When asked about her career goals, Roselynn Orr doesn’t miss a beat. “I want to be an entrepreneur,” she says enthusiastically. “I want to create new stuff, and if it supports my love of horses, even better.”
She’s on her way: As one of her supervised agricultural experiences, the junior from the Hallsville FFA Chapter in Missouri is developing two apps that support the equine community, which she has been deeply involved in since she was 8 years old.
“It all started because my mom found a free coupon for horse riding lessons,” Orr says. “I absolutely fell in love with the horses, and I really went all in.” Now an eventer and show jumper, she spends roughly two weekends a month during show season on the road—resulting in long days inside the horse barn tending and training.
That time, experience and knowledge naturally led to her first app idea, EqueTrainer, an online platform that tracks medical records, feeding schedules and training information by horse in one convenient place. “I’ve seen how chaotic things can get in a barn,” she says. “My goal is to provide peace, confidence and a way to make things easier.”
While processes vary by stable, Orr notes that most barns she’s worked in don’t have a central, secure method for managers, horse owners, stable hands and veterinarians to align on horses’ needs. For instance, she says, “In my last barn, we wrote feed amounts and medicines on a whiteboard, but sometimes things get erased, and then there’s confusion and doubt about what to give a horse. When it comes to medications, that can be dangerous.” She adds that sometimes new stable hands may not understand all the directives or get horses mixed up as they’re learning.
The goal for EqueTrainer is to have clear, up-to-date records, plus photos of the horses and medications to streamline everything for equine care. Orr would love for vets to have access to the app to communicate with caretakers. “I currently work in a [small-animal] vet office, so I’ve been able to understand their challenges, too,” she adds.
Orr recently competed in the Equine Science Entrepreneurship SAE category at the Missouri State FFA Convention and placed second. She plans to release EqueTrainer for beta testing this summer.
Next, she’ll transition to developing GiddeeUp, which will be a horse-trailer rental app that follows the ride-sharing approach. Equestrians who do not have their own horse trailers can find available trailers and drivers to haul their horses to shows. “My previous horse trainer was thrilled,” Orr says. “She said, ‘You’ve got to get this done and released!’”
Orr has been creating both apps in collaboration with her mother, who has expertise in coding, and working together has been one of the highlights, she says. However, the most fulfilling aspect of her SAEs has been recognizing the positive impact to come for the equine community. “I hope,” she says, “users can experience a sense of gratitude and fulfillment knowing the app’s efficient system can help create a more organized and less chaotic training environment.”
