If you've decided you need a website for your equestrian business, you're already ahead of many competitors. As we explained in Why Every Equestrian Business Needs a Website in 2025, a proper website helps new clients find you, saves you time answering questions, and builds trust with potential clients.
Now comes the practical question: how do you actually build one? The options range from free profiles to DIY builders to fully custom websites. This guide walks through each path, what they cost in time and money, and which one makes sense for your situation.
Table of Contents
- 1. Free options: getting online quickly
- 2. DIY paid website builders: more control, more responsibility
- 3. Self-hosted websites: two approaches
- 4. Done-for-you professional websites: save time, get results
- 5. Comparison: which option fits your situation?
- 6. Making your decision
1. Free options: getting online quickly
If you're just starting out or have a tight budget, free options can get you online fast. The trade-off is limited customization and, almost always, a URL that includes the platform's name.
BarnLinking: the best free option for equestrian professionals
BarnLinking is built specifically for equestrian businesses. Unlike generic website builders, it's designed around how horse professionals actually work: riding schools, trainers, barns, farriers, bodyworkers, and other equine services.
What makes it different
You don't design anything. You fill out structured forms with your services, programs, availability, and contact information. The platform handles the layout, mobile responsiveness, and basic SEO automatically.
The URL structure is meaningful even though it includes the platform name. Instead of a random string, you get something like barnlinking.com/yourbarnname, which is easier to remember and share than generic free builder URLs.
It includes equestrian-specific features you'd have to build yourself elsewhere: sections for horse listings, lesson programs, travel schedules for farriers, and service areas. There's also a one-click PDF flyer generator you can print for shows or tack stores, and more equestrian-focused features are coming.
Technical benefits you don't have to think about
SSL certificates, mobile responsiveness, and equestrian-specific SEO are all included and automatically configured. Most free builders either don't offer these or make them complicated to set up.
Limitations
Customization is intentionally limited. You can't change the overall design, add custom pages beyond the structured sections, or build complex booking systems. If you need extensive customization or multiple custom pages, you'll outgrow it.
The domain includes "barnlinking.com" in the URL. Free tools can't offer custom domains, so you'll have a URL like barnlinking.com/yourbarnname rather than yourbarnname.com.
Best for
Solo trainers, small barns, farriers, or bodyworkers who need a clean, professional online presence quickly without spending money or learning web design. It's especially good if you're just starting out and want to test whether having a website helps your business before investing more.
Other free options
Wix Free offers drag-and-drop editing and over 900 templates, but it displays Wix ads on your site, includes Wix branding in your URL, and uses generic templates not designed for equestrian businesses. The SEO tools are limited, and you'll spend time adapting templates to fit horse-related services.
Weebly provides a simple drag-and-drop editor and basic features, but the free plan includes Weebly branding, limited customization, and fewer templates than other platforms. It's suitable for very basic sites but lacks the equestrian-specific features that make BarnLinking more useful for horse professionals.
Canva Site is very fast to set up and looks good visually, but it's more like a digital flyer than a true website. It's hard to organize multiple services or programs, and SEO is weak. It works for a simple temporary landing page but not for a real business website.
2. DIY paid website builders: more control, more responsibility
These platforms let you build your own website with a custom domain and more design options. You pay a monthly or annual fee, and you do all the work yourself. However, there's an important limitation we'll discuss at the end of this section: platform lock-in.
Wix (Paid)
Wix offers over 900 templates, drag-and-drop editing, and AI-powered design assistance. Template styles are recognizable, and advanced customization requires learning Wix's specific system. Time investment: 20-40 hours.
Squarespace
Squarespace has clean, modern designs and works well for visual-focused businesses. Flexibility is limited for complex service structures, and you'll hit platform limits if you need extensive customization. Time investment: 25-45 hours.
GoDaddy Website Builder (Airo)
Many barns try this because they bought their domain on GoDaddy. The AI assistant generates a basic layout quickly, but design flexibility is limited and layouts can feel generic. Time investment: 10-20 hours, but you'll likely want to upgrade later.
WordPress.com (Paid Plans)
The hosted version of WordPress, more flexible than Wix or Squarespace but still has platform limits. Advanced features require higher-tier plans, and you don't have full control over hosting. Time investment: 30-50 hours.
Weebly (Paid)
Simple drag-and-drop editor, but fewer templates and limited design flexibility. Development has slowed since Square acquired it. Time investment: 15-30 hours.
The platform lock-in problem
All DIY builders share a critical limitation: you don't own your website code. If the platform raises prices, changes features, or shuts down, you can't easily move your site elsewhere. You'd have to rebuild from scratch. Your content might be exportable, but your design, customizations, and integrations are tied to that platform.
When you need to upgrade to WordPress
As your equestrian business grows, you'll likely hit limitations that SaaS platforms can't solve:
Advanced appointment booking: SaaS platforms offer basic booking, but WordPress plugins like Amelia or Bookly integrate with your calendar, send automated reminders, handle cancellations and reschedules, manage multiple instructors or locations, and sync with payment systems. For busy trainers or barns with multiple programs, this saves hours each week and reduces no-shows.
