Growing up riding horses and working in barns, Roselynn Orr noticed a gap in equine management that needed to be filled. 

“A lot of owners use whiteboards and binders to keep their horse records, which can make it hard to keep all the information connected,” she said. “When you’re on a feed shift and nobody’s up to date on whether a horse is on a medication, it can be really scary.” 

Orr, now a junior studying agriculture at the University of Missouri, wanted to create a better way for horse owners and caretakers to manage important information. That’s where her idea for EqueTrainer originated.  

“It’s a software management system for horses, so for equine care and performance, tracking their health records and really reducing the amount of time they have to spend searching for those records,” she said.  

By creating a database that digitizes equine care records, Orr aims to streamline barn operations and give horse owners and caretakers a safer, more efficient way to manage information. 

“It helps you make better informed decisions,” she said. “It definitely caters to all horse owners.” 

Turning an idea into action 

Orr earned a spot in the Griggs Innovators Nexus, a program that provides retail storefront and incubator office space in the MU Student Center to Mizzou students interested in starting a business. 

“The best part about it is seeing the person you become through building a business,” Orr said. “Now I can publicly show what I do, what my skill set is and just be there for others.  

Through the program, Orr has an office where she can connect with potential clients, host meetings and collaborate with other student entrepreneurs. 

“It gives you a good sense of camaraderie,” she said. “As a group, we will meet with each other, go over each other’s business plans and talk about the hard stuff.” 

Orr plans to launch the EqueTrainer app in the spring and is looking for potential pilot barns for her software. Looking ahead, she hopes the platform will become a familiar tool throughout the equine industry. 

“I hope five years from now, it can be a standard in the equine industry to use an app like Equetrainer,” she said. 

Orr will also be competing in the Entrepreneur Quest (EQ) final pitch competition on Nov. 17. EQ is a student accelerator program run through the Griggs Innovators Nexus that provides Mizzou student entrepreneurs with tools, mentoring and funding for their ventures.

An early start on entrepreneurship 

Building a business and working through its challenges are nothing new for Orr. She began developing the idea for EqueTrainer while still in high school. 

“The idea came probably around my freshman or sophomore year,” she said. 

At just 16 years old, Orr established a limited liability company (LLC) for her future business. She continued developing the concept and competing with it through her local FFA chapter. 

“I’m competitive,” she said. “I didn’t want to do what everybody else was doing.” 

That same drive continues to shape Orr as an entrepreneur, but the experience has also shown her how much she has grown. 

“16-year-old me never saw this coming,” she said. “To see yourself grow throughout all these years and become the person you wanted when you were building a business is a blessing.” 

Bringing an agricultural perspective to innovation 

As a student representing the agriculture industry in the Griggs Innovators Nexus program, Orr hopes her experience demonstrates the value of the skills that come from an agricultural background. 

“It’s awesome to be able to represent CAFNR in the office because ag kids and FFA kids, they work hard and have the best ideas,” she said. “I really think it’s a testament to not underestimating the people who work on a farm because they solve problems all day long.” 

For Orr, building EqueTrainer has meant learning to take risks, putting herself out there and pursuing an idea even when the next step feels uncertain. She hopes she can inspire other CAFNR students with entrepreneurial ambitions to do the same. 

“Step up to the plate and don’t let anxiety control your life,” she said. “If you’re in CAFNR and have a business idea, come to my office and let’s figure it out.”