Horse Treat Business?

[Le_Equestrian]

So because of the Coronavirus, I’m home all the time & I have plenty of time on my hands. I was thinking of making a horse treat business! So I have some questions for the equestrian public.

1.) Do you care if their cute or not? This is very important because it determines the recipe I use.
2.) How large would you want packets/orders to be? Would you want different sizes like Small, Medium, Large, or if they’re decorated 4 pack, 6 pack, 8 pack, 10 pack? This is all very important.
3.) How much would you pay for each size?
4.) Shipped in bags or boxes? (With boxes the price goes up!)
5.) Are there any common ingredients you wouldn’t want in them?
6.) Are there any ingredients you would want in them?
7.) What is your favorite current brand for horse treats? Why?
8.) What is your least favorite? Why?
9.) Would you want Sugar Free treats as an option?
10.) Do you think you would buy treats from my business if I made one?

[fjordmom]

1.) Doesn’t matter, my horses never spend time looking at them, just want that treat NOW.
2.) Not sure how you are defining these (S, M, L). One pound, 3#, and 5# might be the easiest. that’s how I judge; price per pound, not the number of cute treats in a package.
3. All depends on the product. Would have to be competitive with other similar products on the market. Do your research. (Yes, I know these questions are a start.)
4.) Bags is fine if it suits the product. Hate wasteful packaging.
5 & 6.) None in particular; see answer # 9
7.) Equi-treats. My horses love them and I love that they are very convenient to order with my supplements.
8.) Won’t order any that require a special separate order from places that I am already ordering other items. Hate paying that extra shipping cost. Find a way to have your product conveniently carried by major supply outlets.
9.) Absolute must. My one horse is IR and the other is of the same breed, so there is high likelihood that he well eventually be too. Must be able to prove that they are low NSC/sugar via lab result not just testimonial that you think so.
10.) Totally depends on the product, the price, and the convenience of ordering and of course that the horses actually like them. As an early promo, you might offer a small sample for taste testing.

Good luck in your venture. As they say necessity is the mother of invention. I’m now retired from the business I started almost 30 years ago in the darkest year of my life. The road to self-employment is paved with tons of hard work, commitment, and creativity. It can be very rewarding when done right (ask me how I know).

[Scribbler]

I clicker train. I go through a large quantity of treats in a session and they need to be cheap and healthy. Honestly I just buy a 50 lb bag of an extruded feed with large kibbles and only use it as a treat. They taste like powdered cardboard to me but the horses love them. Otherwise I feed apples in season (people like to donate backyard windfalls to our barn).

So while I use treats alot I am not your market for fancy or boutique packaged treats. The single thing that made my mare’s eyes pop in delight the first time she had one, was a soft pear. She will walk away from any treat, even her mash sometimes, for really good grass. So my feeling is they really love fresh growing things and the fancy baked treats are more for humans to give as little barn Christmas presents.

[Foxglove]

Auntie Anne of Auntie Anne’s Horse Cookies (former member of our hunt club) --sold her recipe and equipment to another member. As far as I know, the items are unused in her basement. Auntie Anne had a huge local following and we were hoping that her product would still be available. So far, it is not. Auntie Anne quit production because she was tired of spending every free minute she had making horse cookies and driving around to distribute in the MIdWest. She did ok financially, but never well enough to hire another employee and still make a living. She also drove a school bus and was married to a great guy who as a large equipment operator, likely brought in the money that supported their horses. It was a great product with a wide customer base --just a lot of work had to be done to make it successful. As @fjordmom said, starting your own business is tough!

[Ghazzu]

If you decide to move forward with this venture, check with the feed control official in your state to see if you need to register with them and see what labeling requirements there may be.

[Le_Equestrian]

Thanks for all the replies, they are very helpful!

[Color_of_Light]

Labels of all sold products are federally mandated.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/information-marketing-pet-food-product

[Color_of_Light]

@Ghazzu

If you decide to move forward with this venture, check with the feed control official in your state to see if you need to register with them and see what labeling requirements there may be.

Labels of all sold products are federally mandated, not state.

