Five Conversations, Fifty-Five Minutes: Why Women in Equine's Speed Networking Might Be the Best Hour You Give Yourself This Month
We talk a lot in this community about isolation, about how solitary the equine industry can feel even when you're surrounded by people who love horses as much as you do. Women in Equine has actually put a number on that feeling, and it's worth sitting with.
The networking gap, in numbers
Women in Equine ran an Impact Survey on its members in May 2026 to establish a baseline for how connected women in this industry actually feel. The results were stark: among women with over 11 years of industry experience, only 40% said they had a strong professional network. Drop below 11 years, and it falls further, to 18%, with 54.6% of respondents saying they have little to no network at all.
That's not a small-talk problem. That's decades of experienced, capable women, building careers in relative isolation, without the rooms, the mentors, or the introductions that other industries take for granted.
"Being virtual, I have met countless women that I would not have known otherwise. Local equine communities are much smaller, so Women in Equine has drastically expanded my reach and network in ways I couldn't have imagined." - Grace Speckman
What Women in Equine is doing about it
Women in Equine is a professional community built specifically for women across the equine industry, business owners, trainers, marketers, vets, everyone in between, spanning disciplines and specialties and time zones. It runs on free, student, professional and business membership tiers, with virtual sessions, education, a private community and in-person meetups layered in depending on what you need.
Of the members surveyed, 97% said they'd gained networking through the group, 42% said advice, and 26% said marketing knowledge. Small, consistent connection, it turns out, is what moves the needle.
Join a session yourself
Women in Equine's next Speed Networking session runs on Thursday, 24th September, 12-1pm EST, designed to pull you out of the usual networking routine and into real conversations. You'll meet five different women, eleven minutes each, with a quick rotation between conversations, no agenda beyond coming with an open mind and leaving with people worth following up with.
It's $10 for community members and industry professionals, and free for WiE Student, Professional and Business members. Register below, or find out more about membership at womeninequine.com.
