Recently I read the Equine Spirit by C S Purdy and learned a lot about what horses have done for us over time. I was amazed to learn about some pretty incredible horse power inventions in history.

1. The Pony Express was made up of teams of horses and riders that were used to convey messages over long distances, quickly. Obviously one horse and rider can travel a lot faster than a lone person running. The use of a pony express could speed up communications over long distances.
2. The Erie Canal in the United States was run on horse power too, surprisingly! Or more specifically, the pulling power of mules. Mules were attached by ropes to boats and they were directed from the side of the canal, to lead boats down it! Ingenious.
3. Conservation grazing. As outlined in Jenifer Morrissey’s book the Partnered Pony, some ponies are specifically used to graze in a protected area. These equine species will graze on specific plants and create minimal damage to the area, helping to promote a specific result in the native area.
4. Tree logging. Although a lot of this is carried out by machinery these days, it was ultimately a large horse focused industry. Today even, horses or ponies are used in areas that machinery cannot access, or when the local flora and fauna needs to be left as untouched as possible.

Horse Power Inventions

There are many inventions out there that are or were only made possible by the equine species. I’m not certain that era is over! Do you have a horse related invention in mind that you feel can meet a particular need? Be sure to check out a recent post on equine grants if you’re seeking funding help!

“It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.” ― Adlai E. Stevenson II

Recently we had a look at the idea of equine grants on Equus Education. I’d love to explore the other side of this, too. That is, providing grants for horse businesses. In fact, what if there was one place you could go to online that outlined various horse related grants available to the public?

Imagine it. You plan to set up a horse organisation or venture that may be a not for profit. Or, you want to use horses to meet a need in the community. You know that if you are able to setup your horse related plan, you can do great things for locals – and do it with horses, too! But you need some funds to get things started.

If there was one place online that you could go to for this, it could be a great resource. Various grants could be listed based on localities, amounts available and what it’s available for. It could be to establish facilities for keeping horses or offering riding. It could be finances to help with buying needed products like horse riding gear, helmets, or even horse feed. Perhaps grants are available to establish a marketing campaign once your horse idea is setup.

Providing Grants for Horse Businesses as an Online Resource

Whatever it is, how great to be able to go to one place to find it. Perhaps this website could even have a set of questions that you answer to determine just how many grants may be applicable to your situation. For someone who has worked in the area of not for profits and who has a passion for horses, this may be a project that excites them. Plus, they’d have the know-how to be able to set it up.

For it to be an income earner for the person who provided such a valuable resource, they may have to consider paid advertising on the site. Or perhaps they can provide these resources to individual horse set ups at a monthly subscription fee.  Did someone say equine passive income stream? 😉

Recently on twitter I had a new follower in the form of Todhpurs. Now I’ve got to ask, when you read that word, what images does it evoke? Either they’ve chosen a brilliant name…  Or, being a mother of 2 under the age of 3, my mind is often on toddlers! I think of toddlers and jodhpurs. And this in turn makes me think of horse riding clothes for littlies!

Now I had no idea if this is how the name came about, or it was just a nifty coincidence, but I liked it! A read over their About page soon proved the theory to be true:

“Todhpurs are the first riding boots made with toddlers and young children in mind. They are comfy, reliable and easy to fit on those wiggling toes.  Todhpurs has been created by three sisters who came up with the idea back in 2015 when Hannah (the eldest) had her first child George.

Finding the perfect pony, our little Pixie was easy but finding the perfect boots for George was a near impossible challenge. No matter where we looked, there were no riding boots on the market for toddlers and young children that looked as good as regular children’s boots or were not up to the standard we would want from our own boots.

What started out as a bit of a dream soon started to turn into a reality with help from a family friend who put us in touch with our amazing suppliers. With endless challenges and changes we were finally presented with a boot we fell in love with.”

My husband and I are blessed to live in a regional town with friends who own horses and ponies. Already we’ve had offers for our daughter to learn to ride (she’s 3 in a few months). And in time we hope to have land and a pony for the children to learn on.  But until then, I’m happy to wait for things to fall into place.

Todhpurs

I love the idea that there’s a market specifically for young children and to meet their needs. I remember frustrations of my sister in law, trying to find the right shoes for her children when they were first learning to walk and get about. For the horse focused family, knowing that there’s a brand (or brands) specifically tailored to young riders is awesome! So why not check out the Todhpurs website?

I believe it was a recent follower on Twitter that made me aware of Brookhurst Risk Solutions.  Founded by Laura Upton, this is an equestrian insurance company.  They also provide commercial insurance, but of course it’s the horse part that interests me!

It’s always good to know about horse businesses that are run by horse people.  Laura is a horse owner and an equestrian insurance specialist, making her the sort of person you’d want to ask about insuring your own horse.  It could be that you have horses as a business, a hobby or as an investment.  Either way, there are times when they need to be insured and it’s great to know you can go through someone who knows horses.

Brookhurst Risk Solutions

What interests me in particular with this business is how it came about.  As a keen amateur rider, Laura is noted to compete in various horse disciplines, but mainly in Showjumping.  As it says on the website:

“With an expansive knowledge of Rural businesses and working in Insurance for nearly 20 years, Laura decided to follow her hobby with her business acumen, to establish Brookhurst Risk Solutions.”

I love this!  It’s a given that I tend to enjoy horse books more when they’re written by people in the know – and that this is what I try to do with my novels, too.  I love to see how a horse passion and other skills can be combined to create a unique, successful business.

So in what area might you be looking for insurance for a horse?  Various options are listed on their website:

• Horse and Pony Insurance with Vets fees up to £10,000
• Bloodstock and Stud Insurance
• Livery, Riding Schools and Farms Insurance
• Freelance Grooms and Instructors Liability Insurance
• Horsebox and Trailer Insurance with Breakdown Cover
• Personal Accident for Riders, Grooms and yard owners

That’s quite a list!  If you have insurance needs with regards to your horses, riding or career, then be sure to look into it!  Otherwise, if you have a passion for horses and knowledge in working in insurance, then perhaps a career change in the future could lead to a business that combines the two?