But before the video comes out, she is offering a free report that shows what to look for when buying a saddle.  So many people tell you to find a saddle that fits you, and then fit the horse.  But Karen Krueger explains how important it is to make sure to fit the horse first.

Karen explains that many horses that misbehave are really reacting to pain from either saddle or pain in their body from compensating.

I know when I don’t have my saddle in the exact right place on my horse, he lets me know!

But her free ebook is really great…and I recommend that you head over to her site and sign up to be on her notification list for the DVD’s and then get the free gift.

Just so you know, Karen is a certified Equine Body Worker and has seen so many horses with sore backs from ill fitting saddles.  And many of her clients didn’t know their saddles were crooked.  And what’s really interesting is Karen shows you that by taking pictures, you can see a whole lot more than with the naked eye in a store.

I really recommend her free book, Introduction To Saddle Fitting Guide and look for the shocking photos of her saddles!

Until next time…have a great one!

Hi There, Horsey Gal here with some great news!

I know you have probably been listening to the bad news recently, and hopefully you haven’t fallen prey to the economic distress plaguing Americans these recent months.

But the good news is…I have found a legitimate home business that didn’t cost me that much to get started.  I just feel like you should hear it from me when I say…you can beat the recession by thinking positive about creating and finding a solution!

If you are a horse owner you know I am telling the truth when people would rather have their horse blanket repaired rather than spend the money to buy whole new blanket.  In comparison to many other business startups, the cost of equipment is relatively low, and if you are working from home…there is no overhead.

Only started this business a month ago, and I already have had 5 clients with a big return.  One client might have 5-10 blankets.  And then once the word gets out that you are reliable and do good work, there won’t be anything stopping you from building your client base.

Test The Market – Horse Blanket Repair Business

Well, it’s understandable that you would want to see if there really is any money to be made.  So check your local feed stores to see if anyone is advertising in your area.  Next thing…take a drive and find some local boarding stables and check with the barn or stable manager if they have a blanket repair person in the area…if they don’t, let them know you might be starting a blanket repair business.  And if they do have a blanket repair person, ask if they are happy with their work, and what they charge so you can judge if this business could be profitable for you.

Karen Krueger has written a downloadable book about how to start a horse blanket repair business.

Legitimate how to make money horse blanket repair.

With older usually come arthritis, and while it can slow them down, there are exercises to help him regain his condition.  Take him out of retirement and give him regular exercise – not the rodeo style kind, but gentle, tailored to his condition style exercises.  The muscles around his joints will benefit by being strengthened and help protect the joints from stress.  It’s a known fact a conditioned horse usually has significantly thicker and healthier cartilage than an unfit equine.   The major reasons to take him out of retirement and give him some pep?  Regular exercise works wonders for his attitude, appetite, digestion and general well being.   He’s been your companion for so long, he deserves the best.

Before you start your rejuvenation program, have your hose Vet checked and talk to your farrier.  This will give you and idea of any limitations you may need to work with.  Proper trimming and shoes are extremely important when starting the older horse on an exercise routine.  Preventive shoeing and trimming helps minimize concussive shock, aids flexion and extension, and alleviates lameness/ unevenness of gait.

Exercise should always start out slow and easy, a walk for 10 minutes, a slow trot, a walk, some turns and circles, some easy uphill work.  When you first take him out, it will have to be for a shorter period of time to get him used to being out again.  Over a period of time, based on his response, you can increase the duration of the exercises.  Even if you walk and trot him by hand, he will enjoy the change of scenery.

Throw in some passive stretching exercises as well.  For instance, pick up the affected leg, gently bend and straighten it – about ten times per joint.  Try to do this about 3 – 4 times a day.  This assists cartilage and soft-tissue healing and decreases scar-tissue formation.

Speaking of stretching, get your senior to do flexing exercises as well.  Encourage them to reach as far as they can to either side.  Tempt with treats and get them slowly into the longest neck stretch you can.  They will be stiff at first, but with persistence they will loosen up.

Check your senior’s diet and make sure he’s getting the right dietary supplements in the right amounts.  Don’t assume his feed provides everything he needs.  Check this with your Veterinarian.  The large-intestinal function changes as your horse gets older, and they need higher-quality protein, alternative forms of roughage and supplemental vitamin B. Commercial senior feed is good for the older horse who cannot maintain weight.  Just watch the deadly mixture of not enough exercise and too much rich food or you may wind up with a portly horse.

