Opinion
I was at Arena UK last weekend with 10 horses and was asked how I make producing in the UK pay. The truth is that it’s very difficult due to rising costs. For instance, after the first day of the show, we hadn’t won any money.
Most of the horses we brought to Arena UK were new to us; some have been sent from abroad and others from fellow English producers. So was the first day successful without even one penny off the bill? Yes it was, because all the horses jumped nice clear rounds and we made some lovely sales videos. My evening then consisted of getting on the phone to colleagues and clients and sharing videos that we hope will lead to sales.
At the end of this show I may have a £1,500 bill, but I’ve also been given four days of opportunity to showcase my horses and talk to some potential customers.
Life is too short
When I was asked by H&H to write this comment, my thoughts turned to my old boss, Tim Stockdale.
“I need Tim to proofread this for me,” I said to myself.
One thing Tim always used to say was that it’s easy to be “busy fools” in our job. By that, he meant working hard all day just to stand still, not really getting anywhere. He believed that people should go out to dinner together more often and have time to sit down, talk, look at the bigger picture and make deals that way.
Every time Tim and I did that, some sort of business would come out of it. And after what his family has just had to deal with, it makes what he told me even more true.
Life is too short to spend it running round in circles.
Ref Horse & Hound; 6 December 2018