Horses, Horses, Horses
For many years, Helena lived and rode in Hamilton, Massachusetts, former location of the USET headquarters, as well as the home of the Myopia Hunt, with whom she rode as both an employee and a subscribing member. With Groton House, Ledyard, and Gathering Farm all within hacking distance, Helena galloped over some legendary cross country terrain. As the mom of a young child, competing herself wasn’t an option at the time, but hunting regularly and grooming for friends was a pretty nice substitute!
Barn Management
Working students are usually on the younger side, but Helena turned that idea around and offered barn work and management in exchange for lessons as an adult. It was the perfect situation for a new mom who opted not to return to the corporate world, and who wanted to soak up every aspect of horse and barn care that she could. She worked in barns of all sizes, primarily for eventing, foxhunting, and hunter/jumper trainers.
Mucking stalls, feeding, turning out (and in, and out, and in), lunging, hacking horses, ordering hay and supplies, shopping for lesson horses, grooming and tacking client horses (hunt mornings were something special!), managing lesson programs and pony camps, organizing clinics and events; these were all a part of her barn work experience.
The pivotal point in her stable management career, however, came when she and her boss, Coach Jenn, were charged with turning around an historically unprofitable, full-service stable. Armed with an Excel spreadsheet, some fudge brownies, and a roaring fire, Helena’s first Equestrian Program Strategy Meeting took place in the middle of a frigid New England winter. The programs and ideas that came out of that meeting, and all that followed, soon resulted in a profitable barn with healthy horses, happy staff, and satisfied clients.
Entrepreneurship
Around this time, Helena started her own business, The Barn Works. It began as an online tack shop that quickly evolved into a digital marketing service for equestrians. One of her many corporate jobs was as a website developer and software Usability Expert (UI/UX). When you design an online tack shop that’s easy to use, it makes sense that your skillset could benefit other business owners in your niche. Helena developed websites and marketing plans for Olympians and Pony Clubbers, sales barns, and retailers. Eventually, the business expanded into other industries and the name changed to accommodate that growth. In 2014, The Barn Works was re-named Sparkle and Boom Communications, and podcasting became the creative and strategic focus.
Helena believes that the ever-changing business landscape requires an open mind, an eye on technology, and a fairly flexible business model. Stall and Stable began as a podcast produced by Sparkle and Boom, but as its popularity has grown, so have the inbound requests for advice and guidance.
While horses are her passion, Helena’s work with clients in other industries brings added value to her equestrian consultations. For example, eight years as an embedded marketing specialist with an SBA financing company inspired her to create a set of user-friendly business tools for horse professionals.
Barn Design
She’s not an architect or builder, but Helena’s been involved in the building and remodeling of several barns. Believe it or not, it was her software development background that helped inform her decisions regarding the functional design of these properties. Success was measured by safety, functionality, and efficiency. Plus, being able to spare her clients from some common (and not-so-common) mistakes in barn design is just one of the reasons Stall and Stable consulting is so helpful. (Ask her about the mare who spent a night with her leg caught in a stall partition, or the gelding who helped himself to a gallop over an award-winning golf course!)
Helena and her family have a small horse property in southern New England called Hoo Hollow. Their 2-stall barn was previously a beat up garage. Under Helena’s direction, the garage became an adorable home for her 21-year-old Appaloosa gelding and her 8-year-old Thoroughbred mare. It will always be a work in progress, but shortly after the barn was completed, Helena was thrilled to see it featured in the swanky and esteemed equestrian blog, Stable Style!
Just recently, Helena and Buck purchased a proper farm in Aiken County, South Carolina. With lots of room for three horses and more moderate temperatures, the Harrises are excited to expand the “Hoo” brand at their new farm, “Hoo Too”.