Stephanie Grentell of Heywood Bloodstock was kind enough to answer some questions about her role as a bloodstock agent and auctioneer.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
Every day! I try to take a day each week to just relax and go out for a meal with my partner otherwise we’ll both end up round the twist.

What is it exactly that you do?
The main part of my job is buying and selling horses for my clients, whether that be sourcing them or selling current stock. Another growing part of the business is portfolio management, a lot of larger owners don’t have time to go through all their bills and manage all the horses whereabouts when they have a business of their own to run.

I also do some freelance auctioneering and MC’ing.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
As I’ve only just gone out on my own I certainly hope so! The business model I have in put in place indicates that I can do this full time and earn a sufficient income. It won’t be easy, working for oneself never is, but I’m sure it will be rewarding and I’m ready for the challenge.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
Before I left my role at Inglis I had to put together a business plan and made sure I had enough money to get the basics set up, website, business cards etc. Then I took the plunge and now I’m working hard to make Heywood Bloodstock a successful business.

Favourite horse memory?
My jumps horse, Good Nick, winning a hurdle at Kyneton at 50/1. He was owned by my Pa, myself and my parents, it really was a fantastic day and memories I’ll cherish forever.

Future goals?
To grow Heywood Bloodstock to one of the leading bloodstock agencies in the world.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
The people, I’ve met some truly life changing people in the racing industry.

“The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.” – Amber Senti

Sophie Barrington runs an equestrian marketing company, Archer Creative. She has kindly taken the time to answer some questions about what she does.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
I’ve been running Archer Creative full-time since our launch in January 2014. As the founder of the business, with a small and dedicated team, my day to day schedule can become very busy. As we are always managing multiple clients and projects, organisation is key! Most weeks, I ride once a week on a Friday afternoon. It’s my reward for a job well done and certainly one of the most important parts of my routine.

What is it exactly that you do?
Archer Creative is the first and only full service equestrian marketing agency in the Southern Hemisphere. This means that we provide a range of marketing solutions to equine companies of all shapes and sizes. Our core services are copywriting, public relations, social media marketing, email marketing, website design and graphic design. Some of our clients require our assistance on a regular basis and some clients come to us on a per project basis.

We share daily tips on marketing the equine business on our Facebook page and we have a monthly e-newsletter which shares the latest from our blog. People are welcome to subscribe.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
As the founder of the business, I must admit that I wear many hats. But, by far, my strengths are in copywriting. I manage a team of sub-contractors who specialise in other areas, including SEO, website design, graphic design and social media marketing, to name a few.

What I look for in my team are people who are highly skilled and passionate about the equestrian industry. What separates us from our competition is that we are horse people.

My recommendation to anyone entering this industry is to develop your craft and follow your interests. Qualifications are important, but when applying for positions it’s crucial to think about the company. How can you add benefit and deliver results?

Favourite horse memory?
This is such a hard question! I’ve been riding for almost 20 years. In that time, I’ve worked at a riding school, gone on horse riding holidays and spent so many glorious hours in the saddle. The only way I can answer this question is to say what I enjoy most about horse riding itself. That’s spending time in the company of horses and amongst nature. You’ll find me out on trails and exploring the wilderness. It’s such a welcome change to time in a busy office!

Future goals?
Since our launch in 2014, we’ve achieved phenomenal growth, having worked with more than 25 companies from four different countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Saudi Arabia. I’d like to continue growing my business and become a trusted agency for equine companies, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. But, most of all, I want to change the industry’s mindset about marketing.

Archer Creative exists to support our clients to achieve their goals. We are a team of genuine and extremely helpful people who are passionate about equestrianism, and we work very hard to create success for each company we work with. Too often, I think people feel that marketing is about coercion or deception, when it’s actually about building long-term and authentic connections with your customers.

“A good resolution is like an old horse, which is often saddled but rarely ridden.” – Mexican Proverb