Then you have never been in that situation.
Sometimes, for some people, it is doable to spend the money when they have it, but not doable to save the money for the bigger expense.
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âLovingâ all of your postâas someone who is currently priced out of the sport right now, it is almost hilarious how much cheaper most other sports are by comparison, even pursued at a competitive level. While itâs true that itâs possible to spend an enormous amount of money on, say, cheerleading or ice hockey, if a parent wants to, itâs also possible to pursue those sports casually in school. In contrast, a weekly lesson of $60-$80 can add up, and for many people thatâs just not satisfying regarding the progress they see in their riding. Iâm not saying some people canât progress with just a weekly lesson (Iâm talking people who donât own or lease), but most people want more, at very least the joy of riding a horse by oneâs self.
Another issue with pay-as-you-go is that itâs very financially difficult for instructors when people just come when they feel like it. When people are locked into a program, theyâre much more apt to come, progress, and ultimately be safer on the horse, FWIW.
I totally agree as well that social norms have shifted re: horse care. I hate to say it, but a lot of the âlesson factoryâ places I once rode at didnât always take great care of their horses, although I didnât understand it at the time. I mean, not from my era, but there used to be livery places where people could just pay a flat fee and rent a horse and ride out on their own, with everyone hoping that no horse or human got hurt. There are always pros/cons with evolving safety and welfare standards.
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Are you in a HCOL area?
Whatâs your lesson fee / schedule like?
Where I live the lesson programs are gone, replaced by training programs. There used to be many places one could take lessons on a school horse. Now you need to have your own horse and be boarding at the farm to get a lesson, in most places.
I understand why this happened. This is a HCOL area just on the outskirts of Boston.
Youâre absolutely right! Iâve found the same thing with my own schoolhorsesâeach one needs to work 6-8 lessons a week just to cover their basic needs (I own my farm, but I still need to buy hay and keep up with the âspecial needsâ crew of oldies here).
I try to keep lessons affordable for my studentsâ1/3 kids, 1/3 college students, and 1/3 adult re-riders ($35/group lesson on a schoolhorse - cheaper for college kids). Iâve seen so many people around here get horses âcheapâ from auctions and end up either scared or hurting themselves because they didnât know what they were doing (or worse, unintentionally âabusingâ the horses because again they donât know what theyâre doing). And thatâs why I started teaching (aka: to help the horses in the long term.)
Iâve got a fairly large lesson string to accommodate the different levels, but Iâm only breaking even most years (this past year, I made a grand total of $642âwoohoo!). I canât charge more than I do, because:
a) I am already more expensive than all my âlocal competitorsâ (mostly high school kids âteachingâ beginner kids on their 4H horseâŠ),
b) I am in a rural area where the average income is $34,723 per year (so limited purchasing power but they many locals still think they can afford a âcheapâ horse and keep it at home),
c) if I did, people would just buy their own horses and throw them in the back field, which completely defeats the purpose of doing this in the first place (see above average income).
I have a full-time job that covers my life expenses. But that means I spend 4 hours a day teaching lessons on average + chores + my full-time âday jobâ. Not to mention, no indoor arena in the upper Midwest! So, yeah⊠questioning my sanity at times, but itâs all for the love of the horses! I guess?
(but yes, I donât see this being sustainable long termâŠ)
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Interesting that the numbers crunched the same for you - Iâm in the SE in a MCOL/HCOL area. Going rate is more but the math comes out the same.
I definitely donât see that as a sustainable business model - but youâre doing it for the love of the horses, and breaking even works for that. Making a living, not so much!
I also think people forget that a business venture doesnât have to live forever to be successful - a passion project that breaks even and is shut down when it no longer serves its purpose is a totally acceptable thing. What gets people into trouble is when they build an unprofitable business and refuse to get out before theyâre in too deep. Thatâs a tangent for another day, but Iâm a big believer that a business does not have to have âinfinite growthâ to be worth operating. Especially a âside hustleâ or passion project.
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I learned to ride at a local lesson barn that was in a suburban area - lots of horse farms but very close to a major airport and several cities. The farm owned 8-10 lesson horses and ponies that worked 5-6 days a week, and usually two or three lessons a day. The lessons were an hour each, groups of up to 8, and pretty basic. WTC, follow the leader over a course of poles or around the crossrails on the outside, stand in the middle and jump a course one at a time, etc. The horses would probably work a total of 20 minutes per lesson, with lots of walking and standing in the middle. So, maybe 1.5-2 hours max of work for the âupper levelâ horses. No lesson horse jumped over 18".
