Virtual stable

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Managing a Horse with Computer Software No matter how many horses you have it can be a continuous challenge to keep track of vaccinations, deworming, vet bills, farrier appointments, breeding schedules and feeds. Even if you are good at scheduling it can be a difficult process. Most of the time owners aren’t very organized and may jot down information on a calendar or on a piece of paper that can be forgotten and lost.
	If you have a computer then you can have help with your scheduling. There is computer software that allows you to keep stable records as well as pedigree and breeding records. You can even get computer software from England that is for jump-course design. There are other computer software that are specifically formatted for the equine business and provides inventory and billing capabilities. When considering buying horse software it is no different than buying any other type of computer software.
It is always important to check out the software before you buy them. So you should check to see what pre-sale support the company gives you. Look at the company’s website if they have one or judge the company’s response time to your questions by phoning or emailing them. During business hours and beyond the company should be reasonably available to customers. Another important area to cover is support. If you are a horse owner and you’re having difficulty with something you often don’t have the time to sit down and spend hours trying to figure something out. There will be people available to help you with any problems if the software company is a good one. The best companies will get back to you within an hour if you require immediate help. Some will even work over the weekend responding to emails queries for help from horse owners. Most products should have free tech support and especially if they are over a hundred dollars. Online help is another good measure of support. There should be a search and an index for help in the program itself. This section of the program should be able to help you answer any question you have regarding the software use. Seeing how the program is written is another important and critical factor to include when making your choice so you should look at the application. Without getting into difficult technical details it is important to have a software application that is at least a 32 bit program. This means it will be supported by Windows 95 or Windows 98. There are still some software programs that have an old “language” and won’t be accepted by a 32 bit application. Be sure to get opinions by either looking for product reviews, advertisements in magazines and by asking around for someone who has used the software and can offer up an opinion. If the product has a following then there is a good chance it is a smart option to go with. Flexibility is important if you are looking into purchasing an equine management product. Having a program that works with one to a hundred horses is a good idea. You want a program that will grow with you. The program should be easy to navigate around while using it. It should also be efficient so you won’t have to type in the same info several times such as a horse’s name. Another good idea is to look for a company that provides regular updates to their software. The best companies will provide you with the option of receive the update online or in the mail. Generally you should expect to pay around ninety dollars for most equine management software.
Read the next horse care article on Choosing a boarding stable.

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Managing a Horse with Computer Software