Are you a dedicated equestrian looking to get even more involved in the world of horses? Thankfully, there are many different ways to get involved in this great community. The equestrian world is wide and far-reaching, and it’s always growing! This means there’s always room for you to spend even more time pursuing your passion. In this article, we will explore two ways to increase your involvement in the equestrian community: volunteering for local equestrian causes and getting sponsored by equestrian companies. We will discuss these types of opportunities, how to land them, and their benefits.
Equine Volunteer Opportunities
First, let’s learn more about volunteer opportunities for equestrians. There are so many ways to donate your time to horse-related causes. Whether you have years of experience or haven’t spent much time around horses, there’s certainly a job for you. Of course, all volunteer opportunities depend on the needs of the barns in your area, so you should contact local equestrian organizations to see what kind of help they are looking for.
Nonprofit equestrian organizations all over the country depend on volunteers to keep the day-to-day operations running so they can provide their services, such as hippotherapy and equine assisted psychotherapy, to community members in need. You can volunteer to muck out stalls, lead horses on walks, ride horses to give them exercise, and groom horses. Even if you don’t know how to do these things yet, the barns may still need help cleaning or performing odd jobs.
There are many benefits to volunteering for an equestrian organization. For starters, your mental and physical health will improve! Yes, you read that right: studies show that just by being around horses and interacting with them, you will experience lower stress levels and increased emotional awareness.
If that wasn’t enough, volunteering for equestrian organizations will help you hone your horsemanship skills. There’s no substitute for hands-on experience, and by being around horses and interacting with them, you’ll gain valuable knowledge!
Finally, dedicating your time unpaid to a good cause will help boost your resume if you are looking to get hired by a similar organization in the future. It will show you have experience, passion, and know-how to get the job done!
Volunteering for an equestrian organization is a great way to spend your free time. To learn more, contact local nonprofits, horse farms, and stables to see how you can get involved!
Equestrian Sponsorships
If you’re an established equestrian who competes regularly, you may be considering asking an equestrian company to sponsor you. There are several reasons why this could be beneficial for both you and the company. For starters, having a company back you and your competitions lends you legitimacy. You suddenly have a brand who is willing to send you their products in exchange for publicity–this puts you on a whole new level of competition! It shows you are dedicated, serious, not to mention successful at your equestrian endeavors. Additionally, now you have access to branded clothing and other gear from your sponsor. This saves you money and means you have new, top-of-the-line equipment for competitions.
However, being sponsored also comes with its share of new responsibilities and challenges. You want to make sure you’re representing the brand well. That means keeping an updated, appropriate, and positive social media presence. Having a dedicated account just for your horsemanship is a great idea. You can post your schedule, results, and professional pictures from events, and tag the company (or companies) that sponsor you so they can see you are representing them well.
A quick note on having multiple sponsors: any potential new sponsor should know if you are being represented by another company already. They can decide if this works for them, or if they would rather have an exclusive partnership.
If you are curious about equestrian sponsorships but aren’t sure how to get started, here’s a good place to start:
- Do your research. It’s not a good idea to simply send a mass email to every equestrian company you can think of and ask them to sponsor you. Think about a niche you occupy in the equestrian world, and then brainstorm which brands fit in that same realm. Reach out to those companies – you’ll have a much better result with this strategic approach!
- Engage with the company on social media before you ask them to sponsor you. This shows you are interested in their products and care enough about the potential partnership to put time and effort into engaging with them.
- Email the company to request sponsorship. In your email, be specific and thoughtful. If you are sending sponsorship requests to multiple companies, tailor each email to the company. Don’t be afraid to brag about your accomplishments! This shows you have an established place in the equestrian world and are excited about your competition results.
- Be specific about what’s in it for the company. Mention that you will wear branded clothing, tag them in social media posts, and anything else you plan to do to get the word out about their products.
- Follow through. A company agreed to sponsor you–congratulations! Remember that this is only the beginning. Once you have the green light, you can get to work following through on all the promises you made when you proposed the sponsorship. This means using their products at events, speaking highly of the company on social media, and providing feedback on their gear, if that was part of your agreement.
- Remember that you represent more than yourself at events and online. It should go without saying that you should always be on your best behavior in public–whether on social media or at equestrian competitions. This is even more important now that you’re sponsored. The last thing you want a company to hear is that you were acting unprofessionally while representing them.
By now, you should be ready to increase your involvement in equestrian activities, whether through volunteering in your local equestrian community or through company sponsorships.
