I’m a 43-year-old re-rider who does not own a horse. I am unlikely to ever own one (my partner and I have agreed that we can afford a horse when we make three times what we do now. We are not moving rapidly in that direction.) I would love to ride cross-country at the Kentucky Horse Park. By far the most awesome way to do this (for me) would be to qualify for the AECs at the BN level in a year when they are in Kentucky. I definitely can’t do it for 2020 - even assuming I had the skills to level up, which I do not at this time, I have some immovable commitments this year that are in the way. So assuming that this is a really long term plan, because who even knows where the AECs will be in 2021 and beyond, what are my moves? In addition to working on my dressage, schooling cross-country to get more confidence, and working towards competing more and moving up. And maybe buy lottery tickets. How would I pitch this to my trainer? I think the non-ownership situation is going to be a significant challenge.
Don’t call those goals highly improbable!
What about a half lease? That might allow you to get more ride time, without the full expense of ownership. Alternatively, you might be able to get a been-there, done-that, older horse on free or inexpensive lease - but you’d be responsible for board/shoes/vet/etc for the time the horse is with you. I see those types of horses advertised as care leases every once in a while.
And definitely talk with your trainer about your goals - there might already be a horse in the program that can help you achieve this :-).
I’m sure many people go to AECs on leased horses. Is this a possibility for you?
One of the BN winners in 2017 was a leased horse. I know that for a fact since I did his conditioning work to prepare him for the lease.
A lease is going to be the most straight forward way but it would involve taking on the expenses of a horse for a large portion of the year. A half lease is feasible but the owner or other leaser may be less accommodating with the horse being gone for the number of shows needed to reach your goal or may prioritize their showing over yours.
BN can be pretty competitive in that the dressage scores tend to be very strong with little to no penalties in the other two sections.
You could get lucky and find a busy rider who has multiple horses and isn’t willing to part with a horse but has moved beyond that level. Perhaps a N/T packer who they wouldn’t trust to lease out to just anyone but would be willing to free lease to someone in a program.
Start spitballing with your trainer. It gives them some time to keep an ear to the ground for unusual opportunities.
A cheaper way to ride at the horsepark is to enter one of the events occurring there other than the AEC’s. It would be substantially cheaper. Do you live close to the Horse Park?
AECs are a fantastic goal to have and definitely the coolest way to ride xc at the horse park - but don’t discount the other events held there! I’ll never forget many, many years ago, Nigel was announcing for Maydaze. There is nothing like hearing Nigel announcing our little BN XC - “she’s clear through the water and carrying on to number 8, clear through 8 and on to the brush…”
The AECs were in KY this past Aug. and again in '20. They’ll move to a different venue in '21. I hoped to go there this year, but my horse got sick. Has recovered so have set my sights on next year. If we don’t qualify, then I plan to fulfill my bucket list by entering in one of their scheduled horse trials as @IFG suggests.
Tragically, I do not live close to the Horse Park. I’m in MA.
I think leasing a horse for this might potentially be feasible because there would be a time limit on the financial commitment to the horse that we could plan and budget for. It would be a major expense and it would be hard, but with sufficient planning, I think it could be workable. And if nothing else, the resource that I certainly have on hand is time to make and carry out a plan.
I suspect the AECs won’t be in KY in 2021 and 2022, but it’s such a great place to have them, and I suspect they will come back. I hope they go west to give riders there a chance for something closer to home, and also that will give me a couple years to work on my dressage and school a lot of courses.
It is a really nice suggestion. Are there any trainers in the area who would work with someone who competes BN in a different state who comes down to do a lease/part lease with some training for a month in the summer and compete in one event?
There are lots of options for shows at the KY horse park! It is a great goal to have and I encourage you to make it happen! It is an amazing feeling to gallop through the water and down the same tracks as some of the best horses and riders in the world! I have been fortunate enough to gallop through the head of the lake and jump through the hollows. In the moment I was totally focused on the course, but later seeing pictures and videos gave me goosebumps! There are a lot of trainers in the area, I am sure someone could help you. (sorry I don’t have specifics for you) I have been eventing for a long time and as an adult amateur, sometimes goals of moving up or making it to a certain venue seem out of reach, but the great thing about eventing is we all support and help one another. If you are willing to do the work and find the right people to help you along the way, you can reach your goals! Good luck!
If I may say, there’s different ideas of horse ownership that might not have you priced out. A local barn costs $995 a month for excellent care. Another local barn costs $350 for excellent care but no fancy facilities.
If you’ve got the money for recognized showing you probably have enough for a safe but not fancy barn and trailering out for lessons.
