My name is Kristin Aus and I’m the founder of Digital Horse Marketing.
Why start this business in 2022? Because horse people need a marketing partner with business experience and a solid horse industry background.
My horse background
I’m a third generation horse breeder. My grandfather ran about 200 horses at any time. He sold in volume to the Army and they would be delivered to the rail yard and sent off by the railroad carload. Wouldn’t that be a great way to market? Those days are definitely gone!
Dad would talk about how Grandpa would turn his studs out in the spring (after a winter of hauling freight with them as his team) and the studs would sort out which mares they wanted and make their bands. Can you imagine that?
Dad wanted a much more controlled breeding program. His much smaller operation raised a lot of good registered horses. Each was the result of carefully planned matings to his own and other people’s studs. I personally think the best one was my youth gelding who was an amazing ranch horse, a 7 time Canadian National Champion in a variety of classes, and a World Champion heeling horse.
Neither man expected the horse industry to see ultrasounds and shipped semen although Dad was all for it when it became available later in his life. While I always have studs here, some of my best mares are the result of shipping semen to exceptional stallions. Times have changed!
Since I don’t have the option to sell to the Army by the carload, I started https://ausranch.com in late 1999. I had no idea I was launching my next career path. Really, I just knew I needed to have a place to tell everyone about my horses. It worked. It was eye-opening!
My business and teaching experience
I’ve been fortunate to have a varied and interesting career. My bachelors is in Accounting and I was lucky enough to get a CPA license (which I now maintain in inactive status) and to work at the best CPA firm in the world, KPMG, for a couple years. After that, I got my Masters of Agriculture where I studied a lot of strategy and planning, worked at a huge absentee owner ranch, and was a business and computer applications instructor at community colleges for 14 years. I still do a little bit of that from time to time just because I enjoy sharing my passion for software.
After all those years of working for other people, I was ready to work for myself. Now I split my time between raising really good barrel prospects and natural beef, and my business helping small businesses and nonprofits get their information in front of their customers and donors.
I joke to my fellow digital folks online that when the computer frustrates me, I can go get in the tractor and get over it. 😉 That’s my way of saying I can’t imagine a better life than enjoying both helping my clients and taking care of my animals.
That’s where DHM came from
As I built more websites for horse people and for others, I realized I could make an efficient process for a niche industry that isn’t as practical for general business website builds which need a greater variety of design and function depending on the client’s needs. That’s where the DHM idea came from.
Why start this business? In 2022?
There are SO many digital horse marketing options these days, why go to the time and expense of another one. Why would horse breeders want to use this service when they can just use Facebook? Or if you understand a web page is important, why not DIY on one of those build it yourself systems? Read on, we’ll help you decide if we are your best choice.
I spend a ridiculous amount of time keeping up on digital marketing.