I primarily event, USEA recognized in Area 2. It costs $190-$220 for show fees.
I never pay for braiding, coaching etc. I always haul in (except for when I did USPC Champs which were subsidized by my club) even to the Novice 3 Day since I am 30 minutes away. The nicest thing about that is you are pretty much only looking at actual show fees and gas money, no hotels, one meal only, no shavings.
This may sound rude, but why does everyone pay for coaching/trainer to come watch them at a show? Does it actually improve your riding THAT day? I only see a couple replies saying they don’t have a trainer at their shows to add to expenses.
This is a while back, but I did my lessons jumping under trainer supervision each week. On the weekends I went and showed by myself. It was “believed” that if you were doing pretty well in lessons, then you were capable of riding and showing what you had learned in the classes. There really were no trainers around supervising or observing warm up rides. I braided my horses myself, did the trailering, all the grooming, mucking, got horse and myself prepared and showed. We did pretty well, didn’t win everything, but won and placed well in strong competition. I had confidence in myself, my skills, a really nice couple horses, so we went “horse showing” a lot. I am not reading “rider confidence” in folks showing and needing trainer presence at their show.
I realize that trainers have to earn a living, but are you folks not learning enough in your weekly lessons? Don’t they teach you how to walk a course, prepare horse for the jump, do a proper warm-up before the class, in those lesson sessions? Seems like you should learn enough to be able to have the needed skills to show by yourself after a while. I never would have gotten to show if waiting for my trainer to come to my shows! They had more important things to do, going to upper level or National shows, riding for paying owners to earn money.
When is it ever going to be safe to let you go show without supervision? Trainer fees listed above, add significantly to expenses. Again, does having trainer watching you warm up, compete, actually make a difference in your success in placings or being a better rider in the ring?
Is trainer being there “just how things are done” or really a crutch to feel confident as a good rider because trainer tells you that you are, or got robbed by the Judge?
Back to being “old school” in not expecting trainer to attend my shows, not feeling the need for their presence. I AM PREPARED or not prepared in my skills when I go to the show or competition. Trainer presence is NOT going to miraculously make me that much better now with pointing out faults or good things I do. I can do a lot with that $50 or more dollars a day that trainer is getting. We are not part of a “show stable”, so never have paid those extra costs of being part of the group that needs to look nice at a show. THAT bill would be a nasty surprise!
[QUOTE=goodhors;8804153]
This may sound rude, but why does everyone pay for coaching/trainer to come watch them at a show? Does it actually improve your riding THAT day? I only see a couple replies saying they don’t have a trainer at their shows to add to expenses.
This is a while back, but I did my lessons jumping under trainer supervision each week. On the weekends I went and showed by myself. It was “believed” that if you were doing pretty well in lessons, then you were capable of riding and showing what you had learned in the classes. There really were no trainers around supervising or observing warm up rides. I braided my horses myself, did the trailering, all the grooming, mucking, got horse and myself prepared and showed. We did pretty well, didn’t win everything, but won and placed well in strong competition. I had confidence in myself, my skills, a really nice couple horses, so we went “horse showing” a lot. I am not reading “rider confidence” in folks showing and needing trainer presence at their show.
I realize that trainers have to earn a living, but are you folks not learning enough in your weekly lessons? Don’t they teach you how to walk a course, prepare horse for the jump, do a proper warm-up before the class, in those lesson sessions? Seems like you should learn enough to be able to have the needed skills to show by yourself after a while. I never would have gotten to show if waiting for my trainer to come to my shows! They had more important things to do, going to upper level or National shows, riding for paying owners to earn money.
When is it ever going to be safe to let you go show without supervision? Trainer fees listed above, add significantly to expenses. Again, does having trainer watching you warm up, compete, actually make a difference in your success in placings or being a better rider in the ring?
Is trainer being there “just how things are done” or really a crutch to feel confident as a good rider because trainer tells you that you are, or got robbed by the Judge?
Back to being “old school” in not expecting trainer to attend my shows, not feeling the need for their presence. I AM PREPARED or not prepared in my skills when I go to the show or competition. Trainer presence is NOT going to miraculously make me that much better now with pointing out faults or good things I do. I can do a lot with that $50 or more dollars a day that trainer is getting. We are not part of a “show stable”, so never have paid those extra costs of being part of the group that needs to look nice at a show. THAT bill would be a nasty surprise![/QUOTE]
I don’t have a truck/trailer, and trainer provides transportation at a reasonable cost.
