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Dwayne Erickson photographed at the Calgary Stampede Rodeo infield late December, 2012. Photograph by: Gavin Young, courtesy Calgary Herald.
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Likes of the Week

SCREEN DOORS AND SADDLES January 27, 2012

This is how this time last year looked at the log house. This view of Blue with his head stuck out of a shelter was a similar sight for days.

The view today is quite dissimilar, and I can’t even bore you with a photo, it being just too uninteresting, wherein lies the downfall of good weather in this land. A winter landscape without the snow, the hoar frost, the pure white of it all can be dreary and lifeless. Loving the mildness, not so much the brown.

On the subject of unusual weather, Nasa scientists recently declared 2011 as the ninth warmest since 1880. In fact, nine of the warmest 10 years in modern times have occurred since the year 2000. This film really clarifies it.

The documentary Buck may not have made the short list of the Oscars, but remains the popular favourite of so many horse people. I caught this interview with Buck a few nights ago, which you might also find interesting. If you are a follower or fan, don’t miss our feature with Buck Brannaman, coming up in the March issue of Western Horse Review. 

This story, which dominated equine media this week, was both disturbing and oh so sad.

Along came Rosie, at the ready to aid the restoration of my shaky faith in humanity. Rosie made National Geographic’s Woof of the Week list and how could she not with those eyes. Rosie was rescued when she was nine weeks old and now lives happily in Long Beach, California with her caring owners. Every so often, my soul craves Woof of the Week and this was such a week.

At the magazine we’re closing sales on the March issue, and just beginning to lay out the issue. We have several features I’m thrilled about, and I hope to preview them for you over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, because it’s Friday, and gorgeous out, we’re giving away our very last On The Trail daytimer.

If you weren’t one of the fortunate ones to receive one of these beauties for Christmas, you still have a chance to provide a home for the very last one we have in the office.

Just let us know in the comment section below, what your weekend plans include. We’ll draw randomly from the responses and divulge the winner next week. Good luck everyone!

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Oscar Nominated

SCREEN DOORS AND SADDLES January 24, 2012

While the horse-crowd favourite – Buck, the film about Buck Branaman’s life – did not make the short list of Oscar-nominated documentaries, a pair of Calgarian film-makers, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, were nominated for their whimsical, short animated film about a young Englishman who emigrates to Canada to become a rancher in Alberta.

The Englishman in fact, is a “remittance man.” These were men who were considered somewhat useless, perhaps over-educated, non-achievers back home – often the second sons – and were shipped off by their families (a favorite destination being the Canadian prairie), and paid a “remittance” to stay here. Predictably, they were as unable to succeed, prosper, or fit in to the community as they had been in their homeland.

It’s a rather forgotten part of our Alberta history – the remittance men who were sent here. A colorful aspect of our Canadian West.

The film is sweetly animated, and cleverly entitled Wild Life. I won’t spoil the ending by telling the story, but you can watch it right here.

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Marketing Mondays: Strategies for Breeders

SCREEN DOORS AND SADDLES January 23, 2012

It’s sales closing week for the March issue of Western Horse Review, and because this issue is smack-dab in the middle of breeding season, many of us are either contemplating breeding strategies, or engrossed in the promotion of a stallion.

Photo by Jenn Webster

I had the opportunity to interview Katie Tims, editor of Quarter Horse News just prior to Christmas, and asked her about marketing strategies for breeders in this changing world. Here’s a snippet of that interview. You can catch the entire piece in the Jan/Feb issue of Western Horse Review. We’ve nearly sold out of print editions of that issue, but if you’re missing it, you can order a digital copy here.

Katie, what are a few of your key tips on marketing strategies for breeders/ranches in this changing world?

No. 1: Breed for beachfront property.

“By this I mean breed the best horse possible. It’s where marketing begins. In the real estate market, the average house in the average place is selling below average – at least compared to prices realized a few years ago. However, the special real estate – the beachfront property is just as much in demand now as it was in 2006. Buyers are willing to pay high prices for the best real estate, and the same goes for horses. Whether you’re a big breeder with several foals born per year, or a person with just one mare – breed the best that your budget can accommodate. Do your homework and be clear about what the market is demanding. Don’t breed for sake of creating the average horse that will bring a below average price. You’re better to breed one great horse than four mediocre ones. In this tough market, it’s all about quality, not quantity.”

No. 2: Market, market, market.

