Solo Select

The Solo Select Podcast

The Business of Horses

Strategy, economics, and straight talk from inside the performance-horse industry — hosted by Melanie Smith.

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On the Show

The Business of Horses is Solo Select's podcast on the working side of the performance-horse industry, hosted by founder Melanie Smith. One week it's a conversation with the people shaping Western performance and Quarter Horse racing — champion riders, trainers, breeders, and the teams behind horses like LBR Hangem-Shotty. The next it's the numbers themselves: stallion contracts and semen shipping, ICSI and embryo transfer, recipient-mare programs, equine law, and sale strategy. Select Fastrack episodes are en Español.

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The Business of Horses

Episodes

Cover art — Fastrack - Ep. 5: Entrevista con Emmanuel Villareal (Rooster QH Sale)

Latest Episode

Fastrack - Ep. 5: Entrevista con Emmanuel Villareal (Rooster QH Sale)

47 minEpisode 5

El agente y cofundador de Fastrack, Freddy Carmona, se sienta a conversar con Emmanuel Villareal, una figura muy influyente en la compraventa de caballos de carreras Cuarto de Milla y propietario, junto a su esposa, de Rooster QH Sale. Juntos analizan el estado actual del mercado, comparten los consejos de Emmanuel sobre cómo elegir el caballo ideal para cada perfil de cliente y repasan sus múltiples experiencias como comprador asiduo en las subastas de Fastrack. - Proxima venta de Fastrack es el 16 de Agosto, exclusivamente ONLINE. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝘀: Fastrack Office: (940) 371-7272 Butch Wise: (405) 640-2234 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 - Freddy Carmona: (214) 687-2528 #yourhomeforSPEED

Show Notes & Transcript

The Archive

Cover art — Fastrack - Ep. 4: Announcing Fastrack’s New Consignment Rules for the August 16 Sale
Episode 4

Fastrack - Ep. 4: Announcing Fastrack’s New Consignment Rules for the August 16 Sale

34 min
Cover art — Episode 23 - NCHA Hall Of Fame & $495K-Earning Stallion LBR Hangem Syndicated
Episode 23

Episode 23 - NCHA Hall Of Fame & $495K-Earning Stallion LBR Hangem Syndicated

29 min
Cover art — Episode 22 - $360,000+ NCHA Rider Trystan Crowe : What It Takes To Raise a Young Horseman
Episode 22

Episode 22 - $360,000+ NCHA Rider Trystan Crowe : What It Takes To Raise a Young Horseman

41 min
Cover art — Episode 21 - Inside Solo Select Full-Service Fitting Programs
Episode 21

Episode 21 - Inside Solo Select Full-Service Fitting Programs

1 hr 5 min
Cover art — Fastrack - Ep. 3 - ¿Qué opinan Miguel Vargas y Christopher Villatoros, dueños del ganador del Heritage Place Futurity G1, sobre Fastrack?
Episode 3En Español

Fastrack - Ep. 3 - ¿Qué opinan Miguel Vargas y Christopher Villatoros, dueños del ganador del Heritage Place Futurity G1, sobre Fastrack?

32 min
Cover art — Episode 20: Solo Select Expands Global Reach with Sponsorship of the 2026 NCHA Australia Open Futurity
Episode 20

Episode 20: Solo Select Expands Global Reach with Sponsorship of the 2026 NCHA Australia Open Futurity

38 min
Cover art — Comprando un Caballo 100% en Línea: La Experiencia del Entrenador Sammy Mendoza en Fastrack
PodcastEn Español

Comprando un Caballo 100% en Línea: La Experiencia del Entrenador Sammy Mendoza en Fastrack

23 min
Cover art — Ep. 19: How to Reach the Top (and Stay There)—Inside Kenny Platt's Family-run Cutting Operation
Episode 19

Ep. 19: How to Reach the Top (and Stay There)—Inside Kenny Platt's Family-run Cutting Operation

1 hr 16 min
Cover art — Episode 18-All In: The Full Story of LBR Hangem-Shotty-by the Team Who Built Him
Episode 18

Episode 18-All In: The Full Story of LBR Hangem-Shotty-by the Team Who Built Him

46 min
Cover art — The Business of Horses - Inside 2-Year-Old Training Programs with Ty Benson and Max Morin PART 2
Podcast

The Business of Horses - Inside 2-Year-Old Training Programs with Ty Benson and Max Morin PART 2

41 min
Cover art — The Business of Horses - Inside 2-Year-Old Training Programs with Ty Benson and Max Morin
Podcast

The Business of Horses - Inside 2-Year-Old Training Programs with Ty Benson and Max Morin

52 min
Cover art — Episode 16 - Inside Solo Select’s 2,500-Mare Recipient Mare Operation: Secrets to Better Pregnancy Rates
Episode 16

