Spinning plates
Horses, a full-time career… and the time to do justice to both? MichelleEwen talks to the equestrian entrepreneurs focused on having it all
WHATEVER her mood or the weather, showing up for her horse Grace is a nonnegotiable for BE90 competitor Catherine Davies, 50. The north Londoner rides her eight-year-old Irish warmblood six days a week without fail – sometimes getting up at 4am on competition days, often after travelling across the UK for work.
Learning to be responsible and consistent as a horse owner, she says, is the secret to the success of her strategic consultancy business, Monticle Ltd.
“To ride well and compete, you need to be physically fit. I bring that good health and energy to my business,” Catherine explains. “In the equestrian world, you need to be on the edge of your comfort zone to jump bigger fences or to make significant progress. Nurturing this mindset is how I have built a six-figure business – helping innovative companies to partner with the NHS. I lead my horse and my business in a positive way. The success of one area fuels the other.”
Catherine is not alone in experiencing a boost to her career thanks to her equestrian background. Former district nurse Cheryl White, 46, founded Apollo Care Franchising Ltd in 2011. Her boutique home care service company operates UK-wide and achieved a £5m turnover last year.
Cheryl’s second business, Mercury Franchise School Ltd, hit six figures – teaching business owners how to franchise their pilot business model.
The mother of two splits her time between coaching both existing and aspirant franchisees, using a positive psychology approach, as well as setting the vision for both businesses.
Cheryl has owned and loaned horses for two decades. She bought Jake, a
10-year-old piebald cob, three years ago for £5,500 and pays £1,000 per month for full livery.
“Jake teaches me so much that I apply to my businesses,” says Cheryl. “I used to compete my old horse, Lady, and you see so many people who take dressage so seriously. They put one foot wrong and it’s the end of the world.
“Jake is so clumsy, and food-orientated. I would love to start competing him locally, and we have regular schooling and dressage lessons, but I laugh more than anything else with him. He reminds me every day that riding is a joy, and that I should show up in my business with the same positive attitude I bring to the saddle.”
In 2023, there were weeks when
Cheryl rode Jake only once due to work commitments. As of this year, she has made plans to restructure her work life and meetings entirely around Jake – freeing up enough time on three weekdays to make the 40-minute round trip to his stable – in addition to weekends.
“Jake and I deserve that time,” she muses. “I should run my own day. Being constantly productive isn’t a good thing. I come away from Jake feeling energised. When I get home, my mood has lifted. My head feels clearer – creating space for new ideas to move my businesses forward.”
BUSINESS maverick Katie Webster, 51, also has big plans to make horse ownership her key priority in 2024. Having spent last year clearing the decks work-wise – reducing her seven-day working week to three – the business strategist who works with a portfolio of six-figure companies is now prioritising time in the saddle.
“I will be buying a horse this year and there is no budget for the horse I want,” she says. “If I like it, I’m having it, which is my approach to every purchase I make. I gave up Dusty, my Dutch warmblood, when my first business became a 24/7 commitment. I felt guilty about leaving him in the field.
“Being a ‘Duracell Bunny’, however, I can run myself flat. I had to continue riding my family’s horses to recharge my batteries to keep showing up for my business.
“Horses are my only real passion. Going on a ride is more beneficial than going to a spa day. I don’t care whether I’m mucking out; just being with them; or riding out in the country in the open air… there’s nothing better.
“I’ve now worked to the level that, this year, I have the time and space to buy my own horse again.”
Having built and sold her award-winning bridal boutique, Katie continued her entrepreneurial journey in the luxury sector. She now helps female business owners to build their own successful, profitable businesses, with the basics in place. Her reputation for exemplary customer service is something she attributes to her horse-related experiences.
“If children have pets, they become more rounded human
beings,” Katie says. “They learn that life isn’t all about them. When we were kids, my sisters and I grew up on a farm. We had to feed our horses before we could open our Christmas presents. We had other priorities than ourselves. That lesson about serving others, taught to me by horses, has been the secret of my business success.”
Katie counts herself lucky that she will be able to stable her horse on family land in Hartford, Cheshire – leaving monthly costs of around £500 for feed.
Tracy Ormrod, 54, founder and CEO of Dressage TestPro, has 12 horses. She is also able to keep costs down, in her case thanks to an income from the livery yard at her smallholding on Anglesey, which totals 68 acres. The horses, all Dutch and Germanbred, range in age from three to 15 years, and most live out.
“I am self-made,” says Tracy, who competes up to prix st georges and contests regional championships. “If I wasn’t doing this business, I would need to find a job to be able to keep the horses.”
That possibility, thankfully, feels remote. The mobile phone-based app
Tracy has developed alongside her husband and tech director James
Ormrod is helping 40,000 users in 30 countries to memorise and learn their dressage test movements.
Clients include British Dressage
(BD), British Eventing, the US
Dressage Federation and US Eventing – relationships Tracy manages alongside vetting and approving brand ambassadors, and future planning for the business.
She rides first thing in the morning or last thing at night – taking Sundays off for her and the horses if she is not competing.
“Sometimes I feel I am not doing the horses justice in terms of learning and competition,” says Tracy. “I worry they would be better off with someone else who could get more out of them. But then I remind myself that horses like going in the field, eating grass and being with their friends. They are not as bothered as I am. I’m the one setting goals for next year. If they have a week off because I am busy with business, then that’s totally fine.”
Horses bring Tracy a sense of peace and joy, and lessons from the ring have contributed to Dressage TestPro’s success.
“In dressage, you put the training in so you can be a better version of yourself next time you compete,” she says. “Similarly, with Dressage TestPro, we are always striving to be the best that we can be for our customers. In my head, I don’t compete against other riders, and I don’t compete against other companies. I am always competing with myself.”
Tracy’s volunteer role as a non-executive director for BD allows her to combine her business acumen and technical expertise with a specialist interest in para dressage.
“My mum has multiple sclerosis and riding is her therapy. I have been her support rider and trainer, so it felt logical to give back to the sport and help set the strategic direction for para dressage – one of the fastest-growing areas of British Dressage.”
AS with her fellow entrepreneurs with a passion for horses, it would seem that, for Tracy, the more she gives to horses and the equestrian industry, the more she gets back – whether that is business success, a wellbeing boost or the joy of being in the ribbons.
The ability to enjoy mindful moments in the saddle, combined with the thrill of competition, clearly has untold benefits for busy entrepreneurs, as articulated by Catherine. Her day-to-day work involves laying the groundwork for conversations between product makers and service providers who want to partner with the NHS, something that can be both technical and intense. Little wonder then, that time spent with horses brings balance.
“When I am riding, I am not thinking about anything but what’s underneath me in the moment,” she says. “I feel very present and focused, enjoying a complete mental break.
“I started eventing five years ago and I absolutely love it. I would do it all day every day if I could. It’s thrilling, energising, fun and motivating.
“In our digital world, it feels great to connect with nature and invest time with an animal as a partnership. Grace and I are learning the job, getting confident in each other and going up the levels together.”
What a perfect metaphor for the journey of being in business: mastery, confidence and progression. These business experts demonstrate that equestrian pursuits and career boosts go hand in hand – and they’re living proof that mounting up gives you an extra furlong in the business world.