| Update January
2007...My gosh - has it been 2 years since I
have updated this thing?
Things really haven't changed
much internally around here. We are still a small
business doing our best to compete with
multi-million dollar corporations.
We can't count on flying under
their radar any longer. They know we are here and
we are a thorn in their side.
The only big change that went on
behind the scenes this year was that we have
phased out our wholesale leather shop. While we
still have a few wholesale clients, it is no
longer our core business - thanks to you. We stay
so busy in the shop making halters for our retail
customers that we no longer have the time or
manpower to pursue and service other retail shops.
The growing pains keep coming.
Last week I could have purchased a new car (not a
fancy one...maybe a Saturn) - this week I may be rummaging
through the couch cushions for grocery money.
We struggle daily to keep our
prices competitive within the reality that is our
flat rate shipping policy. Due to gas prices, UPS
rates have soared in the past four years. We have
held the line at $5. We think that 9 out of 10
times if you do the math you will save money with
us over our competition. Still, almost daily,
someone will call up asking us to
"price-match". We cannot and will not do
it, since none of our competitors that we are
aware of are willing to match our shipping policy.
Fair is fair. Besides our philosophy is that if
you spend enough time shopping you can find
anything cheaper somewhere.
While you are at it, look at
their minimum order policies. Everyone has a
minimum order except us. That's because we are a
company founded by, run by, and built upon serving
the small horseman.
Let me close by saying that we
are still striving to offer better service, better
prices, and better selection every single day. |
|
| Update March
2005...I am selling an awful lot of stuff
around here to still be so poor! I can't thank all
of our customers enough for their support over the
past year. We are still growing in popularity - so
much so that our competition is coming to our site
wanting links.
Of course it is beneath most of them to give us a
reciprocal link...but what the heck. We are still
nothing more than a small country leather shop. No
one has ever accused us of having good sense. Most
of these guys could buy our operation with the
money from their cash drawer so we consider it
quite a compliment that they even notice us at
all.
This spring we launched our
three (relatively) independent service sites...
Notice the FREE theme thing
going on around here? When all is said and
done we are nothing more than horse people wanting
to help other horse people and hopefully put food
on the table in the process. As I write this we
are even getting ready to launch yet another site
- offering FREE web sites to horse clubs and
farms. Geez, will we never learn.
So I'll finish up my little
update. Once again I would like to thank you
for your support. I guess you can consider
yourself horse people - supporting horse people -
who support horse people. |
|
| Update May
2004...Wow what a change the last year has
brought. While C&W Western Horse has been in
business since 1989, Kyhorse.com is a relatively
new venture for us. Having lost the development
business of another (competing) horse supply web
site, I decided to put my ideas and concepts to
work on my own site. Before 2003, Kyhorse.com was
pretty much a light weight information site used
mostly to keep the members of the National Barrel
Horse Association of Kentucky informed of shows
and standings.
We sold a few halters,
but that was about it. We decided to increase our
inventory and offerings and "re-launch"
the site as a shopping site. Wow, did it ever
work. As we approach the halfway mark of 2004 we
are already at the goals we set for the entire
year. If we can maintain our current progress and
growth we will have to shed our "little guy -
hole in the wall" image. Heck, I might even
buy a good suit.
We wanted to take a moment to
thank you for visiting and to thank our many
customers for making us the success we are quickly
becoming. |
Kyhorse.com is the
"brain child" of Wes Forsythe, a former Kentucky
State Director of the National Barrel Horse Association,
national level foxhunt field trial judge, and owner of C&W Western Horse. Our primary goal is to become the premier web site for
horsemen in and around the country to stay informed of the
news and issues of the equine industry. Our site is
offered as a hub of information to assist all equine
organizations and horsemen who wish to take advantage of
it.
C&W Western Horse is a small
family owned and operated leather shop located in
Cynthiana, KY. We specialize in leather turn-out and dress
halters. We do not pretend to be a big
company, maintain a huge inventory, or try to be the only
store you will ever need. Instead we simply try to offer a
fair deal on quality products and hope to turn a little
profit so that we can afford to buy groceries for our own
little herd of quarter horses.
Kyhorse.com follows a policy that
all breeds and disciplines of equine activity are
dependent on each other. In our view the child and his
backyard pony are just as important to the industry as a
whole as the winner of the Kentucky Derby. We recognize
that creating an environment of cooperation between all of
the facets of horsemanship builds a foundation that
supports the entire industry, from the weekend trail rider
to the large breeding operation.
Wes Forsythe is the webmaster and
author of Kyhorse.com. His former involvement in the NBHA grew
out of his desire to improve the conditions of barrel
racing and other equine competitions. He grew up with
horses and began barrel racing in the mid 1980's. He spent
several years as horse trainer, mostly working with youth
horses and problem solving. While he no longer trains
horses professionally, beyond his involvement with this
web site and the NBHA, he is still deeply rooted in the
industry as a leather craftsman, show arena operator, field-trial fox
hunting judge, and horse owner and breeder. |