Looking back, costs were low to keep the horses going, and while they were in good weight and sound (if stiff sometimes before warming up), they definitely werenât going in perfectly-fitted tack and were often ring sour. But they taught generations of riders the basics, and got a lot of middle class families started in horses - a lot of us still own and ride. This program no longer exists, nor do any of the local programs like it. The ones that survived are all boutique show programs or sketchy enough my mother warns people off them when they ask for recommendations. I think thatâs telling.
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I have been in that situation. But I wouldnât think that a gymnastics owed me to let me come once every 4 weeks when I can afford it, nor do I think someone who owns a horse should?
Like itâs a god awful expensive sport and the upkeep on horses has gotten astronomical and that is why lesson barns need to know the horsesâ food will be paid for.
How many times do we read in this place that horse people are horrible business people. But then when they say hey I need to know I have a steady income so I can afford my 5 lesson horses, theyâre crucified for making sure they make enough money? I donât understand that.
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I think this is a broader issue for the sport as a whole: if the only ways to make a living teaching in this industry are by treating it as a âpassion project,â running an ultra-exclusive boutique show barn, or cutting corners and operating in sketchy ways, then thereâs a systemic problem.
Iâve been trying to figure out how and why lesson barns seem to be more viable in other countries. I know that in some European countries, barns can apply for local government funding to help offset costs, but surely thatâs not the only factor?
Here in the U.S. (at least in my area), I think part of the challenge is the âcompetitionâ from DIY setups, especially in rural areas where itâs still possible to buy a horse cheaply and keep him in your backyard. But again, that canât be the only reason, can it?
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Population density, equestrian focus within national culture, equine business oversight (consistency from required certification and training of coaches).
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I grew up in a âlevelâ lesson program such as described in the article. We had certain criteria from a riding standpoint that we had to complete and then a book of sorts that included information we had to know and pass a test to move to the next level. While I think this is super helpful it also is probably one of the worst lesson programs in the area (horses overworked, underfed, hire anyone as trainer etc). I think the idea is great but it still potentially has the same pit falls of other lesson programs where kids are maybe not getting the attention needed to really learn those skills and the lesson horses are being overworked.
Now that I am an adult, I have the absolute privilege of being able to provide one of my horses who needed a step down job to a lesson student for lessons. Iâm able to teach the child a ton about horse care and horsemanship before and after lessons. Even though she only rides twice a week, her lesson fees cover his hay expenses and it brings me great joy that sheâs able to teach the next generation how to care for and ride in a wholistic manner. I think the thing I struggle with is this is not viable at any sort of the scale. It seems to me the opportunity for kids to really learn more they have to be able lease or purchase which just isnât financially possible for many.
All of this to say - I am trying to fill the grass roots myself and provide the opportunity. Itâs only for one child but ultimately I think more seasoned horse individuals have a need to give back to the younger generation. If it hadnât been for the adults who took the time with me growing up, I wouldnât be where I am today. I know time and money are tight. But we have to invest in the next generation of riding or this will continue to be just a sport for the most wealthy.
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Hi Iâm sorry - I just saw this.
My farm is located in South Florida. My 2 string T&a bales are $20-25 each. Bare land in my area is listed at a million dollars an acre, and every scrap of green area is being built into a subdivision.
I rent my farm. I fear in the next few years, affordable properties to rent will not exist here. They barely do now.
I do not cater to the Uber-rich, but try to target the upper middle class, that can still afford it. Iâm worried that my business model will become economically infeasible soon.
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The middle class is definitely being priced out of riding in Germany, Holland, etc. Riding or having a horse has gone from a normal activity/hobby to a $$$ one. Fewer young pros coming up the ranks, fewer ammies with a backyard horse to start and sell every few years⊠trending much more toward an American model, unfortunately.
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I think you can consider yourself lucky if you are questioning how a weekly payment is easier than a bulk payment.
There are reasons the IRS lets people make payments, why you can get a loan for even a cheap car, the list goes on and on.
The key is cash flow. Maybe the customer wants to start lessons, but to pay a bulk semester will TAKE THEM THE SEMESTER to save $60 a week. So now they are pushed back a few months before they can start.
I am truly shocked that you canât see how it may affect someone who is on the middle/lower side of income but wants to be able to participate in equestrian sports.
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I agree that this is how cash flow works, to be clear. But from the business side, a client that has to scrape $60/week is much more likely to quit/pause on a regular basis due to life circumstances, and therefore is not a reliable income source. I would totally understand the need to try weeding down to the slightly more consistent client by having the fee due at the beginning of the semester.