Currently, I show at two local series. Both are held at the same facility (run by different organizations). My house is 45 min away so no hotel fees. No trainer/schooling fees since I am very lucky to have an awesome BO/trainer. I help so much she helps me out for free.
Series A - One horse - Two Divisions per day (weekend show):
Entry, office, shavings, etc: $312.50
Hauling: $35 (lucky for me, we are pretty close to the facility)
Series B - Two horses - Two divisions per day for 1 horse, One division per day for 2nd horse:
Entry, office, shavings, etc: $362
Hauling: $70
The last time I went to an A/AA show (2014 - one horse):
Entry, office, shavings, etc: $350-450 (can’t remember exactly but I did scratch classes b/c my horse got hurt first day of showing)
Hauling: $400
Hotel: $400
Plus gas (seven hour drive one way), food, etc.
If I was going to average it out, about $2,000 to $2500 per week for local (big AA or A shows) or up to $5000 per week for out of town. That’s per horse. Adding another horse does not automatically double the costs. These costs can vary depending on whether I fly or drive to out of town shows, the cost of hotel and food, etc.
I don’t do anything myself anymore, however. The above costs are for hauling, entries, full service, braiding, trainer expenses, feed and bedding, splits, day fees, grooms, etc. Your experience may vary depending where you show and if your trainer will allow you to do some tasks yourself.
I think the total costs are less than say, in the mid-West vs. either coast. H/J shows tend to run more than other disciplines.
[QUOTE=goodhors;8804153]
This may sound rude, but why does everyone pay for coaching/trainer to come watch them at a show? Does it actually improve your riding THAT day? I only see a couple replies saying they don’t have a trainer at their shows to add to expenses.
This is a while back, but I did my lessons jumping under trainer supervision each week. On the weekends I went and showed by myself. It was “believed” that if you were doing pretty well in lessons, then you were capable of riding and showing what you had learned in the classes. There really were no trainers around supervising or observing warm up rides. I braided my horses myself, did the trailering, all the grooming, mucking, got horse and myself prepared and showed. We did pretty well, didn’t win everything, but won and placed well in strong competition. I had confidence in myself, my skills, a really nice couple horses, so we went “horse showing” a lot. I am not reading “rider confidence” in folks showing and needing trainer presence at their show.
I realize that trainers have to earn a living, but are you folks not learning enough in your weekly lessons? Don’t they teach you how to walk a course, prepare horse for the jump, do a proper warm-up before the class, in those lesson sessions? Seems like you should learn enough to be able to have the needed skills to show by yourself after a while. I never would have gotten to show if waiting for my trainer to come to my shows! They had more important things to do, going to upper level or National shows, riding for paying owners to earn money.
When is it ever going to be safe to let you go show without supervision? Trainer fees listed above, add significantly to expenses. Again, does having trainer watching you warm up, compete, actually make a difference in your success in placings or being a better rider in the ring?
Is trainer being there “just how things are done” or really a crutch to feel confident as a good rider because trainer tells you that you are, or got robbed by the Judge?
Back to being “old school” in not expecting trainer to attend my shows, not feeling the need for their presence. I AM PREPARED or not prepared in my skills when I go to the show or competition. Trainer presence is NOT going to miraculously make me that much better now with pointing out faults or good things I do. I can do a lot with that $50 or more dollars a day that trainer is getting. We are not part of a “show stable”, so never have paid those extra costs of being part of the group that needs to look nice at a show. THAT bill would be a nasty surprise![/QUOTE]
This has been hashed to death on previous threads. If you want to see the pros and cons of “trainer dependency,” you can do a search.
A and B shows, jumpers - about $2k-$2.5k per show. If show requires a hotel, closer to 2500; otherwise closer to the 2k. B shows that have more classes with prize money bring the bill down too (not a ton, but I might make back a couple hundred over the course of the week. I guess I should start winning the classics!)
Whoever said the barn was full of people spending 40k a year to show - absolutely believe it. I don’t think you have to do that, but you pretty easily can.
I am going to be grossly generalizing here, but I offer the following impressions - my cost estimates are based mostly on class/division entry fees, required add-on fees, and stall fees for multi-day shows/events.
Most expensive: USEF AA and A Rated Hunter-Jumper shows
Probably will set you back at least $1000 - and very likely more - for one show experience unless you are very independent and capable of going on your own.
USEF Rated Dressage shows
USEF Rated Events/Horse Trials
USEF ‘B’ and lower and locally rated Hunter/Jumper
Rated Breed Shows - Arab/QH/Paint
These will usually run from $200-750 for a single show experience over multiple days.
