Op/Ed: The Answer is in our Backyard

We've all found ourselves recently dissecting the big questions: how do we affect perception of our sport to the public? How do we offer transparency about our operations? How do we overcome objections and proactively tell a positive story? One of the efforts addressing these concerns with incredible efficacy is Visit Horse Country.

Claiborne has welcomed fans and guests to the farm seven days a week, twice a day, for many years, so we believed in the idea: if we open the gates, if we do so in a coordinated manner as an industry effort, we can deepen engagement with our existing fan base, and reach new and untapped customer bases. Think of the millions who have visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail over the last 20 years–we have often said we would do well to replicate that model, and we're making progress.

Thirty-seven percent of Claiborne's guests over the past year indicate they have “never” attended an equine-related event, and yet they leave Claiborne with a more positive perception than when they came (as measured by before- and after-experience Net Promoter Scores). It's working.

The planning and shepherding of Visit Horse Country has been supported by Claiborne from early days; I have served on the board since the beginning as our model of revenue sharing was developed so the organization could work toward sustainability. A portion of tour sales is retained by Visit Horse Country, a portion is returned to the farm.

We initially approached the concept with caution as our tours had been offered complimentary for many years. What would it mean to charge for tours? How would this new structure impact the way things had been done before? Would existing fans be turned off? For a time, Claiborne maintained a tour at 11 a.m. outside of Visit Horse Country, while offering the 10 a.m. tour through Visit Horse Country.

There was an adjustment, but the tours filled and filled with new guests who joined our regulars. The data we have gathered and maintain helps us to stay in contact with all fans and guests and provide an excellent experience that is responsive to guests' expectations and hopes. The staffing and marketing efforts of Visit Horse Country have grown group traffic and united our offerings while being a proactive platform for positive messaging to the world (all 50 states and 22 countries outside the U.S.). It's working.

All our tours are now offered through Visit Horse Country–we are not only early adopters, we are fully bought in. As we've welcomed new people, we've also developed new tours. We've purchased a shuttle, created a visitor center and gift shop, hired staff, added parking; we've been busier than ever. It's working.

We knew that the access and transparency provided in our tours was powerful, but perhaps we didn't realize how powerful it could be when we chose to realize visitors and fans are our customers too.

We're proud to support this important effort through the contribution of our time, facilities, staff and proceeds from tours. I encourage all of us in the industry to consider how we can support Visit Horse Country–with more experiences, financial support, in-kind access–whatever you have to give.

As we continue to invest in efforts on perception change, public relations and fan development, we should not forget that the answer is, well, in our backyard.