Invisible Business: Hold Your Horses Tack

Tamara Friend always had good listening skills. "A sales representative advised me to come up with a better name for my new venture," chuckled Friend, owner of the recently opened Hold Your Horses Tack, a horse enthusiast's store. "He said Horse and Rider was not memorable enough, so I listened."

The name just came out one night while Friend was having dinner with her granddaughter. The teenager was gabbing about an unrelated topic, when Friend blurted out, "Hold your horses!" "And that's how we came up with the name," Friend says.

Horses for Healing

A psychologist by profession, Friend took up riding after her husband died almost six years ago. She met Charisse Glenn, a local endurance rider who is currently making a bid for the World Cup. Glenn taught Friend and her granddaughter the rudiments of riding.

An experienced businesswoman, Friend has 20 years of retail experience behind her. Her family owned clothing and home decor stores.

"You could say I was driven by the economy to offer more affordable products, for the beginner and more experienced riders, child and adult alike," said Friend, of her decision to open a specialty store in May.

As Friend tapped into her experience of good buying decisions, she also surrounded herself with people from the riding world and did what she does best—listening. Her daughter, an astute businesswoman like herself, is Friend's sole partner.

She tends to the store at least 40 hours a week and has four employees. One employee is a high jumper while another one is a trainer for English horses.

From Saddles to Silhouettes

The store occupies 4,000 square feet in the warehouse row of Derry Avenue. Collectibles, such as a 1958 poster, prints, lift-up desks and silhouettes, adorn the four walls of the store. Shelves are amply stocked with everything from books to boots to vitamin supplements.

One side of the store has all the gear for Western riders. Another side caters to English riders. There are also Spanish headstalls for the often-overlooked trail riders. Ariat, Cashel, Irideon, Kerrits, Platinum Performance, Thornhill, Heritage Gloves and Circle Y are some of the popular brands that the store carries.

"I wanted to offer different price points and have something for almost every type of rider out there," Friend describes her specialty store business model. Starter saddles go for $200, helping to lower the cost of entry into the sport.  Customized, all-leather saddles can go for as high as $3,000.

For $50, and in order to ensure a good saddle fit, Friend arranges for a horse's measurements to be taken by appointment. An ill-fitting saddle can hurt horses and turn their hair white. The customer gets a purchase credit if he or she decides to order a saddle from the store.

They accept consignments and offer tack cleaning. An ex-jockey makes custom-made leather products, such as bootjacks with initials, for about $75, a full set of chaps for about $200, saddlebags and belts.

Jumping Over Course Obstacles

The store has been slowly building a solid customer base. Friend reaches out to store regulars via e-mail blasts and cultivates new business by placing movie theater ads and advertising in local and specialty publications, such as the Equestrian News and Horse Trader.

Inspired by how well the community has welcome the store into its fold, Friend thinks that another store is a distinct possibility, but not right away. But online ordering through the website may take place in the next few months. "Just like getting a horse and buying a saddle, a lot of thought and care should go into making decisions like these," says Friend.

Friend is optimistic that she is once again on track to recover her initial investment in less than a year, with sales growing steadily. "The current economy opens up new opportunities and new styles of business," says Friend.