I know this will vary based on location and skill set/level of trainer but was wondering what everyone is paying for putting a horse in full training (including board) for a month? What all does that include and what are some considerations you want to know up front? Do you have an agreed upon number of rides per week by trainer or assistant trainer and/or lessons? Anything else to consider?
Thanks!
I was in Virginia with a 5* level rider and hers was $1750 per month. I could take 6 lessons a week, she could do 6 training rides per week, or any combination of the two. Coaching or trailering wasn’t included, but any horse in training with her got to use all her equipment such as massage blankets, ice boots, lasers etc. so that was nice! Her riding the horse in competitions was also included. She would always ask first if it was OK if one of her WS took my horse on a hack if she was away which I appreciated, but other than that she was the only one doing the riding. For that price, that was one think I wanted to ensure was that she was the one doing the training rides. We did this for the first few months after I moved to her farm so she was either on my horse or teaching me on my horse every day. Amazing how fast you can progress with this!
At the very minimum it will cost you the price of full board at that barn plus the cost of the trainer riding say 5 days a week. Make that equivalent to the cost of a lesson each time. Then add on a little extra for profit 
Absolutely you want a contract stating how many rides, and who is doing them, and you have to monitor this because it is so easy for a busy trainer to put a client’s horse on a back burner when things get busy.
Around here I don’t see how you could go lower than $700 full board plus $50 an hour to ride which would be $250 a week/ $1000 a month. So $1700 a month sounds like a minimum to me.
I’ve seen $800-ish to roughly $2000. At $800 it was regular full board somewhere not super fancy with basic grain/hay, blanketing and group turnout and 5 training rides or lessons per week with a local reasonably successful UL rider/trainer. Riding at shows was included as one of your rides if trainer was going already, grooming, trailering etc. were not included. At the other end it was a top 5* rider with a very nice facility with some xc, five rides/week, private turnout, custom feed etc., riding at shows, all grooming/ braiding trailering locally included (expected that you tip grooms) Most are somewhere in between.
Our barn would be $600-650 board plus $500 per month for 5 days a week in “training” – which was usually 2 lessons plus 3 training rides. So total would be about $1100-1150. Note-- our full board does not include grooming and tacking up.
When I had a horse or two in training, I charged about $750/mo. Included feed, hay, stall, and lots of individual or pair turnout, with 5 rides (or lessons) per week. 1 or 2 of those weekly rides may be hacks, depending on horse’s level of training and fitness. I didn’t charge extra for competition rides, just hauling iwhen applicable. No fees for wrapping, blanketing, holding for vet/farrier, eye meds, etc. That’s basic horse care. I treat all horses like they are my own, they represent my program even if they aren’t mine.
My client horses Always got their 5 rides a week, unless I was out of town for a big event. I would skip one of my young horses before theirs if weather was bad or daylight was low. I know not all professionals adhere to that, but they are paying for a service and I felt obligated to meet that expectation.
My facility is not fancy but it’s safe and horses’ happiness comes before my own. I enjoyed having horses in training, but it was a fair bit of extra work. Somehow the client horses ended up being the most difficult on the farm… special needs, destructive, pre-existing conditions, shoe-pullers, blanket rippers, water tank tippers, cribbing, tree chewing, hole digging, etc. While my own horses (all OTTBs) stand patiently for meals, don’t run fencelines, are good citizens, who cause minimal wear and tear and are simple to handle. Currently I’m full up with our own broodmares, no space for boarders…and while my bank account misses the client horses in training, my farm management is certainly easier.
Totally depends on trainer, location and level of the horse. Some riders will cut the training rate when it’s a horse competing 3* and above it there to be competed by them. But most run 1400-1800 IME with a 5* trainer and horse in their program. This would include all riding and board but not other expenses. Beyond that…everyone’s programs are different.
Good question. It really depends on the location and the caliber of the trainer. For example, I worked with a trainer last year that was about 900-1000/mo. That was board and him in work 4 days a week (2 lessons and 2 training rides). If we were schooling XC the price per lesson was higher. The new trainer I work with is $1800/mo for full time 5 days a week -doesn’t matter if it is a lesson or training ride. Both have competed at 2* level. The second does have a significantly different setup and cost for boarding.
I’m in Northern California in a not cheap area. When I was in full training at a full care facility (stall board with turnout, blanketing, and graining). I was paying $1700 a month for full board and training. Full training included 5 lessons and/or trainer rides a week. It also included show coaching and cross country schooling fees. This was a VERY fair price, IMO.
Then I was stupid and bought more horses and had to budget money elsewhere.
I’ve had two different horses in full training with two different 5* eventers in the SE, one was for sale and the other was a training horse for me. I paid $2000/month for each of them ($1k board, $1k training). The sale horse never sold, and it was very evident to me when the horse returned that she had her working student riding the horse way more than she herself did. So be careful of that.
I learned my lesson from that one and the second one, that is currently in training, does not ever have working students on except for a hack. It is also very obvious to me from the way the horse goes that this trainer is doing all/most of the riding.
The only additional fees I had to pay the trainers were for hauling, although typically I didn’t/don’t get charged for a local haul to XC schooling, for example. Both horses were supposed to be ridden 5-6 days per week, and I believe that happened. One thing I would say - unless you are comfortable with random charges, make sure the trainer knows to ask you before having professionals work on your horse. I’ve received a couple of surprise bills for body work etc that I had not been made aware of beforehand.
I had a friend put her teen aged horse who’d shown all over the country into full training so the trainer could put changes on him for his move up to 3rd level. Trainer spent the entire month lunging the horse in side reins and “fixing” his basics and never did a single change or attempted one although she’d said it would happen when the friend wrote the check.
I’d be very specific about what you want and how the trainer feels about the horse’s current level of training.
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