How much of your day/week is related to horses?
The vast majority of my days and weeks are related to horses! On a personal level, I have a small farm, so I keep my three horses at home. I love being able to care for them myself, but it’s so much work! (Absolutely worth it though).
On a professional level, I own Chestnut Pen, which is a boutique marketing agency specializing in copyediting, marketing copy, and other creative ventures for equestrian businesses.
What is it exactly that you do?
If it’s writing or editing related, Chestnut Pen can do it! Years ago, when I was working at my corporate job, I started freelancing on the side to help make a little extra money to support my horse habit. My first client was Horse & Style Magazine, where I became a regular contributor to their lifestyle magazine. I’ve been writing for them for almost seven years now and am responsible for three to five columns for each issue.
That opened me up to writing for a variety of other equestrian publication such as Sidelines, EQ Living, and Covertside.
During this time, I self-published my first equestrian romance novel and immersed myself within the equestrian author community. One of my favorite authors, (who is now a friend!), Carly Kade, asked if I’d be willing to copyedit her second book. With a background in English and a love for grammar, I jumped at this assignment.
In mid-2021, I decided to give my freelance work an official name so I could combine all my efforts, and Chestnut Pen was born! In addition to writing for equestrian publications and copyediting manuscripts, I also develop a variety of marketing and web copy for equestrian brands and small businesses.
I have also published three equestrian romance novels with a fourth on the way. (Hoping to publish that one in February of 2022).
Yes! While I still work part-time with my husband’s business, (we own a travel agency), I am gradually moving away from that so I can devote more time to Chestnut Pen. I have a handful of wonderful, very regular clients, but I still need to build my base a bit more. While I’m not devoting full-time hours to my company just yet, I anticipate being able to do so in the coming year.
What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
Starting your own business takes courage, but if you are confident in your skills and love what you do, then there’s no reason not to go for it! I believe I have been so successful in growing my business thanks to my social media presence. My personal Instagram account (@marylandequestrian) has a pretty decent following, so I’ve been able to generate a variety of leads through that platform.
Favourite horse memory?
My goodness – this one is hard!! But I’d have to say that my favorite memory was the day we brought our horses home to our farm. My husband and I had saved for years to be able to make this dream come true, so the day my two mares came home is one I’ll remember forever.
Future goals?
Professionally, I’d like to continue growing Chestnut Pen, especially on the copyediting side. Editing is my favorite thing to do, so I’d love to partner with some larger publishing houses for more regular work.
Personally, I’d like to get my newest horse to some shows in the new year. I ride hunters, but I’d like to try a little bit of everything with him!
Best thing about your sport/profession?
The best thing about owning my small equestrian business is that I get to be surrounded by horses, but in a way that benefits my talents of writing and editing. I always knew I wanted to be in the horse industry, but knew I was never a good enough rider to ride professionally or train others.
I briefly considered vet school, but I knew it wasn’t for me. For a while, it felt like there weren’t any other paths, and my skills didn’t align with the traditional professions you think of when thinking about a life with horses. But then it all came together when I started blogging about my mare, (this was back in 2011), and then it went from there. I realized that I could still be part of the horse industry but in a way that fit me – which is by writing about them.