It’s really easy to do.  Sporting goods stores carry waterproofing sprays that are easy to apply.  And what I have been running into are clients that are afraid that the laundering will ruin the waterproofing of the their blankets.

Putting blankets in dryers is usually the biggest problem with ruining the plastic coating on the fabric.  It will melt the plastic, and the water will go right through the fabric.

That’s why Karen recommends hang drying everything.  But the waterproof spray will work really really well.

This is how it’s done.  Hang the blanket over a fence or pipe panel and on a warm day without wind, spray the blanket really well until you see it looks sort of wet, consistently all over.  Make sure to get in between the folds.  I concentrate most of the spray over the back.

Then do the other side.  Wait for it to dry, and then do another coat.  This should last through the winter, unless you have to have it washed again.  And then you might lose some of the waterproofing because of washing it.

This has worked really well for me, and for my clients.  They love having me do it…because they don’t want to take the time, or don’t have the time to hassle with it.  I have been charging $10.00 to do it, but see what works for you.

Hope this works for you…

Find out more…Horse Blanket Repair Business

I received a call from a lady that needed a blanket repaired.  She said it was only a little dirty, and it needed a new leg strap.  She suggested meeting at the local feed store so I could pick it up.

When we met, she pulled out this crusty dirty old blanket.  On the phone she insisted it was just slightly dirty.  I felt a sorry for her because it sounded like she couldn’t afford the price of laundering…but said I will see what I can do.

After I got it home…I tried fixing the leg strap, and sure enough my machine quit in the middle of it!  It looked like my needle was sticking, and it wasn’t sewing right!   After I got it rushed to the repair place…now remember these sewing machines weigh around 70lbs so please make sure you have help when you’re moving them, he got it fixed pretty quick for me.  He looked at it while I was there, and pulled out the mechanism, oiled and cleaned it, and it put it all back together for me.

So this is my new rule…I got it from Karen’s Book..

From now on, if the customer can’t say they would sit at their dining table with this blanket in their lap or on the table, then it for sure needs to be washed!

Happy Ending…I washed the blanket for her, and got it repaired…and she paid me for both the repair and the laundering and was very happy with it.  She went on to tell her friends about the great repair job and how good her blanket looked afterward.  I didn’t let on about the machine breaking, because I didn’t want her to feel bad, and it kept her as a customer and she gave me referrals!

Hope you are finding my insights helpful…Until next time…happy horse blanket repairing.

Find out more here…Horse Blanket Repair business.

I know that title sounds sounds pretty sneaky and devious…but really it’s not meant to be.

You see, when I was out picking up blankets today, I was noticing some pretty interesting repairs that have already been made on some of these blankets.

And that’s how you can get some pretty good insider tips.  I have been looking and seeing what looks good and what doesn’t.  Things I should think about trying, and things that you can tell are better left not done!

I’ve seen a pretty neat trick where somebody has been using webbing to patch long rips instead of making a long skinny patch out of fabric.  And it doesn’t look half bad either!

And then I have found a way to put surcingle buckles on without having to remove the belly strap!  Just undo the stitching around the buckle, and then undo the webbing backwards…and then reverse engineer how to put the buckle back on.  Pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

But look at other people’s repairs and and see what kind of secrets you can get from them.  It can be pretty important for your business.

Good luck, and I will be talking soon!  Take care!

~ HorseyGal ~

I put some fliers up, and I put the word out with some friends of mine that I had started this blanket repair business. And most everybody that I have done work for is around this area.

However, a lady called today, who is 35 miles away. That’s quite a distance, but I asked her how many blankets she had, and she said that she runs a training stable, and with all her clients together, she has about 25 blankets. YIKES!

Wow! I was stunned for a minute…and was trying to do the math in my head. How many miles versus how much with all the blankets.
I always try and be fair about what my charges. This is considered upper level math! I had to get a calculator and started doing some calculating. So 25 blankets for washing at 12.00 per blankets, minimum would pay $300 just for the washing, and she said just about all them had some kind of repair. At a minimum that would $125.00, but usually it’s about twice that, if I am charging $6-$15.00 per blanket for repairs. The estimate was around $675.00.

