Anita Marchesani of Get Up and Gallop was kind enough to answer some questions about her business and horses.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
I agist my horse and live in the suburbs, so it takes around 3 hours of my day to drive out, get him sorted, ride, put him away and drive home. I have to admit, one of the driving factors in considering starting my own business Get Up and Gallop was that it would give me a freedom to choose when in the day I wanted to ride, and not be forced to do so in the evenings after a day in an office somewhere!

Lucky for me, the way I have always run my businesses, I ride or train my horse around 4-5 days a week.

What is it exactly that you do?
I’m a business coach and mentor helping other small business owners learn how to effectively market and sell for their business. I trust that my clients are already experts at what they do- equine massage, dog trainers, retailers, riding coaches etc- I’m here to help them find more clients, grow their business, and increase their profits.

Funnily enough, to do that you need to invest in marketing, and learn how to sell! Previously, I’ve created two equine retail businesses- one that failed, one that was a raging success and that I sold 2 years ago. That business – Bit Bank Australia – is still growing with the new owner, and I’m very proud to see her continue to help riders across Australia and New Zealand.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Yes, of course. In my current business, and in my previous retail business. With the first business I started that was not profitable, it took me critically analysing it, and actively learning new skills to be able to take a loss building business and turn it into a profitable 6 figure venture in less than 4 years.

Its hard work, its always hard work, but yes, you can make money and a good living, working with horses. Now I am helping my clients who work with horses do the same.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
Work. Hard work. Discipline. The dedication to jump out of bed every day ready to get stuck into it. Working with a coach or mentor to help you learn the skills you currently lack, and to support you as a sounding board when problems arise.

There are far easier ways to earn the cash than creating your own business. But for me, the rewards are far greater. The thing is, you have to be prepared to suffer for it! And always, always keep learning.

Favourite horse memory?
Jumping steeplechase fences on a 4 star event horse when I was working as a groom in the UK for a professional event rider. Best fun ever!

Future goals?
Horse wise, I would love to take my Mojo pony to Medium dressage, but we have a lot of work to do before we do! Largely, my sitting trot!

Work wise, to be able to help a very select group of business owners grow, develop, and have fun in their businesses. Too many people choose to stay isolated and ignorant. There are no stupid questions, the only stupid thing is to NOT ask them. My clients ask ALL the questions, and that’s why they get the results they do, and it makes me so proud.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
For both – that there is always so much more to learn!

Kathy distributes Equine Challenge Supplements.  If you’re searching for an equine career, perhaps the idea of providing horse supplement products to others may be of interest to you.  Kathy has kindly taken the time to answer some questions about her provision of Equine Challenge Supplements to customers.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
I am available to answer questions to customers and potential customers 7 days a week.

What is it exactly that you do?
Equine/horse supplements from probiotics, vitamins & minerals to herbal support.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Absolutely. Equine Challenge Supplements is a company that has customers and delivers across the U.S. and into Canada and Alaska.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
To become a distributor for Equine Challenge Supplements you need to have some type of career in the horse industry and work “hands on” with the horse.

Favourite horse memory?
I have too many to list just one. Getting calls and emails from happy customers informing me of how Equine Challenge has helped or saved their horse is always a happy memory.

Future goals?
To continue growing the company and helping horses near and far.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
Making horses lives better. I think this video from a satisfied customer sums it up!

Shine’s owner utilised Equine Challenge Lamina 911 after a pedal bone problem.  This video has been provided to show the results after using Equine Challenge Lamina 911.

“Wherever man has left his foot prints in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we find the hoof print of a horse beside it.” – John Trotwood Moore

Carly Kade, Equestrian Author answers some questions about her writing.  Stay tuned on Equus Education for a review of In the Reins!

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
When I am not riding a horse, you’ll find me writing about one. Horses are very much a part of my every day. I am happiest when I am in the saddle. I’ve been lucky enough to own horses most of my life.

My adult horse’s name is Sissy. She is the one I always dreamed of owning. She is a registered Paint mare and I am happily showing her regularly in Arizona. Take a tour of my website and you’ll notice Sissy appears in my promotional videos for In The Reins as the lead horse character, Faith. I do all the marketing for the book myself so it helps to have my own horse to stand in as I film the footage!
Horses give me peace whether I’m putting them on paper or I am a guest on their backs. There is nothing more peaceful to me than the quiet bond I share with my horse. I am lucky to have horses in my life every day in some way!

