5 Ways Technology and Horses are Similar: from a Non-Techie - by Elizabeth Thomas, Business Development Manager

Elizabeth Thomas at the River Ridge Charity. Liz has experience training horses and instructing riders and horses who have gone on to win world championships.

As many of you know, I have not always worked in the technology field. Before my technology career began, I worked with horses. I have been involved with the equine industry since I got my first pony Lacey for my seventh birthday. Your probably thinking that’s great and all but how do these relate? Through my time in the tech and equine industries, I have found some similarities and think these are the five biggest ones to share on National I Love Horses Day.

1. They don’t come trained.

How many times have you bought a horse/computer and taken it out of the stall/box and expected it to do what you wanted? Well anybody who has had these expectations knows that it doesn’t exactly work like that. For a horse you have to get it acclimated to its new surroundings and maybe tune it up a bit. For a computer or any new piece of technology, you have to make sure it's set up correctly because what’s the point of getting something new if it doesn’t work appropriately?

2. There are different breeds, levels and the cost can change dramatically.

There is that saying “you get what you pay for,” which is true with technology and horses. Sure there is always the exception to the rule when you find a great computer on sale or you find a bargain horse for a great price, however I’m talking about the investment upfront and overtime.

The upfront investment is obvious, if you pay more you're probably going to get a better horse or piece of technology. But the overtime investment is just as important as the upfront investment. You wouldn’t buy a world champion horse and feed it a bad diet so it doesn’t perform would you? Just like you wouldn’t buy a cloud solution and keep your bandwidth low so it slows down your whole network. The point is you have to keep investing in your investment to keep things running smoothly because after all technology is the engine to your business, just like food is to a horse.

3. They are more fragile then they look.

If you're in the horse industry you’ve had that day when you poll a horse out of the stall and its lame. Just like with technology, you thought you hit the save button but really you cleared out your whole document…

Technology and horses are both fragile, end users/riders need the correct training and guidance to make sure their horse/technology stays sound and healthy!

4. They need medical care.

How many times have you known that there is something wrong with your horse/technology and you just can’t figure it out? Any good horse trainer or business owner should have a great connection with the vet/technology expert. As the horse owner or business owner you’re not supposed to know everything so knowing when to ask for outside assistance is a great trait to have.

5. They never behave when you want them to.

This last one is more of a light statement but true none the less. Horses and technology have a tendency to not behave when you want them too. How many times have you gone to present at a horse show or a big meeting and nothing will work correctly? Or you’re working the last horse of the day/sending the last email and that last horse won’t behave correctly just like your last email won’t send? That is why it is always great to have some outside support whether it is someone to help you work that last horse or that always reliable help desk, outside support is always a great thing.

About the author:

Elizabeth Thomas is an Ohio born Business Development Manager. Her role allows her to advise small to medium sized businesses on technology solutions that align directly with their business objectives to provide the best end to end solution for their employees and customers. Her passion to help others succeed allows her to improve businesses throughout Orange County by helping them leverage technology. She is constantly looking for new opportunities to assist companies in understanding the rapidly paced technology world. Learn more about Elizabeth here.
858-429-3063 ethomas@managedsolution.com
LinkedIn