Equine

Books and taxes for horse trainers.

Training board, sale commissions, show coaching fees, and the stall costs you front for a client and bill back later. Gus sorts every payment as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number each month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
FebruaryExample month
$9,000
what you made

February came in at $9,000. The commission on Bella's sale to a client in Ohio came through, and I kept it separate from the horse's full sale price since you never owned her.

  • Zelle training feesTraining fees
  • Bella sale commissionSale commissions
  • Wellington show stallsShow expenses
  • Shell fuel, training rigTruck and trailer
  • Assistant trainer payWages
Money in$28,000
Money out$19,000
Set aside for taxes$2,200
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A trainer's books go wrong when a client's money gets mistaken for your own.

A generalist sees deposits and calls them income. Your business runs on training board, sale commissions on horses you never owned, and show costs you front for clients and bill back later. When the books do not know the difference, your real earnings disappear into numbers that were never actually yours.

  1. 1

    A sale commission gets booked as the whole horse price

    When you help a client sell a horse for $25,000 and take a 10 percent commission, booking the full sale price as your income overstates what you actually earned and can overstate what you owe in tax.

    What we doBooks only your commission as income, keeping the horse's full sale price out of your books since you never owned it.
  2. 2

    Client show costs and your own costs blend together

    You often pay stall fees, hauling, and entry fees for a client's horse at a show and get reimbursed later, and if that reimbursement lands mixed in with your training income, you cannot tell what the show season actually cost you versus what clients owed you.

    What we doKeeps client reimbursements in their own category, separate from training fees, so your real training income stays visible.
  3. 3

    Day training and training board get bundled

    A horse in for a 30-day training board program bills differently than one you train for a single ride, and lumped together you cannot tell which arrangement is worth your time.

    What we doSplits training board from single training rides so you can compare what each brings in against the time it takes.
  4. 4

    Barter for riding time never gets written down

    Trading free training for the right to show a client's horse, or a discounted rate for a working student's help, are common deals that rarely make it into the books.

    What we doAsks about these arrangements and books both sides at a fair value, so income and cost are not quietly understated.
  5. 5

    Travel to the show circuit gets lost in one gas receipt

    Hauling horses to a winter circuit or a summer show series means weeks of fuel, hotel rooms, and stabling costs that are easy to lose track of one receipt at a time.

    What we doKeeps circuit travel costs in one line so you can see what a show season actually costs against what it brought in.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a horse trainer.

Set up once for how you get paid and where a client's money and yours cross paths. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Training feesDay rate and monthly training board for horses in your program.
  • Sale commissionsYour cut when you help a client buy or sell a horse.
  • Coaching and show feesWhat clients pay for you to coach them at a show.
  • Clinic feesClinics you teach at your barn or on the road.
  • Client reimbursementsStall fees, hauling, or entries you paid for a client's horse and billed back.

Money out

  • Show expensesStall fees, entries, and hauling, including costs you will bill back to clients.
  • Truck and trailerFuel, maintenance, and insurance for hauling the string.
  • Assistant trainer or groom wagesHelp paid to run the program day to day.
  • Facility rentBarn or arena lease if you do not own the property you train out of.
  • Tack and training equipmentSaddles, bits, poles, and jump equipment for the program.
  • Vet and farrierCare for horses in your training program.
  • Liability insuranceCoverage for horses in training and clients on your property.

What we watch for you

  • Training income per horse

    What each horse in your program actually brings in, so pricing reflects the real time it takes.

  • Commission versus sale price

    Keeps your real earnings visible instead of blending into a client's horse sale.

  • Client reimbursement balance

    What clients still owe you for show costs you fronted, so it does not get lost.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.

Ask Gus

Things horse trainers 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.

I sold a client's horse for $25,000 and kept a 10 percent commission. What goes in my books?

Just your $2,500 commission. The horse was never yours, so its full price stays off your books and out of your income.

I fronted $600 in stall fees for a client at the last show. She paid me back this week. Is that income?

No. I booked it as a reimbursement, not training income, so it does not inflate what you actually earned coaching that week.

I gave a working student free lessons in exchange for barn help all summer. Do I need to track that?

It is worth a note for the accountant since it is a real exchange of value, even without cash changing hands. I keep a record so nothing gets missed.

The tax side

The tax side of a horse training business.

Most of what goes wrong here is what counts as your income versus a client's money passing through you, and travel costs that pile up fast on the circuit.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Commission income, not sale priceWhen you broker a horse sale for a client, only your commission is your income. The horse's sale price is the client's, not yours, and keeping that separation clean matters at tax time.
  • Self-employment tax on training profitA trainer 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 deductions on the circuitMileage for hauling horses to shows 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 truck and trailer costs.
  • Contractor 1099s for grooms and working studentsAnyone paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who helps but is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.

Deductions horse trainers miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Truck and trailer fuel
  • Trailer maintenance and tires
  • Show entry and stall fees for your own horses
  • Tack and training equipment
  • Liability insurance
  • Barn or facility rent
  • Vet and farrier for horses in training
  • Continuing education and clinics you attend
  • Show clothing and boots
  • Phone and scheduling software
  • Advertising and website
  • Association and certification dues

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

A horse trainer's year, kept every month.

The circuit runs on its own calendar, not the tax calendar. Gus keeps both straight. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for grooms and working students gets built, and a monthly set-aside is set before circuit season ramps up.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering it.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand at the middle of the year, and whether spring circuit sales and commissions changed what you will owe.

  4. October

    Before the next circuit

    A look at equipment or a truck worth buying and moves worth making before December, ahead of winter circuit costs.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

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 horse trainers. 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 horse trainers ask first.

I take horses in for 30-day training board. How is that different from a single lesson in the books?

Gus keeps training board and single training rides in separate categories, so you can see which arrangement actually pays for your time.

Do I need to report the full price when I broker a horse sale for a client?

No. Only your commission is your income. Gus keeps the horse's sale price out of your books since you never owned it.

I front show costs for clients and get paid back later. Does that count as my income?

No. Gus books it as a reimbursement, separate from your training fees, so your real earnings stay visible.

I'm on the road at shows half the year. How does Gus handle all that travel?

He keeps fuel, hauling, and lodging in one line so you can see what a circuit season costs against what it brought in, and the accountant sorts out the mileage or actual-cost deduction that fits your year.

My books are a mess from years of running everything out of one account. Can Gus still help?

Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most trainers know where they stand within a week.

Do you handle sales tax when I sell tack or supplements out of my trailer?

No. Whether that is taxable depends on your state. Gus keeps records ready so your accountant can answer that for where you are based.

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