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.

The Business of Horses

Episodes

Latest Episode

Feeding the Future: Growing and Fueling Elite Equine Athletes

August 17, 20261 hr 19 min

Melanie Smith interviews Dr. James Latimer (Hubbard Feeds) about feeding and growing equine athletes, with a focus on forage-first strategies and practical, biology-based nutrition. Key topics include hay testing, ration balancers and minerals, gestation and lactation needs, weaning and growth feeding rates, starch/sugar balance for performance, and managing metabolic horses. The episode emphasizes individualized plans, one-on-one consultations with Hubbard’s nutrition team, and upcoming in-person opportunities at Solo Select’s open house.

Show Notes & Transcript

The Archive

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

July 24, 202647 min

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

July 17, 202634 min

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

July 6, 202629 min

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

June 23, 202641 min

Episode 21 - Inside Solo Select Full-Service Fitting Programs

June 10, 20261 hr 5 min

Episode 3En Español

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

June 6, 202632 min

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

May 12, 202638 min

PodcastEn Español

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

May 5, 202623 min

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

May 4, 20261 hr 16 min

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

April 23, 202646 min

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

April 20, 202641 min

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

April 9, 202652 min

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

April 2, 202654 min

Episode 15 - How to get Involved with AQHA

March 20, 202627 min

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

February 18, 20261 hr 19 min

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

February 13, 202653 min

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

January 27, 20261 hr 37 min

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

November 24, 20251 hr 3 min

Episode 10En Español

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

November 11, 202510 min

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

November 11, 20251 hr 6 min

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

January 3, 202540 min

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

August 4, 202423 min

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

August 1, 202413 min

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

November 20, 202311 min

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

November 2, 20239 min

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

October 25, 202320 min

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

October 4, 202316 min

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

July 6, 202339 min

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

March 23, 202338 min

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 Consulting See the Stallions