So, I’m watching the live stream of WIHS with a few friends and definitely admiring so many beautiful hunters but then about reduced to tears by my friend claiming that the best hunters are approaching $1 million or even more on a regular basis. That is insanity! Is that really the case? She said that Catch Me and Belgravia are both $1 million horses and that many others are in the $750,000 range. If this is true, no wonder entries are down at almost every show! It’s not really a level playing field. Is she wrong, or is this really what it costs to compete at WIHS and the big shows nowadays?
I know someone who just sold a winning Eq/Derby horse with the ability to place solidly (but not always win) in the hunters, for $350,000, horse will need some pro classes with am ammy or child owner to stay tuned up. So $750k for a wins everything, and a monkey could ride it, type doesn’t seem that crazy. These horses certainly sell well into the 6 figures range.
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Hunter Derby winners can definitely be in that range. I don’t think entries are down in the slightest however. Ever been to WEF? They run a dozen rings all day four days per week.
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I guess that just blows my mind to spend $750,000 for a hunter. Even if it wins everything. Wow.
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The people that are buying these horses are not, generally speaking, your average working class person. They are the stereotype of rich horse people. The type that can easily spend a million or more on horse showing (and all the fees and such that go with that) in a year.
It is a bit mind blowing when you come to that world as someone who doesn’t have that kind of money… I certainly don’t.
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I completely agree with this! I’ve been shopping for the past two months. Seems that $300-400,000 buys you a very quality hunter that will be in the ribbons but might not be the winner at a big show. $500,000 and up gets you all the parts in terms of a mover with a nice jump and very reliable. I’ve stretched by budget to $100,000 and I’m trying to decide between a very young and green horse that needs a lot of work vs. one coming off of an injury vs. a very nice mover that won’t wow anyone over fences. I jump 3’3 at the most so maybe the jump style doesn’t matter so much. I guess my experience has been that the $350,000 hunter gets you a nice ribbon but you probably aren’t winning WIHS or Devon! 
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I do not expect this to be a shared or popular opinion-- but there is something I find very obscene about spending that level of money on a child’s hobby. No, this is not about bank balance envy, or anything even remotely close. But if that amount of money buys a horse that wins regardless of what the rider does, then what joy or thrill can there be from a win? As it is not a testament of rider skill. Only of a bank balance. You could get the same result by having someone judge a financial sheet.
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I think most of the wins regardless of what the rider does is a bit of an urban legend. We all know there is politics in horse showing and that some horses are much better than most at their job but I assure you I couldn’t get 8-10 good spots at 3 foot or even three inches if my life depended on it no matter who I was riding.
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I see “horse that wins regardless of what the rider does” more like a horse that will jump the same out of a spot that’s a little bit deep or long, or has a very good canter which makes it easier to find the jumps. But if you run the horse at the jump and it leaves off one leg, or you bury it and horse has to crawl over the jump, that’s still not going to win. And one with a good brain won’t get too offended by it and keep trucking along.
Rider still has to be able to ride, have a feel of the horse, and be accurate to the jumps. The difference is if they’re the ones that can/will set up the horse, if they’re the ones on at 6am (or 3am at Indoors) hacking the horse, if they know how to recoup if something goes awry in the ring, etc. If you have that kind of money to spend, you can be very selective about what you like (not just “wins” but also what they’re like to ride/how horse goes).
And if you’ve always had good, honest horses that are set up to be balanced and focused in the ring… then you can be a soft rider who looks like they’re doing “nothing” on a good-jumping, good-moving, good-temperament horse that you or your parents have paid a lot of money for. If you haven’t had to learn to be a defensive rider, you can trust the loopy rein ride or that your horse will nearly always leave the ground and get down a line.
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First off, Catch Me and his ilk are truly in a league of their own. There are not hundreds of horses out there being sold for north of 500K. This is a very select few, and they are truly the best of the best. Hunters are a genetic crap shoot with good training on top. Hitting the jackpot with style/brains/soundness is almost as rare as winning the actual lotto. Simple supply & demand market economics here.
Secondly, there are literally thousands of goals to choose from in this sport, many I’d argue are far more enjoyable than navigating downtown Washington DC with a 1200 lb warmblood. I’m not saying this sport isn’t in dire need of some accessibility, but it is not because the price tags on the nicest of the very nicest horses are on par with the scarceness of their existence.
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Brand new to this. I usually stalk these posts but had to sign up after reading a few of these comments. What Laurierace said is spot on. There is no such thing as an automatic horse. I’ve owned several very nice hunters. Some were embarrassingly expensive. None of them went around on their own. When I missed, there was no saving me. Now for a teeny tiny rant.