Episode 16 - Inside Solo Select’s 2,500-Mare Recipient Mare Operation: Secrets to Better Pregnancy Rates

54 min
Cover art — Episode 15 - How to get Involved with AQHA
Episode 15

Episode 15 - How to get Involved with AQHA

27 min
Cover art — Episode 14 - The Business of Horses - AQHA 2-Year-Rule Discussion
Episode 14

Episode 14 - The Business of Horses - AQHA 2-Year-Rule Discussion

1 hr 19 min
Cover art — Episode 13 - Breeding 101 - Episode 2 - Breeding with intention
Episode 13

Episode 13 - Breeding 101 - Episode 2 - Breeding with intention

53 min
Cover art — Episode 12 - Breeding Logistics 101: Stallion Contracts, Semen Shipping , Mare Prep, ICSI process and Foals Management
Episode 12

Episode 12 - Breeding Logistics 101: Stallion Contracts, Semen Shipping , Mare Prep, ICSI process and Foals Management

1 hr 37 min
Cover art — Episode 11 - Inside Solo Select: Tarleton State Q&A on Building an Empire
Episode 11

Episode 11 - Inside Solo Select: Tarleton State Q&A on Building an Empire

1 hr 3 min
Cover art — Episode 10 - ES- Fastrack: Cambiando la Compra/Venta de los Caballos Quarto de Milla de Carreras - es
Episode 10En Español

Episode 10 - ES- Fastrack: Cambiando la Compra/Venta de los Caballos Quarto de Milla de Carreras - es

10 min
Cover art — Episode 10 - Fastrack: Changing the Way Racehorses are Bought and Sold
Episode 10

Episode 10 - Fastrack: Changing the Way Racehorses are Bought and Sold

1 hr 6 min
Cover art — Episode 9 - Feeding Your Horse To It's Genetic Potential : The Crucial Role Of Nutrition With Melanie Smith and Dr. James Lattimer
Episode 9

Episode 9 - Feeding Your Horse To It's Genetic Potential : The Crucial Role Of Nutrition With Melanie Smith and Dr. James Lattimer

40 min
Cover art — Episode 8 - The Rise of the Rope Horse Industry: Insights and Evolution from the Old West Futurity
Episode 8

Episode 8 - The Rise of the Rope Horse Industry: Insights and Evolution from the Old West Futurity

23 min
Cover art — Episode 7 - $55,000 Payday for four-year old mare Relentless PYC at Old West: What It Means for the Roping Industry
Episode 7

Episode 7 - $55,000 Payday for four-year old mare Relentless PYC at Old West: What It Means for the Roping Industry

13 min
Cover art — Episode 6 - The Story Of Apache R Hali with Junior Nogueira
Episode 6

Episode 6 - The Story Of Apache R Hali with Junior Nogueira

11 min
Cover art — Episode 5 -Trophies & World Champion Titles, with Trevor Brazile & Miles Baker
Episode 5

Episode 5 -Trophies & World Champion Titles, with Trevor Brazile & Miles Baker

9 min
Cover art — Episode 4 - Talk Of The Town with Melanie Smith and Ty Smith
Episode 4

Episode 4 - Talk Of The Town with Melanie Smith and Ty Smith

20 min
Cover art — Episode 3 - Special Edition Episode with Melanie Smith and Miles Baker
Episode 3

Episode 3 - Special Edition Episode with Melanie Smith and Miles Baker

16 min
Cover art — Episode 2 - The Business Of Horses with Veterinarian Dr. Carly Turner: ICSI
Episode 2

Episode 2 - The Business Of Horses with Veterinarian Dr. Carly Turner: ICSI

39 min
Cover art — Episode 1 - The Business of Horses with Attorney Kendra Streeter: Equine Law & Contracts
Episode 1

Episode 1 - The Business of Horses with Attorney Kendra Streeter: Equine Law & Contracts

38 min
Melanie Smith, founder of Solo Select Horses and host of The Business of Horses podcast

Meet the Host

Melanie Smith

The horse industry is growing fast — and the gray areas are where money gets lost. Melanie Smith, founder of Solo Select Horses, started The Business of Horses to eliminate them: real numbers, real contracts, and real decisions from one of the largest breeding and sale-fitting operations in the country.

Whether you're starting an equine business or scaling one, every episode is built to sharpen how you operate:

  • Breeding economics — stud fees, stallion contracts, semen shipping, ICSI, and recipient-mare logistics
  • Sale strategy — fitting programs, catalog presence, timing, and what actually drives a high seller
  • The people — champion riders, trainers, veterinarians, and attorneys who run the industry
About Solo Select

Put the strategy to work.

From breeding consultations to a roster of proven sires — Solo Select runs the programs this podcast pulls apart.

Explore ConsultingSee the Stallions