Making Ends Meet During COVID-19

[Kimberly_Loushin]

During what is normally one of the busiest points of the year in horse sports, virtually everything has come to a standstill. Sure, there are implications for competitors, but there are also thousands of other people who surround and are financially supported by these competitions: braiders, photographers, grooms, vendors, concessions, jump crew, officials, and so on.

Are you someone whose livelihood has been affected by the shutdown? How are you making ends meet, and how can people help?
Alternatively, are you an employer trying to figure out how to compensate your employees during this time? Tell us about it!
You can also email responses to eharty@coth.com.

[Jenerationx]

I feel for everyone being effected by the shut downs. I saw over 100 people temporarily laid off by my company in the travel industry, and I’m hoping to come out of this with my job intact. It’s scary not knowing when things will resume.

[MysticOakRanch]

I’m self employed - not the horse industry, but it PAYS my horse costs. My business has ground to a screeching halt, and it looks like I’m on hold until Fall, since I do work with public schools. No income coming in, the joys of self employment…

I will I’ll be living off my savings account over the next six months. Not much else I can do. At least I don’t have employees depending on me.

Since the horse shows are also on hold, I will cut some corners there. No reason to join USEF, or upgrade my USDF membership to PM. No show costs either. Even if the shows start back up in the next month or two, I think I’m on hold until my business is back in business! People forget that self employed people don’t qualify for disability or unemployment benefits.

I feel lucky to have a healthy savings account. Also relieved I’m not running a restaurant, or travel agency, or small retail business. My business will bounce back in the Fall. Not everyone can say that.

The horse industry has been through a few shake downs over the past 15 years. Major recession which killed off many trainers and breeders. Then the neuro Rhino strain a few years ago which also shut down much of a show season. This pandemic isn’t going to help anyone in the horse industry, or many other industries.

[atlatl]

I’m not self employed, am able to work from home and my company is well positioned so we are continuing to work and get paid. Some creative approaches are in place to make sure all our employees get paid.

I’m very grateful and realize it’s not the case for all so I’m continuing to pay the self-employed people I usually deal with so they have some income as if I were seeing them.

I encourage anyone who can do the same to consider it. We’re all in this together.

[Joanne]

It seems like all the Aldi stores need help. Walmart, too. I went in there to pick up an online order which was supposed to be ready for pickup. It was still on the pallet. I was offered a job on the spot.

Of course, those jobs come with a risk of dealing with the public.

[Foxglove]

I was called out of retirement to teach at the high school when nearby states shut their school’s doors and the parents whose kids attended there could not find child care – our town is only 4 miles from the state boarder, and I heard that about 20% of staff live on “the other side.” I ended up making a tidy sum that was completely unexpected before my own school shut down. Other than stock feed ahead (in case the mill shuts), I am good for a month or more.

[brody]

@atlatl

I’m not self employed, am able to work from home and my company is well positioned so we are continuing to work and get paid. Some creative approaches are in place to make sure all our employees get paid.

I’m very grateful and realize it’s not the case for all so I’m continuing to pay the self-employed people I usually deal with so they have some income as if I were seeing them.

I encourage anyone who can do the same to consider it. We’re all in this together.

Thank you you thank you thank you. This will literally save people.

[atlatl]

@brody

Thank you you thank you thank you. This will literally save people.

We all need to save each other. That’s what social distancing is all about; thinking of others.

[emipou]

I’m very fortunate in that not only do I work for a small business that is international and already had a lot of telecommute tools and protocol in place before this, but also we are helping to provide media rentals to companies like cable, Amazon, Google. New projects might slow down but subscriptions of media will probably increase right now.
My husband entertains part time and that work is gone for now.

I feel so badly for all who are being negatively affected by this.
I will do my best to continue to maintain business as usual with the barn and the all the various services for now.

Obviously, who knows how this will all go a month or even two from now.

I am trying to provide financial support to people like my trainer, local tack stores, and online horse gear businesses, but it also isn’t really a time for extravagant spending.

[Jenerationx]

I’ve been lucky enough to work from home for over 2 years, so have everything in place to continue to do so for as long as my company can handle the financial hemorrhage that they’re experiencing with nobody booking new travel. For now, there are plenty of people’s travel and vacation plans effected that need to be handled with the cruise lines, airlines, and resorts so we are necessary as a point of contact for now. I can only hope that things recover as fast as they went down, but nobody knows for sure how long this is going to go on and how it’s going to pan out.

[NotGrandPrixYet]

My business is not affected in a major way, but everyone is going to be touched by this in some way. I’ll do my part by sharing food, accommodations, supplies, etc whenever I can. I am already providing free hay for the guy down the road.

[ClassyJumper]

Those who cannot work from home will need child care as daycares/school close! Win-win situation if you can find someone in need.

[Core6430]

I run a FB group for dressage clinic advertising, and I’m trying to find ways to help trainers through this.

I’m letting trainers post advertisements for virtual lessons, or sale of gift cards, or pre-purchasing lesson packages for future lessons. I figured at least it’d be some money coming in for them (if we can get riders to do it).

