{Jenny and daughter Stephanie}
When you were a little girl, did you want a pony? Well Jenny Scwartz and Ann Brown will grant that wish to everyone with their new venture Equestrian Neightion. Both women have been avid riders all their lives. They met through their daughters who ride together in the New Canaan Mounted Troop program. Sharing stories about how passionate riders can be and about how they and their daughters would rather ride than do anything else, Ann had a thought. “Why not provide the riding experience on line?” That’s when a lightning bolt went off in Jenny’s head, “It would be like Club Penguin but for horse enthusiasts.” Jenny says, “I got goose bumps and thought, I want to do this!” Both women know that horse crazed kids never get enough of horses.
{Ann and daughter Hailey}
A year went in to the planning of the site and the overall experience for users. Working with a proven web designer and self funding the project allowed them to move forward. The site the two women came up with is not only fun for the users but educational as well. Initially they launched a blog and the “EQNipedia” ( a riding term dictionary). The site has 27 unique Horsemanship How-To videos, also hosted on the EQNeightion Youtube Channel, that show techniques needed for riders. Jenny and Ann’s daughters and their barn mates were the stars of these how to guides. Their EQNeightion Channel has already received over 35,000 views and they have 3,700 fans on their Facebook.
Next was the creation of a virtual barn; the Equestrian Neightion Riding Academy (www.eqneightion.com/ridingacademy). The EQN Riding Academy allows users to create and name their own horse, and then wander around the Tack Store, the Barn, and the Gaming Arena. Through quizzes and games, kids can earn “barn bucks” to spend on items needed for their horse, like peppermint treats, shampoo and sponges, or saddles and bridles. The Gaming Arena Exposes kids to products, tasks and horse lingo that they would typically experience in a real barn. The cutting edge technology, which is building the realistic graphics, allows Jenny and Ann to create an experience that is authentic and unique.
Phase two will be an expansion of the real estate, such as a virtual trail ride and a veterinary clinic where riders will need to answer horse health challenge questions to earn barn bucks. Jenny and Ann have designed the site to provide the total experience of owning and taking care of a horse. For many, owning a horse is not a possibility, but through the Equestrian Neightion, everyone can have one. Not only that, the site can be geared to different age levels. It is important that the site not be junk food but rather, a fun learning experience.
Jenny and Ann have also put together a board of advisors made up of people with a wide variety of experiences. While they have a plan, both women recognize that many web developers end up somewhere completely different than where they thought. You have to go with the wind, so for now they are forging ahead but open to the flow that may take them in a different direction. They feel they have jumped off the cliff but say, “no guts, no glory.”
Contact: www.eqneightion.com, [email protected], [email protected]
VentureMom Tip
If you feel strongly enough about your idea, jump off the cliff with it and see where you end up.
