Equine
Books and taxes for show barns.
Bundled client invoices, groom wages and show tips, costs fronted for half a dozen horses at once, and a horse three partners own together. 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
August came in at $24,000. I split each client's invoice into training, stalls, and hauling, so you can see the show actually paid for itself, not just that a big check came in.
- Client invoice paymentsClient billing
- Syndicate horse sale commissionSale commissions
- Devon show stalls and entriesShow expenses
- Groom wages and show bonusesGroom wages
- Diesel, living quarters rigTruck and trailer
Why your books are different
A show barn's books go wrong when one client invoice hides four different jobs.
A generalist sees a client's check and calls it training income. Your program runs on bundled invoices, grooms tipped in cash at shows, costs fronted for half a dozen horses at once, and horses owned by more than one person. When the books do not know the difference, you cannot see what your program actually earns.
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1
One client invoice hides four different services
A monthly bill to a client often bundles training, board, hauling, and coaching into one number, and if it all lands as one lump sum you cannot tell which part of your program actually earns its keep.
What we doSplits each client's payment into training, board, hauling, and coaching, so you can see what each part of your program brings in. -
2
Groom tips and wages blend together
Grooms often get tipped directly by clients at a show on top of their wages, and if that cash disappears into general income or never gets recorded, you lose track of what your team actually earns and what the barn pays.
What we doKeeps groom wages separate from tips, so both are accounted for honestly and your labor costs stay clear. -
3
Show costs fronted for six clients at once get impossible to untangle
At a big show you might front stalls, shavings, and entries for half a dozen horses at once, and if the reimbursements come back in one pile you cannot tell which client still owes you and how much.
What we doTracks what each client owes for show costs you fronted, so nothing gets lost across a busy show week. -
4
A syndicate horse's sale splits more ways than a normal commission
When a horse is owned by a group of partners instead of one client, a sale commission or prize money has to be split among several owners in their agreed shares, and treating it like a single-owner sale gets the numbers wrong for everyone.
What we doKeeps syndicate and partnership horses flagged, so a sale or winnings split among several owners is booked to each share correctly. -
5
The living quarters trailer looks like a routine haul cost
A living quarters trailer that doubles as your office and lodging on the road is a major piece of equipment, and filed as a routine trailer expense it hides what a real investment in the show program actually cost.
What we doFlags the living quarters trailer as equipment, separate from routine hauling costs, and gets the accountant's call on writing it off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a show barn.
Set up once for how a bundled client bill and a busy show week actually break down. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Client training feesThe training portion of a client's monthly bill.
- Board and care feesWhat clients pay to keep their horse at the barn.
- Hauling and show feesTransport and coaching charged for getting a horse to a show.
- Sale commissionsYour cut on horses sold for clients or syndicates.
- Client show cost reimbursementsStalls, shavings, and entries fronted at a show and billed back.
Money out
- Groom wagesPay for grooms traveling with the string, kept apart from tips.
- Show expensesStalls, entries, and shavings, including costs billed back to clients.
- Truck and living quarters trailerFuel, maintenance, and insurance for the road rig.
- Facility rentLease payments if the barn is not owned outright.
- Tack and training equipmentSaddles, poles, and jump equipment for the program.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for horses in training and clients on the property.
- Assistant trainer wagesPay for staff who help run the program.
What we watch for you
- Revenue per horse in program
What each horse in training actually brings in across training, board, and show fees.
- Groom labor share
Wages and tips together against what the show season brought in, so staffing keeps pace with the circuit.
- Client reimbursement balance
What clients still owe for show costs you fronted, so a busy show week does not quietly cost you money.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things show barn 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.
Yes. I break each payment into training, board, hauling, and coaching, so you can see what each part of your program actually earns.
I keep tips separate from wages, so both are recorded honestly and you can see what the show season actually paid your team.
I flag it as a syndicate horse, so when it sells, the payout gets tracked against each partner's share instead of looking like one owner's money.
The tax side
The tax side of a show barn.
Most of what goes wrong here is bundled billing that hides what actually earns money, and horses owned by more than one person.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Unbundling client invoicesTraining, board, hauling, and coaching charged together on one client bill are still separate kinds of income, and keeping them apart matters for both pricing and an accurate return.
- Syndicate and partnership horsesA horse owned by more than one person splits its sale proceeds or winnings by ownership share, and each partner reports their own portion. Gus keeps the records; the split itself is a call for the accountant.
- Self-employment tax on program profitAn owner taking profit 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.
- Contractor 1099s for grooms and freelance helpAnyone paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who helps but is not on payroll, such as a freelance groom hired for one show, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
Deductions show barns miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Groom wages
- Show entry and stall fees for barn horses
- Truck and living quarters trailer fuel
- Tack and training equipment
- Liability insurance
- Facility rent
- Assistant trainer wages
- Show clothing and turnout gear
- Continuing education and clinics
- Vet and farrier for horses in the program
- Advertising and website
- Association and show membership 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 show barn's year, kept every month.
The circuit sets the calendar, and client bills come bundled. Gus keeps both untangled and on schedule with 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 grooms and freelance help gets built, and a monthly set-aside is planned before circuit season ramps 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 results and sales changed what you will owe.
- October
Before indoor season
A look at equipment and staffing worth adding before the fall indoor circuit.
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 show 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 show barn owners ask first.
My clients get one bundled invoice for training, board, and hauling. Can Gus break that apart?
Yes. Each payment gets split into training, board, hauling, and coaching, so you can see what each part of your program actually earns.
My grooms get tipped by clients at shows. Does that count as barn income?
No. Gus keeps tips separate from wages, so your team's earnings and the barn's actual labor costs both stay honest.
I front show costs for six clients at once during a big show week. How do I keep track of who owes what?
Gus tracks each client's reimbursement balance individually, so nothing gets lost even during a packed show week.
One of my horses is owned by three partners. Does Gus handle splitting a sale between them?
He flags it as a syndicate horse and keeps clean records of the sale, and the accountant handles how the proceeds split by ownership share.
Do you handle entry fees, points, or show office paperwork?
No. That stays with you and the show office. Gus keeps your income and costs from those events visible in the books, nothing more.
My books are behind after a busy circuit season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most barns 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