As summer slowly begins to wind down and the leaves prepare to change, Southern States would like to recognize Lyndsey Bailey of Neptune Feed and Saddlery in Calverton, NY as the Outstanding Equine Employee for September. Born into a horse focused family, Lyndsey began working fulltime at the family’s Neptune Feed and Saddlery after graduating from St. Joseph's College in June. After receiving her BA in Business with a minor in Marketing, Lyndsey is preparing to eventually take over the family business.

What originally started in 1982 as a marine wholesaler selling EZ Loader boat trailers slowly began transforming into a high quality independent feed dealer. Ten years after the business began, they started carrying horse feed as Lyndsey’s parents Will and Sue couldn’t find a reliable feed dealer in the area. In 1992, the family decided to devote all their attention on horses and made Neptune Feed and Saddlery a one stop resource for horse and riders.

 

Being born into a family that adores horses, Lyndsey quickly embraced their love of horses. At age one she got her first pony for Christmas and she has never looked back. Today Lyndsey competes at Dressage shows with her mare, Rosie. Most days after she has completed her duties at Neptune she can be found at the barn training for her next competition. In addition to Rosie, the family owns four more horses.

Not only does Lyndsey show, but she also gives riding lessons both before and after work. A special passion of hers is teaching disabled and muscularly undeveloped children how to ride.

As Lyndsey has spent her entire life in the family’s Neptune store it was only natural for her to pursue working at the family’s business. Since graduating from St. Joseph’s, Lyndsey has been managing the store. Thanks in part to Lyndsey’s contributions, Neptune has been recognized by Southern States for growing their business.   
Lyndsey tries to impart the importance of customer relationships with her employees.

According to Lyndsey, “You start out building relationships with your customers and eventually your customers become your friends.”

Having close knit relationships with customers enables Lyndsey and the rest of her staff to know their customers and anticipate their needs.  At Neptune Feed and Saddlery, it truly is all about building customer loyalty.
For Lyndsey, one of the biggest rewards of her job is hearing success stories from customers after they switch to a new feed and see a positive improvement in their horses.  “I love seeing the joy of the customer when something we recommended makes a positive impact in the lives of their horse,” explains Lyndsey.

Malinda Ferko, Equine Feed Sales and Technical Representative for Southern States, praises Lyndsey’s work,” Lyndsey is a great asset to both her business and Southern States because of her desire to care for the customer and their animals.”

One of the most challenging situations Lyndsey faces at Neptune is when customers are hesitant to switch feeds regardless of the benefits a switch could mean for their horses.

“It’s really hard when a customer doesn’t see the value in what you are trying to promote,” explains Lyndsey.  Although she tries to educate the customers about the benefits of switching it can be difficult to convince them when they are set in their ways.

“Some people only want to spend $8 a bag, it doesn’t matter what you tell them they are committed to that price point,” she adds.

Dealing with customers who aren’t willing to change feeds to meet the needs of their horses is trying for Lyndsey as she is eager to both learn more about nutrition and share her knowledge with customers.

As Ferko says, "She knows which feeds are the best suited to each satiation and can relate this to the customer in a way that is understandable. And sometimes this means not only in English but also in Spanish.” Lyndsey really is able to help a wide variety of customers as she fluent in Spanish.

Lyndsey loves being part of the Southern States family. “I have learned so much about nutrition from the Southern States representatives since Neptune became a dealer,” says Lyndsey. “I really have to thank Southern States for making me so knowledgeable.”

Part of that knowledge has come from farm calls she has traveled on with Ferko and Southern States Equine Nutritionist/Horse Feed Manager Dr. Marty Adams. By being part of the extended Southern States family, Lyndsey knows she can always pick up the phone and get the support of someone at Southern States to assist her. “It truly is a great partnership!” exclaims Lyndsey.

In addition to being committed to her own customers at Neptune, Lyndsey is also focusing on providing feed to competitors at the Hampton Classic Horse Show from August 29 to September 5th. This will be the second year that Neptune Feed and Saddlery will be on the showgrounds to be the exclusive feed dealer. “Being at the Classic enables us to not only provide feed for existing customers but also promote ourselves and hopefully pick up a few more accounts,” states Lyndsey.

When Lyndsey isn’t at the barn or at the store, she can be found playing volleyball on the store’s sponsored team. Each Wednesday they play beach volleyball.  She also likes to let her creativity flow and loves photography.

Lyndsey thanks for all you do!  We look forward to having you as part of the Southern States team for years to come!!