Boarding in NYC with public transit

[into_the_stars]

Yeah that makes sense - we do have a lot of kids competing in the lower levels in Europe, but not with very fancy horses or coaches, and then teenagers/ adults either stop competing or move up the levels.

I would rather give my horse a real break than show her so much lower than we’re used to. If this was just for a few months, I could also just coach myself and manage the logistics to do a few 1.1m, but I don’t want to spend 1-2 years without real coaching.

If only I’d gone into dressage instead of show jumping, I’ve managed to find an amazing coach and lesson horse at Knoll Farm, but my own horse doesn’t have the patience for it

[Rel6]

I don’t actually know any accessible by public transportation that support that kind of a program. But others might - my guess is just that it will be out of budget since programs that can support a 1.2m horse in a solid program close-ish to NYC are generally not going to be under $3000.

[WavyRider]

Because I like a barn hunting challenge - which part of Manhattan are you in? North, south, central?

[into_the_stars]

Haha thanks for rising to the challenge! Midtown West currently (very close to Penn Station/ Port Authority, close enough to Grand Central), will likely move to the UWS at some point but still a few subway stops away from all transportation hubs (Grand Central being slightly less convenient but still feasible)

[Tha_Ridge]

@WavyRider

Because I like a barn hunting challenge - which part of Manhattan are you in? North, south, central?

That wouldn’t make a difference here, given the ease of getting to any transit hub within the city.

[173north]

Just another voice to confirm that Knoll is the only barn in the NYC metro region that is genuinely walkable from public transit - except for Riverdale in the Bronx, which is a loooong hike from the subway and will not have a program to support a 1.20m horse.

I lived in Brooklyn and rode in NJ for ages. I rented a Zipcar 2x/wk for many years, then caved in 2020 and bought a car. Zipcar was a breeze and takes no extra time at all - if your selected car is dirty or whatever, you just call them and they assign you another car in the lot/garage.

If you’re open to getting a Zipcar membership and driving to NJ, you have quite a few excellent options. Westchester will be above your budget as a rule and I wouldn’t want to drive UWS/Midtown to LI to ride when NJ is right there, more budget-friendly than LI and has lots of great trainers.

[danhelm441]

OP, I did this for a couple years, not as an owner but as a lesson student, and it genuinely sucked. I wouldn’t do it again without owning a car. Even schlepping up to Riverdale in the Bronx (which should technically be the easiest by public transportation) was an absolute shit show.

The best arrangement I had going for a brief time was carpooling with a group of other riders out to NJ. But even that, let me tell you, is no picnic. People are flaky. They make you late. It was exhausting and at times not worth the time saved compared to taking the bus. Plus I still had to take the subway 30 min just to get to the home of the car owner, then stand around in her apartment while it took her forever to get out the door! Omg I would never put myself through that again…

The reason public transit sucks so much is that, while it’s predictable, it can be JUST unpredictable enough to screw you over. And the longer the commute, the more that effect is magnified. Sometimes everything goes smoothly and operates on time—no sick passengers, no “train traffic ahead of us,” no changes to bus service meaning we blow half a mile past my stop—and the “reward” is you show up thirty minutes early and get stuck waiting around for your lesson time. But if you don’t leave home early enough to account for those little unpredictable incidentals (and sometimes even if you do) you’ll be incredibly, unforgivably late.

Also, another limiting factor is that, while the public transit may get you within a 5-mile radius of your intended destination, those last few miles can suck. You call an Uber, it can take anywhere between 5 and 20 min to get picked up, you’re out $15, and you have to repeat that on the way back—Uber to train (or bus), train to subway, subway to walk-up…

If I were you, I would leave my horse in Europe…

[zany1]

Along with what everyone else has said, showing is ASTRONOMICALLY more expensive here than in Europe. At the 1.20 level, you’re likely limited to A shows, which can run anywhere from $800-$1500+ per week without trainer/day fees.

If you want your horse to get show miles, I would personally recommend keeping her in Europe!

[mika0116]

I grew up in NJ (Hunterdon County) and many a show jumper friend went to NYU / Columbia. They either didn’t ride during the academic year or they rode weekends when they came home to NJ from the city / head down to Wellington for a few weeks of WEF if class schedule allowed.

Posters above who currently live in the city know way more about the situation in 2023, so I defer to them on it. My knowledge ends after 2012.

I think you should leave horse in Europe & take dressage lessons at Knoll Farm on the lesson horse to have access to riding for the next 2 - 3 years.

Competing at 1.20m in the US is exceedingly expensive, is rarely / never a 1 day or weekend only show experience and there just aren’t that many opportunities to competitively show jump over .90m outside of the A circuit.

[Caol_Ila]

I spent three months living in Manhattan during a summer while I was at uni (doing an internship), and boarded my horse at a barn on Staten Island. This was in 2003, so I have no idea if the barn still exists. I had my truck there, but even with a vehicle, it was a ball-ache. In hindsight, bringing her to the city was a daft idea, though I got some good stories. I should have loaned the horse to a friend in Connecticut and visited her on the occasional weekend.

