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From the Desk of Marty Schaffel: Broadening Our Market

I received a call from a friend back in 2009 during the last recession. He said there was a famous golf pro who was involved in developing a new golf course and housing development. But the project was in deep trouble. He asked if I would join a team to take a look at the situation and see what if any help we could provide. I said I was excited to try and be of help. 

It was a very interesting situation. The developers built an extremely challenging golf course with the intent to sell lots for homes as well as golf memberships. That idea has been around for a long time. So what was the problem? 

The golf course was way too difficult to navigate and enjoy for anyone but really great golfers. It was one of the hardest golf courses in the country to play. They were marketing this development to retirees who loved to play golf.  But the people who would really enjoy it and be able to play the golf course were very few in numbers.  So in a nutshell they had boxed themselves into a corner and allowed themselves a very small market. And when the recession hit they were in trouble. 

This is what happens when you have too few people who are able to enjoy or afford the opportunities the situation has to offer. Not far away was another golf course community that was thriving. They appealed to a broader range of people who would be able to afford the membership and enjoy the experience. 

My concerns for our breed and market is quite similar. We cannot get stuck in a place where too few people can afford or enjoy what we have to offer. We must broaden our appeal to a larger market.  An example of this happened last week at the Kentucky Horse Park, where Saddlebreds competed successfully simultaneously in the show ring at Lexington Junior League and eventing at Champagne Run Horse Trials.  I saw our breed excelling in a wide range of disciplines, divisions, and classes. Looking at the large ASHA National Select Series and Hunter Country Pleasure classes at Junior League and the ten plus Saddlebred Sport Horses having strong placings in eventing, the opportunity is there. 

If we continue to broaden our appeal, we all can be successful. If we don’t, we will have limited the opportunity for success and enjoyment for everyone involved. We must make it possible for the market to be broader. We have no choice.

Marty Schaffel, ASHA President