Membership and lesson package management: If you offer lesson packages, training programs, or boarding contracts, WordPress membership plugins can track student progress, manage package expiration, automate billing, and handle renewals. SaaS platforms can't match this level of automation.
Advanced SEO for local search: While SaaS platforms offer basic SEO, WordPress gives you complete control over structured data, local business schema, and site structure. This is crucial for ranking in searches like "riding lessons near me" or "farrier [your city]." Better SEO means more clients finding you through search.
Promotion and email marketing: WordPress supports sophisticated popup tools and email marketing integrations that help you build your client list, run seasonal promotions, manage waitlists, and send targeted campaigns. These tools integrate seamlessly with your site, unlike third-party services that feel disconnected.
Custom integrations: As your business grows, you might need to integrate with equestrian-specific software, payment processors, or other tools. WordPress's flexibility allows custom integrations that SaaS platforms can't support.
Multi-location or multi-instructor management: If you run multiple locations, have several instructors, or offer different programs at different facilities, WordPress can handle complex navigation and content organization that SaaS platforms struggle with.
This is why many businesses eventually move to self-hosted WordPress: they want to own their website, not rent it, and they need features that grow with their business.
3. Self-hosted websites: two approaches
When you self-host, you buy your own domain and hosting, then build your site on that foundation. There are two main approaches: traditional custom websites and WordPress.
Traditional custom websites: the old way
You can build a website from scratch using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or hire someone to do it. This is how many older websites were built, and you'll still see them online: sites with outdated designs, poor mobile responsiveness, and limited functionality.
Problems with this approach
These sites often look dated because updating them requires coding knowledge. Many aren't mobile-friendly because they were built before smartphones became the primary way people browse. They're hard to update without technical skills, so content gets stale. They lack modern features like content management systems, so every change requires editing code. Security can be an issue if they're not maintained properly.
Unless you have specific reasons to build a custom site from scratch (like unique technical requirements), this approach is generally not recommended in 2025. Modern content management systems like WordPress solve these problems while still giving you full control.
Self-hosted WordPress: the modern standard
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, making it the most popular content management system. It's open-source, meaning the software is free, and you have complete control over your site.
Why WordPress is the better choice
Unlike SaaS platforms, WordPress gives you full ownership—you own everything and can move to any host. It's flexible and extensible: with thousands of themes and plugins, you can build almost any feature you need. The community is massive, so there's extensive documentation and support available. Most importantly, if you ever need help or want to switch developers, finding WordPress expertise is easy—it's the industry standard.
Why it's challenging for equestrian professionals
Most equestrian professionals don't have web development backgrounds. Learning WordPress basics takes more than a weekend. You need to understand hosting, domains, WordPress installation, theme selection, plugin management, security, backups, performance optimization, and troubleshooting.
Realistic time investment for non-technical users (initial setup):
- Learning WordPress basics, hosting, and domains: 20-40 hours
- Researching and choosing a reliable host: 5-10 hours
- Selecting and customizing a theme: 10-20 hours
- Finding and configuring plugins (contact forms, SEO, security, backups): 10-15 hours
- Building your site content and pages: 25-40 hours
- Optimizing performance and mobile responsiveness: 10-20 hours
- Setting up security measures and backups: 5-10 hours
- Fixing issues, conflicts, and troubleshooting: 15-25 hours
Total initial setup: 100-200 hours. At $40/hour (a conservative estimate of your time value), that's $4,000-$8,000 of your time.
Ongoing maintenance (monthly):
WordPress sites require regular maintenance to stay secure and perform well. For non-technical users managing their own site, expect to spend:
- WordPress, theme, and plugin updates: 2-4 hours/month
- Security monitoring and fixing issues: 1-3 hours/month
- Performance optimization and troubleshooting: 1-2 hours/month
- Backup verification and testing: 1 hour/month
- Content updates and minor changes: 2-5 hours/month
Total ongoing maintenance: 7-15 hours/month, that's $280-$600/month of your time.
Common pitfalls
Hosting choice: Many beginners choose cheap shared hosting that's slow and unreliable. You need to research hosts, understand different hosting types (shared, VPS, managed WordPress hosting), and choose one that fits your needs and budget. Poor hosting leads to slow sites, downtime, and security issues.
Theme selection: There are thousands of WordPress themes, and many are bloated, slow, or poorly coded. Choosing the wrong theme means your site loads slowly, doesn't work well on mobile, or breaks when you update WordPress. Premium themes often perform better, but they cost $50-$200.
Plugin conflicts: Plugins can conflict with each other, break your site, or create security vulnerabilities. You need to research plugins, test compatibility, and keep them updated. Too many plugins can slow down your site or cause conflicts.
