Cost of showing -- adult amatuer

[JenEM]

As others have said, there are a variety of factors that can make it more feasible. First is a trainer that respects your budgetary constraints, another is what shows are locally available.

Personally, I am very very lucky to live in an area that, while expensive, is a bit of a horse mecca. It’s very rare that I stable, because I’m within 30 mins to 1.5hrs of everything from a very strong local circuit to one of the HITS shows, and that lack of hotel/stabling expense makes things a lot more affordable to the average working amateur. My trainer has never, ever had a problem with me saying “I know I was thinking about doing Show X, but looking at my budget, I think I’m better off waiting and doing Show Y instead.”

Local shows can be wonderful! Our barn does a mix of locals and As, and it’s a nice variety. The locals tend to offer a lot more classes that are great intros to showing for folks, and in a lot of cases, you can happily show there up through the 3’ level. And frankly, I feel like a lot of times the locals have better ribbons/prizes. Here we have both a very strong state HSA, and also a couple of regional/series circuits, all of which can offer things like medals or year-end prizes to work towards.

[541hunter]

I’m coming off a few years of killing myself to show rated. Worked a full time job and two side jobs to make it “work.” (I use quotes because honestly, it was a completely unsustainable situation). Half leased for 3 years, then bought my first horse, spent a year moving up then a full year in the adult amateur hunters and eq. It was fantastic, but I cleaned myself out financially. I’m now leasing my horse out for the year to pay off some debt and get back on track. When I get him back I’m hoping to be in a better situation to show again, but I need to find a way to enjoy him that doesn’t crush me financially. It’s hard in my area if you show over 2’6" though, especially in the hunters—the adult amateurs don’t fill a lot of the time, if they’re even offered.

Anyway. Not trying to talk you out of showing/riding/owning, because it’s so rewarding. I’ve been without my guy for two weeks now and I can tell the difference in my mood and patience levels. I just felt when I was in the thick of it like I was the only one on the circuit struggling to make it work. I make decent money for my age group, live with an SO and we have no kids, no student loans, no mortgage, no car payments, etc. So it seemed like the local rateds should be in reach. But I’m 27, just starting in my career and honestly I should have waited to buy. Don’t get me wrong, I feel so lucky to own my horse, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. But life would be a lot easier right now if I’d just stuck with leasing.

I think going forward I’d like to do more of a one year on, one year off schedule. Do one year of chasing zone awards/derbies/whatever the big goal is, then one year of putzing around at some schooling shows and maybe one or two rateds.

[hairystockings]

I’m an adult showing at anything from local to AA shows in my area when I can. We probably do a show a month. There’s a few things that allow me and my barn mates to do it:

1. Location. We’re in Cincinnati. We can stay at home and show at the World Equestrian Center (WEC). And also at other area shows like Majestic for our dressage riders, Frankie Stark’s barn Country Heir, Windfall for local shows.
2. WEC offered free stalls last year, this year if paid 2 weeks in advance stalls are $75. This is huge in keeping costs down and allows us to show far more often than we would be able to if they charged the full stall price of $250 per week. This is why we may only do one show at the KY horse park per year (if that), the costs are insane.
3. We are a DIY barn. We don’t employ grooms. We do our stalls and all our horse care ourselves. Finding a barn that will allow you to do that makes a HUGE difference in cost. My show fees to my trainer are for hauling, set up, and daily training but that’s it. It’s considerably less expensive than my peers who ride at “show barns” that insist on full or partial care and nickel and dime you along the way. We wouldn’t have so many people able to go to shows if we were charged money like that, nor would we be able to go often.
4. We help each other out at shows. Some show weeks I never do my own stall, my peers get it for me, because I’m having a tough work week. Sometimes we tack each others horses up, or take them from them the second they walk out of the show ring so they can go back to work. Myself and another adult will stay late to do night check so our trainer can go back home and check on the horses at home.
5. We often do our own braiding whenever we can, only one client always pays for her braiding (and her horse is so good she usually gets two days out of her braids). Others do it themselves if the class isn’t early.

Currently I don’t have kids, that would definitely effect the frequency with which I show. But I work full time as an engineer. I have adult amateur peers who work full time in a variety of positions from hospice nurse to insurance to paralegal. One of whom is a grandmother, others married, trying to have kids, etc. We make it work and we do pretty well! I think the key of it is being with a barn that’s as cost conscious as mine is. If I were with a show barn charging me the kinds of fees they like to charge, I’d probably show half as often, or less, than I do now.

[Atlas_Shrugged]

Local A shows- braiding, shipping, training, day care, entry fees, meds. First place may pay less than the entry fee. And a stall is nice to have if you can’t make one in your trailer so they can pee, drink, etc. $300-600 for me. I ship and often act as my own trainer at smaller A’s

[CPL713]

@JenEM

Local shows can be wonderful! Our barn does a mix of locals and As, and it’s a nice variety. The locals tend to offer a lot more classes that are great intros to showing for folks, and in a lot of cases, you can happily show there up through the 3’ level. And frankly, I feel like a lot of times the locals have better ribbons/prizes. Here we have both a very strong state HSA, and also a couple of regional/series circuits, all of which can offer things like medals or year-end prizes to work towards.

This is so true - the local shows ususally have way better prizes and are “affordable” enough that you can work toward their fun year-end awards that, again, are usually way better. When I bought my horse this year and was tossing around potential horse show goals for the future, a friend’s younger sister who is big on the A circuit was ADAMANT that I should stick to the locals because “you will get way better stuff than I do!” :lol: