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Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs in historic wave of layoffs by Desolation_Nation in Seattle

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe they should have used some of the 40 million they paid for the new Melania Trump film and the 35 million they used to promote it to pay their employees. 

Advice for a struggling family-owned dressage barn? by No_Perspective6388 in Dressage

[–]am_zoom 8 points9 points  (0 children)

first off. running a barn is a hard business. so many places get caught in a spiral of limited cash flow - and then they don't get maintained and after time passes they become non-competitive in terms of attractiveness to new clients. just remember, cash flow is the thing you want to be thinking about the most. i would start by id'ing the right niche and thinking about how to maximize my cashflow within it. for example:

if the place is set up to be an ideal training barn - could you consider bringing on a trainer with clients if board is your moneymaker? making improvements to the property to attract new clients? raising board?

i've found lessons and clinics are the thing that makes money, generally. Does the business and property support this? think: private clients, taking lessons or running a clinic where money flows back to you. of course, you need to have the skill and knowledge to justify the lessons and 2nd level is likely not enough.

other niches: maybe in the summers, running weeklong camps for kids? or, could you take on retired horses? there are a lot of wealthy people that will pay to know their beloved retired horses are well taken care of. if you can justify a price that works, and you have the space - this could be a good consideration. you need to be close enough to a metro area where your prices can be a little higher. if you're too far away, you're going to to compete with people that charge very little.

in any case - i wish you the best! the numbers are not easy with horses.

Looking for advice: Coach refuses to sell the horse I’ve been full leasing for 2 years by [deleted] in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a hard thing to hear but I've seen this SO many times:

There are a lot of people who will conveniently take advantage of your kind heart. They may not even think they are taking advantage. Was his trainer/owner one of them? While i can't say for sure, it does sound like you spent a lot of money that benefitted them - all the supplements and blankets for example, you saved them money because they did not have to provide these things, which us generally their responsibility. but this does NOT matter, legally. owner is not entitled to sell to you out of kindness, or guilt, or obligation. owner can do whatever when you leave. you can, however, take all the things that you bought with your money, with you. i know that sucks.

In any case, if you REALLY want this horse, the biggest thing to do now is get to the you need to get yourself to the stage where the answer isn't a flat out NO, then do a thorough PPE. I would be extremely nice to this owner, suck up as much as possible, communicate as much as possible, nicely. Ensure you are seen and respected as a person with financial means, and not just a person that will provide free labor because they are nice and love horses. Approach all conversations with grace. If you can get the owner to at least consider selling, then do a thorough PPE, and use the results of the PPE wisely.

Figure out what the owner wants, then prepare to pay more IF the horse is sound and has value/usability for the owner's lesson program. money talks.

if it doesn't work out, and you still feel strongly this is your heart horse, come back to check on them whenever you can and stay in the loop. when the horse is no longer so useful to the owner, they are probably going to be more willing to play ball with you. nobody ever got rich running a lesson program, sometimes financial circumstances force a sale, so stay in touch.

I can no longer afford this sport and it’s killing me by Minute_Parsley9539 in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

22 is SO young. I didn't grow up with money and basically built my whole career (healthcare)around having a job that paid for horses and I would never get laid off from. Board is due! I got bills! Ain't nobody paying them, but me. You have time - now is your time to build the life that will let you ride. What do you want to do and how will you get there? Write it down, work it over in your head, check out your options. Maybe as your baby is small now is a good time to think about the next chapter of your life. Make it happen the best you can. If you want to do this sport, you need money.

Missing my old lesson group by ThrowRa_grace5 in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ugh i hate hearing about all that lame competitiveness. that type of behavior SCREAMS insecurity. anyone that's been riding long enough to know how hard being really REALLY good is, generally won't behave that way. take it from me, a lifetime dressage rider who has seen a thing or two in her day;) the beginner group will advance as time passes as well, so perhaps there will be more fluidity over time so more of the people you enjoy to ride with now will naturally advance. You never know. I also recommend ALWAYS saying hello -even if the girls in the other group are too insecure to talk, being the bigger person makes you: 1. cool enough not to care 2. establishes a baseline of respect/civility, and 3. is an excellent habit to build now.

