Public relations practices of ranching horse industry organizations

Public relations is a crucial aspect to the survival of an organization. Organizations who cater to a highly specific audience need public relations to help them financially, to help them reach their members, and to help them grow. The purpose of this study was to determine the public relations practices utilized by four ranching horse industry associations and examine these practices in relation to traditional and modern public relations practices. Four in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals in the top leadership position in each of the four ranching horse industry organizations to answer the two research objectives sought by the study. Results showed that while most are practicing some sort of public relations effort, these efforts are primarily centered around the events the organizations hold with little effort or related activities when the organization is not holding an event. With potential social media technologies to assist in public relation activities, the four organizations only used Facebook. Overall, the study provides a picture of what is currently being practiced by the ranching horse organizations and offers recommendations for bettering their practices, as related to traditional and modern literature for effective public relations practices.