Now the thing I had to consider was that it’s not just one trip, but two round trips, that adds up to 140 miles. Geeze, and then a couple of hours of driving. Those two hours of driving, could translate into getting a couple of blankets done at home with washing, and repairing.

Well, I thought I would strike a compromise. I told her I would waive the trip charge if she picks the blankets up. They would all cleaned and bagged. Otherwise I would have to charge 25.00 to 30.00 for a trip charge. Well, there was no second thoughts on that suggestion. She said yes!

That was a win win for both of us.    I was glad I thought of it!

Boy, this is amazing.   I have already made a good amount of money in a short amount of time, and it’s fun!

Find out where I read about starting a horse blanket repair business by clicking here.

Do you have blankets on your horses right now that have little knicks that you are afraid might turn into big rips? And then on top of that, you don’t have a spare blanket to use while you get the one with knicks repaired?

Well here’s the great news! I found this adhesive that you can use to glue the rip or knick together until spring when you can get it repaired.

I was looking for blanket repair supplies when I found this great stuff calledRambo Stormsure Blanket Repair Adhesive

It’s inexpensive, easy to use, and it seems to work really well. It’s something I would recommend in a pinch. If you want to give it a little added stability, you could glue a piece of fabric over the top of the rip. This would work if it’s an actual rip with a gap between the two edges. So what I would do is, glue the square piece of fabric down. Then glue around the edges to seal it. This might give the patch some added waterproofing rather than using duct tape.

And then in the Spring time, you can either sew the patch down yourself… or have it done by someone else.

If you want to take a look at it, I have added the link for you. It’s really affordable, and nice to have around the barn.
I would really take advantage of this little goody! Rather having your horse go without a blanket while you wash the blanket, and then dry it, and doing the repair, which could 2-3 days, you could glue the patch and be done until Spring.

Hope this helps, and I’m signing off for now. See Ya tomorrow!

Click Here to find out where I came up with the idea of starting my own profitable horse blanket repair business.

Have you ever gone to the barn to see your horses blanket hanging caddywompus because those darned t-buckle surcingle buckles come undone?

Well, I have a cure for that!

I saw these little gizmos that that look like o-rings that slip over the T end of the surcingle buckles.  It acts as a stop-gap so there isn’t enough play for the buckle to come undone when the horse lays down and rolls around.

Well I couldn’t find any to buy…so I went to the auto parts store and bought some gas hose and cut small 1/4″  sections that you can slide over the T Lock of the Surcingle.  They work perfectly.

So I think I will make little bags of 10 and sell them or include them on the blankets that I repair as a nice customer service gesture.

If you want to know more…feel free to post any questions or comments.

Horsey Gal signing off!  See Ya Tomorrow!

I’ve been telling friends how much fun it is going to different barns and meeting new people.  There is nothing better than being appreciated for fixing blankets that look like they are beyond repair!

If gives such a sense of accomplishment, and pride to make something look so good when you are done!  I think sewing has become a thing of the past because of how cheap clothes are to buy.

I learned to sew from my mom when I was really young.  She made all my clothes because “off the rack” clothes were too expensive.  In fact she teases me that she would hate to sew patches…and I say give me a patch over button holes and making sleeves fit any day!

So here I sit with the smell of clean horse blankets, and see the accomplishments I have made and how happy my customers will be when they see their dirty old blankets looking pretty darn good!

I would say the trickiest ones I have come up against are the ones that have ripped the belly surcingles off.  Because you have to remove some of the heavy webbing in order to reinforce it so you can reattach the surcingle strap.

Those take a little more time and more fabric for patching.  I charge accordingly.  But if it looks like the repair is going to be more than what the blanket is worth, I call the customer to make sure they want it repaired.  I only do this if it’s going to way too time consuming to fix it.

I’ve had one complaint so far, and that was that I had used black webbing to replace a leg strap on a blue baker blanket instead of a blue strap.  So that taught me I had better have a variety of webbing on hand so that everything matches.  When in doubt, match it!

Okay…I’m going to sign off for now.  I will keep you posted on the horse blanket repair business!

To learn more about starting a horse blanket repair business…click here.