Equestrians lead busy lives. We tend to have many needs and wants when it comes to keeping horse(s) happy and healthy. Enter a new and simpler way to keep organized and find what you are looking for with an innovative online community resource called The HorseNet. The Tech Equestrian had a chance to catch up with founder and lifelong equestrian, Marsha Martin to find out what makes her solution the one to turn to and her plans for evolving the platform as it grows.

Hooked on Horses
Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, Marsha fell in love with horses at the age of six. After her first pony ride, she was hooked. Growing up, Marsha competed in 4-H, and local open horse shows. She took lessons in many different areas such as dressage, jumping and reining. As an adult, she rides competitively in team roping competitions on her heart horse, Gustafus James (Gus). “We were AQHA Amateur World Champions in 2013 and I’m so proud of our accomplishments,” shared Marsha. She still shows Gus locally and is very active with AQHA. 

Her day job as a technology professional heightened her frustrations of trying to find information in one place for horse record keeping, horse shows, buying a horse, horse products and everything that goes with owning a horse, which ultimately led her to the idea for The HorseNet. Branded as an online community for horse people and businesses, The HorseNet launched in 2020 and was created by on-shore developers. Even though Marsha faced the head winds of the pandemic, it enabled more exposure, given everyone’s dependence on technology and wanting to feel connected. “It’s the best kept secret in the horse industry,” she shared. 

Goal Oriented
“Our goal was to create a full-featured platform and app that is affordable and adds value to equestrians from all disciplines,” stated Marsha. The feature rich site offers three categories to help you navigate what you are looking for. “The marketplace offers a search and filter functionality to make it easy to locate everything from barn equipment to trailers and everything in between,” said Marsha. Event listings are clearly categorized and offer a broad range to choose from along with location mapping. The third area of the site is marked ‘Locate Businesses’ and provides a robust list of suppliers and service providers. 

Business Benefits
If your business is focused on horses, The HorseNet offers a yearly subscription at $97 a year, which is less than $10 per month and serves as your one-stop-shop digital store front versus creating and maintaining a website. “This solution is ideal for small to mid-size barns or any type of horse vendor looking to promote a variety of events and activities from an open house to special offers,” said Marsha. Each listing includes embedded Google maps location; contact details and even includes search engine optimization as part of the service. There is even a business web page template to easily create a custom web page for your business. If you currently have a web page, linking to The HorseNet will help improve your search engine optimization.

Member Benefits
The platform also provides a central source for keeping track of your horse(s) – from calendar reminders for vet visits, keeping up-to-date on vaccinations, lessons and more. There are automated reminders for medical and farrier visits and it is easy to add a horse(s) and update with key data points and notes. The tool is also ideal for tracking performance and show records – especially helpful if you are looking to buy and sell horses.

Lagging Tech Adopters
Equestrians are no doubt a little behind when it comes to adopting technology to manage their horses. “I’m hoping my site can help them overcome their fears by being very easy to use,” said Marsha. As equestrians become more familiar with the site, it will become a daily resource. If you know you can find events/associations, look for a show horse, and find a horse provider in one location as opposed to endless Google searches, it will serve to break down the siloed solutions.

On the Horizon
“We have some big plans to make the platform a one-stop-shop and that includes partnering with large show venues to make it easy to select classes, stabling and pay your bill,” said Marsha. The site is API friendly which enables all different types of providers the ability to connect with subscribers. “In addition, we are looking to add SMS texting as an opt-in for members. Lastly, as part of our roadmap, the idea to connect barns with individuals who ride at the barn or are horse owners. This would also include synching with Gmail and Google calendars for seamless planning and organizing,” added Marsha. 

Special Offer!
As a reader of The Tech Equestrian – The HorseNet is extending an offer of 20% the first year, by using the coupon code “Tech” – Don’t miss out on this great way to stay organized and in the know!

Website
Facebook: @TheHorseNet
Instagram: TheHorseNet

App is available on Android
Coming soon to Apple store