Enterprising Teenagers Use Trail Pole Business to Pay For Showing Horses

By: Brittany Bevis

It has been said that necessity is the mother of all invention. That statement is certainly true for brothers, Nicholas and David Gonifas. When they set out on a search for Trail poles to use on their home course, they couldn’t find any locally. So, the boys decided to make their own. They loved how the poles turned out and thought others might as well. They were right. That’s how their small business, Northern Colorado Poles and Jumps, was born.

“We got the idea for the business because we needed 12 foot Trail poles to practice with and couldn’t find any locally,” says 15-year-old Nicholas. “We decided to make our own. When they turned out so great, we thought we would post on Facebook and and see if anyone would buy some. I thought it would be a good way to help pay for some of my show costs. Well, to my surprise, we got several orders the first few weeks. We realized this had the potential of being a pretty successful business!”

The boys’ product line includes 8, 10, and 12 foot poles in a variety of colors. They also offer jump standards, cavalettis, flower boxes, and risers. The most exciting part of the process happens when they receive a special request for a custom color scheme. “We’ve had a couple of fun orders,” says 13-year-old David. “One was for strawberry and watermelon poles. The other was for a set of poles that had a ‘Trump’ decal on them. The rainbow poles are popular and also pretty fun to make.”

Their customers run the gamut from recreational horse owners to AQHA World Champion winning trainers. Most recently, they sold a jump set to a client who’s preparing for the Olympics.

The most interesting part of their business is that the boys aren’t simply customizing poles and then reselling. The Gonifas brothers, along with a little help from their family, make the poles themselves.

“We start the pole orders by buying them as square 4×4’s,” the boys say. “Our mom cuts them into the octagon shape. David then sands the pole to make sure it’s smooth. Then, they go into the shop to be finished. David then caulks them to make sure they have no cracks. They get sanded again to make sure they have no bumps. Nicholas takes over at this point and starts the painting process with priming. Our mom then tapes the poles with the pattern the customer ordered. The painting process takes about three days, and we let them dry for at least five more days before they are ready for transport.”

The boys have made about $20,000 in profit since they started their business two years ago and have big plans to expand beyond Colorado in the future. The funds from their hard work go toward helping to pay for the care and training of their horses, but the process has also taught them valuable lessons about how to run a successful business and work as a team.

“The business helps me be able to compete at a national level,” Nicholas says. “Without the business, I wouldn’t be able to go to as many out of state shows. I can buy high quality tack for my horse. Also, because I want to be a horse trainer, it’s helping me learn how to run my own business and work hard.”

“It helps me learn responsibility and how to take initiative,” David says. “I have to be responsible for my business success, which translates into learning to be responsible for my horse’s care and well-being.”

“Working together as brothers can be difficult some times, because we don’t always agree on the production processes; but, at the end of the day, we put our differences aside to make the best product for our customers,” the boys say.

The brothers confirm that their most popular product is poles, but the jump sets are becoming very sought after as well. Their most lucrative item, with the highest profit margin, is jumping equipment, so they focus their marketing efforts in that realm.

These teenagers seem to be quite business savvy, and have learned how to work around obstacles, but they acknowledge receiving a lot of help from their friends and family. “We only sell poles for personal use at this time,” Nicholas says. “We considered renting for shows, but we’ve had a very difficult time finding round poles that we can get delivered at a reasonable cost. Poles for shows are required to be round. Our octagon poles are great for training and practice.”

“We get a lot of help from our parents. They help us with marketing, cutting all of the poles, and building some of the items we sell. Also, our trainer, Miya Childers, helps promote our business to other trainers. We couldn’t do it without their support,” they say.

When they aren’t busy making poles, the boys can be found riding and showing their Quarter Horses. Nicholas competes with a 17-year-old gelding named Zips Making You Look, aka “Banjo,” in Western All-Around events. David shows a 17-hand, 15-year-old, appendix Quarter Horse gelding named Bound To Be Blazin, aka “Jake,” in English events. Both brothers compete under the guidance of trainer, Miya Childers.

In addition, David plays soccer at the national level and hopes to get a professional contract by the time he’s 19. As a result, he has to make a schedule in order to use his time most effectively. “I travel a lot for practices and games,” he says. “I have to make sure I plan when I do my work so it gets done on time and doesn’t affect my soccer schedule and school.”

Nicholas has dreams of a Congress Championship and World Championship title. He also wants to be a horse trainer. “I want to make a positive impact on the industry that reshapes the way we show horses in the future,” he says.

Both boys have big aspirations for the future, and the lessons they’re learning now, by running their own business as teenagers, will certainly help them in many ways in the years to come.

“It’s cool to see our products impact the industry and be used by so many people,” Nicholas says.

“It’s rewarding to know our hard work and profits are going towards helping with my horse showing,” David says.

If you have a special story to share with The Equine Chronicle, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.