As any lifelong horse person will tell you there is only one way to make a small fortune in a horse business and that is to start out with a large one! Truer words have probably never been uttered.
Horse and carriage service ( assuming it is done properly) is no exception. Regardless of your horse activity horses must regularly eat, be vetted, and receive expensive farrier care on a continuous basis. There is no cutting corners due to off season, a lack of money, not wanting to go out to care for them in nasty weather, or just being plain ole lazy. That might work for some businesses, but not one that employs live animals.
I am very lucky indeed. Besides having family in the race horse hay business which insures me a steady supply of quality fertilized hay no matter what, I am also a gifted with the knowledge, skill, and tools to take care of my horses farrier needs, though I often opt to pay for the service. (I'm getting old what can I say?) Even so, the $180 a week we spend at the feed store for grain adds up quickly over just one months time much less the whole year.
Then of course there are lots of other expenses, winter blankets, feed supplements, salt blocks that got replaced this year at an alarming rate due to the heat and rain combination this year. Then there are wormer's, shots, grooming products, teeth floating, and well...you get the idea.
Something not a lot of people know is "The Princess's Carriage" service was never set up in the first place to "have" to make money to survive. Keeping in mind the cost of properly caring for horses I set up my horse endeavors to be entirely self sufficient without that needing to be part of the equation. I have had horses for 40+ years and have always "flipped" the bill for their care out of my own pocket because of a love of horses, and the want to have, and be with them.
So....the dollars from the carriage service is just an icing for the cake as they say. Every penny goes right back to the horses, and for their benefit. Just ask my tax man who keeps telling me that a business goal is supposed to be to make a profit. Really? Is not having healthy very well cared for horses not a pay check? To me it is!
At any rate we would like to take this minute, this special time of year, at the years end, to thank all the many people each year that use us for their special events. Rest assured you are doing wonderful thing's for our horses, as well as a few others when you do. You see, we also take in underprivileged, often neglected, and sometimes abused horses several times a year as well, though we rarely mention it. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts dear customers, and know ours is a labor of love, not profit.
Thanks again from us here at "The Princess's Carriage" Arkansas finest horse drawn carriage service!
