CANADIAN HORSE REVIEWS: A PROGRESS REPORT

The Mission Continues: 
The Canadian Horse Reviews is still committed to promoting the flow of information between equine customers and equine businesses to increase the overall satisfaction and enjoyment of people who love and care for horses!

We are still updating and maintaining this blog four years later! However, we have not been as effective as we could have hoped; the horse industry is large, and much of the information we obtain requires formatting and editing. Our progress in building has been slower than anticipated, but we are still hanging in there!

Thank you for your contributions: 
We greatly appreciate the consumer feedback you have provided! We greatly appreciate the businesses that have contacted us to contribute and correct information!

We also sincerely apologize for those who have contacted us and failed to receive a timely response; unfortunately, time remains the biggest limitation in maintaining this site.

Financial FAQs:
We still are using (free!) public hosting sites.

We are still maintaining the blog without compensation. (Maintenance on this blogs consists of total hours of man power required to enter information on the blog, time spent on design and formatting, as well as time spent researching businesses and services.)

We (still) don't receive any money from businesses to feature themselves.

We (still) don't receive any money from customers who utilize our services.

We (still) don't receive any money from groups or associations that we link to.

We are still using Google AdSense as our main advertiser. So far, we have not earned any money. It feels like as soon as we approach the payment threshold, Google raises it. We are, on average, earning 4 cents per day after our click history has been thoroughly reviewed. At this rate, we will receive our first payment in approximately three years. Unless Google raises the payment threshold again.

We have investigated other advertisement options, but feel that AdSense remains our best option without compromising the integrity of the blog, or subjecting users to annoying and excessive advertising.

Thank you for your support, 

Your Friendly Neighbourhood, 

Admin

CANADIAN HORSE REVIEWS FINANCE FAQS

Do you charge to list a business? 
No.
In the future, after our trial period, we might look at offering businesses the opportunity to donate to support the service, as well as additional incentives for businesses to contribute. However, this must be balanced with our most important goal; promoting the unrestricted flow of information for the betterment of horse lovers everywhere!
Do you reward people for reviewing a business and/or service?
No.
Currently, this blog is still in it's trial period, and there is an investigation into the possibility of offering regular draws or prizes for participation.However, this must be factored into our budget, see below.
Does this blog cost any thing to run?
No.
All of our services are currently provided free of charge through public hosting sites. Eventually, we would like to budget for private service providers, such as domain hosting ($5.00 per month), survey and ratings providers ($17.00 per month), and other cool features.
This blog is currently maintained at no cost. Maintenance on this blogs consists of total hours of man power required to enter information on the blog, time spent on design and formatting, as well as time spent researching businesses and services.
Ideally, compensation for maintenance would equal more maintenance! Eventually, we would like to budget to allow for maintenance cost for the blog at approximately half of the provincial hourly minimum wage. This would work out to roughly $50 per week at the current maintenance rate.
Does this blog make any money?  
No.
We don't receive any money from businesses to feature themselves.
We don't receive any money from customers who utilize our services.
We don't receive any money from groups or associations that we link to.
We currently use Google AdSense as our main advertiser. At this time, we have earned an estimated $0.83. Total funds required for payout = $10.00, after the click history has been thoroughly reviewed.
We will look into other advertisement providers after our trial period expires.

TRIAL BUDGET 2010
Profit: $0
Goal Profit: $5/monthly
Hosting Costs: $0
Operating Costs: 0$

DRAFT BUDGET FOR 1ST PERIOD AFTER THE TRIAL
Profit: $5/monthly
Goal Profit: $30/monthly
Hosting Costs: $5/monthly

MISSION STATEMENT

The #1 reason behind this blog:
The horse industry unlike most other industries relies heavily on word of mouth. That is, businesses build up a client list most often through referrals and rarely, if ever, advertise. There are of course, directories of equine businesses available on various websites, but these directories are often incomplete or misleading.
This lack of information flow can be to the downfall of the consumer; if customers cannot find a referral within their circle, they are left with a very small portion of the industry that is advertising at the moment. Often, this results in the "Cold Call"; where customers call numerous businesses just to find out if they even offer the service that they are looking for.
This can be to the downfall of the business; who is often unaware just how large the market is for their service!
Sometimes, this lack of information flow between customers and businesses can lead to negative outcomes. The customer could receive substandard or poor quality service. The business could suffer from high customer turnover or low profits.
This affects the Horse Industry greatly in the big picture: People as a whole are less satisfied with their experiences and commit less of their resources to the industry! Customers put off or stop spending money on services because they are difficult to procure or they have had a poor experience in the past. Business owners commit less time and money to offering services that are undervalued, difficult to market, or simply frustrating to operate.
Therefore,  The Mission Statement of Canadian Horse Reviews is as follows:
The Canadian Horse Reviews Blog is committed to promoting the flow of information between equine customers and equine businesses to increase the overall satisfaction and enjoyment of people who love and care for horses!

