COTH articles: Thinking about lesson barns and horsemanship skills

It’s too expensive to go for most USPC members. I qualified this year but opted not to go. The logistics alone made it a four figure “vacation”. Our org only sent one this year and usually we are well represented.

I am surprised to hear this year was the first year for contesting. I’ve done a ton of turnbacks for my local org and cannot tell you how many times kids have contested their scores.

I’m lucky and belong to one of the best (imo) PC orgs in the state. The kids may contest but they’re almost always respectful.

BTW - thank you for judging! It is hard and often thankless work.

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If you’re a cynic, I’m a cynic. I agree with everything you said, but especially this point. I really don’t think USEF cares if the sport becomes a sport of kings. They’re catering to a really wealthy clientele while actively pricing out people who can’t or aren’t ready to pay to play.

USEF doesn’t give a flying fart about the grassroots level program/instructor/rider/owner. I’m not sure they (we! I’m in this market myself right now!) should care any more than that about USEF support/recognition.

(Sorry for all the edits. My phone is doing something really odd tonight)

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Because USEF is focused on the international and Olympic level. USHJA has programs for the lower levels - Recognized Riding Academy, Horsemanship Quiz Challenge, and Instructor Credential to name a few. Look into those to find the true stars of the sport.

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I was thinking about this thread en route to the barn tonight and thought that PC might be brought up as the obvious answer.

IME, PC is regional. In our area I believe there is one club within an hour radius of a major metro with a fairly active HJ and dressage scene (tons of schooling and some rated shows within the same bubble), so it’s not for a lack of English riders. The one club is entirely kids (bummer as I’d love to get involved as an adult, but not the only adult), far from the city and suburbs, and not well marketed / known at all. Their website is awful and outdated, same with FB and they are horrible to get in contact with. Not exactly a winning combo for bringing in new to the sport, never heard of PC kids or parents. Not a PC problem per se but PC can’t be a good option when access is limited to one club for a whole market. Even if the club was awesome getting the word out and all around perfect they shouldn’t/couldn’t take in all the grassroots people in our area.

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I am in Pony Club. I am also working to go to other horse organizations to get the word out. Most adults don’t know anything about it.

I rode in NJ with a trainer who used levels and it was helpful.The drawback as an adult with anxiety, some days I didn’t want to work on the level I was. I wanted to work at a level I was comfortable with. My trainer now in CA allows me to work on something over and over. The key is she still has a plan.

I started riding as an adult with trainers who were on phones, a lot of posting in circles and no plan.No horsemanship either.
The first barn I rode at in GA had great bad weather horsemanship classes but lousy horsecare. The second barn, I fell off every week practically because safety was not a concern. It was very much jump what they told you to jump and never mind your position.

That is why I appreciate both my NJ and CA trainer. I think levels and plans are so important to teach basics.

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I have been involved with two Pony clubs , but that was (gulp) about forty years ago. IMO I learned way more about horse managment that any of the young members did, as they were with one boy exception all adolescent girls who really just wanted to ride. But the trainers both had their own chapters and you were expected to participate in their Clubs.

IMO Pony Club suffers from its name. It isn’t a cool sounding club to older non-rider teens and I lnow there was teasing or maybe even some bullying of our members.

Both of my Pony Clubs were run by fox hunters, and many of the girls became lower level eventers as well. They just dropped out of Pony Club.

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If you are interested in supporting grass roots shows and land conservation, invest either your time or money in your local hunt club. Encourage your friends and neighbors to put their land in conservation and to open it to these clubs. Community ambassadors make a big difference.

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I honestly didn’t think about this angle!

I know this thread is kinda old but I just got back into riding because my kid has an interest and I HATE the semester program approach. I did sign up at one stable that had this approach and promptly switched to another stable that didn’t. I do buy lessons in 4 packs, but they are very flexible. I have the ability to add lessons per week on the fly and there is cadre of working barn rats that help tack, etc. To me, horsemanship is about hours in the saddle and committed people will realize that without the rigidity of the ‘semester’ approach.

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I agree the semester approach- not a fan. I don’t agree with the bolding, you can’t learn horsemanship just IN the saddle- that’s called riding.

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I don’t agree, if you go to gymnastics, soccer, or any other child sports you’re paying by semester. Whether you show up or not that trainer has to pay to feed the horse, just like the gymnastics teacher has to pay to heat their building.

For hockey (the other sports I’m involved in) whilst there are shinnies where you pay where you want, you already know how to play. If you’re learning you’re paying for the entire 10 lessons at the front, if you don’t like it after the first lesson tough. And hockey is a good comparison because ice time, equipment etc is very $$$

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So let’s make it even more exclusive and cost prohibitive. Some families may not be able to fork over, let’s say 720 (60 a lesson, 4 lessons a month for 3 months) but can do 60 a week. I make a very very good salary, as does my SO and I wouldn’t want to.

But it appears that that isn’t the clientele these people are after. ( in my case it would be theie loss with my vey nice and proven horses and good riding kid).

