In 2019 the Stirling's Endurance Life Magazine was a small publication representing the Stirling's Crossing Endurance Riders Club Inc in Queensland Australia. Published for its members, volunteers, sponsors and other supporters. Queensland was rather lucky to have two quality magazines representing the equestrian sport of Endurance Horse Riding. The other being the official publication of Queensland Endurance Riders Association. At this time, the other 5 Active Endurance states in Australia did not have magazines at all.
Matthew Sample, the founder of the Stirling's Crossing Equestrian Complex and owner of Stirling's Crossing Arabians, in his commitment to contributing to the growth of Endurance Horse Riding in Australia saw an opportunity for the magazine to expand and support all states in Australia. Which is where I came in.
Matthew Sample and club president Kim Moir called on me for help to transition the magazine from local mag to national publication. This was more about having a familiarity with many aspects of the Aussie-wide sport than it was about my limited knowledge of producing magazines! From self-publishing my own book about endurance, nearly 5000km of competition across Australia, to volunteering for a number of clubs and designing an upcoming software platform to support the sport called ManeHub. The first time I'd ever used inDesign was only months earlier for the 2019 Tom Quilty Gold Cup! But what better way to learn than to jump in the deep end, right?!
Shifting to a National Publication
So in 2020, the Stirling's Endurance Life Magazine spread its wings, releasing 2 editions with a national focus and a 3rd due late October. The support for this move has been phenomenally positive and subscriptions to the magazine increased by more than 400%! Regular content from each of the states grows with each edition, as does the support in general of having a national publication that celebrates all aspects of the sport and its dedicated enthusiasts, incredible horses and forever hard-working volunteers.
“But the Magazine was free in 2020, why do we have to pay in 2021?”
As the popularity of Stirling's Endurance Life Magazine continues to increase, as does the page count, the cost and the volume of work that needs to go into each and every issue, before, during and after our Australian Printer prints, binds, packs and distributes over 1000 high-quality copies! From the customer service of helping subscribers keep their address details up to date, through to sourcing advertising plus many weeks of design and curating, puts each issue at a cost well over $10,000. This was already difficult to maintain as a free magazine, and then Covid-19 hit which hurt our wonderful commercial supporters, severely reducing their advertising budgets.
But those of us behind the magazine truly believe in its ability and potential to support, inspire, encourage, grow and celebrate the sport of Endurance Horse Riding Australia wide and we feel that the sport needs this more than ever right now! So in 2021, we focus as a team on sustainable growth in order to continue improving and delivering the Stirling's Endurance Life Magazine to you.
A 2021 Subscription to the Stirling's Endurance Life Magazine is just $24.95 for ALL 3 editions inclusive of postage and also allows exclusive access to subscriber-only content available on the website! All subscribers on our mailing list will still receive the final 2020 edition, volume 8, for FREE. Volume 8 will be distributed to our list late October. Please make sure your mailing address is correct and up to date in your account under "My Address".
The Website Goes Live!
Our brand new website takes the magazine to a whole new level, allowing subscribers to manage their own details online, purchase subscriptions, gift subscriptions, access subscriber-only content and lots more. This also allows us to stay in touch with subscribers easier, to let you know about upcoming editions, opportunities, content submissions and more.
To celebrate 2021 subscriptions are $5.00 OFF until 31st December 2020!
Advertising options are also now available to purchase online! Our wonderful commercial supporters can join our mailing list for latest updates, offers and news.
Volume 8 is offering $150.00 OFF Full Page Advertisements for Stallions who are active in Endurance or who have active progeny competing in 2020
Use CODE: 2020STALLIONS
Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you to all of our subscribers and commercial supporters during 2020. You have most certainly helped us to bring the Stirling's Endurance Life Magazine to where it is today. We hope you have enjoyed turning the pages and continue to for many more editions ahead.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Happy Riding!
Mindy
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