Thursday December 2, 2004

Marketing – The Missing Link in the U.S. Sport Horse Industry

Breed Organizations Need to Take the Initiative

Ekkehard Brysch admits that in America the concept of the Auction for promotion and marketing of the breeders may not work as it does in Europe, considering the sheer demographics of such a large country. But there are ways American Breeders can learn from the Europeans who have demonstrated there mastery of marketing.

Sport horse marketing works so well in Europe because it is driven by the breed organizations and their managers, passionate about delighting the riders. It is suggested by the panel that such organizations in America can work towards this goal.

But it is also the responsibility of the breeders to get away from their farms and attend the breed shows along with their horses and become a part of the network of other breeders in their area. Networking in America is critical to breeders, due to the size of the country, and often the remoteness of some of the farms operations. When breeders network in an area, they can attract more buyers to visit that area of the country, much in the same way horse shoppers in Europe can see many quality horses in one visit.