Equine
Books and taxes for equine massage and bodywork providers.
Single sessions, prepaid packages, a show circuit batch day, and the liniment you sell on the side. 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
June came in at $9,000. The horse show batch day at Kentucky Horse Park brought in fifteen sessions in one day, so I split that single day's cash and Venmo payments out into the right client sessions instead of one lump deposit.
- Venmo session feesSession fees
- Kentucky Horse Park batch dayShow circuit sessions
- Equine bodywork supply orderRetail inventory
- Continuing education courseContinuing education
- Liability insurance premiumLiability insurance
Why your books are different
An equine bodywork practice's books go wrong on a big show day, not a quiet one.
A generalist sees a deposit and calls it earned. Your work runs on single sessions, prepaid packages, a show circuit day that pays fifteen clients at once, and a bottle of liniment sold on the side. When the books do not know the difference, a busy show day turns into one confusing deposit instead of real, sorted income.
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1
A prepaid session package gets counted all at once
A client who buys a package of five or ten sessions up front pays it all in one deposit, and counting it as income the day it lands makes that week look bigger than the work you have actually done so far.
What we doHolds package sales as owed sessions and counts income as each session is actually given. -
2
A show circuit batch day turns into one confusing deposit
Working fifteen horses in one day at a show means fifteen different clients paying by cash, Venmo, and check, and if it all lands as one lump sum you cannot tell which client paid for which session or whether everyone actually paid.
What we doSorts a batch day's mixed payments back into individual client sessions, so nothing gets lost in a big single-day deposit. -
3
Retail liniment and supplement sales blend into session fees
Selling a bottle of liniment or a joint supplement alongside a bodywork session is a product sale with its own cost, and if it lands in the same category as your hands-on work, you cannot see what your retail add-ons actually earn.
What we doKeeps retail product sales separate from session fees, so you can see what each side of the business brings in. -
4
Referral work with a vet or chiropractor gets tangled
When a session happens because a vet or chiropractor referred the client, and the two of you sometimes bill or split a visit together, it is easy to lose track of what belongs to you and what belongs to them.
What we doKeeps referral-based sessions and any shared billing visible and separate, so your real earnings are never blended with someone else's. -
5
A red light panel or vibration plate looks like a routine supply
Specialized bodywork tools like a red light therapy panel or a vibration plate can cost a real amount of money, and filed as a routine supply purchase it drags down a month instead of showing up as the equipment investment it is.
What we doFlags larger equipment purchases, logs them separately from routine supplies, and gets the accountant's call on writing them off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an equine bodywork practice.
Set up once for how single sessions, packages, and retail sales reach you. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Session feesSingle bodywork sessions billed per horse.
- Prepaid packagesBlocks of five or ten sessions, counted as they are used.
- Show circuit sessionsBatch work done for multiple clients in one day at a show or clinic.
- Retail product salesLiniments, supplements, or tools sold alongside a session.
- Referral sessionsWork that comes through a vet or chiropractor's referral.
Money out
- Continuing educationCertification courses and clinics to maintain credentials.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for working around horses on someone else's property.
- Travel and mileageFuel and vehicle costs for a mobile practice.
- Bodywork equipmentRed light panels, vibration plates, and other larger tools.
- Retail inventoryLiniments and supplements bought to resell.
- Marketing and websiteAdvertising and an online booking presence.
What we watch for you
- Package balance
How many prepaid sessions clients still have left, so a big deposit is not mistaken for money already earned.
- Retail margin
What product sales bring in above their cost, separate from your hands-on session fees.
- Show circuit day revenue
What a single batch day at a show actually nets after travel, so you can judge if it is worth the trip.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things equine bodywork practitioners 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.
Not yet. I hold it as sessions owed and count it as each one happens, so a big package sale does not inflate one week.
Yes. I match the payments back to each client's session, so a busy show day does not turn into one confusing deposit.
No, I keep it separate. Retail sales and your session fees are different kinds of income, so you can see what each one actually brings in.
The tax side
The tax side of an equine bodywork practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing on prepaid packages and keeping product sales apart from your hands-on work.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Prepaid session packagesMoney collected for a package of sessions before they happen is not fully earned yet. It counts as income as each session is actually given.
- Retail sales alongside servicesProducts like liniment or supplements sold at a session are a sale with their own cost, separate from your service fee, and keeping the two apart matters for an accurate return.
- Self-employment tax on practice profitA practitioner working as a sole proprietor or through a pass-through pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Vehicle and travel deductionsMileage for a mobile bodywork practice can often be deducted using the business standard mileage rate, 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026 and 76 cents after, or by tracking actual vehicle costs.
Deductions equine massage and bodywork practitioners miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Continuing education and certification
- Liability insurance
- Vehicle fuel and mileage
- Bodywork tools and equipment
- Retail inventory, liniments and supplements
- Massage tables or mats
- Phone and scheduling software
- Marketing and website
- Association dues
- Laundry for towels and linens
- Business cards and printed materials
- Vehicle maintenance
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 equine bodywork practice's year, kept every month.
Show circuit batch days and steady client sessions each run on their own schedule. Gus keeps the tax side on track 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, and a monthly set-aside is planned before show season picks 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 summer show circuit days changed what you will owe.
- October
Before winter slows sessions
A look at equipment worth buying before cold weather cuts into outdoor barn visits.
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 equine massage and bodywork practitioners. 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 equine bodywork practitioners ask first.
I sell packages of five or ten sessions. How does that work in the books?
Gus counts the money as owed sessions when you sell the package, then moves it into income as each session actually happens, so a big package sale does not inflate one week.
I worked a show circuit day with fifteen clients paying different ways. Can Gus untangle that?
Yes. He sorts the mixed cash, Venmo, and check payments back into each client's session, so nothing gets lost in one big deposit.
I sometimes sell liniment or supplements after a session. Does that complicate things?
No. Gus keeps retail sales separate from your session fees, so you can see what each side of the business actually earns.
A vet or chiropractor sometimes refers clients to me, and we occasionally bill together. How does Gus handle that?
He keeps referral sessions and any shared billing visible and separate, so your real earnings never blend with someone else's.
Do you handle my certification renewals or continuing education requirements?
No. That stays with you and your certifying organization. Gus keeps the costs visible in your books, nothing more.
My books are a mess from tracking everything on paper for years. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most practitioners 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