The old saying that the devil is in the details is very true at least here on this retirement farm. In terms of duty delineation I clearly come out on top. I and the employees look after the details that are farm related including keeping the pastures mowed, the machinery running and the fences fixed and some of the horse work while Melissa does the lion's share of everything else.
There are a LOT of things included in the "everything else" category. Things like monthly invoicing, entering receipts, running QuickBooks, keeping up with bills and payroll, communicating with clients, scheduling client visits, visits for farriers, vet visits, taking pictures and videos of the horses, etc. In addition to this she does more than her share of the hands on horse work too.
Communicating with clients really ought to be it's own whole chapter. At regular boarding barns when a horse needs to see a vet or needs a trim it is often up to the owner to arrange this. Because most of our clients are not local, we look after this for everyone. In addition to regular updates with photos and videos as well as updating the blog several times a week, every time a client's horse needs needs to see a vet or really anything out of the ordinary it requires a host of interactions. These include several emails or phone calls with both the owner and the vet plus follow ups and updates. As much as anything this business is successful because Melissa is an excellent and thorough communicator.
We appreciate our clients and we enjoy what we do. However I am very happy somebody else handles the details because this place would be in four alarm crisis mode ALL the time without Melissa actively working to keep a lid on things !
Lightening yawning and Noble grazing
Darby wins the award for cutest fuzzy ears in the winter
Cuff Links
Walden and Fabrizzio
Cinnamon
Rampal and Tiny
Tony and Baby
Stormy
Ivan, Homer and Moe
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2 comments:
Speaking of details... I found myself staring at every set of fuzzy ears after that comment.
How can you pick just one?
Good on Melissa for all the detail herding she does. Unfortunately, my horse's blog is where I sometimes go to see when the farrier was last out, dewormer given, every 6 month dental done...
Sad, n'est pas?
No doubt this only scratches the surface on all the work Melissa does. You too, for that matter. I can't imagine anyone not getting that. It would be impossible to blog everything you guys do to keep the place running as well as it does.
Your blog is also educational - because of it, I've thought long and hard about what I would do if/when I have a horse that is no longer rideable. Plus many other horse care tid-bits along the way.
Keep up the good work!
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