From: Michele
Dear Jessica, I was wondering if you had any experience with any of the barn/training management software out there. I am 25 and a ARICP certified instructor (Dressage level 1 & Hunter level 2) and would like to get more familliar with the software out there. I am currently working under Bob Allen but would like to eventually run my own lesson program which may include some barn management. I would also like the software to have a notebook as I keep lesson plans for my lessons and right now they are just written in a notebook and it gets pretty messy after a few trips to the barn ( I have a laptop that I intend on using the software on) Do you recomend any software out there? Do you think it is worth me investing in the software ( some of it runs 250 dollars)? Do many barns use that type of software for barn management? Thanks in advance. Michele
Now, about that barn management software... One thing you'll need to keep in mind is that any three people will probably have three very different needs when it comes to record-keeping and horse-tracking. If you're training racehorses, you'll need to track their races and their winnings and their qualifications to enter other races - as well as travel times and shippers, stall rental at the tracks, etc. If you have a large lesson program with twenty schoolhorses and a hundred students, you'll need to track each horse's work schedule and each student's progress. If your barn is show-oriented, you'll have to keep track of show locations, entry fees, and which students are taking which horses to which shows - especially if you're expected to drive them! If you have a small facility and just a few horses, but offer on-site clinics and seminars, you'll have to keep track of clients, dates, times, local hotels and motels, RV hookups, etc. etc..... And all of us need to be able to keep track of hay and grain orders and deliveries, routine farrier and vet schedules, vaccination dates, Coggins tests, barn repairs, equipment purchases, and, of course, contact information for just about everyone.
I've tried several different brands of barn management software, and... sadly, I have to say that I really haven't liked any of them very much. The ideal barn management software would be comprehensive, clear, well-organized, easy to use and easy to customize - and I just haven't found those qualities in the currently-available software packages.
In any case, there is, at present, no commercially-available program that is likely to come close to meeting your particular needs. I think that you'd do better to create your own filing/information system on the computer. That's what I finally did. It was useful to try out some of the commercial packages - they made me think about just what I wanted and liked (and didn't want and didn't like). If you try some of the packages that have short-term testing options for people who like to try before they buy, keep your notebook handy. Whenever you say to yourself "Oh, that's ANNOYING!" or "Why can't I do THIS?" or "That's not what I need, I need to be able to -", write down what you were thinking and what it was that you wanted to do, because you can probably do it - another way.
My suggestion is that you use something called TreePad. I've found this to be ideal for any number of purposes - and I think that you could easily use it to keep track of your lesson plans and your students, your barn, your horses, and your finances.
TreePad combines database and word processor features - and doesn't take up much space on your computer. It will let you create an organizational scheme that will work for YOU. You can make your own customized system with great ease, have something that you can organize easily, and CHANGE easily. You can create your own categories and subcategories, add and remove and modify them at will, move them around, change their levels (a category can instantly become a subcategory and vice versa). This software is extremely flexible, extremely versatile, extremely easy to use, very intuitive. If you, like me, are neither a computer expert nor an organizing expert, it won't make you crazy and - BIG plus - it won't let you make yourself crazy. I've done just about everything in TreePad except write a book!
What it WON'T give you is cute little horse icons. I personally don't consider that much of a sacrifice.
And - are you ready for this? - the basic version (which is all I've ever needed) is FREE. There's a fancier version with extra-posh features (colour coding, live links, etc.), but I find that the basic version, and Quicken (for tracking business expenses) and my DayTimer (for the calendar and scheduling), are all I need. Check this out - you won't be sorry.
http://www.treepad.com/
Now, as to what you'll want to set up as your categories, here are some suggestions just to get you started. I'm sure you will think of more and better categories for YOUR needs.
FARM/BARN (ownership, tax info, maintenance costs, utilities, improvements, expenses - including feed mill, hay suppliers, bedding delivery charges, etc. etc.)
HORSES (ownership, paperwork, vet and farrier and dentist records, deworming and vaccination schedules, health and lameness records, Coggins info, work record, feeding charts, and expenses, as well as which horses are used for which lessons on what days, and by which students)
TACK/EQUIPMENT (inventory, maintenance, etc.)
STUDENTS (names and addresses, contact information, medical information, emergency contact information, etc.)
LESSONS (lesson plans, scheduling, invoicing, invoice tracking)
LESSON CALENDAR - which horses and students are in which lessons this week? next week? later?
SHOWS (dates, registrations, entry fees, hauling and stabling, classes, judges, etc.)
SHOW CALENDAR - which horses and students are going where, and when, and how?
If you train horses for other people, you could set up separate categories for those horses (TRAINING HORSES as opposed to LESSON HORSES), and track their training sessions, the tack and equipment used, your goals with each horse, your progress at each session, and (of course!) your training invoices. Training horses need medical records too, and with those invoices in mind, you'll want to record each vet visit, the horse's symptoms, any medications prescribed (amount, brand, dosage, protocol) and the costs of all the above.
If you breed horses, you could have categories for pedigrees, cover dates, foal due dates, and reminder dates for feed changes and the mare's Rhino vaccinations.
ACCOUNTING (Keep track of the money you owe, the money owed to you, what your expenses are, when your invoices are sent out and when they are paid). While you're doing that, also keep track of
EXPENSES (You can break these down by categories such as feed, showing, fencing, tack, advertising, training, professional development, etc.)
And finally - you're a professional, you're doing this for a living, so don't forget to identify every single category as either TAX-DEDUCTIBLE or NOT tax-deductible!
The bottom line is that you must be able to pull up any record at any time, whether you need to find out when the farrier is coming, how much it cost to put a fence around the jumping arena, whether a specific horse has been given a particular vaccine, or whether Susie's parents have paid her board/training/lesson bill! You want to be able to make clear, easily-accessible records that you can change and update without difficulty. When it comes to your records, you have to have accessibility, organization, and control. I highly recommend TreePad, which offers all three features. With a small business money management program like Quicken or QuickBooks for your financial records, the calendar that suits you best, and TreePad, you'll be in business!
Jessica
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