Horse professionals from across the United States and around the world begin working together through the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ Pilot Program, helping shape a practical decision-support system through real-world implementation.
For months, horse professionals from across the United States and around the world have been joining the Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) to participate in the development of the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ (ESSG). This week marks an important milestone. The conversation is moving from discussion to implementation as pilot participants begin working through the first toolkit together, applying the process within their own horse operations and helping refine it through real-world experience.
The Equine Safety and Success Guide™ (ESSG) is a step-by-step decision-support system that helps horse professionals build safer, more consistent horse operations through thoughtful management decisions. Rather than asking participants to simply review documents, the pilot invites them to actively implement each step, evaluate the process, ask questions, share observations, and help strengthen the Guide through practical experience.
The pilot begins with the Rules & Expectations Toolkit™, where participants create a personalized Rules & Expectations Form™ for their own horse operation. Rather than adopting a generic document, each participant customizes the form by adding their business or program name, reviewing existing expectations, removing items that don’t apply, and adding rules unique to their operation.
Participants won’t be working through the process alone. Beginning next week, weekly “This Week in the ESSG Pilot” posts and ESSG Pilot Roundtable discussions will guide participants through each step of implementation.
During the first week, the Roundtable will focus on helping participants personalize their Rules & Expectations Form™, discuss why each expectation matters, adapt the form to fit their own horse operation, and share ideas and questions with the group. By the end of the week, participants won’t simply have completed the first assignment.
They’ll have created a Rules & Expectations Form™ designed specifically for their own horse operation.
During the second week, participants will begin introducing their personalized Rules & Expectations Form™ to clients. For many horse professionals, these conversations can be one of the most challenging aspects of management. Knowing how to begin, how to explain expectations clearly, and how to guide the discussion toward a positive outcome are skills that often receive little attention within the industry.
As a preview of what participants will begin working through during the second week of the pilot, we’d like to share one of the conversations from the ESSG Communication Examples Guide™. We hope you’ll find it useful in your own horse operation.
Introducing the Rules & Expectations Form™
Situation
A new client, rider, or parent is beginning lessons or services. Before participating, the horse professional reviews the Rules & Expectations Form™ together with the client to establish shared understanding before the form is initialed and signed.
Why It Matters
Many horse operations provide clients with forms to sign, but few take the time to review expectations together. A brief conversation helps create shared understanding, encourages questions, reduces misunderstandings, and establishes a positive, professional relationship from the very beginning.
Possible Response
“Before we get started, I’d like to spend a few minutes reviewing our Rules & Expectations Form™ together.
Every horse operation has its own way of doing things, and we’ve found it’s helpful to go through our expectations together so everyone starts with the same understanding.
As we review each section, please feel free to stop me at any time if you have questions. Once we’ve discussed a section together, we’ll simply initial it before moving on to the next one. When we’re finished, we’ll sign the completed form together.
Our goal isn’t simply to complete paperwork. It’s to begin a conversation that helps us build a shared understanding from the very beginning.”
Before Ending the Conversation
Consider asking:
- Do you have any questions about any of our rules or expectations?
- Is there anything you’d like me to explain further?
- Is there anything about our policies or procedures that isn’t clear?
- Can you tell me your understanding of our expectations moving forward?
- Is there anything we should discuss now to help make your experience here successful?
Rather than simply handing a client a document to sign, participants review each rule and expectation together, answer questions, explain the purpose behind each expectation, and encourage clients to initial each section as it is discussed. The result is more than a signed document. It is a conversation that helps establish clear expectations and shared understanding before misunderstandings develop.
Throughout the pilot, participants will continue sharing observations, discussing real-world experiences, and suggesting improvements during the weekly Roundtables. Rather than simply evaluating documents, they are helping refine the Guide through practical application within their own horse operations.
The pilot is bringing together a remarkable cross-section of the equine industry. Participants include horse trainers, riding instructors, judges, camp directors, barn managers, horse farm owners, program managers, executive directors, nonprofit leaders, safety professionals, business consultants, recruitment consultants, college faculty, authors, digital creators, equine bodyworkers, functional osteopaths, mounted security professionals, and horse professionals from across the United States and several other countries.
While these professionals serve different roles within the horse industry, many of the management decisions they face are remarkably similar. By working together and sharing real-world experiences, participants are helping build a practical decision-support system that can benefit horse professionals well beyond the pilot itself.
The first ESSG Pilot Roundtable begins next Monday.
Horse professionals interested in participating in the pilot are invited to join the Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) on Facebook before the first implementation posts and Roundtable begin.
The conversation has begun. There is still time to be part of it.
The Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) is an educational initiative dedicated to helping horse professionals build safer, more consistent, and more successful horse operations through practical management, communication, and decision-making.
At the heart of the initiative is the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ (ESSG), a step-by-step decision-support system developed from real-world experience and refined through collaboration with horse professionals representing a wide range of disciplines, organizations, and equine operations.
The Equine Safety and Success Network™ provides educational resources, pilot programs, professional discussions, and practical tools designed to help horse professionals improve communication, strengthen management practices, and create better outcomes for horses, clients, staff, and equine businesses.
Horse professionals interested in participating in the ESSG Pilot Program are invited to join the Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) on Facebook.
Randi Thompson Founder, Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN) Creator, Equine Safety and Success Guide™ (ESSG) Equine Safety Expert and Equine Industry Consultant
Website: www.randithompsonlive.com
For interviews, articles, podcasts, conference presentations, media inquiries, or additional information about the Equine Safety and Success Guide™ or the ESSG Pilot Program, please contact Randi Thompson at randi@randithompsonlive.com