My internship was in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, which usefully overlooks the Brooklyn Bridge. I used to watch the traffic snarl up over the bridge and think, “No way am I driving off that island after work.” Obviously I took the subway into work, but the trip between West 23rd, where I was living, and Brooklyn Heights wasn’t that desperate. The A/C subway line was pretty decent. Unlike anything involving Staten Island. I worked 9-5-ish, so going in the weekday evenings was not an option. It could easily take two hours to get to the barn. That meant I only saw the horse on weekends. And it took up my entire weekend because it was such a bloody epic driving between Staten Island and West 23rd. If I left early enough in the morning, I could get there in about 45 minutes. But it took about two hours to get home later in the day. I didn’t really get the opportunity to engage deeply with fun NYC things, which I regret.

The tolls were fun too.

Like others have said, public transport has its own hassles. If one train is late or only running to express stops or not running due to works, it can screw up your entire trip.

I love NYC, but that summer showed me that having the horse and living there were mutually exclusive unless you had $$$$$$. I wasn’t enjoying my horse, and I wasn’t enjoying the city.

I have since written two novels about police in NYC. I don’t think any detective in a novel has spent so much time sitting in traffic jams or wrestling with the subway system (obviously real ones do, like everyone else who lives there). The amount of time I spent stuck on the BQE always stayed with me.

[fivestrideline]

@zany1

Along with what everyone else has said, showing is ASTRONOMICALLY more expensive here than in Europe. At the 1.20 level, you’re likely limited to A shows, which can run anywhere from $800-$1500+ per week without trainer/day fees.

If you want your horse to get show miles, I would personally recommend keeping her in Europe!

I came here to say this - I believe a “reasonable” budget is $3k-$5k a week right now. Depending on trainer fees and if you need a braider. There is rarely a barn that can accommodate hauling in for just the weekend classes or what have you, so you’re paying board at home plus daycare and show fees for the whole week of the show, and rides/trainer showing during the week so the horse gets out of the stall. Obviously if you can take off work or school and ride all week, or haul yourself that changes (but no car most likely means no truck and trailer).

Not trying to dog pile on the bad news train, but under $3k board is unlikely without a car commute, and I know for a fact that American show fees and logistics can be shocking to those who are used to the European model.

[findeight]

@into_the_stars

I could also just coach myself and manage the logistics to do a few 1.1m…

Doubt you would ever find a place anywhere over here within your budget with jumps that can even be set over 1.1m let alone allow you to school over them by yourself.

[fivestrideline]

Oh that’s an interesting point. I am not from the area, but I’d assume there aren’t many places that allow jumping outside of lessons, what with the scarcity of “plain” boarding.

[into_the_stars]

Thank you all for your feedback! I had not even started to look at show prices or the fact that one has to go for the whole week (or at least the horse has to). We do have some week-long shows in Europe (internationals mostly) but also a bunch of local week-end shows up to 1.45m, with the average entry fee in a 1.20m around €50…
Different horse cultures I guess! The US model also has a lot of advantages (“cleaner” riding in show jumping thanks to most people’s equitation background, turnout systematically offered by all barns, …), but it doesn’t sound like it’s right for me and my horse, especially not around NYC.
I’ll follow your advice and leave her in Europe, she’s leased to a friend right now and maybe she’ll have a foal or two before I return, that’s not too bad

[fivestrideline]

Yeah it’s a whole different world here. Stay in the saddle as much as you can, there’s actually a lot of good to learn from the experience of different styles (as you know!). If you’re good, and connected, maybe some fun rides and show opportunities in different levels will come along. Good luck!

[Scribbler]

Honestly finding a good lesson barn is the best thing if circumstances don’t allow for your own horse. Number one is accessible! And North American barns are often happy to do half leases where you get to ride three days a week, maybe one or two are a lesson. Realistically with your own horse you might not get much more saddle time than that, and then you pay the trainer to ride the horse the other days. An in barn half lease is always cheaper than that!

I’d say if you are getting decent dressage lessons at a barn accessible by public transit that’s a huge win. Why not make this your time for dressage? It’s ironic because so many North Americans would love to do dressage boot camp in Europe, but anyhow make the most of what exists here.

[Bogie]

When I grew up in Manhattan I used to take Metro North to Katonah and then have a friend pick me up to ride in North Salem. But that was a lot of travel time to ride. I would sometimes get a ride with someone who boarded at the barn and had a car in the city.

I have a friend who lives in Scarsdale who found some reasonable barns to ride at while she was looking for a horse. I’ll ask her . . . but you’re probably going to be better off part leasing rather than bringing your horse to the US.

[Pokerface]

OP, I just wanted to follow up on your comment that you had assumed that $3k/month was a healthy budget. It is in most other parts of the US. Where I am in the Mid Atlantic region, that would get you a nice barn, trails, lessons, training rides, and you could do one or 2 nice shows pretty close by without it being a week long event. It’s just that its not possible in the NYC area.

Have fun lessoning and enjoying NYC, not worrying about making sure your horse acclimates!

[173north]

OP, if your horse stays in Europe you could look into Manhattan Riding Club to supplement lessons at Knoll - I had a lot of fun going on hunter paces and fox hunting with them, and you don’t need your own horse. I think they usually make an effort to get some carpooling efforts going, since it’s geared toward city riders, and it’s a good way to meet people - I think one of their rides is actually where I met @Tha_Ridge!

[alar24]

I second Manhattan Riding Club to get your horse fix, at least a little! I’ll be at the Bedford hunter pace on June 11