- Published March 6, 2023
How to streamline the stable management
In all types of stables, the life we live and the work we do is characterized by routine.
The horses make us routine machines and the workload we horse people normally have during a day requires high speed with efficient systems.
However, miscommunication often happens in stables with many employees and horses. We work with such speed and with routines that are so integrated, it can be hard to remember when something has changed.
If you decide in a discussion that a part of the routine needs to change for a specific reason, it can be easy to forget later on when your habit of doing it a certain way is so worked in.
At the same time, team members in stables are often switching. It takes time to work in new team members in a stable.
It takes time to make them confident in the daily routine and think in a way that aligns with the philosophy and principles of the stable.
It takes time to make them remember all the needs for each horse and get to know how to work efficiently with the best systems.
How can a digital stable management app help new team members become comfortable in the daily routine?
How can digital systems make the daily routine and life in the stable more efficient?
And how can working digitally in the stable help new team members take more responsibility at an early stage?
There is no doubt that when people feel more involved and included, they will perform better. But what exactly is including and involving team members in a stable?
In my eyes, it is making all team members aware of the values, principles, missions and goals for the stable as a business.
It is making goals for the team as a whole, and for each team member. It is making sure each team member is aware of the long-run and daily plan for the horses, the stable and the whole team.
When everyone keeps their eyes on the same goal, with the same values and principles, team members will start to work together, instead of just working at the same place.
How to help new team members become comfortable in the daily routine
We all know that routines need to be worked in and it takes time to teach new people the way you work in the stable.
But by keeping a whiteboard showing the training plan for all the horses, help the employees get an overview of what should be done for the day instead of being told what to do horse by horse.
However, the traditional whiteboard normally only has space for some letter codes like W for walker, R for riding, L for longing etc. Additionally the whiteboard will be wiped clean after each week.
Switching to a digital whiteboard in the stable will give more space for adding details to the whiteboard and assigning the task to certain employees. What tack should those next horses be ridden with? How should they be longed?
With a digital whiteboard, everyone in the stable can get access to information about the horses and the plan for the day.
How digital systems make the daily routine and life in the stable more efficient
With a digital system that shows a plan with everything that needs to be done for the day or the week, it is much easier for the employees to focus on their job and not wonder what they should do next and how they should do it.
Additionally, adding details to the jobs that need to be done will give the new employees a better confidence in their job and will reduce time spent on employees making mistakes. Giving the employees an overview of the plan for the stable with a complete overview of who is doing what with which horses, is a way of making the employees feel more included.
It is a way of giving them an overview of the whole plan and a way of making everyone work towards the same goal.
How working digitally in the stable help new team members take more responsibility at an early stage
With a digital stable management system, the stable and all the employees have a full overview of shoeings, vaccinations, deworming and all other information about the horses. There is no longer only one person sitting on the information about certain horses.
There is no longer a problem when that one rider having all the information about each horse leaves for a holiday or on sick leave.
The information about the horses is easily available for everyone working in the stable.
The digital system will automatically remind the people in charge when the horses need new shoes or vaccines. It is easier to take responsibility when the team has access to information about the horses. It is easier to take action when you feel involved and included with an overview of all the horses and the stable.