Both horses mentioned by name in the original post are very famous horses that win a lot at very big shows. They might be worth $1,000,000 or more but I also seriously question if their owners would sell them for any number. I also wonder where people get their facts. I have shown in the AOs for years and I’ve been at many of the same shows as Becky (Catch Me) and Lindsay (Belgravia). I don’t think that they fit the stereotype of “rich horse people” or whatever that comment is supposed to mean. When it comes to horse care, it’s well known that Becky pretty much saved Catch Me’s life and I don’t think any amount of money would make her part with him. I’m assuming that most of the people who post on this forum are USEF members and can look up a horse’s record. Before Lindsay bought Belgravia, he hadn’t won much at all. Since she bought him, he wins everything. If he’s worth a million bucks it’s because she made him worth it. My point being is that the best rider usually wins. The best rider on the nicest horse almost always wins. A bad rider on a great horse probably doesn’t even place. If anyone actually watched those horses then no one would accuse their success of being “not a testament of rider skill. Only a bank balance.” The most expensive horse I ever bought was the hardest for me to ride. He was super talented. We didn’t win a lot because I wasn’t good enough.
Another person mentioned spending millions of dollars a year on showing. I think it’s easy to be resentful but I think it is worth noting that the people who can afford to do this subsidize a lot of the major shows. Without them we wouldn’t have many of our most prestigious events. I also know that Becky funds kids going to Pony Finals, and Lindsay funds kids going to Washington. For sure there are people who don’t support the community and try to buy their way to success, but I think it’s unfair to paint everyone with one broad brush. I’m focusing on Becky and Lindsay because their horses were the ones mentioned by name. I’m certain that there are many other people who do similar things.
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
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At the end of the day, I suggest buying the horse that makes you happy to go out and ride every day at home. Show day is such a small part of the time (and investment) you’ll spend. Life is short.
Edited to add, let me echo dags’ excellent point:
… there are literally thousands of goals to choose from in this sport, many I’d argue are far more enjoyable than navigating downtown Washington DC with a 1200 lb warmblood.
Best wishes for a successful purchase.
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Thank you!!! Some much need and appreciated perspective!!!
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You’re right. I think going back to the original question, the cost of an “elite” hunter may not be $750K but it is almost certainly >$500K.
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I don’t think there’s any horse out there that will win regardless of what the rider does. There are some more tolerant and more helpful than others but there’s still a base level of skill to even just stay out of the way of the horse that is only gained with thousands of hours in the saddle, whether or not those hours make you one of the top 100 or top 1000 riders in the country.
But I sure hope that everyone who is working to take care of a six figure hunter is earning a living wage with health insurance and vacation time, and that everyone who makes that purchase has the cash flow to always do right by the horse.
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Why is it “obscene” to fund your children’s horse hobby? The people that have the wealth to provide a string of fancy horses and showing opportunities for their children also fund their instruction. The best instruction they can find. The children still have to work at riding well, just like anyone else.
Riding is inherently dangerous. Of course parents want the safest horses and the best instruction they can afford for their kids. The fact that some folks have money to burn doesn’t make it wrong for them to fund their children’s hobby. Riding can, and does, develop character. There are other interests that kids can have that are not as beneficial to them, either physically or mentally, as developing their skills to ride horses.
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The stereotype of rich horse people comment was only meant to describe the general public’s idea of “oh you have horses, you must be rich”. The people spending mid to high 6 figures on horses… are rich. Because you don’t mortgage a horse, and most people don’t have that kind of money available for a luxury purpose.
that’s not to say that they can’t be good horse people, and not to say that someone with a lovely horse hasn’t made them up to that value themselves. On a smaller scale, my own mount was a $300 rescue who has turned into a low-mid 5 figures hunter pony, by both her own qualities and good training.
I will concede that “a monkey can ride it” was an exaggeration. But a horse that can take a few ammy mistakes and still win (unlike the $350k horse in my example, who will not save you if you mess up) is certainly going to command a greater price.
and yes, the ones spending a million or more per year on horse showing are what keeps the A show industry alive, and available for those who save up to show a handful of A classes per year.
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And the A show industry is different today than it used to be, and it costs a lot more to show at rated shows than before-- and the existence of B and C shows is not what it once was, etc. This is all well known. But if the million dollar per year people are now seen as subsidizing the sport as a sort of charitable act, well, I would say the sport has lost its way. Whatever. As I said, I did not think my opinion would be popular or shared. It is just an opinion. Mine.
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I have “sat” on a few of the upper echelon of the elite in my day…prefer to make my own. Every “hunter” type was just plain stiff. They knew how to get to a fence on their own; but how long does a stiff horse last physically? If you have the funding to purchase the high performance horse, peace to you. Not my style.
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Not to mention, none of those million dollar hunters are being ridden by children. It’s not a coincidence that the young riders we see winning at Harrisburg and the like are from wealthy families, you can not show at that level and not be very wealthy. They are not buying themselves those wins though and anyone who thinks you can buy yourself a winning round at the top levels can’t be very familiar with riding horses at any level. That opinion is on par with those who thinks the horse does all the work just like the mountain does all the work with skiing.
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