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I think this is where the riding center program that pony club now has does benefit more people. Barns with a lesson string that also do pony club, where the members use the lesson horses.

This is so true with all these types of things. Scouting, 4H, rec sports. If it depends on the volunteer base, the quality will vary greatly depending on who is involved.

Edit to fix bad typing, all the right letters in the wrong order - how/who

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I play ice hockey. I’m in a beer league and two competitive leagues.

Beer league is $15-20 a game, no commitment, no officials (refs). I go to one every Saturday.

My competitive leagues are structured differently. High commitment, officials (refs), and careful structure of lines and bench changes. The first league is $260/pay period. Pay periods are about 4 months. The second league I play on is $350 a season, and the season is 6 months long. Both average to about $15 a game.

You can subsidize your ice time by also being a referee. Cost[s] for the education/certification component is almost nil (some rinks or leagues will pay for your cert because we have trouble finding refs) and you generally get $35-60 a game depending on game.

Equipment is expensive but most last a long time. Other than my helmet and stick all my gear is 15-30 years old.

It’s way cheaper to play hockey than it is to have a horse and lesson. Horse ownership and lesson costs have just gone beyond what most can afford and now previously expensive sports are relatively cheap compared to them.

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I actually think this is an interesting comparison. Basic non-competitive riding - 1x/week on lesson horses - is as expensive as a lot of competitive sports. You really have to get into sailboats or racing bikes or cars to spend this type of cash. And you can park a car or store a boat for a fraction of what it costs to keep a horse! Abandoning a boat (not that I would suggest it) is way less of a moral failing vs abandoning an animal.

I don’t think the weekly pay-as-you-go rider is sustainable for a lot of places. Monthly packages are helpful, but I do know that most of the Always Full And Waitlisted barns around here are on a semester plan for their academy programs. I think most board/lease options are different because the rider is on the hook for the horse at that point.

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Also, a bit of a tangent but I crunched the numbers a while ago and found that a horse would need to work 6-8 lessons a week at the going rate here to break even on board and basic care. This did not cover retirement, maintenance like Prascend or injections, or saddle fittings or expensive farrier packages. Obviously if the lesson horse is owned by the farm owner, their care may be less expensive than board… but we always talk about how board is often a loss leader too.

This is likely why so many programs around here are looking for free-lease lesson horses or only keeping one or two (usually the trainer’s oldies, or a client’s).

I think the costs are just so prohibitive. When it was cheaper to keep horses because we didn’t really know better (ie using the same saddle on everything, pain signs being called Behavior Issues, serviceably sound being more acceptable - for good or ill, etc) and the animals were more disposable (sent to auction when no longer useful like so many of the riding schools of the past would do), one could price their services in a way that people outside the top 8% might be somewhat competitive. I just don’t know how the average person can be involved in horses realistically, as our middle class disappears and costs skyrocket.

I started this thread thinking about changes in operations that might help keep a starter program afloat. Now I’m also considering that it really isn’t likely to be sustainable long term for most programs. Which is sad!

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This is a great point on the competitiveness.

To my earlier point, there was a pony program geared and showing in the AAs. I would not have thought twice to a semester type plan (it was already included in board the lessons you are obligated to pay for/take but if it wasn’t …).

I also think it’s good business when they add lessons to board, so you pay (let’s say) 500 for board, 60 a lesson - they pay $740 a month. Policy on lesson makeup etc I have seem varied, but the barn is guaranteed the 240 a month over board.

Arguably, when you own a horse, have the money for $740 a month paying a semester fee may be within reach. It seems like we are talking lesson programs and not directed at horse owners? I look at the kids in my daughter’s class and school. I don’t know every detail but seeing how we have funds - let’s say for band kids- who can’t afford the cost, or the baseball team- parents would struggle. They have payment plans etc and rely on other parents to donate (which we are more than happy to do).

Obviously no one expects a barn to donate lessons with the astronomical cost of horses, I stand behind that asking Joe Average family for $740 up front would be cost prohibitive.

I don’t know what the answer is, if people have programs that work well for them in that manner great. I just think ignoring how it isn’t feasible for Joe Average family. There is always another lens to look at why programs are dwindling.

I still have a lesson program that I’m struggling with the realities of keeping. We do monthly packages 4 or 8, so it is less of a financial commitment at once. I feel like everyone should be able to commit to 4 lessons a month to stay in the program.

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If you’d like to share your thoughts, I for one am interested! What do you find to be causing you to question the continued pursuit? Is it maintaining a steady income? Rising costs? Dealing with clients? Or just a change in priorities over time?

On this board, we talk a lot about how lesson programs and boarding are loss leaders, but also are very quick to suggest taking lessons “from a good program with good lesson horses” or half leasing as solutions for beginners and those looking to cut costs. At the same time, those programs are becoming more and more rare.

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But if you can afford $60 a week, then you do that after you’ve put it away I don’t understand? It’s the same cost, they just want your commitment.

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