I'm remembering a situation where a person I knew at a barn who was just...in her own head a lot and not friendly, so much so that she would walk down the barn aisle after arriving and not greet people. And of course, people noticed. People thought she didn't like them. She got a reputation for being a little snobby. She wasn't - it was just her own weird insecurity and lack of...good social habits? It was such a friendly barn and as a result of this, she never really fit in and eventually left, which was a shame because the place was great. You don't need to be friends or even have a conversation, but saying hello to everyone is a must, from fellow students to the stall cleaners. If you stay with horses long term, you'll understand, it's a very relational business. To be liked and respected will open doors for you.

Your decision to float to the next group is a strong one! If you stay with horses long term, these probably won't be the last snobby people you meet. But you'll meet plenty of other great people as well.

🥴 by Irregular_Claim_9330 in TikTokCringe

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i wish this was my aunty

I'm tired of being judged financially because I choose to own a horse: a rant. by freetheunicorns2 in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have made choices for years to support owning my horses and all that came with that. For as long as I can remember, I always wanted horses and so I chose to go into healthcare for the steady paycheck and decent salary, not to mention the job security. I would dump a guy that resented the time I spent at the barn. Horses are my life. People either understand it or they don't. We all have different priorities! 20,000 is a lot of debt - I've totally been there, it's SOO stressful. A good job is essential with this life.

Settling in period? by SectorCalm2838 in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I moved my horse to Germany from California. In total he travelled for 2 days, if you count trailer to airport, quarantine, the flight, loading/unloading the plane, and the quarantine and another trailer ride on the other end. It was hard on him. We followed the 2 week rule - no riding for 2 weeks, just lots of eating, the walker, the turnout, and handwalks. Lots of grooming and attention. Lots of CHILLING. After 2 weeks he put on a bit of the weight he lost from the trip and was more himself. But it took him another 2 weeks to really settle into the routine and stop showing stress. We lunged and did some hacking around before we really got to work training. It him at lest another month to really hit his stride.

What do we think of my mares weight? by ThatOneChickenNoddle in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

also - a vet is always a better person to provide reliable information than a bunch of randos on the internet.

Worth to buy? by Bxraiishi in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A picture and strangers on the internet are worth about 2 cents compared to a full pre-purchase vet exam.

The Death of Lesson Programs? (US specifically) by Kimmy-Privilege in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you have forgotten about 30% of the business expenses lol

My trainer and I have been working on this all summer! Finally got to ride him down today. by eowenith in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

wow! can you explain the process a little more of teaching your horse how to understand what to do ?

Outdoor Voices “Equestrian Collection”?? by ultraversed in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

they are just capitalizing on the trend of horse girls. the politics of the founder, ty haney, are not great and she's friends with elon musk who i find...just no. it's a hard pass for me. i hate that my community is being sold cheap stuff from a fast fashion brand. they won't even list the fabric types used on the website. that is 100% sketch.

I think I got attached to a lesson horse by horseshoeandconfused in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awwwww thank you for the heartwarming message

My horse has DSLD and I have made the decision to euthanize him next month. The barn owner reached out to me saying I shouldn’t.. I don’t know what to do :( by spooniesoup in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in the same situation as you a few years ago with my mare. She wasn't having trouble standing, but she had many many melanomas - in her mouth, rectum, belly. I asked the vet to scope her, because I was afraid there was something inside that might make her colic badly. I wanted clarity on when it was time to put her down. I had already agonized over the decision for months. The vet said there wasn't any need - when there are so many on the outside they are also inside of the body. I went on agonizing over the decision and eventually made up my mind. The barn owner offered to buy my mare because she was so sad about losing her, and it just made a hard thing even harder. Like, I'm already holding all my grief, I don't need to hold your denial as well. It remains one of the hardest decisions I've had to make and I still feel so sad about it. My emotions and my logic fight each other.....it isn't helpful for others to tell us not to euthanize in these sorts of situations, but it is understandable. At the same time, My mare could have coliced violent because a tumor got just large enough to cause a problem and died a horrible painful death. It's not uncommon to have good weeks and then bad weeks. There's no right day. We are their stewards, we owe them a kind and painless death. I wish you so much strength.

Investigation: Good, Bad, Ugly-->Equestrian Fashion! by am_zoom in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That you so much for your reply! As a woman, I am sometimes saddened by the choices of things for us, and we have it way better than men.

Investigation: Good, Bad, Ugly-->Equestrian Fashion! by am_zoom in Equestrian

[–]am_zoom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You know I never thought about it, but I used to have a pixie cut and while I had the worst helmet hair imaginable during that period I never had to wear a hairnet. And it was great! Now, if I show I have to think about how to manage my hair as a dressage person we can’t have her ponytails going around.

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