Security risks: WordPress sites are common targets for hackers because they're so popular. You need to set up security plugins, keep everything updated, use strong passwords, configure proper backups, and potentially set up a firewall. If you miss something, your site could be compromised, and you might lose data or have to pay to restore it.
Performance optimization: Slow sites lose visitors and rank poorly in search. You need to configure caching, optimize images, choose a fast theme, potentially use a content delivery network (CDN), and optimize your database. This requires technical knowledge or more learning time.
Ongoing maintenance: WordPress, themes, and plugins need regular updates. You need to test updates, fix issues when they break, and maintain backups. This is ongoing work, not a one-time setup. If you don't maintain your site, it becomes vulnerable to security issues and may break over time.
Best for
Larger barns or multi-trainer programs that have a tech-savvy person on the team, or businesses willing to hire a developer for setup and ongoing maintenance. If you don't have technical experience and don't want to invest 100+ hours learning, self-hosted WordPress is probably not the right choice unless you're willing to pay for professional help.
4. Done-for-you professional websites: save time, get results
This option is for equestrian professionals who want a polished, professional website without spending dozens or hundreds of hours learning web design, WordPress, hosting, security, and performance optimization.
What a professional service does
A professional website service handles everything: designing the site specifically for equestrian businesses, setting up pages for services and programs, optimizing mobile layout, improving SEO, handling hosting and security, building forms and booking systems, and ensuring everything works perfectly on all devices.
You provide your content, photos, and business information. They handle the technical work, design decisions, and ongoing maintenance.
Why hire a professional instead of DIY
You've seen the numbers: self-hosted WordPress requires 100-200 hours of initial setup and 7-15 hours per month for maintenance. At $40/hour, that's $4,000-$8,000 upfront and $280-$600/month in time value.
A professional service saves you that time while ensuring everything is built correctly from the start. They know which WordPress themes perform well and which are bloated, which plugins are reliable and which cause conflicts, how to optimize for speed and SEO, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that waste your time.
The result: you get a WordPress site that actually grows your business, with all the ownership and flexibility that comes with self-hosted WordPress, plus ongoing support when you need it. Your time stays focused on what you do best: working with horses and clients.
What to look for
Choose a developer or agency that has experience with equestrian businesses, uses modern WordPress (or similar flexible systems), offers reasonable pricing, provides clear communication, and includes ongoing support or maintenance options.
5. Comparison: which option fits your situation?
| Option | Upfront Cost | Monthly Cost | Initial Time | Monthly Maintenance | Platform Risk | SEO & Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BarnLinking | Free | Free | < 1 hour | 0 hours | Low (free, but platform-dependent) | Basic | Just starting, tight budget |
| Wix/Squarespace | $0-200 | $20-30/month | 20-45 hours | < 1 hour | High (platform lock-in, price changes, potential shutdown) | Limited | Want some control, have time |
| Self-hosted WordPress (DIY) | $50-200 | $5-30/month | 100-200 hours | 7-15 hours/month | None (you own everything) | Advanced | Technical skills, willing to learn |
| Professional Service | $1,500-5,000 | $50-150/month | 2-5 hours | 0 hours (included) | None (you own everything) | Advanced | Want results, save time |
Key differences explained:
Platform risk: SaaS platforms (Wix, Squarespace) can raise prices, change features, or shut down, leaving you to rebuild from scratch. With WordPress (self-hosted or professional), you own your site and can move it anywhere.
Time cost comparison: DIY WordPress requires 100-200 hours initially plus 7-15 hours/month maintenance. At $40/hour, that's $4,000-$8,000 upfront and $280-$600/month ongoing. A professional service costs $1,500-$5,000 upfront and $50-$150/month, saving you thousands in time value while ensuring everything is built correctly from the start—avoiding costly mistakes and rework.
SEO and features: As discussed in the WordPress section above, WordPress offers advanced SEO capabilities and features that SaaS platforms can't match. These directly impact how many clients find you through search and how efficiently you run your business.
6. Making your decision
Just starting out with a tight budget? Start with BarnLinking. It's free, built for equestrian businesses, and gets you online in under an hour. You can always upgrade later.
Want more control and have 20-45 hours to invest? DIY paid builders like Wix or Squarespace work, but remember: you're renting, not owning. If the platform raises prices or shuts down, you'll rebuild from scratch.
Want full ownership and have 100+ hours plus ongoing maintenance time? Self-hosted WordPress gives you complete control, but the learning curve is steep. Most equestrian professionals find the time investment impractical unless they have technical skills or hire help.
Want professional results without the time investment? A done-for-you professional website saves you 100-200 hours upfront and 7-15 hours per month, while ensuring everything is built correctly from the start. You get full ownership, advanced SEO capabilities, and features that actually grow your business—all while keeping your time focused on horses and clients.
Ready to explore what a professional website could do for your equestrian business? LifeVen Digital specializes in building WordPress websites for equestrian professionals. We understand the industry's unique needs and offer affordable pricing because we focus specifically on equestrian businesses. Get in touch to discuss your needs and get a clear estimate.