Schooling shows - dressage, horse trials, hunter-jumper
These will run from $100-200 for a one or two day showing experience.
Multi-discipline local schooling shows - English/Western rail classes, etc.
These will run $50-100 per day.
In-barn shows, shows billed as play days, 4-H or Pony Club sponsored shows - you may be able to show for less than $50 - but not much less.
I think you can also estimate that the total of the variable add-on costs except maybe transportation will be less as you work your way down. And as is evident on this thread, there is a continuum from doing it yourself on your own to paying for everything except getting on and riding.
Seriously, OP, there are so many variables. Pull up some of the prize lists and entry forms for shows in your area for disciplines of interest and start learning.
Unrecognized starter trial, one day, haul-in:
$100 entry. Have my own transportation, but a tank of gas is about $65 now. I take all my own food and drinks and extra ice in coolers: ~ $50 (I always take enough to share. If I were paying for coaching, about $50 (or is it $75?).
(Disclaimer: this is what I pay for my horse that someone else is showing right now)
Eventer here:
Shows range from $110-350 on entry fees only.
Stabling is almost always $175+
Coaching is usually $60-100 a day
On average I can expect it to be, as my mother used to call it, a $500 weekend - that’s before I factor in gas, hotel expenses and food for the weekend.
Hotel or living arrangements are at least $200, usually $300 – and I can expect to spend about $100 for food and that’s before going out to eat.
For the argument re: coach/no coach - as an eventer, I do think having a coach for XC is important. SJ and dressage maybe not so much, but you will ride better (IMHO) if you have a coach instructing you during warmup.
Any sentence that starts out “This may sound rude BUT…” is probably a sentence better left unsaid.
Yearly:
Memberships: Less than $100 a year
Liability insurance: Less than $100 a year
Per Show:
Gas: $20-80
Show Entries: $60-120
Extreme Cowboy. No braiding required. I don’t bring a coach, but I try to bribe a friend to come do things like hold my horse while I walk the course etc. But my horse is easygoing, I can fob her off on random passersby if nobody wants to come with me.
I also field hunt, which is about $500 for the year and with twice a week meets in April and May, then Sept-the end of Nov, potentially works out to very little per ride!
[QUOTE=goodhors;8804153]
This may sound rude, but why does everyone pay for coaching/trainer to come watch them at a show? Does it actually improve your riding THAT day? I only see a couple replies saying they don’t have a trainer at their shows to add to expenses.
This is a while back, but I did my lessons jumping under trainer supervision each week. On the weekends I went and showed by myself. It was “believed” that if you were doing pretty well in lessons, then you were capable of riding and showing what you had learned in the classes. There really were no trainers around supervising or observing warm up rides. I braided my horses myself, did the trailering, all the grooming, mucking, got horse and myself prepared and showed. We did pretty well, didn’t win everything, but won and placed well in strong competition. I had confidence in myself, my skills, a really nice couple horses, so we went “horse showing” a lot. I am not reading “rider confidence” in folks showing and needing trainer presence at their show.
I realize that trainers have to earn a living, but are you folks not learning enough in your weekly lessons? Don’t they teach you how to walk a course, prepare horse for the jump, do a proper warm-up before the class, in those lesson sessions? Seems like you should learn enough to be able to have the needed skills to show by yourself after a while. I never would have gotten to show if waiting for my trainer to come to my shows! They had more important things to do, going to upper level or National shows, riding for paying owners to earn money.
When is it ever going to be safe to let you go show without supervision? Trainer fees listed above, add significantly to expenses. Again, does having trainer watching you warm up, compete, actually make a difference in your success in placings or being a better rider in the ring?
Is trainer being there “just how things are done” or really a crutch to feel confident as a good rider because trainer tells you that you are, or got robbed by the Judge?
