more powerful. “We are also adding the ability to add dated general notes for horses, in addition to enhancements to the online calendar to provide daily and weekly views. We have a giant list of enhancements - those are all in the works right now!”
Industry Feedback
“Because we have users from different parts of the horse industry, we get many different compliments from them!” One of favorite features is the mobile app and people appreciate its ease of use for entering and accessing information for the vet, show office, buyer, insurance agent, and more. “Everyone loves how easy the invoicing process becomes and the vets are SO happy to access complete health histories while examining horses.” Delivering on its goals and principals - Stable Secretary makes all aspects of equine record keeping much easier.
What the Future Holds
Given the rapid adoption of technology in everyday life, Rice Nilan feels that the equestrian community will steadily increase adoption of tech tools to help manage their barns. “I am hopeful to integrate with several other equine tech services to reduce redundant data entry for trainers, managers, and owners,” she added.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android devices and is also available on the web.
Website: www.stablesecretary.com
Facebook: @StableSecretary
Instagram: stable_secretary
Twitter: @StableSecr1