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Eleven-year-old Layla Hosier is determined to pay for the upkeep of her horse, Sadie, so she’s starting her own small business. 

Bug’s Barn Bites — named for Hosier’s childhood nickname, “Bug” — is a farm animal treat business. Hosier sells homemade animal treats out of honey, oats, cinnamon, flour, and vegetable oil.

“I wanted to start making money and paying for my own things, like the tack that I have for her right now, I paid for that all because I saved up to pay for it, because I really, really, really wanted to just pay for my stuff, because she’s my horse, and I wanted to,” Hosier said.

Hosier has set up a stand at Tractor Supply Company twice to sell her treats — she’s starting off slowly because they are getting ready to move to Florida. Once they move, Hosier said she’s dedicated to starting a Facebook group so she can get the word out about her business.

Her mom, Noel Myers, has been very supportive of Hosier’s business endeavors and even helped her prepare a business plan.

“I told her I would front all the ingredients to start her off, but then she knew that she had to pay for her own stuff from there,” Myers said, “and then the rest of it will go towards her horse.”

Hosier isn’t just making the treats, her mom said, she’s also did her own research to make sure all the ingredients were safe for animals and what she could use to increase shelf life.

She’s also looked into other kinds of products she may want to make and sell, like a fly spray and other kinds of treats. 

She added it’s “amazing” to hear her daughter say she wants to have some financial responsibility, and it makes her feel like she’s “doing something right.”

“She’s a very smart girl,” Myers said. “When she puts her mind to something, that’s it. She’s gonna do it.”

When they move, Myers said they are going to try and start a roadside stand as well. 

Hosier has been riding horses for most of her life.  

“Supposedly, my mom told me that my first word was a horse sound,” she said.

After having an accident during a barrel race a few years ago, Hosier took a break from riding. Her horse was more used to barrel racing than she was, so when he took off quicker than she was expecting, Hosier said she “kind of freaked out.”

“I got scared, jumped right off the horse, embarrassed myself in front of everyone, and then came back, rode a little pony around,” she said.

Since Hosier was a bit spooked from that experience, it took a while for her to get back in the ring. Now, she’s back to working with a trainer and is starting to get comfortable in the saddle again.

Hosier found Sadie, her current horse, about a year ago, and they instantly connected.

“I was really scared, but I was only walking, I knew it was only walking,” she said. “So I hopped on, and then she just connected with me when I rode her.”

While living in Suffolk, Sadie was kept on a ranch with her trainer, Mattea Ledbetter, in Corapeake, North Carolina, just over the border. 

Because they are preparing to move in a few weeks, Hosier hasn’t been able to ride Sadie as much as she would like. She said she’s looking forward to living in Florida because she will be able to ride much more frequently.

Ledbetter and Hosier have developed a close relationship since they began training together a little less than a year ago. 

Ledbetter said she’s sad to see Hosier go, but she’s excited for the new riding opportunities Hosier will get in Florida.

Myers said their Florida property is on 11 acres so they’ll be able to keep Sadie where they live.

“She’ll get to spend more time, and it’ll also give her more time to learn,” she said. “She wants to be a horse trainer as she grows up. So this will give her the opportunity to work with her horse all the time.”

Hosier said she’ll “probably” ride more competitively when they move, but she still needs more time to work with Sadie.

“She’s constantly watching videos, horse videos, and just learning from those,” Myers said. “She’s done a really great job. I’m super proud of her.”