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/information-marketing-pet-food-product

Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) “Model Regulations of Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food”.
https://petfood.aafco.org/Portals/1/…ilng_items.pdf

Animal Feed Labeling
https://www.aafco.org/Portals/0/Site…b_complete.pdf

[clanter]

OP might want to market the product to horse youth groups for them to sell on the lines of Girl Scout cookies

[Ghazzu]

@Color of Light

Labels of all sold products are federally mandated, not state.

From the fine folks at FDA (bolding mine): Labeling

Pet food labeling is regulated at two levels. The current FDA regulations require proper identification of the product, net quantity statement, name and place of business of the manufacturer or distributor, and proper listing of all the ingredients in the product in order from most to least, based on weight. Some states also enforce their own labeling regulations. Many of these regulations are based on a model provided by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). For more information about AAFCOExternal Link Disclaimer, please visit its website. For more information about labeling requirements, see Pet Food Labels - General.

the reason I suggested the state feed control official is that federal regs would be covered as well as any additional state requirements.

[GraceLikeRain]

1.) I don’t care about cute
2.) I’m not one to buy a decorated treat or small packs so I’m not looking at anything smaller than a tub of 50
3.) I can get human peppermints/cookies/etc. for a few bucks. I’ll splurge $25 for a tub of 60 Dimples Horse Treats
4.) Bags are fine but have to have a seal that can stand up to dozens of uses
5.) Relatively low sugar
6.) Flax is nice but not necessary
7.) Peppermints, low sugar Snax, cherios, Oat squares, gingersnaps, Dimples Horse Treats
8.) None. I own a monster
9.) Definitely as long as they were very palatable
10.) Probably not but it has nothing to do with you. With so many human options, I don’t see the point of paying an inflated price for something marketed as horse treats. If they were right by the checkout line at a tack store in a massive tub I may grab them once a year but I would never order horse treats.

[IronwoodFarm]

Also recommend talking to your insurance agent for commercial liability insurance, particularly product liability coverage.

[sherian]

I used to buy fancy horse treats when I had one horse, I now have a barn full and I buy a bag of krunch for pocket safe treats or carrots for in the barn and horses are happy. I may buy horse treats if I am putting together a gift basket for a silent auction or raffle, for that cute shapes and pretty packaging would be a selling feature.

[polkadotedpony]

1.) Don’t care about appearance
2.) I’d say small sample bag to make sure horse likes then, then I’d buy in big bags
3.) $5? I’m cheap. I do get gifted a decent number of horse treats though and I’m assuming husbands/moms/etc would pay $10-15. I’d pay significantly more if it had some sort of value as a supplement (see #6)
4.) shipped as cheaply as possible without them being destroyed. I personally hate single use plastic but it’s tough to avoid treats drying out without it. A reusable container that could be refilled at a discount would be ideal but that’s not very practical beyond local distribution.
5.) nope
6.) maybe a probiotic would be cool? I haven’t seen any probiotic treats on the market with good reviews (most taste like crap to horses apparently). I think it would also justify the cost of a “premium treat”
7.) German horse muffins are great if your horse needs meds since they are mushy and you can hide stuff in them and they are horse crack. I feed apples in the fall because we have a few trees. I also recently started adding carrots to my weekly imperfect produce box which at 98 cents a week feels pretty cheap/zero effort on my part
8.) My horse was pretty luke warm on beet treats. I was hopeful since it’s made by the german horse muffin people but they are dry and hard to break into small pieces in addition to the meh taste review from my horse
9.) Not a deal breaker for me but I think low NSC would be nice and probably widen your market since there are lots of IR tending breeds out there
10.) Potentially if they were moist, palatable, easy to break into smaller pieces/hide something inside and had probiotics and weren’t crazy expensive

[Le_Equestrian]

Is there anything else you think would make them sell better?

[Bogie]

@Le Equestrian

So because of the Coronavirus, I’m home all the time & I have plenty of time on my hands. I was thinking of making a horse treat business! So I have some questions for the equestrian public.

