At the young age of 14, Alexa Billstrom unknowingly began her entrepreneurial journey when she painted a stall sign for the horse she was leasing. Alexa enjoyed tapping into her creative side, and began painting groom brushes as well. Thanks to social media, Alexa’s Equine Creations attracted attention, and she began selling her work. Read on to find out how Alexa and her rescue sidekick landed an interview with a major news network, find out what horse-themed career she is pursuing and see her one-of-a-kind Etsy Equestrian products.
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Alexa, tell us about your horsey self!
I currently only own one horse, an 8-year-old miniature rescue horse named Sawdust, as I recently lost my old guy, Milo, this past August. Sawdust was rescued by the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Illinois after he was found running loose on a highway, and he was in perfect health but nobody claimed him after they tried to locate an owner. He is a therapy horse that I trained to be able to take to hospitals, nursing homes, health clinics, colleges, etc. to provide support to people that need it. He’s a pretty cool guy!
Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
Alexa’s Equine Creations is a one-of-a-kind business where I sell completely customized and hand painted stall signs and brushes. I work closely with each customer to design their product exactly how they envision it, or sometimes customers will give me “creative liberty” as I like to call it, where they’ll give me some things they would like included but leave the design and placement of things up to me. I offer four different types of brushes: a hard brush, soft brush, mane/tail or hair brush, and a face brush that can be purchased individually or in a set at a discounted price. I have painted portraits, logos, patterns, you name it, and do not use any sort of stencil or painting aide; I pride myself in free-handing all of my work.
CLICK HERE to Shop Alexa’s Equine Creations.
How did you choose the name Alexa’s Equine Creations, when did you start, how would you describe your niche?
My business’s name incorporates my own name into it, and “Equine Creations” stems from the equine and artistic side of things. Begun in 2014, I started this business at 14 years old after completing my first stall sign for my beloved lease horse, Cracker Jack, as a craft to put my artistic skills to work during my winter break and add some color to his stall. After posting a photo of the sign on social media, encouragement from friends and family to begin selling my work arose. As I opened my Etsy shop and began selling more and more signs, I began thinking how I wanted to add to my shop. What more perfect idea than grooming brushes?
What’s the greatest challenge and joy you face in your equestrian life?
The greatest challenge i’m facing right now in my equestrian life is definitely getting over the loss of Milo. Not a day goes by where I don’t think of him and the impact he had on me; he certainly took a piece of my heart with him. The greatest joy would be left to Sawdust then! Having him be a therapy horse is a joy within itself. He really is such a cool horse and has such a deep personality. He can be calm as can be when we are out doing visits, but when I’m working with him at the barn you would think he’s an untrained colt!
[If you or someone you know is grieving a horse, my book Strands of Hope: How to Grieve the Loss of Horse might be of some comfort. ~Susan]
Due to COVID, we had to change up how we conduct our visits and have resorted to window visits. Last spring we were interviewed by Fox News and Chewy.com about the work we were doing, so that was pretty cool! Giving back to my community, and involving my horse while doing it-it’s hard to find the words to describe how heartwarming it is for me.
What do you do for work?
I’ve worked as a dietary aide at a nearby senior living community for the past four years. I’m currently in my senior year of college studying Criminal Justice and when I graduate I plan to enroll in the police academy so that I can serve my community as a law enforcement officer. I also am interning at a local police department this semester which has been an amazing experience. My goal, of course, is to one day become a mounted patrol officer.
Where do you live and what’s the horse scene like there?
I am located in Southeast Wisconsin in a town called New Berlin, which is a suburb about 30 minutes from Milwaukee and an hour from the capitol, Madison. There are only two boarding facilities in New Berlin, and only a handful of small, privately-owned “backyard barns.” The surrounding towns seem to be more equine-populated, and English is definitely the discipline of the area.
Whom do you regard as a hero or look to for inspiration in the horse world?
My inspiration in the horse world would have to be Dan James. I saw him perform at the Midwest Horse Fair a few years back, and have followed his work ever since. I can only hope to one day have the horsemanship skills that he does!
Do you have any horse-related bucket list items you’d like to cross off?
Definitely riding on a beach one day. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to gallop a horse on a beach, and it’s something I’ve yet to cross off my bucket list.
How do your friends describe you?
My friends would describe me as dedicated. Unfortunately between being a full time college student, police intern, working part time, running this business, volunteering, and with other responsibilities, I’m not left with very much free time. But whatever I do, I do with all that I’ve got.
What is your favorite part about running your business?
Interacting with customers is my favorite part of the order process. I love working with people and learning about their stories, riding, and their horses, and talking with them to create their ideal brush/sign.
I recently had an order from a 58-year-old woman who just bought her first horse, and learning about her and her new horse was just so enriching for me. I encourage people to reach out who are thinking about ordering but don’t know exactly what they want–I would love to talk with you!
I can be reached through Facebook (Alexa’s Equine Creations), Instagram @alexasequinecreations, email (alexasequinecreations@gmail.com) or Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/AlexasEquineCreation.
ALL THE ETSY EQUESTRIANS
In case you missed them, here is a list of more women from the series The Etsy Equestrians. If you have a favorite horse-themed or equestrian-owned Etsy shop, let me know by leaving a comment here or email me at Susan@SaddleSeeksHorse.com. I’d love to feature more fellow horse lovers.
#11 Rosanna of Interest Candles
#10 Lindsey of The Preppi Pony Company
#9 Nia of Beautifully Beaded Halters
#6 Kasia of Kasia Bukowska Art
#5 Erin Kate of Silver Oaks Farm
#4 Elaine of Bowdangles Horse Show Bows
#3 Carla of The Frugal Foxhunter
#2 Tracy of The Printable Pony
Leave a Comment: Stall sign or custom brushes, which would you choose to have Alexa create for you?
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I'm Susan and this is my horse Knight. We have been a blogging team since 2015 and we're glad you're here. Tally ho!
