Equine
Books and taxes for riding schools and lesson barns.
Single lessons, prepaid lesson packages, camp week tuition, and a school horse lease or two. 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 $10,000. Camp registrations paid in April and May are only counting as income now, as each camp week actually runs, so this month reads true instead of padded.
- Square camp registrationsCamp tuition
- Lesson package salesLesson packages
- Big Sky Farm and FeedHay and feed
- Valley Equine VetSchool horse care
- State Farm liability policyLiability insurance
Why your books are different
A riding school's books go wrong when prepaid money gets counted too soon.
A generalist sees a deposit and calls it earned. Your barn runs on lesson packages sold in bulk, camp weeks paid for months ahead, and a string of school horses that are really aging business assets. When the books do not know the difference, a slow season looks worse than it is and a busy sign-up week looks better than it is.
-
1
Prepaid lesson packages get counted too soon
Packages of 5 or 10 lessons sold up front in one payment look like a big week even though the student has not ridden yet, and the barn still owes those lessons.
What we doHolds package sales as owed lessons and counts income as each lesson is actually given. -
2
Camp week tuition lands months early
Summer camp registrations often come in during spring, all at once, which can make a spring month look flush even though the staffing and feed costs for camp have not hit yet.
What we doHolds camp tuition as owed until camp week actually happens, so income and its matching costs land in the same month. -
3
School horses age out of being just an expense
A lesson horse nearing retirement racks up vet and farrier bills that look like any other month's care costs, but a horse who teaches fewer lessons each year is a business asset losing its usefulness, not just a line item.
What we doFlags when a school horse's care costs run high against how many lessons it still teaches, so you have real numbers before deciding on retirement or replacement. -
4
Leased horses blur with single lessons
Some families lease a school horse instead of paying by the ride, and if that lease income lands in the same category as single lesson fees, you cannot tell which arrangement actually pays the barn's bills.
What we doKeeps horse lease income in its own category, separate from single lesson fees, so you can compare what each arrangement brings in. -
5
Safety costs disappear into one vague bucket
Helmets, safety vests, footing upgrades, and the liability policy that covers every student on a horse all get lumped into one line, and you never see what keeping lessons safe actually costs each year.
What we doKeeps safety gear, footing, and insurance visible as their own lines, so you can see that cost against what lessons bring in.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a riding school.
Set up once for how your barn sells lessons and pays its bills. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Lesson feesSingle-ride lesson payments, paid per lesson.
- Lesson packagesPrepaid blocks of 5 or 10 lessons, counted as they are used.
- Camp tuitionSummer or school-break camp week registrations.
- Horse leasesFamilies leasing a school horse instead of paying by the ride.
- Schooling show feesIn-house shows hosted for students, entry fees and ribbons.
Money out
- School horse careVet, farrier, and feed for the barn's own lesson string.
- Hay and feedRound bales and grain bought for the school horses.
- Barn laborInstructors, barn help, and camp counselors.
- Facility upkeepArena footing, jump equipment, and fencing.
- Liability insuranceThe policy that covers every student on a horse.
- Safety gearHelmets, vests, and first aid supplies for lessons.
- Camp suppliesCraft materials, snacks, and camp t-shirts.
What we watch for you
- Lesson package balance
How many prepaid lessons students still have left, so a big bank balance is not mistaken for money already earned.
- School horse cost per lesson
What each lesson horse costs to keep against what it teaches, useful when deciding to retire or replace one.
- Camp fill rate
Camp seats sold against camp capacity, so pricing and staffing match what camps actually bring in.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things riding school 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.
Not yet. I hold it as lessons owed and count it as each ride happens, so this week is not padded with lessons nobody has taken yet.
I booked it as school horse care like always, but I flagged how much he has cost lately against how many lessons he still teaches, so you have real numbers if retirement comes up.
I give lease income its own category, separate from single lessons, so you can see which arrangement actually pays better.
The tax side
The tax side of a riding school.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing. Lesson packages and camp tuition collected before the riding happens, and a school horse that is really an aging business asset.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Prepaid lessons and camp tuitionMoney collected for a lesson package or a camp week before it happens is not fully earned yet. It counts as income as the lessons or the camp actually run.
- Depreciation on school horsesA horse bought to teach lessons is usually a business asset with a purchase price, not a one-time expense. Section 179 or bonus depreciation can often apply to a purchased lesson horse in the year you buy it.
- Hobby-loss scrutinyThe IRS looks harder at horse-related businesses than most small businesses when deciding if they are run for profit. Clean books showing real business decisions are the best defense.
- Contractor 1099s for instructors and camp helpAnyone paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who teaches or helps but is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions riding schools and lesson barns miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hay and feed for school horses
- Farrier care for the lesson string
- Vet care and vaccines
- Arena footing and jump equipment
- Liability insurance
- Helmets and safety vests
- Fencing repairs
- Camp supplies and materials
- Instructor and counselor wages
- Horse trailer for off-site shows
- Advertising and website
- Continuing education for instructors
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 riding school year, kept every month.
Camp weeks and lesson bookings swing hard with the school calendar. Your team keeps you ahead of both the season and the tax dates. 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 instructors gets built, and a monthly set-aside is set before spring lesson bookings pick up.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering it.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand midway through camp season, and whether this summer's registrations changed what you will owe.
- October
Before lessons slow
A look at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before shorter days cut into lesson bookings.
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 riding schools and lesson barns. 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 riding school owners ask first.
I sell lesson packages of 5 or 10 rides. How does that work in the books?
Gus counts the money as owed lessons when you sell the package, then moves it into income as each lesson actually happens, so a big package sale does not inflate one week.
Camp registrations come in months before camp runs. Is that a problem?
No. Gus holds camp tuition as owed until camp week happens, so the income lands in the same month as the staffing and feed costs it pays for.
One of my school horses is getting older and costs more in vet care. Can Gus tell me if he is still worth keeping?
He can show you what the horse costs against what he still teaches. The decision to retire or replace him is yours, but you will have real numbers behind it.
A family leases one of my horses instead of paying per lesson. How is that different?
Gus tracks lease income in its own category, separate from single lesson fees, so you can compare what each arrangement brings in.
Do you handle liability waivers or safety certifications?
No. That stays with you and your insurer. Gus keeps your safety gear and insurance costs visible in the books, nothing more.
My books are behind by a full season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most 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.
More in equine
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Equestrian event venues & arenas
- Equine dentists
- Equine massage & bodywork
- Equine veterinarians
- Equine-assisted therapy & hippotherapy
- Farriers
- Horse boarding stables
- Horse breeders
- Horse trainers
- Horse transport companies
- Horseback trail ride outfitters
- Show barns
- Tack & feed stores
- Agricultural drone spraying services
- Alpaca & llama farms
- Aquaculture & fish farms
- Berry farms
- Cattle ranches
- Christmas tree farms
- Corn mazes & fall festivals
- Custom harvesting & farm service contractors
- Custom meat processors
- Farm equipment dealers & repair shops
- Farm stands & CSAs
- Farm-to-table dinner hosts
- Goat yoga & animal experience farms
- Hay & feed producers
- Hydroponic & vertical farms
- Lavender farms
- Microgreens growers
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