“In the horse business, marketing means much more than placing an ad or paying an entry fee. Stallion owners must promote their horse and get him paired with the best mares possible, even if that means giving away breedings. Likewise, mare owners need to book to the best stallions in the business – ones that are part of aggressively marketed programs. Once the foals arrive, stallion and mare owners must get them into solid programs and into the hands of trainers who will give those young horses the best possible chances. Black type means everything in this performance horse market, and the only thing to bold that ink is to start with pedigree and follow up with performance. Yes, there’s a surprise every now and then. But it’s far safer to stick with proven breeding and a sound training program.”

No. 3: Think worldwide.

“The cowboy and Western horse used to be a North American phenomenon. Not anymore. The Quarter Horse and Western way of riding has spread across the globe, and it’s gaining traction with larger purses, more opportunity and better breeding. For instance, Brazilians purchased a number of the highest sellers at last year’s reining and cutting sales, and you can bet they’re going to show and market those same horses inside the United States and Brazil. The Level 3 Open Reserve Champion at the 2011 NRHA Futurity was a horse born, raised and first shown in Brazil. Don’t limit yourself by thinking domestically – look to Europe, Australia, South America and beyond. Realize there’s a worldwide market for performance horses.”

No. 4: Take the multi-platform approach.

“Yes, advertising in print publications works and is still the best way to communicate your message to a target audience. But your marketing program must also reach out to potential customers through multiple sources. The Internet, social media and smart phones – they’re all important. As the next generation rotates into our horse market, they’re expecting information at the tip of a few keystrokes. Get a website for your ranch. List your horses. Make a fan page on Facebook. Sponsor online postings of stories/articles/updates published by magazines and newspapers within your industry. Make sure search engines, such as Google, know you’re online. If you are not comfortable with any or all of the above, see what you can do to learn. A mix of print and digital – that’s where the media business is going, and your program needs to be on board.”

Thanks to Katie Tims for these insightful and articulate ideas on the subject of marketing for those of us in the breeding business. A couple of other links to pieces we’ve done in the same genre include:

• Stallion Promotional Ideas

• Breeding Truths and Folklore

• Breeding Truths and Folklore, Part Two

• 4 Great Breeding Products

• Breeding Older Mares, Part One

• Breeding Older Mares, Part Two

We also have this classic available in our bookstore:

• Blessed are the Broodmares

and these other great books and videos on breeding and foal raising.

Finally, be sure to peruse the Stallion section of this site.

Best of luck with your breeding hopes for the season!

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Marketing Mondays: Kickstarting 2012

SCREEN DOORS AND SADDLES January 16, 2012

This photo has nothing to do with marketing. It’s just soothing me right at the moment.

I snapped it several years ago at one of my favorite locations in the world – Key West, Florida. For 10 days that beach was mine. I owned that hammock. Life was calm. Warm. And, simple. Man, I miss that beach right now.

For here, in my neck of the woods, its -30°C out this morning. I suppose it is a variant sort of simple. A different kind of calm. A tougher form of cozy.

It might be an excellent day to stay inside and work on marketing.

In March of 2011, I kicked off a Marketing Mondays  series on this blog. Before we delve into the 2012 year, here’s highlights of 2011:

• We began with a look at Social Media. I shared some of my favorite social media sites and a video which really explains why any marketing program should eventual plan to include a social media aspect. Here’s the slideshow again:

What is Social Media?

View more presentations from Marta Kagan

• We talked about the great marketer, Patti Colbert and her visionary Extreme Mustang Makeover and Road to the Horse. Her latest,  Project Cowboy, a television reality show, focusing on a search for “The Great American Horseman,”shows signs of the same genius as its predecessors.

• I spelled out Seven Tried and True All Time Basics of a Good Print Advertisement.  

• For those of you maintaining a website (and who isn’t these days?), I let you in on a great tool to analyze your website – the Website Grader, and walked you through my favorite Google Map locator tool, Pin In The Map. 

• We shared Four Signs That Your Marketing Program is Working. 

• We delved into the world of Twitter, sharing some basics such as how to sign up, garnering the all-important followers and links for Great Tweeting Tips.  In a second post, I explained the Meaning of Four Twitter Symbols and When to Use Them, and shared the Bitly.com links tool.

• For Facebook, I shared 10 Ways Western Horse Review Utilizes it’s Facebook Page, as well as insider information on the changes Facebook instigated last autumn, and finally, offered up 10  10 Simple Tips and Tricks to Get Your Timeline Groove On.

• Finally, we discussed the Difference Between Print and Online Media, and why it’s all important that you don’t leave the former out of your marketing program.

There you have it. Some of the highlights of the 2011 Marketing Mondays series. Please let me know what you’d like to have covered for the 2012 year. Comment in the section below, or e-mail me directly at ingrids@efirehose.net.

Here’s to a successful 2012 marketing year!

 

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