I wondered if there were some other ways I could help the technophobes/technically challenged cross the hurdle to virtual. Cheap ways to make it easy and accesible.

i wasn’t planning on taking lessons until later this summer, but I’m going to do a virtual lesson with my trainer next month… just to try to help. I still have my job and knock on wood so far everyone’s healthy still.

[cute_lil_fancy_pants]

Is anyone spending more time with their horses since work and such has been cancelled? I don’t think being at the barn really puts anyone at risk as long as we maintain social distance.

[MysticOakRanch]

@cute_lil_fancy_pants_pony

Is anyone spending more time with their horses since work and such has been cancelled? I don’t think being at the barn really puts anyone at risk as long as we maintain social distance.

My barn is on lock-down because one selfish woman showed up 3 days coughing. She ruined it for everyone. I’m seriously upset at her - and personally think she should be kicked out of the barn! :mad:

To add to it, I just got the release to drive after 3 weeks (surgery, lost part of my arm), and then THIS happens, so I’ve seen my pony ONE time in the past month. Not that I can ride yet, but I can’t even go scratch his withers and groom him…

Reality is, the barn CAN be at risk. If someone coughs in the tack room, in the feed room, in the restrooms - the virus can live for about 2 to 3 days on hard surfaces (even wood!). So unless people are wiping everything down, there is risk. It is lower risk then going to the grocery store, but still risk.

The biggest risk seems to be PEOPLE - still going out when they are sick…

[smoofox]

My job is not affected per se - I live and work on a breeding farm at the end of a dead end road. I am glad we sold the boarding barn and property next door - they actually had a big clinic up there this past weekend… WTH are they thinking??!

My part time job instructing at a therapeutic riding center is toast right now… the center is closed for who knows how long.

So I have only gone out past the gates for groceries and feed… and was feeling pretty good about my bubble of isolation here. The BO is away in Hawaii at her condo… just me here and 19 horses and 3 dogs and 1 barn cat.

And then today the new hay load has arrived… and I have 4 guys all over the place, coughing in the hay dust, using the bathroom in the barn… UGH.

I had to go up in the loft with them and show them where to stack for access to the trap door to the feed room… and show them the old bales that need to be hauled away… and I was struggling to stay 6 feet away from everyone…

I think my little bubble of calm and peace and safety has been burst…

[fordtraktor]

I had already put some limits and parameters on visits, but my county in Indiana has banned nonessential travel so lessons and boarded horse owner visits are over for now.

Frankly, this is the only time it’s more profitable to own the boarding part of the barn rather than the training part! I put my 2 young horses in full training with my excellent in-house trainer, and told her I’d keep them in training until things get back to normal. It’s the least I can do to help as she will lose a lot of business. Work is listed as essential, so she can travel to the barn and work the horses in training, even though the lessons don’t qualify because the student travel to the barn won’t be essential.

I did pay for feed and shavings delivery for the first time ever, because they will drop it for me from the truck lift, and I can let it sit for a few hours before putting it in the barn.

We are all just doing what we can. For me, the horses aren’t the problem, it’s the distance learning for my kids! OMG.

[Mondo]

I’m extremely thankful that my job at a software company permits me to telecommute with great ease. I’m still working 40 hours a week. So far, most of my lessons have been continuing. But I teach/train at a very small barn (7 horses total) and we are careful to not touch each other, disinfect surfaces and keep our physical distance at 2 meters as recommended. If I couldn’t visit my horse (nutty though he can be) I’d go crazy for sure! Best of luck to anyone who is hurting financially in this weird, weird crisis. In over 6 decades of life I have never seen the like.

[Displaced_Yankee]

I am able to work from home. This week I have been 50/50 in the office or home. However, my SO was essentially “laid off” from his restaurant manager job on Wednesday, when they ordered all restaurants to close, save to go or delivery orders.

As we prepare for more economic issues, I had to call my trainer who comes out and rides my horse once a week and put on hold any additional rides (I had paid her through NEXT week, and I was not going to ask for my money back). I realize that my horse is a luxury pet item and we are cutting expenses.

As we talked we worked out a plan for me to come to clip her horse and she continues her weekly rides. We have a history of bartering these services, but she wanted to “advance” her rides to keep my guy going. I’ll go clip her horse in April. Between my prepaid ride and that, that should buy us 4 weeks and hopefully SO’s restaurant reopens…

[fjordmom]

@fordtraktor

We are all just doing what we can. For me, the horses aren’t the problem, it’s the distance learning for my kids! OMG.

And I just saw on the news, at least in Michigan, the the distance learning won’t even count toward the required school days. Schools will have to extend the year to get in their mandated number of days/hours of seat time. I wonder how that will work out with teacher contracts too. What a mess. sure glad my kids are grown and beyond that.

The horses are, fortunately, the least of my worries. I have them here at home, plenty of hay stocked in, and hopefully (knock wood) they continue to be their healthy selves. We’ll just have to be hermits up on our hill for a while. Not really a big deal for 2 homebodies anyhow.