Level 6 · For professionals
The sport as your profession?
You make your living with horses or are working toward it. Building your own stable, attracting sponsors, riding internationally, training other riders. In time, also offering yourself here as a coach for other levels.
22 guides in English
What to read here.
Selling Your Horse Business: Valuation, Buyers, and Handover
How to sell a stable, riding school, or livery business: what you offer, valuation, finding buyers, and the transfer of customers and contracts.6 min readAttracting Sponsors as a Rider
What sponsors exist in equestrian sport, how deals are typically structured, and what's realistic at your level.5 min readHiring Stable Staff and Help: Employee or Freelancer
How a growing horse business hires grooms or an instructor: employment or freelance, the tax pitfalls, and what to arrange beforehand.5 min readA Business Plan for Your Horse Business
How to build a financially sound business plan for a horse business: investment, operations, revenue, and the numbers a bank wants to see.6 min readVAT and Tax for Horse Businesses in the Netherlands
The main lines of VAT rates and tax for boarding, training, teaching, and horse trading, and where the boundaries lie.6 min read
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Training and Reselling Horses as a Business Model
What it takes to train young horses yourself and resell them at a profit: the numbers, the risks, and when it pays off.6 min readInsurance for a Riding School or Horse Business
Which insurance a riding school, livery yard, or training business needs: from business liability (AVB) to transport and staff.5 min readMarketing Your Stable Business and Getting Found Online
How a stable or riding school attracts more students and ranks better online, without hiring an expensive marketing agency.5 min readPositioning Yourself as a Riding Instructor or Coach
Starting out as a self-employed riding instructor: choosing a niche, setting your rate, and standing out in a market full of generalists.5 min readPricing Lessons and Training Packages
Building a defensible pricing structure for lessons, training, and boarding: calculated from your costs and capacity instead of guessed.6 min readCreating a Sponsorship Proposal and Media Kit
How to build a sponsorship proposal and media kit, which reach and exposure numbers to include, and what a brand actually wants to see.5 min readStarting a Professional and Trustworthy Horse Trading Business
How to buy and sell horses within the law and with a healthy margin: business structure, purchase contract, conformity, VAT, and risk management.6 min readStarting a Training or Trading Stable: Legal Structure, Permits, and Welfare
Which legal structure fits a training or trading stable, which permits you need, and how to arrange animal welfare and liability.5 min readTaking Over an Existing Stable or Riding School: What to Watch For
What taking over a stable or riding school involves: valuation, client base, permits, and the paperwork to check beforehand.6 min read
Transporting a Horse in Hot Weather: The Rules and What Changes in 2027
How hot can it be when you transport a horse? The current limit, the new 30-degree limit from 1 April 2027, and tips to prevent heat stress.4 min readDrafting Boarding and Lesson Contracts: What to Include
How to draft boarding, lesson and stabling agreements as a yard operator that clearly set out payment, responsibility and liability.7 min readArranging Your First International FEI Competition
What you need administratively and logistically for your first international competition: FEI registration, passport, transport, customs, and prize money.6 min readTransporting Horses Abroad: Paperwork and Rules
Which rules apply when transporting horses to Germany, France, or farther: passport, health certificate, TRACES, and transporter's licenses.6 min readLiability in Horse Accidents: When Is a Stable or Trainer Responsible?
When a riding school, stable or trainer is liable if a horse injures a client or third party, and how to limit that risk.6 min read
What everyone asks.
Which business structure fits a training stable?+
A sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) for the first 2–3 years or below €100k revenue: lowest administrative burden. A VOF (general partnership) if you work with a fellow rider. A BV (private limited company) from €100k revenue, for liability protection and growth. Important: for commercial horse operations the Dutch VAT exemption only applies to boarding/training for private owners. Trading falls under 21% VAT. Have this checked by an equine-specialized tax advisor (€150–€250/hr).
How do I attract sponsors at national level?+
Sponsors are scarce at national level (Z to ZZ-Licht). Realistic: equipment sponsors (tack, feed, supplements) are more accessible than cash sponsors. Start local: the dealer where you buy your tack, your feed supplier, or a regional business owner with a love of horses. The pitch: 50–100 show starts per year with logo visibility + social media reach. Expect €500–€5,000 per partner per year; equipment equivalents usually run higher. At international/Olympic level the game changes completely.
Which insurance is essential for a stable of your own?+
Four minimums: business liability (AVB, €2–€5M coverage, ~€500–€1,200/yr), professional liability for instruction errors, property and contents insurance for stable/arena/tack, and accident insurance for yourself and your staff. Optional: legal assistance for purchase disputes, and horse insurance per horse you own. Important: a regular private horse policy does not cover commercial activity. Business use needs separate coverage.
Amounts shown are indicative: actual rates differ per provider, region and season.