Client Spotlight – Rathkenny Stud

In March 2023, Gordon and Amie achieved their dream and launched Rathkenny Stud, an Equestrian Centre based in Bondleigh, Near North Tawton, Devon. Named after Gordon’s mothers winning horse, who was a championship showjumper, Rathkenny Stud was the culmination of years of study and hard work.

Gordon and Amie both have worked in equine care and racing their whole lives, with Gordon previously an amateur jockey and Amie studying equine care before working in the industry. The Centre provides livery, arena and gallop hire but the ultimate goal is for Gordon to become a racehorse trainer. This is already progressing as they have put in place plans for a gallop and possibly a water treadmill.

But, the transition from being employed, to employers, was no easy task and the Westcotts team, led by Sarah Watts (Partner) were on hand right from the beginning to offer personalised a personalised service. Sarah, who supported the previous owners of the Centre, offered the duo accountancy expert as they settled into their new roles. She continues to provide accountancy support, including payroll, as they build their business towards becoming world class racehorse trainers.

Sarah Watts, Partner based at Westcotts Okehampton office said, “The opportunity to support Gordon and Amie, as they took on

 the equestrian centre – which is their first business – has been fantastic. I’ve really enjoyed coming in at the start of the business to help establish good accountancy practices and processes. I’m excited to work with both of them as they take the Centre on a journey towards providing a service more focused around breeding and training racehorses.”

Amie, Co-Founder of Rathkenny Stud said, “Sarah has been a fantastic support from day one. We had never run a business before, and the business accountancy side was a minefield for us. The fact we were responsible for ensuring payroll was processed correctly was really nerve wracking for us, as we wanted to ensure all our staff were paid correctly. Sarah was not phased by this and immediately sorted this all out. She was always happy to answer our questions and easy to get hold of.”