Horse website provides information on professionals in the industry

November 01, 2011|By Megan Strader | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — After 20 years of working as a horse trainer, David Mellott knows the importance of a good reputation.

"If something bad happens, it travels a lot faster than the good things do."

So it takes some confidence to take the step he's in the process of taking - joining a relatively new website that will allow people to rate their experiences with him.

Ratemyhorsepro.com serves as a resource for people in the horse community, giving people the good and the bad.

Last month Eyewitness News brought you the story of Stephen White, a former Butler County horse trainer who's been charged with raping an underage girl.

Within hours of the story airing, ratemyhorsepro, based out of Virginia, had received a call about it and was in contact with us looking for more information.

"That's how we get a lot of our information, from the good honest people that want these people exposed and not doing business in our industry," explains Debbie Hanson, Dir. of Media Relations.

Stephen White has not been convicted and still needs to go to trial, but ratemyhorsepro's goal is to bring higher level of accountability to industry - getting information out and allowing people to submit information of their own.

"We want them to have a voice and to say we do not want this going on in our industry. We want our industry to be better," adds Hanson.

The website also aims to highlight professionals who are doing good business, where Mellott hopes he lands.

"It's like anything else, you want to do your research before you go give somebody your business."

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