In horse-related organizations, as in all business ventures, practical management skills are key to success. But according to Lori Garkovich, PhD, professor in the Department of Community and Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky, many equine organizations fail to answer essential and basic questions related to mission, economics, management, volunteer compensation, and fundraising, to name a few.

Garkovich, who has many years’ experience advising equine partners, says that to achieve the success levels equine organizations desire, they must first consider how to build capacity through strategic planning, board training, support services, and by pinpointing the economic sectors they need to make use of and/or serve.

Step by Step

Equine organizations should have regular assessment and targeted planning sessions (sometimes by outside parties). Bill Chambers, chairman of the board for The League of Agricultural and Equine Centers, echoed this, citing his organization’s early vision in 1997 of sharing information with individuals who run facilities that host agricultural/equine events and shows