Store Jumps to Meet Horse Riders? Needs

Katy Cushman joined her sales skills, honed through years in the insurance industry, with her love of all things equestrian to open her Fayetteville store, Everything Horse and Hound.

The store, which opened March 18, carries riding apparel and accessories, tack and barn equipment and supplies, books and DVDs, and a few items for dogs, such as collars, toys and flea and tick treatments.

Besides selling high-end items for experienced riders, Cushman makes a point of stocking more affordable merchandise for people just trying out the sport or parents reluctant to spend a lot on something their kids will quickly outgrow.

She also plans to hold “swap meets” twice a year to let people trade outgrown or little-used items for things they need.

Northwest Arkansas has a large and well-established equestrian community, Cushman said, with a number of stables and riding clubs in the area.

Also, the only foxhunt in Arkansas is held, coincidentally, in Huntsville, she said. Hunts are held every month from October to March or April, and folks come from Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma to take part or just enjoy the spectacle.

And while the foxes may not appreciate the chase as much as the riders, horses and hounds do, none are harmed in the events.

“We don’t kill anything,” Cushman is quick to point out.

She’s currently vice president of the Northwest Arkansas Hunter Jumper Association, and two of her three daughters ride. But besides drawing on her knowledge of the sport and the local riding scene, she also did market research and worked with a SCORE volunteer at the Jones Center in Springdale to map out a business plan.

Cushman is thinking far beyond the confines of the shop’s 1,500-SF space. She plans to have an e-commerce site to reach customers nationwide. She’ll also have a mobile unit so she can sell merchandise at horse shows and foxhunts throughout the region.

The store, at 2389 Green Acres Road, is open daily. For shoppers’ convenience, it’s open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays and by appointment.