Cavago is a start-up technology platform designed to connect the equestrian world through the power of digital. They are a small and passionate global team, based primarily out of the UK but with a growing team in the US, Portugal, Pakistan, India and Singapore.
Tell us about Cavago
Tauseef Qadri known as Taz (CEO and Founder)
Our CEO and Founder Tauseef Qadri currently lives in Lisbon and is the man who started it all with his ambitious dream to build a platform like this. Tauseef, fondly known as Taz, is a life-long equestrian with a specific love of Arabian horses and has trained in natural horsemanship around the world. He has a unique blend of equestrian knowledge and business acumen, which made him the ideal person to spearhead such a mission.
Taz is quite literally a citizen of the word. He grew up in Saudi Arabia but then attended boarding school in Warwick before going on to study at Loughborough University. He also has a Post Graduate Qualification in Artificial Intelligence from the Sloan School of Management and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. He later also graduated from MIT in Massachusetts and worked in multiple start-ups and Fortune 250 companies in London, Dubai and Singapore.
While he was working at YUM! Brands, the parent company for KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, he had the brainwave for Cavago and realised it was something he just had to do. So, he resigned and in 2019 began his journey as a full-time entrepreneur with an ambitious mission to make the equestrian world more accessible and sustainable in the modern age.
What does Cavago offer?
The service we offer includes four key platforms. Firstly, on the customer side, we have our website and app where customers can search for and book everything equestrian – whether that’s a riding holiday, lesson with their instructor or overnight stabling. We aim to be a one-stop shop where you can book literally any equestrian activity, experience or service you need.
Secondly, we also offer equestrian businesses – which we call our ‘hosts’ – the use of our custom-built host dashboard and host app. Hosts can use this to keep track of their calendar, accept, cancel and reschedule bookings, monitor their revenue, post activities to their page and much more. Our aim is to make life easier for business owners, whether freelance coaches, show organisers or riding centre managers, by reducing their admin workload as well as making them easier to find online and grow their customer-base.
What do you offer dressage riders and enthusiasts on your platform?
Dressage abroad retreat
We have plenty of options for dressage enthusiasts and professional riders to access on the platform.
Some of our best picks for a customer looking to book would be…
- A dressage-focused training retreat abroad. We have a large selection of training holidays focusing on classical riding and dressage, suitable for a range of abilities. Some key hosts to note are Lipica Stud in Slovenia and The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Spain. Some curated tours by our sister brand, Holidays With Cavago, include A 5-Day Luxury Dressage Retreat in Northern Portugal and Dressage with Nicole Silva near Lisbon.
- A lesson or clinic with one of the trainers on our platform We are proud to have several notable coaches and riding centres using the platform, including Maddi Burchell Dressage and Talland School of Equitation.
- Tickets to watch a performance or demo The platform is ideal to use for ticketing for big events, so keep an eye out for dressage-themed shows or conferences that you may want to attend.
- Entry into a dressage competition We have several local competition centres using Cavago as a booking platform, as well as larger venues such as Hartpury Equine who use us for most of their competition entries.
How do we navigate the platform?
Using the website and app is easy! Simply set up a free profile with us, then search for what you’re looking for by using the filters to help narrow down your search or type in the name of a specific host or location. Click on the page of the activity or host you wish you book. Then, simply and securely pay for your booking using our payment portal and you will receive a confirmation email straight to your inbox. Any correspondence from the host about your booking will come straight to you, and you can also message your host directly within the app if you have any specific questions or requests.
What services do you offer dressage businesses?
We are brilliantly set up to work for businesses of all types. We have a fantastic team working on our technology all the time, which means we’re uniquely positioned to have been able to develop the platform based on feedback from all manner of business models.
A dressage coach for example is the ideal candidate to use the Cavago platform. All you need to do is sign up completely for free using our sign up form. You can then set up your page on our website exactly how you would like it, including a description of your services, images and any activities available for booking. Clients can then book with you online, with no need for DMs, texts, emails on a variety of platforms and no chasing payments either! Coaches can view their calendar, easily amend bookings and manage their finances clearly and easily.
We are also set up to accommodate livery yards, as we have the function to set up your services online but we can in fact set these to an ‘inquiry only’ booking basis. This means a new potential customer can inquire about your facility, but instead of openly booking online, you can send them direct invitations personalised to them, all through the dashboard. This also allows for payment up front with set payment dates and keeps all your liveries’ payments in one easy-to-use dashboard.
You offer tiering services, basic, standard and premier, how do we decide which one to choose?
Cavago works on a commission only basis – meaning we only make money if you do. We’re confident that by freeing up your time no longer having to do admin so you can focus on what you do best, plus making it much easier for clients to find out and book, that you’ll be making more profit than ever once you sign up with us.
We’ve set up the tier commission system to offer you the level of support you need.
Our basic package of 5% per transaction, is the ‘DIY’ package. You set up your own page, get access to the full host dashboard and app and all its features. On a 10% commission package we offer a little more marketing support across email newsletters and social media promotion. And on our highest package of 15%, hosts will receive priority inclusion in any external promotion opportunities as well as dedicated and regular support from an account manager on the team.
We also run a separate model for competition entries and tickets, where instead of taking commission, we charge a compulsory £1.50 booking fee.
Can you share with us what you have in the pipeline?
We are constantly developing our technology based on feedback from our hosts and customers. Exciting new features are on the horizon as well as completely new projects that align with the businesses we’re working with. We have a lot going on in the background at the moment, and there’ll be some exciting new developments over the next few months so watch this space!
What have been some of the highlights to date on the Cavago journey?
Gemma Stevens riding Envoy Merelsnest Z winners of The Cavago Six Bar at The London International Horse Show at ExCel in London
Cavago has had many incredible highlights over the past few years. The most recent being our debut trade stand at London International Horse Show in December 2024. We wanted to stand out and bring the fun! We created a custom stand with a ‘Cavago Carnival’ theme where show-goers could come and win prizes with our grab machine and wheel of fortune. We also teamed up with Racewood Simulators who brought one of their state-of-the-art simulators to the show, where customers could book their slot on Cavago, then have the ride of their life while watching a montage of scenery from the hosts on Cavago as if you were on a real-life riding holiday with us.
We were also title sponsors of the Cavago Six Bar and Cavago Rising Star Ladies Show Horse class, which was a fantastic experience.
Another surreal experience was travelling to Portugal with Yellowstone Actress Dawn Olivieri to film the pilot episode of a documentary about different horse breeds and cultures from around the world. It was amazing to spearhead a project like this, so look out for more to come on that!
How can we access your services?
To access Cavago, head to our website! For customers, visit www.mycavago.com and for hosts wanting to find out more of sign up with us, visit host.mycavago.com. You can also download our apps straight to your phone, which are available from the App Store and Google Play.