Far more realistic to alter this goal a bit. Aiming for the AECs requires qualifications:
- 1st or 2nd in any USEA recognized Beginner Novice Horse Trials (or) Beginner Novice Three-Day competition
- [B]OR[/B] 3rd in two USEA recognized Beginner Novice Horse Trials (or) Beginner Novice Three-Day competition
- [B]OR[/B] 1st through 5th in any USEA Beginner Novice Area Championship
Hard to comment on the feasibility of this since rerider can mean so many different things. How long were you away, what was your previous level, and how long have you been back? Are you wanting to compete at a higher level now than you ever did on your first stint of riding? Or lower but just in a dream venue?
Are you competing now? If so how are you managing with no horse and limited funds? How will you afford the entry fees for multiple recognized competitions and also for the trip to Kentucky? That will be thousands of dollars I assume.
Anyhow if you are already riding comfortably and competing locally at your desired level then going to Kentucky is a matter of logistics. Can you lease a horse for the season and can you afford the entry fees and travel?
If you are not already competing at your desired level then I would say put the dream on hold and put your cash into a half lease and lots of lessons and some nonrated competition.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but I think your chances are much greater with a lease than if you owned, so don’t count leasing as a disadvantage.
There are quite a few great low level event trainers in the area who I am sure would be open to something like this. I agree that aiming for a certain competition rather than AECs would be the way to go to avoid a lot of the expenses outlined above. All the events at the horse park are well run and a lot of fun. I particularly enjoy Jump Start in the fall. But there is pretty much one every month. Most have Starter level now if you wanted to aim for something easier and it doesn’t require a USEA membership. I just think you need to be realistic about how much to budget so you know how many years in the future you need to plan.
I did hunters when I was a kid, and IHSA in college (not terribly successfully). I took off for almost 20 years. I’m eventing now, which is a totally different thing. I don’t think the levels compare well, but I am jumping higher fences, and I never did dressage at all as a kid. I felt braver then but I ride better now. I’ve always been pretty casual.
I did two unrated horse trials this summer using a school horse. I part-leased for a month in the summer to support this. The horse trials I went to were very local, and there are a couple recognized shows at nearby venues. Assuming that I did an AMAZING job in my qualifying season and picked up a first, a second, or two thirds within the minimum required three competitions, I would only need to travel to one show farther away to qualify, and my barn does send people to a few of those. I think BN is within reach for me to do within a few years. If I put in the work (and the related money). To make that happen, I would need to get a lot better at dressage. I’m having fun, but I’m happy to finish - I’m not super-competitive. Qualifying would be a reach - it’s not the kind of challenge I have taken on before. Certainly, lots of lessons and some nonrated competition would be part of the process. And I’m looking forward to doing those whether I choose to pursue this goal or not.
I think this is very realistic, compared to a lot of goals people come up with. I don’t own a horse or show, but if I budgeted well and cut some other luxury expenses, I think I could manage to do that and so can you.
If the big dream is to do the AECs there and that likely won’t come around again for a few years, I’d spend those years saving up and working with my trainer on getting solid at the level as a rider, including on different horses. Then, when you know the future AEC schedule better, you have a few options. If it is coming back to KHP, you can use the money saved up to find a lease horse for the year and work on qualifying. If it doesn’t look like it’s coming back for a while, you can try to find a trainer in Kentucky (or reasonable driving distance) who would be willing to work with you for an intense month-long vacation culminating in a different event at KHP.
The best thing to do is to discuss it with your trainer. They might know of some good lease options for you but none of this comes inexpensively. It certain is much more attainable and cost effective than say a Jr. rider with dreams of going to the Medal Maclay finals. I would suggest discussing your goals with trainer - start off with wanting to compete at beg novice level and what do you need to do. Your trainer might be/should be able to help find a horse for you to lease but it’s going to require commitment on your part - i.e. more lessons, more barn time.
Another issue to consider is how competitive is your area? Around here if you are not really good at dressage it is very hard to place well at the lower levels. Usually to place 1st or 2nd in BN you have to finish on your dressage score which needs to be mid 20s to very low 30s. If your area is less competitive it may be easier to qualify. But you would need a horse that is good at dressage as well as jumping. These types of horses definitely come with a higher price tag, even for a lease.
That’s fantastic. It sounds like you are on the right path! As you’ve noticed, dressage is important. However, lower level horses with good dressage may come available for lease. It sounds like you’ve got a few years - so I’d really work on your skills on lesson or lease horses - both the talented (if available) and not.
When the year comes that AECs are at KHP, it will be up to your trainer(s) and friends to help you locate a lease for that season that has the potential to get you the scores you need to qualify - but it is up to you to build the skills in the coming years to be able to capitalize on that opportunity.
I’d make one other recommendation - set some medium term goals to help build up. Maybe you want to compete at a recognized dressage show, or you want to score a 70% at training level 1 at a schooling show (roughly equivalent to BN eventing test last I looked) or maybe you want to take a lesson on a dressage schoolmaster.