Back to being “old school” in not expecting trainer to attend my shows, not feeling the need for their presence. I AM PREPARED or not prepared in my skills when I go to the show or competition. Trainer presence is NOT going to miraculously make me that much better now with pointing out faults or good things I do. I can do a lot with that $50 or more dollars a day that trainer is getting. We are not part of a “show stable”, so never have paid those extra costs of being part of the group that needs to look nice at a show. THAT bill would be a nasty surprise![/QUOTE]
I have often showed with my trainer no where near the ring at that time. I find A) the advice helpful in schooling rounds for things to work on/watch for in future rounds and feedback from my division rounds if they are there for them. There have been times I’ve added a “new tool to my toolbox” in the middle of a show because something new/unexpected occured and my coach was there to give direction
B.1) They bring the grooms who set the jumps for my warm up 
Much preferable over poor SO trying to set jumps at A circuit shows for me
B.2) Someone to snag a jump for me, if as per usual, barns are taking over specific warm up jumps and setting to what they require, not what I require
C) If I’m trying to decide on what classes are best. For example, there’s 10 I could enter, but I don’t want to put Dobbin through that many coach can help me narrow it down, another opinion on if we’re ready to move up on that specific day with those specific courses running, etc
D) Someone to walk the course with me and help me make decisions on what tracks to take, etc. Even though I am capable on my own, another perspective from someone who knows me and my horse best is nice.
E) They stock the bar fridge in the show stall 
H/J shows don’t necessarily cost more than any other shows. I’ve done both A/AA H/J shows and a few rated dressage shows this year, and neither cost any more than the other. But the big difference is I’m within hauling distance of a ton of great show facilities, so I don’t stable, or stay in a hotel. So I save at least $500 right there off some of these cost estimates by hauling in rather than spending a week on show grounds, paying for stabling, day care, etc. That’s how I make showing affordable for me, I wish I could send one to stay for the week sometimes!
Doing one day of rated showing at either H/J or Dressage shows generally runs me about $150-200 at the office, depending on what classes/divisions I do, and add another $75 depending on whether or not I’m paying for coaching (I ride at a hunter barn, so usually have a trainer for that, but do dressage shows on my own). I own my own truck and trailer, and will generally do my own braiding, unless I need a tail done. Local shows, generally in the $75 range for h/j and $50 for dressage.
Take a look at the cost of shows. I can totally understand not being comfortable wasting my $1k/weekend (looking at you, dressage championships) because I didn’t take coaching and steady some show nerves.
Because you’re right, coaching on the day will not dramatically improve your riding. But it may just stop it from deteriorating.
And in summary, to the OP, showing can be expensive ($500/weekend for rated dressage shows, $1000+ for championships, not counting travel and food costs). I braid my own horse (saving ~$100), try to share tack stalls when possible, and take some serious hits to comfort by staying in cheap hotels or occasionally camping.
I event. I roughly figure a recognize horse show all said and done costs about $1,000.
Entry: Ballpark 200
Stabling: $100-150
Tack Stall: $100-150 (normally I split the stall 2 or 3 ways)
Coaching fees: $150
Hotel: $200 roughly
Food: $75 I normally still bring a cooler with some snacks, but I always want real food at the end of the day.
That’s not factoring in my diesel. I have my own truck and trailer. So anywhere from $40-$100 bucks depending on distance.
I usually always buy show photos too. I lost my first horse and wished I had photos, so now I’d rather have too many than not enough.
[QUOTE=goodhors;8804153]
This may sound rude, but why does everyone pay for coaching/trainer to come watch them at a show? Does it actually improve your riding THAT day? I only see a couple replies saying they don’t have a trainer at their shows to add to expenses.[/QUOTE]
I can and have gone to Dressage shows on my own. We score better when my trainer is there–she pushes me that little bit more than I push myself, and she can help me work through my show nerves faster than I can myself (meaning both horse and I are relaxed and happy sooner, need less warmup, have more energy for the test, etc).
So yes, it does improve my riding on that day. But I would still go even if she were busy. Having her there helps and makes a noticeable difference, but I’m not dependent on her.
My daughter’s most recent event was $110 plus about $20 for gas. This was an unrecognized event with dressage, show jumping and cross country, at a top notch facility that also offers recognized events.
Recognized dressage
Test fees: $40-$60
Office Fee: $25-$40
Stabling: $15 a night-$150 for the weekend
USEF Fees: $16
Associated memberships
As they’re all 4-8 hours away, gas is a large expense
Local shows:
$20 a test
No office fee
$25 non-member fee or join for same price
45min-hour away
For a local day show, about $300 for entry fees, trailering, and coaching, either dressage or a very local jumper type show.
For a weekend it jumps to around $1000-$2000 if you are honest to yourself and count trailering, entry fees, coaching, stabling, shavings, hotel, etc, and are frugal.
The further you go, the more it costs. Some venues have affordable motels… and some do not. Hauling can vary a lot depending upon if you have your own rig (most expensive option if you are honest 
or if you are always catching rides with a trainer or buddy who is going anyway.
You can always spend more.
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