I’ve paid $120 for a private jump lesson with a well-regarded trainer in a HCOL area. But $110 for a group up-down lesson or $225 for a private is absolutely wild.
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Since I didn’t give any identifying characteristics here, I’ll share that friend got more info about program (the reason she was interested is kiddos two friends have been there) and trainer has lost a lot of business lately (from reasons I gather are not pandemic related), and prices skyrocketed as a result. Last year, prices were a little more reasonable and private lessons were at same rate as group. Trainer also routinely gives ace to lesson ponies/horses. It’s a mess. Friend herself is not a rider so showing her this thread was very helpful!!
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Trainer could use a lesson in economics 101.
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All you can do is offer support and gently try to steer these people to another barn. The more aggressively you suggest this, the more likely they get defensive and blow you off so take it easy. There may be things included in the pricing or social reasons you are not aware of that they liked about this barn.
Have you actually seen the drugging and young instructor teach? Or is this all second or third hand info?
Not a defense, just looking from a different perspective: A knowledgable 20 year old can be a great teacher of up-downs, saw that in action at a camp my kids attended last summer. A little ACE in the winter is a better bet than having the kids get bucked off and terrified of riding as a result, most of us have had some exciting rides in Jan, Feb, and March.
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Honestly, depending on where they are, which you still have not indicated, finding lesson horses can be a tough go. Lots of places really pushing hard for half-leases or leased horses rather than funding schoolies. So it may be that they’re the only game in town with school horses, which means higher demand. Some people are also just terrible at math and business marketing… so if they’re charging boarders/regulars $800-1000 for monthly training along with boarding, maybe they’re just breaking it out to $200/week for a la carte?
I’ve considered whether or not I break even with training board lots of months. Sometimes I’ve got 3 lessons a week… sometimes I have 2 lessons for the whole month and we’re at the horse for 2 weeks where I’m paying for lessons and training there.
I’ve concluded that the horse show world overall is a racket and we’re either game for it, or we choose to opt out and just do our own thing. Both have their pluses and minuses, but I’ve never pretended that any of it makes financial sense.
On the 20 year old instructor…some have a real gift. One one of my most intuitive teachers was early 20s out of an unconventional for H/J background. She had and could communicate great insight in how to get the horse to want to do what what was asked, not have to make it do it.
Age means nothing. Show record doesn’t mean they can communicate and teach either.
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Are you sure those prices didn’t include some sort of lesson package? Or weren’t a monthly rate? I.E. four private lessons a month for $225?
Nope, those were prices for each individual lesson.
I heard secondhand about issues at barn and with trainer—I don’t know the operation personally.
I agree that 20-something and no record doesn’t mean not capable—but at those prices, I’d expect serious expertise…
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There is a trainer around here who used to charge $110 for a half hour private (their site is no longer up so can’t tell if that has changed). A minimal USEF record, takes kids to local shows, generally seems safe, but I thought their prices were nuts.
I was wondering if that was a lease or part fee maybe, and they just didn’t understand?
I’m also in a higher COL area and lessons are generally $40-60 on your own horse, maybe more if you need a schoolie but not that much. There is a local trainer with a very nice Web site who does seem to attend shows and do well, but she wants to charge $65 for a 30 min lesson. When I learned that I asked if the rider was expected to warm up or cool down outside the 30 min and she said, no, warm up and cool down was part of the lesson. Uh. I’m not paying that much for a 20 minute lesson. I passed because my horse does the opposite of poop money.
Uh that’s not how that works at all!
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I’d agree to confirm the price, and I only say that because I recently saw what looked like similar pricing saying “Regular Lessons One Lesson Per Week $250” which made me do a double take. It was indeed a package rate that clarified waaayyyy below"$250 per month is the cost of the ongoing program. "
Unless she already confirmed.
Im in a high cost of living area as well. Tho dressage so no group lessons.
I’ve had to phase out the lesson horses because there is not enough interest to pay my lesson rate plus the cost of the horse. Sorry I’m not going to use my salary to subsidize someone wanting to learn to ride.
I’ve worked very hard to get to GP and my rates are lower then most other GP trainers in the area but if that lesson horse can’t have a fee to cover their stall and costs why would I lower my rates.
My rate plus the day fee (as my lesson horses just worked once a day) put my up down lessons at 100$ which I agree is ridiculous for that type of lesson. I am happy to teach beginners but not at a loss to my income and the risk of owning a horse anymore.
Sadly we are retiring our lesson horses. Just one FEI schoolmaster left who is leased.
So very sad for the industry.
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Middle COL here and the highest amount for a lesson in my area (on a school horse private) is $75 at this time. Most lessons for privates range from $40-65. I do see a lot of places offering a bundle of 1 lesson a week purchased by the month that are $200ish. Some only allow bundles and not individual lesson purchases.
For a trainer who A) doesn’t show B) doesn’t have great facilities and what you are wanting is C) beginner who has never lessoned before… $225/private is delusional. Prices like that for what is being offered are not going to be bringing customers back! That is a clinic price, not an every week single lesson price. You can ride with some pretty well known riders with excellent show records in regular lessons for closer to the $100-$150 mark as a private (but for a starting rider definitely not necessary at this point!) Hopefully your friend can find a more reasonable barn in the area to get their kiddo into riding. Surely there has to be someone else offering lessons in the area.
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In our area lessons are 60-90, Ive never heard of 225 for basic lessons
I need to increase my prices! I teach my cousins on exchange for mowing and weed wacking and general labor!
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Yeah, it’s nuts. I saw the website with my own eyes and the emails friend sent to trainer to clarify if the prices were for individual lessons (they are) vs a package. Area is east coast suburb (45 min away) of big city (not NYC). I don’t want to give more identifying info since I do not know program personally and that’s bad karma. What I do know is that on no planet would I pay $200 for a private lesson as a boarder on my own horse. Even if I regularly took group lessons what if I wanted to work on something alone—that’s double the price?! Oh and these prices for non-boarders are for wtc/crossrail lessons. On ponies.
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I dunno…some days I would think I was getting the better end of the deal!
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