1.) Do you care if their cute or not? This is very important because it determines the recipe I use. My horses don’t care what they look like!
2.) How large would you want packets/orders to be? Would you want different sizes like Small, Medium, Large, or if they’re decorated 4 pack, 6 pack, 8 pack, 10 pack? This is all very important. My son bought my horses a large container of horse treats for Christmas, They are in a large screw top plastic jug. It’s perfect because it keeps them fresh and keeps varmints out.
3.) How much would you pay for each size? Maybe $12? It was a great gift but I can’t remember the last time I bought horse treats myself.
4.) Shipped in bags or boxes? (With boxes the price goes up!) Boxes
5.) Are there any common ingredients you wouldn’t want in them? No, probably less sugar
6.) Are there any ingredients you would want in them? Flax would be nice
7.) What is your favorite current brand for horse treats? Why? Mrs. Pastures Horse Cookies because that’s what we were given.
8.) What is your least favorite? Why?
9.) Would you want Sugar Free treats as an option? Doesn’t matter to me.
10.) Do you think you would buy treats from my business if I made one? Maybe. My horses are happy with a piece of candy cane, a horse treat, an apple, a carrot or even an alfalfa cube. I think they are nice gifts for horsepeople but I’m not sure I’d go out of the way to buy them for my own horses.

I agree that you will need to look into regulations and labeling. Selling food products also comes with some liability. In terms of the size of the treat, consider that some horses are prone to choke.

A quick google search shows that at least in Virginia, you need a license before you can sell pet treats because they are considered “Small Package Commercial Feed”.

https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/pet-treat-booklet.pdf

In New York you need to fill out a form and provide a label with ingredients.

https://agriculture.ny.gov/food-safety/commercial-feed

If you want to sell in multiple states that could get complicated.

This etsy listing says they are “tested and approved by the Dept of Agriculture”

https://www.etsy.com/listing/678682245/50-horse-treats-heart-shape-eco-friendly?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=horse+treats&ref=sr_gallery-1-17&organic_search_click=1&frs=1

[Horsegirl_s_Mom]

Something to think about is the distribution method and how long the treats remain good. Are you looking at a mostly local business where you drive around to drop off the product at nearby tack and stores, or potentially a nationwide online business, or?? To put your product in stores, I would think the proprietor would want to know the product is shelf stable for 6 months or more. For an online business, how would you get your name out there, and how would your product be distinguished from competitors?

[rockymouse]

I applaud your entrepreneurial spirit! I, however, would never buy horse treats because generic fig newtons and generic ginger snaps are just so cheap at the dollar store.

[gertie06]

@Le Equestrian

Is there anything else you think would make them sell better?

Marketing 101: your product needs to solve a problem in order to be competitive. That’s how you position it. Think about that. What can you offer that other horse treats can’t? Here are some potential “problems” that owners may have:

• I want to shop local
• Horse treats are too expensive. I’ll just buy peppermints (even though they’re hard on teeth).
• I prefer eco-friendly products
• I want my horse’s treats to be more than just yummy (ie joint or gut support)
• Etc.

Marketing pro tip: look for a point of difference, identify the problem you solve, or die trying :). Might be worth your time to survey friends (or even COTHers) about what they like/dislike about the current treats on the market.

[Kemosabe]

Many states require registration of food products for horses. Some states it is $50.00 per product per year.

You will need to get your treats analyzed by a licensed laboratory for mandatory food labeling information: protein, fat, fiber, ash, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, etc.

You will need a stability study for shelf life.

Live probiotics would die in a treat because of the heat of processing (cooking). You could use a non-viable yeast probiotic which is pretty stable, but they are not capable of colonization.

Are you solving a problem?..or just joining the Me Too of treats?

How will you differentiate yourself… certified organic, non GMO? You will need to get certified by USDA Certified Organic or the Non GMO project if you want to be verified and provide customers proof of your organic or non GMO status.

I say all this as someone who started and runs a successful equine and canine supplement company. States like Virginia and Texas can shut you down in a heartbeat, send you a cease and desist letter if you don’t follow those state’s rules and registration requirements.

The treat market is fairly saturated, so you will need to figure out what makes your treats “better” or different.