Cassie Arnold has worked behind the scenes in eventing for years, exploring the sport from a perspective that few are privy to. Along the way, she identified a number of areas where the industry was stuck with outdated, non-user friendly technology far behind current times. She’s taken it upon herself to create a solution to these problems with Equinett, a newly-launched community directory dedicated to reducing the cost and hassle of advertising, applying for work, and reaching customers and clients.
“I worked for Jeanette Brakewell for nearly two years at the age of 18,” Cassie said. “I had my own horse, Tobasco, competed up to what is now the two-star level and then wanted to travel. I then worked in France, Spain, America, Ireland, and Japan.”
As Jeanette’s groom, Cassie saw the world. “She had made such a name for herself with Olympic team medals and winning four team European medals with the legendary Over To You,” Cassie said. “I was told if I worked for her, I could work for anyone, and that’s basically what I did.”
After moving on from Jeanette’s team, she spent some time as a freelance groom and then worked for a sports timing company. “I never wanted to be a rider, although I like riding and competing at a low level,” Cassie said. “I worked for a sports timing company at Bramham, Burghley, and Badminton. I saw all behind the scenes. I worked within the system, so I was in direct contact with the BBC.”
Unfortunately, what she saw behind the scenes of the sport could use some improvement. “This hasn’t changed for about 30, 40 years,” Cassie said. “No one’s in communication with anyone. They think that the same team turns up again and again each year and just do what they do, whether that’s in terms of cross country control, officials, technical delegates, etc.”
Photo courtesy of Cassie Arnold.
In Cassie’s mind, the biggest problem came when organizers, riders, and owners tried to connect with farriers, vets, grooms, or sell and breed horses. “Every advertising website for horses for sale hasn’t changed in about 20 years,” Cassie said. “They’re not user friendly. It’s very hard to sell a horse and it’s actually really expensive.”
Thanks to her extensive background as a professional groom, Cassie also felt she could improve visibility for freelance grooms.
“Equestrian teams are often very small because the owner doesn’t have a lot of money to get more staff than needed,” Cassie said. “If one or two people are ill, there’s only a couple of people left working and they can quite easily get overwhelmed. So, what if there was a way you could quickly and easily see a freelance person in your area, contact them, and bring them in?”
Cassie also became disenchanted with what she saw as a lack of equal opportunity within the industry. “Whilst working in the industry I got the majority of my work through my reputation and word of mouth,” she said. “This system stops hard working, talented people from getting the positions they want simply because they don’t know the right people. I wanted to change that, allowing people to post jobs and see candidates from all areas and groups so that they can find and create the best teams.”
Another big pitfall Cassie saw within the industry was the expenses involved with buying and selling horses online. “Some of these sites charge a huge fee for what is, in essence, a group of photos and some text on a screen,” Cassie said. “I wanted to give people a better option. Not just photos and words but active location tracking, and links to videos and event results for a fraction of the price.”
The idea for Equinett was born. An affordable community marketplace for the equestrian and agriculture industries, Equinett allows equestrians to advertise, reach their target audience, and get real-time alerts and fast results. Categories include horses for sale, equestrian jobs, transportation, properties, farming equipment, and even general pet services like grooming or pet sitting.
“It’s going to be incredibly user friendly, super fast to use,” Cassie said. “We also have a mobile app close to release designed to be responsive in low-data areas, like in the field or at the yard.”
A map of the area you’re in will allow you to find services close to you. “A freelance groom will be able to show themselves on the map and then if someone’s ill, they will be visible to anyone in their area that needs to call them to bring them in,” Cassie said. “It’s modernizing the community, making sure everyone is accessible to everyone, and then it’s also affordable.”
“I’m currently looking to partner with associations and then give their members help and discounts,” Cassie said. “I want to partner with farrier and dentist associations and then they can also show their accredited number on their profile.”
Cassie was able to use her personal connections to build the app in an affordable way, and then pass those savings onto her customers. One day she hopes to expand Equinett to provide educational opportunities and work studies through local universities.
“I want to be part of universities to help with work experience placement and then provide further study with them,” Cassie said. “So hopefully it builds easy access to education into the industry.”
For those users who work in the industry, Cassie hopes Equinett will offer support and possibly even education around the importance of contracts. She came up with the idea after living through some bad experiences as a freelance groom herself.
“I thought I would go and do a freelance event, just get out a little bit. And I completely regretted it. The team was horrible, the living conditions were horrible, they weren’t friendly. And then I lost out on money in the end,” Cassie said. “Freelancers should have more protection. The plan is for Equinett to protect all of those in the industry, whether that’s through keeping money in your pockets or just getting you in touch with the right people and building a community.”
Cassie hopes that Equinett will help bring modern technology to the equestrian industry. She has big dreams for the future of the sport, and hopes Equinett will become a catalyst for change in a traditional industry that can be set in its ways. She hopes to use the Equinett platform to expand the opportunities available to those who want to have a career in the industry.
Click here to explore Equinett and discover how this new website can help you grow your business or career, or simply help you keep your horse happy and healthy. For a limited time, you can receive your first advert for free using code FREE2025.
