BARNWIZ: Searchable Horse Boarding and Training in a Digital World
Middleburg, Virginia: Tori Sullivan grew up riding out west in Reno, Nevada – land of cowboys, slot machines and mountain vistas. The expansive countryside lent itself to breeding horses, coyote hunting and all types of western riding events recalled Tori. But soon her English grandmother instilled in her the need to ride a different way, “you will ride English,” she proclaimed. Along with that order and a reality boost from her parents saying, you really need a job, Tori packed up her things and moved East to start her first “real” job.
Technology Foundation
Tori worked in the healthcare industry implementing software for hospitals and rode and competed at various barns around the greater Washington DC area. As her career grew, she moved and each time she struggled to find a new barn, trainer, vet, farrier and supplier for feeds and tack. “After being in this lush horse area for 10 years and still struggling, it felt like the right time to start envisioning BarnWiz. I started asking people about how they found boarding and training,” said Tori. She soon saw the need for a digital directory of stables and started the journey to create the platform that is now known as BarnWiz. “Last July, we built the BarnWiz portal from the ground up,” she shared.
BarnWiz– Spend Less Time Searching
“The website directory was created mainly for the sport horse industry including hunter, jumpers, eventing and dressage,” Tori said. The subscription service has many active users, listings and is available in horse-centric states on the East coast with plans to expand nationally. A top feature is the ‘standard listing’ complete with barn logo, description (with up to 6 photos), location map, trainer(s) listing, amenities, services and ability to communicate via Private Messenger. In addition, a barn will be promoted on the BarnWiz social media pages to help spread the word. “Our service takes the pressure off barn owners and managers by leveraging our network and streamlining the process of people searching for a stable and contacting them,” Tori pointed out.
There is a monthly subscription to post on BarnWiz. “We are extremely focused on getting feedback from our customers,” said Tori. Given how rapidly technology changes, they are looking at making enhancements very soon including introducing a multi-tier pricing structure to provide a more flexible solution to users. “It is important to always look for ways to improve the experience and upgrade the platform,” she added. We believe in speeding up word of mouth to connect the equine industry- it’s all part of our mission.”
Boots on the Ground
Tori and her team goes to many horse shows to spread the word about BarnWiz. “This year we went to the Kentucky 3-Day event in Lexington and the Upperville Horse Show, in addition to Great Meadows International, Dressage at Devon and the Indoor Finals at Pennsylvania National to get in front of as many equestrians as we can,” she explained. She feels horse shows are an ideal place because you have riders, owners, trainers and more all in one place. “We find there are two types of customers – those who search – barn owners and trainers.”
When it comes to social media, BarnWiz focuses on the following themes during the week: Motivation Monday, Tutorial Tuesday, Wisdom Wednesday, Trainer Thursday and Farm Friday. “Our posts are designed to inspire and provide tips and tricks to our customers,” Tori pointed out.
The Future is Now
“This is a great time to be introducing technology into the horse world – I’m a big believer that what we experience in one aspect of our lives will transcend into the horse world from managing our horses health and so much more,” Tori said.
Special 3-Month Trial Offer for The Tech Equestrian Readers
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