Equine
Books and taxes for equestrian event venues.
Facility rentals, stall and vendor fees, entry money you collect for someone else's show, and the arena footing bill that lands all at once. Gus sorts every payment as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number each month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $19,000. The spring footing top-up was a big bill, and I logged it as a facility improvement instead of routine upkeep so the month still reads true.
- Facility rental, spring showFacility rental fees
- Stall rental depositsStall rental
- Arena footing top-upCapital improvements
- Grounds crew payrollGrounds crew wages
- Portable toilet rentalEvent sanitation
Why your books are different
An event venue's books go wrong when someone else's entry fees look like your income.
A generalist sees a big deposit and calls it earned. Your venue runs on facility rentals, stall and vendor fees, entry money you hold for other organizers' shows, and an arena that needs both weekly upkeep and occasional major rebuilding. When the books do not know the difference, a single show weekend's true cost and a capital project both disappear into one confusing number.
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1
Entry fees collected for someone else's show look like your income
When your venue processes entry fees or exhibitor payments on behalf of a show organizer who runs the actual competition, that money passes through your account on its way to someone else, and booking it as venue income overstates what you actually earned hosting the event.
What we doKeeps pass-through entry fees separate from your real facility income, the rental and stall fees you actually keep. -
2
Routine footing upkeep and a full footing replacement look the same
Dragging and watering the arena every week is a small routine cost, but replacing the footing itself every several years is a major capital expense, and if both land in the same maintenance line you cannot tell what your facility actually costs to run day to day versus rebuild.
What we doKeeps routine arena maintenance separate from major footing or facility renovation, so ongoing costs and big capital projects do not blur together. -
3
A deposit for a show booked months out gets counted as income today
An event organizer booking your arena for a show next spring often pays a deposit now, and counting that deposit as this month's income overstates what you have actually earned before the event happens.
What we doHolds event deposits as owed until the event actually happens, so income lands in the month you actually hosted it. -
4
A big show weekend's extra costs scatter across the whole month
Portable toilets, temporary fencing, and extra grounds staff hired just for a big multi-day show are real costs tied to that one event, and if they land mixed in with routine monthly upkeep, you cannot see whether hosting that show was actually worth it.
What we doKeeps event-specific costs tied to the show that caused them, so you can see what each event actually cost against what it brought in. -
5
A new covered arena looks like routine facility maintenance
Building a new covered arena or adding barns is a major capital investment, and filed as facility upkeep it swamps a single month and hides what the improvement actually cost and is worth.
What we doFlags major capital improvements, logs them as equipment or structures rather than routine maintenance, and gets the accountant's call on how they get written off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an equestrian event venue.
Set up once for how rentals, pass-through fees, and event costs reach you. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Facility rental feesDay or weekend rates charged to show organizers and clinicians.
- Stall rentalFees charged to exhibitors for stalling their horses on-site.
- Vendor and sponsor feesBooth space and sponsorship sold for an event.
- Grounds and camping feesRV hookups and camping for exhibitors staying on-site.
- Pass-through entry feesEntry money collected on behalf of a show organizer, not kept as your own income.
Money out
- Arena footing maintenanceRoutine dragging and watering to keep footing rideable.
- Facility utilitiesPower, water, and waste for the grounds.
- Grounds crew wagesStaff who maintain the property and work events.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for hundreds of exhibitors and spectators on-site.
- Event sanitationPortable toilets and temporary fencing rented for a specific show.
- Capital improvementsNew arenas, barns, or covered structures, logged separately from routine upkeep.
- Advertising and show listingsMarketing the venue to show organizers and clinicians.
What we watch for you
- Revenue per event day
What a single show weekend actually brought in against what it cost to host, so booking decisions rest on real numbers.
- Footing maintenance cost
What keeping the arena rideable costs across the year, separate from a future replacement.
- Pass-through balance
How much entry fee money is being held for a show organizer, so it never gets mistaken for your own income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things equestrian venue owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I keep it as a pass-through, separate from your real facility income, since it is money you are holding for someone else, not money you earned.
I logged it as a facility improvement, not routine upkeep, so this month reads true and the accountant can look at how it gets written off.
No, I tie those costs to the event that caused them, so you can see what hosting that specific show actually cost against what it brought in.
The tax side
The tax side of an equestrian event venue.
Most of what goes wrong here is money that passes through your account without being yours, and facility costs that are really capital projects.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Pass-through entry feesMoney you collect on behalf of a show organizer is not your income. Keeping it separate from your own rental and stall fees matters for an accurate return.
- Depreciation on arenas and structuresA covered arena, a new barn, or a footing replacement is usually a capital asset written off over time, or often largely in the year it is placed in service. Section 179 and 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025 can both apply.
- Deferred income on event depositsA deposit collected for a show booked months out is not earned until the event actually happens. It counts as income in the month you host it.
- Contractor 1099s for grounds crew and event helpAnyone paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who works events or grounds but is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions equestrian event venues and arenas miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Arena footing and dragging
- Facility utilities
- Liability insurance
- Grounds crew wages
- Portable toilets and event sanitation
- Fencing and gate repair
- Advertising and show listings
- Parking lot maintenance
- Signage
- Mowers and grounds equipment
- Trash and waste removal
- Property tax on the facility
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An equestrian venue's year, kept every month.
Show season books the calendar, and the arena needs year-round upkeep either way. Gus keeps the tax side steady through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for grounds and event help gets built, and a monthly set-aside is planned before the booking calendar fills up.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering it.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, and whether spring and summer show bookings changed what you will owe.
- October
Before next season's bookings
A look at facility improvements worth making before next year's show calendar fills up.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for equestrian event venues and arenas. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions equestrian venue owners ask first.
I collect entry fees for shows I host but don't organize myself. Does that count as my income?
No. Gus keeps pass-through entry money separate from your real facility income, so what you actually earned hosting the event stays clear.
I just paid for a full arena footing replacement. Won't that wreck my numbers this month?
No. Gus logs it as a facility improvement, not routine upkeep, so the month reads true and the accountant looks at how it gets written off.
A show organizer books my arena months in advance and pays a deposit now. Is that income right away?
No. Gus holds it as owed until the event actually happens, so income lands in the month you host it, not the month the deposit arrived.
A big show weekend means extra portable toilets and temporary fencing. Does that just blend into regular upkeep?
No. Gus ties those costs to the specific event that caused them, so you can see what hosting that show actually cost against what it brought in.
Do you handle show management, judging fees, or exhibitor paperwork?
No. That stays with the show organizer. Gus keeps your facility's own income and costs visible in the books, nothing more.
My books are behind after a busy show season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most venue owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever