This week represents the beginning of a huge transition for thestable.ca, and the unveiling of what we have actually been up to.
I'm speaking in Illinois and Las Vegas four days apart, but this isn't our usual fractional ownership speech.
This isn't just about thestable.ca. This is about what the platform we are building can do for horse racing -— all of horse racing.
I've been all over the globe in person and on the radio over the last year speaking about affordable horse ownership and what it means for horse racing.
But what does it mean for you?
What does it mean for horsepeople that are too scared to do the math and realize that they are losing money?
Too scared too admit they can't can't raise their kids in this industry?
That's where I was in 2012, and it terrified me. So much so, that I almost left the industry for a bigger manure pile (politics).
What transpired during that time of canvassing and knocking on doors and conversing with everyday people, opened my eyes to why the general public didn't watch, or invest in horse racing. What came next was exciting.
Thestable.ca was very stressful and scary to build.Taking equity from your home to buy race horses isn't what you would call a Fortune 500 idea. But as we sold share after share to people that knew nothing about our industry, a calm came over me, and paths I didn't even think of began to appear before my eyes.
I spoke at Michigan State University. I also did couple of interviews in New Zealand, which showed me how much racing really is the same on both sides of the ocean, and I also spoke in front of the Board Of Directors of both Standardbred Canada and the USTA, which brought change in rules and regulations.
But again, what did it mean for you?
We will begin rolling out the specific parts of our program that will really begin to change our industry and you will soon see what it means for you.
To understand how we (as an industry) got here, you have to understand what our industry represented in the past.
If you couldn't navigate the system and turn profits for your clients, your days as a trainer were numbered in this industry.
In just one year, thestable.ca has irrefutably changed that model in horse racing from being solely dependent on the cutthroat status quo model of an ROI-based industry.
This is a highly difficult and often elusive model to see to fruition and, it is responsible for the crumbling of many stables and marginalizing of some of our most revered horsemen.
If you want, there is a better way.
We have built a platform for voiceless horsemen, a safe haven for hard-working people who maybe don't communicate that well with others.
This is what we have been up to and this is exactly where the rubber will meet the road for thestable.ca
We will show you how to procure investment, and cultivate that into a thriving business.
We will work with you to ensure your stable is functioning in the same way that has won awards for us.
By viewing our operations through the lens of the general public and its customer service expectations, we will ensure the entire industry benefits.
By measuring success by the experience your clients receive in your stable, and making their experience affordable, you too can change the status quo and reduce the stress in doing what you have always loved.
Sure, people want to win, but more importantly they want to be entertained. They are seeking an experience.
They want to feel as if they are a part of something, and to provide that at an affordable price means we have already beaten theme parks, and expensive sporting events and concerts; you just need to join the market.
The Stable has proven there is more to horse racing that just ROI.
We have forgone the century-old model that has now choked out growth in the smaller markets. This model is about entertainment and an unmatched experience that will allow those very markets to once again succeed.
By introducing a message of affordable horse ownership to the general public and focusing on custom service and customer retention, we have forged a message and a program that finally lets the everyday-person enjoy the sport of kings from a side of the fence they never thought they'd be able to see.
This leads to a growing fan base, which needs to then lead to open and transparent discussions with racetrack operators and potential affiliated on site casinos.
We have not only bridged the gap between horse racing and the general public, but we now have a way to introduce racetracks and casinos to new audiences.
We have a way to reinvigorate our fan base and potentially grow the attendance and revenue of our partners in the racetracks and on-site casinos.
What Amy and I have accomplished in building a 61-horse stable from nothing, and clientele list with over 200 active participants, will pale in comparison to the foundation we are building for this industry.
The key ingredient to all of this is hard work, strategic thinking and the desire to succeed.
That encapsulates what this entire industry represents.
For that reason alone, I'm positive we are on the brink of doing great things in horse racing.
Anthony MacDonald
The views presented in Trot Blogs are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Standardbred Canada.