NEW! POLLS AND RATINGS

As you may have noticed, this site is being revised to improve readability, usability and effectiveness! There is now the opportunity to "rate" the businesses that are featured on this blog.
This feature will be added to existing entries over time. All existing entries are upgraded as time permits, according to popularity.
At this time, this is done by utilizing a free service which allows 100 blog readers to rate their experiences with listed businesses per month. If this becomes popular, this will be upgraded to a paid service.
Ratings will posted on the blog as soon as they are available and updated monthly.
Thank you for your interest,
Your Friendly Neighbourhood,
Admin

CONTACT LETTER

As a business owner, you may receive the following email from our account; canadianhorsereviews@gmail.com or 
canadianhorsebusinessreviews@gmail.com

Attn: Business Owner/Operator

This email is to inform you that you have been listed on the website;

www.canadianhorsereviews.blogspot.com 

This website lists Equine Services that have been recommended by customers (Congratulations!), and is intended to provide a detailed directory of exceptional equine businesses and services in Canada. Listings are continuously reviewed and updated to provide current information and interesting features. 

Mission Statement: The Canadian Horse Reviews Blog is committed to promoting the flow of information between equine customers and equine businesses to increase the overall satisfaction and enjoyment of people who love and care for horses!

Of course, we would greatly appreciate your assistance in providing the best possible service. We would like to invite you to take a moment to review the information that has been provided for accuracy. You are more than welcome to provide additional information regarding your services, as well as pictures, links, etc. Feel free to tell us how you are involved in the equine community, and which organizations you support!

Yours Sincerely, 

Canadian Horse Reviews

You are, of course, under no obligations and welcome to contact us for more information at any time.  

Thank you for your support, 

Your Friendly Neighbourhood, 

Admin

CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME

Because there is a need for as much information as possible, and yet a desire to protect the reputations of the innocent, every effort will be made to make sure each post is clearly marked.
Please feel free to recommend services and businesses that you feel have provided you with exceptional service! 
First, there is a SYNOPSIS - This is information that is purposely and publicly made available by the person and or business in question in order to promote their business and educate people as to the services that they offer.
REVIEW - A general summation of the services available or not available, as well as general opinions about the business. Opinions regarding the business may include POSITIVES as well as NEGATIVES. This is because no service is one hundred percent perfect or terrible. Reviews also can include public information such as news articles, show results, etc.
CONTACT INFORMATION is published - for example, Names, Location, and Phone Numbers. This is because these services are being offered by businesses. A business should be a matter of public record. How else will all the good word get out? In the name of good business practices, we will "out" public ads that fail to disclose the name of the person and or business offering the service.
HEARSAY - This is a customers opinion of a service or business that they might not have any direct experience with. This is remarkably common in the horse industry because most businesses rely heavily on word of mouth. This information will be published subject to some guidelines or restrictions: No accusations of a crime, fraud or misdemeanor will be published without proof.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES are always welcome, there is no guarantee regarding the truth of these claims but it is not SLANDER or LIBEL.
PHOTOS - Once posted on the internet, these for the most part fall under Public Domain. This is especially the case if the photo has been published for the sake of advertising the business. Compelling cases for the photos in question to be removed are, of course, entertained.
If you would like to contribute to this blog, and add a business to this blog, simply click the "RECOMMEND SERVICE" link on the sidebar, then comment on the appropriate entry - FARRIER, TRAINING, BOARDING, ETC. The comment will be moderated into a listing for this business, and additional public information that is available may be added.
If you would like to comment on a business that is currently listed, please comment directly on the appropriate entry, i.e. DIXONVILLE STABLES. The comment may be subject to moderation to conform to the above guidelines. Foul language is not appropriate or appreciated.
If you have a business and would like to post some information, please feel free! You are welcome to submit a listing of the services you offer, qualifications, and even photos!

Regards,
Your Friendly Admin

GENERAL INFORMATION

LOOKING FOR EQUINE SERVICES IN YOUR AREA?
This blog is attempt to increase information and accountability in the Canadian horse industry.
This is currently a trial project to see if more can be done to connect people to reputable businesses and services that that offer the goods and services they need.
Please tell us about the exceptional service you received!
Please tell us about the exceptional service you offer!
All information gathered on this blog is gathered from public domain and sources.
All customer reviews are based on his/her own experiences and truthfulness. Anyone is more than welcome to share his/her side of the story.
Photos, once used as advertising for a business or service, are generally considered public domain.
If you are the owner of the business and would like
- a photo to contain any caption information such as the date and subject, just ask.
- the photo to contain a relevant link, just ask.
- your copyright logo to no longer be associated with your information on this website, I will remove the logo at your request and make a public note available that I have done so.
Compelling complaints or requests to remove photos will be entertained.
The ultimate objective is to produce a fair, equitable review of the service in question, and direct customers to services that best suit his/her needs.
Thanks!
Your Friendly Neighbourhood,
Admin