What is it exactly that you do?
I am an equestrian author. Beverly Cleary once said, “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.” I think I’ve read everything in existence about horses, cowboys and romance. I couldn’t find a horse book series written about the western pleasure discipline though. I wrote In The Reins because I wanted to read a love story themed around the type of breed horse shows that I like to compete in (AQHA, APHA, PtHA) especially the western pleasure classes.

It is a very exciting time. In the Reins is my first book in a series of at least three. I am proud to share that it has been an equestrian best seller on Amazon for more than 10 weeks and has just been named an official 2016 EQUUS Film Festival literary selection. The EQUUS Film Festival is the world’s premier showcase for domestic and International equestrian content feature films, shorts, documentaries, music videos, commercials, training, educational materials, art & literature. Category winners will be revealed this November in New York City. I look forward to attending and signing books for festival attendees!

In a nutshell, I love writing horse books for people just like me … horse crazy, book crazy, cowboy crazy. Creative writing makes my spurs jingle!

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Not yet! I hope one day that I might make enough income from my writing for it to be my full time profession. I dream BIG! Right now, I work full time in the corporate world. The beautiful thing is that I still have time to write! I have to make the time but it is possible to do both. The truth is most authors make less than $10,000 a year which is why reader reviews are so important to us. Reviews are the easiest way to thank an author and let their publishers know to produce more of their books. Being an author is a small business.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
In order to be an author, I was surprised to learn that I legally had to start my own business! So now I am a self-published author and small business owner. I publish books under Carly Kade Creative. I knew that I wanted creative control of In The Reins. My background in marketing, events, social media, brand and public relations gave me a foundation for doing the launch of the book myself. I read like crazy too and devoured tons of books on self-publishing.

Beyond establishing a business, a writer needs to actually write! Inspiration strikes in the most interesting ways. Sometimes it’s through cultivating a writing habit (like my 5 am morning writing sessions) and sometimes inspiration comes like lightning. When I experience the latter, I have to catch it as fast as I can so I always (always!) carry a journal with me wherever I go.

Carly Kade’s favourite horse memory?
Everything changed on my 10th birthday when I opened a brightly colored package containing a purple halter and matching lead. I didn’t have a horse of my own to put the halter on, but I loved it anyway because it was purple (my favorite color) and because it was an item for a real horse, not a plastic one.

Unbelievably, that halter turned into a birthday road trip that brought me to Missy. Missy ended up being my real birthday present. She was my first horse and the best life coach a young woman could ever ask for. Missy was my mount, my teacher, my partner, and my very best friend through my childhood years. On Missy, I was crowned my county’s 4-H Horse Queen and we won the coveted Palomino Western Pleasure class at the World’s Largest All Breed Youth Show. Missy lived to be 28 years old.

To this day, I still can’t believe my parents were willing to give such a generous gift when I was just a little girl. It wasn’t always easy to afford her, but we somehow found a way. They knew that I loved horses and it wasn’t just a phase. It was forever. I am still a horse owner almost 30 years later!

Ironically, I didn’t give either of my horses their barn names (Missy or Sissy.) I like to think there’s something about the similarity that implies these two horses were meant just for me 😉

Carly Kade’s future goals?

This is just the beginning! I have more books featuring the characters from In The Reins bucking up a storm in my mind and already taking shape on paper! McKennon and Devon’s story definitely continues. I am working on the sequel now. This is a horse book series of at least three!

I will be sharing sneak peeks, updates and new release info on my blog for readers who can’t wait to find out what happens next for McKennon and Devon. I am excited about the journey this series is taking me on! I see a children’s book series in my future too.

Best thing about your sport/profession??
The best thing about being an author has been the people I’ve partnered with and met on my journey to publishing In The Reins. There has been a very real magic coursing through all the people that have come together around this project. Friends, family, acquaintances, perfect strangers, colleagues – everyone was so kind when I shared my dream of being a published author with them.

All these lovely humans then proceeded to open doors that I couldn’t even see were there. Now the dream has come true and I am one!

I am overflowing with gratitude for all the passionate people who have come on this journey with me from book reviewers to fellow equestrian authors to other entrepreneurs I’ve met along the way. When dreamers band together and support each other anything is possible. You can’t do it on your own.