I was recently reading an article about different ways to invest $100. One suggestion referred to a business that promoted peer to peer lending. This was the first I’d heard of this term.

The general idea is that every day Joe’s can invest a small sum (or a large one) toward a loan that another Joe needs to fund something. One person gets a loan that they are due to repay at a competitive rate. Other people invest their funds into this loan, and gain as they receive the loan repayments.

Now this article identifies a business in the United States that promotes peer to peer lending. The lenders can only be in the US however, so I went searching for something similar in Australia. The first I found allows lenders to invest at a minimum of $25,000. This is a sum too large for me.  As opposed to the appealing $25 you could invest in the American based set up.

So I got to thinking: what if there was a peer to peer lending setup for the equine industry? People could apply for funds as they typically would for a loan. Other people could invest their funds (even amounts as small as $25) and receive a return. An added bonus would be knowing that the money they’re providing for the short term is helping to finance ventures within the equine industry.

I love the idea of investing and receiving a return; I also love the idea of helping others to grow in the equine industry. The industry as a whole could be improved through the borrowed funds of others. It could allow people to gain degrees or other qualifications, to purchase their first broodmare or share in a stallion, a racehorse or perhaps gain funding to compete.

Of course, for this to be possible there needs to be someone with the vision and the financial know how to set up an equine industry peer to peer lending business.

I believe many different careers can have a niche focus – horses. Recently I’ve been editing some horse non fiction books in return for copies of them.  And I got to thinking: equine editor! I love to receive horse books to read! I learn something new, enjoy a good story and get a copy in return.

Often when reading, I pick up on inconsistencies in grammar, spelling mistakes or something else that needs editing. It is not because I am better than the person that has written the book – it is because I am a fresh pair of eyes.

In fact, the same is true for the novels that I write. Having someone else read them, means that any errors or inconsistencies are more likely to be picked up. Any horse book – like one of mine pictured in this post – would benefit from an equine editor.

There are many needs for editors today. Newspapers, magazines, novels, text books and also articles online.

What if you could focus this skill on one particular area? Horses. An equine editor would presumably bring the same skills to the table that other editors would. The difference would be that they could also read horse related pieces with knowledge of horses.

In this way they may pick up on inconsistencies that non horsey people wouldn’t. A simple example is the reference to a chestnut horse as having a brown body with a black mane and tail. Or perhaps talking about a blaze on a horse’s leg.

The Equine Editor

An equine editor would be able to pick up on these issues and also correct them. Luckily, there are a lot of equine related magazines, novels, text books, articles and more out there.

If you have skills in the area of editing – a keen grasp of the English language (or other languages), good working knowledge of grammar, attention to detail and a passion for horses and knowledge of them, then perhaps this niche area is worth setting up as a business.

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I was reading a Blog recently that had a recommendation for some mirrors for their riding arena. I wasn’t sure that there would be a market for equine mirrors specifically, but it seems that this company does a good job of catering to that!

Mirrors for the horse industry may be most commonly recognised in the equestrian side of things. For those who practice dressage, being able to see their position on a horse is important. Recognising how a horse is moving – how something looks and feels – can be achieved with the use of mirrors lining a riding arena.

If you can see what is correct and what is not, it can help you as a rider to pinpoint ways to improve. Mirrors help students and horse riding instructors to identify issues and resolve them.

Aside from this, some advocate the use of smaller mirrors in stables for horses. Horses that are consistently confined can develop stereotypies. Some may be bored or lacking a companion and a mirror could help to alleviate this issue. If a horse can see themselves in a mirror, this could gain their interest and lower boredom levels. Of course, if horses are able to interact with other horses or have less stable time, this is a better option!

For those who are interested in providing a product to horse owners, perhaps this avenue is one of interest. Mirrors for the horse industry would be provided to a select market. Clients could involve those who teach horse riding or compete at a high level and those who have a lot of stabled horses. There are probably other uses within the horse industry, but these two come to mind immediately.

Mirrors for Training provide mirrors for the horse industry and other non horse related training avenues.

“Horses change lives. They give our young people confidence and self-esteem. They provide peace and tranquility to troubled souls. They give us hope!” – Toni Robinson