Starquine, iStable Teams Launch Horseco
Description:
Created to develop and provide unique sales, management, and retail products to the marketplace, the teams that brought you iStable, the industry's leading stable management platform, and Starquine, the leading online sales platform currently servicing the thoroughbred industry, have collaborated to form Horseco Inc.
Tom Ludt, former Breeders Cup Board Chairman, Santa Anita President, Vinery President, and current member of the management team of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, has spearheaded this consolidation in his new capacity as Board Chairman and shareholder.
Commenting on the founding of Horseco Ludt stated, "Since leaving Santa Anita I've been looking for the business opportunity that can not only bring great value to horseman and owners, but also assist the industry at large. The various products and technology assets that have contributed to the Horseco founding are uniquely positioned to do just that in a way I've not previously encountered. Our team is very excited to work with horsemen worldwide to improve their bottom line and better overall horse care."
As a diversified product company, Horseco Inc. will launch products and services focused on stable management, online horse sales, retail health products and stallion season marketing tools. Existing products, such as the iStable software platform, will continue to be developed while being integrated into a consolidated client and product experience.
Launching this month, the company's first independently created platform, Horseco Exchange, is the industry's first lead management and proposal negotiation service that allows mare owners to instantly submit their mare to multiple stallion farms for purposes of receiving stallion season offers.
"The Exchange platform has been developed to provide mare owners and stallion farms with a central platform to communicate and negotiate seasons," commented Lee Midkiff, Horseco CIO. "It's truly a win-win as stallion farms are able to acquire tangible leads and obtain greater access to mares, while mare owners can efficiently find the best mating available for the upcoming season."
Similar to request-bid processes utilized in other industries such as lending and travel, Exchange will assist farms with acquiring mares, while streamlining the season negotiation process for mare owners. Exchange is a free service for mare owners and is expected to launch with over 100 stallions on the platform. Stallions represented on the platform include those from large Kentucky stallion farms such as Adena Springs, Claiborne, Darby Dan, Darley America and others, as well as regional stallions standing in CA, FL, MD, NY and Canada.
Horseco Inc. maintains office locations in both Lexington, KY, and Springboro, OH, and combines the management teams and staff from iStable and Starquine, including iStable CIO Lee Midkiff and Starquine President Jamie LaMonica. Information regarding Horseco may be found by visiting www.horseco.com.