Canât afford it this time? Cool, wait until the next semester. Or find a different program - if it exists. Or perhaps lessons just arenât in the budget right now.
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Thanks for sharing! Itâs really unfortunate to see this happening.
Iâm originally from France, and there was (and still is, to some extent) quite a bit of funding available for riding programs through local government. This help keeps the costs lower, as part of the funding allocated to recreational and sporting services. However, I do know that recent changes in legislation around sales and agricultural taxes have hurt the industry there as well, so we canât assume widespread government support anymore. I realize that might sound a bit âsocialist Europeanâ for most readers here 
, but I do think the issue is tied to the very individualistic/self-sufficient nature of the sport here.
In France, talented young riders can join the national riding school in Saumur, where their education and competition fees are funded, whereas here, riders often have to hope to find themselves a wealthy sponsor (I would argue that the top level of the sport here has much more to do with access than true individual accomplishment). Donât riders here also have to fund their own international competitions, even if they make it to the Olympics? Or am I mistaken? It just seems that the level of public support for the sport here is really low (which might reflect the different cultural ideologies at play.)
But, at the end of the day, I donât think this sport can thrive without funding from somewhere âwhether itâs from upper middle-class parents, wealthy patrons, lottery funding (like in the UK), or government support. The money has to come from somewhere , and my preference would be for it to come from the collective, rather than relying on individual patrons. But I realize thatâs probably a slightly controversial idea in this country!
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I feel like this is the catch-22 with the entire idea of the semester program. People that are more likely to be consistent from the start are more likely to buy into the idea of paying for a âsemesterâ of lessons, but then people who have been in the sport for a while are (possibly?) more likely to be bothered by being expected to be on a semester program when theyâd be showing up regardless and it doesnât allow for the flexibility of needing a week off here and there.
My trainer sends out a text to the whole barn every Sunday to schedule lessons for the week because her expectation upon us moving into the barn is that our horse will be in some sort of program, whether thatâs just a weekly lesson or her doing a ton of training rides. If weâre not maintaining that (and if everyone is physically alright, she doesnât hold us to it if we or our horses are broken) then weâre asked to leave the barn in favor of someone who will be consistent. No semester program required because the expectation of consistency is set from the beginning.
I think my old barn owner has largely switched to a semester program but even before that she was discounting the price for people who bought a smaller package of lessons with a âuse byâ date on itâgave some flexibility in scheduling but also guaranteed her that money if they chose to not show up for all their lessons by the expiration date. Maybe thatâs a middle ground since it doesnât have to extend for months at a time.
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Sure, but a LOT of other sports and rec activities DO follow the semester plan. And you just eat those âweeks off here and thereâ. And itâs those âweek off here and thereâ that make a business hard to run if you happen to let it get away from you as the owner - firing clients is harder than having an established expectation IME. I guess it just depends on what your population is - the rerider that may or may not be consistent and may or may not be happy with paying ahead, or the new to riding people who are used to the model from other places.
Obviously no program can cater to EVERY person who might want to sit on a horse. If a program wants to draw young/new riders as the grassroots level, that will probably look different from the program mainly catering to adult re-riders without their own horses. Finding out what works in your area will likely determine this, but horse people are also notoriously behind the times and rarely business savvy. Thinking âoutside the boxâ of how itâs been done for 50 years might help someone get a foothold in a changing climate. Or not 
.
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Just want to clarify that I totally agree with youâjust thinking about the reasons why people might not.
My brother played soccer through our childhood and high school years and my riding time suffered frequently (not by my choosing, but what can you do when youâre 12 and donât have a driverâs license or a bank account) due to his practice and tournament schedule, particularly once he started playing on a club team. Lots to think about re: how to get people to take riding as seriously as my family took his soccer, but he also started in the local learn-to-play league when he was four and didnât start playing club til he was 11 and I donât know how we translate that to a riding context (if we even can).
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Some of these responses just reminds me of how elitist our sport has become, even at an entry level.
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Oh, yes I agree with you too! Iâm also musing on the options at hand. Itâs tough - people see a lot of other sports as scholarship opportunities which makes families more willing to commit time (and money) to them. Riding has some NCAA teams, but thereâs a yearly stat chart of the number of horses, classes, and shows that the average committed rider has under their belt the year before they walk into school - itâs hundreds of thousands of dollars in a YEAR, if you assume a leased or owned horse. I donât think you can hit those numbers in many other sports that are considered scholarship related.
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