I get that. But I’m sure it is emotional for her. I don’t expect riders to be slick at marketing. I just don’t get why the naysayers are so negative. My reaction wasn’t to reach right in my pocket…or feel guilty that I wasn’t. But was more that it Sucks it didn’t work out with this new owner and hopefully she finds a long term solution. But no, she’s not in a tear jerker situation of having to put her horse down but she is still facing tough choices and Good for her to be trying to do something.
4 Likes
When a popular CoTH blogger needed to raise money to offset unseen medical bills of her dressage horse, she put together a fundraising auction. I think many of the items may have been donated, but I found that whole situation much more palatable as it seems like the rider was doing more than just asking for handouts.
Added to the “save him” verbiage… The whole situation is unpalatable to me.
I get that money is hard to come by, but internet panhandling is wearing thin.
3 Likes
As someone who runs a 501©3, let me just say Whoa to this notion that asking for donations is all the same whether you want to keep your UL horse or you are running a public charity (which is what most 501©3s are). If you donate to my nonprofit, you are contributing to the clearly stated mission of the org. You get a receipt (and a thank you note!) which you can use when you list your charitable deductions to the IRS. My nonprofit must prove to the IRS that we ARE in fact putting donations towards our mission, and we have to make financial documents publicly available (so, for example, our tax return is on our website. This is common good practice).
I don’t have an issue with this rider seeking to keep her horse - I’m sympathetic to that. But on behalf of all the ACTUAL charities out there, please don’t imagine that this is a charitable donation. It’s just a gift to a person to help her achieve a goal.
13 Likes
amazing that riders at that level find time to be firefighters and dentists and lawyers and such,
8 Likes
I don’t mind the Internet asks. I just don’t donate. scroll on through…I don’t get offended unless it’s something truly egregious. It is hard to make a living as an equine professional and even harder to keep the ride on good horses that can advance your career. I wish Sara all the best and hope she can find a way to keep the horse.
6 Likes
I’d be curious to know how many riders, who have competed at Rolex the last few years, have a career outside of the horse profession. That is impressive to have a full time career and be able to compete at the highest level of the sport.
I think the bigger issue here, beyond setting up a Go Fund Me account to buy a horse, is the ongoing lack of professionalism that exists in many pro rider’s businesses.
Most of us who have a career in an industry outside of the horse world see this, and we realize that businesses in our own industries could never survive if they were run as poorly as the businesses we see run by “professional” riders.
Is the horse industry the only industry in which this happens? Of course not. And, of course, there are always going to be examples of pros who run their businesses right. However, overall, many of these riders seem to lack the ability to properly run a business.
I think part of the problem is that, for many pros, they got into the business because they love, and are passionate about, horses. I think the majority of us, whether pros, amateurs, or somewhere in between, are horse people for these reasons. 
But when your emotions are involved to that degree, it makes it much harder to step back and approach things from a nonbiased, business perspective.
In this case, you see it with the lack of contracts between the rider and original part owner, and then again, you see it in the GFM request to help “save” the horse. I really can’t judge the rider for going this direction–it’s not hurting anyone and it’s always easy to sit at a computer and decide how every should live their lives. But look at the reaction to this effort and how it reflects poorly on the rider’s business.
For me, as someone who has a career outside the horse world, I love my job and the industry I’m in. Do I love it as much as I Iove my horses? Nope.
The nice thing about it, though, is that I can keep a certain degree of distance between my emotions and the decisions I make in the workplace. I approach my work based on my education and experience, not my feelings.
In fact, I intentionally decided not to enter the horse business after university because I didn’t want my passion to become my job. I knew I was too emotionally involved with my horses to make the best business decisions, and I wanted to be able to do horses on my own terms, with my own money, rather than having to answer to clients.
I’ve seen the upper levels of several horse sports and I’ve seen the dilemmas riders are faced with when it comes to making the best business decision or the best career decision (such as attending a world championships). Those decisions do not always equal doing what’s best for the horses you love, and no one can know how they will react until they are faced with those decisions. I’ve seen some pros and their clients make bad decisions because their eyes are on the prize rather than the long-term welfare of the horses involved.
Sadly, I think a lot of people get into horses professionally without thinking all this through, or taking the time to get an education in business (not saying that they don’t go to college, but you need to take certain courses to really learn business management and finance). They don’t always realize that love and passion isn’t enough to keep a business running, or provide for themselves or a family.
Some do learn these skills “on the job” and make it work, becoming successful (in terms of a business creating a profit). But some are financially successful because, in an expensive industry, they cut corners and don’t do right by the horses in order to ensure financial profitability.
With regard to the question about people with full-time careers competing at Rolex, I think it absolutely can be done. In fact, I’d wager that many careers allow more time for training and riding than the career of a pro who must train other horses, teach lessons and clinics, and run a barn in addition to training and riding their upper level horse(s).
It does make me wonder why we don’t see more amateurs at the top of the sport. I know, for me, that in the greater scheme of things, the need to compete at that level and spend that kind of money just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. When your whole life is about horses (or any one thing), it’s very easy to live in a bubble…but it’s important to step outside and get some perspective and context in relation to the rest of the world.
This perspective is certainly what has made me lose my taste for upper level eventing. Between the horse deaths, rider deaths, and especially because of Marilyn Little and how the sport’s organizations do nothing about the obvious abuse she doles out to her horses, I just can’t enjoy it anymore.
Yes, horses can die and be injured in many ways, and so can riders, but the upper levels have become too elite and commercialized. It’s not about doing what’s best for the horses, it is about creating a sport in which professionals–along with others who make money off the sport–can make a living and in which only the very very good can get around the courses and even then you or your horse may not survive.
It’s become a industry that puts money and glory above the best interests of the key participant, and it’s not the only one. That is just not palatable to me.
Phew! That certainly covered a lot of ground, but so has this thread! :yes:
18 Likes
Exactly!
1 Like
The other thing that strikes me is that whether a pro is business savvy or not and whether he or she has a college degree or not, being a successful horse professional/running a successful horse business is a very tough economic proposition. The numbers are just not favorable. If you don’t happen to have an attorney among your clients with whom you can barter for legal services, you just might not have the extra money to spend to make sure everything in your contract with the sponsors/co-owners of your upper level horse is all right and tight and in your equal interest.
6 Likes
I’ll have to disagree on the trainers having less time than amateurs to work it into their schedule. Yes, they absolutely have all the things you mention, but they also are going to 100% put the 3/4* horses first up in their schedules each day, schedule their lessons and clinics around what those top horse or horses need to do that day, and most have barn managers or working students to help run the day-to-day of the barn and do trot sets, set jumps, etc.
I tried pretty hard to get there working a traditional job and even so it’s not 9 to 5 but 7 to 4. It’s not terrible in the summer but I have had to find trainer to work with who are willing to teach in the evenings (not all are), and I invest in full training because it’s simply not realistic with the demands of my career that I can ride every single evening after work. Sometimes I have to get projects out the door, and a 40 hour week is somewhat unrealistic.
In the autumn it gets tough quick with the light going (I don’t have an arena with lights); I might be willing to test out riding in the dark or w/headlights but its a lot to ask for any lessons (which I am paying for as part of full training) in that condition. I have a long hack to my ring as well and I just don’t trust the particular horse I have now (who isn’t UL…yet) to walk out there in the dark w/o getting a bit unhinged.
Meanwhile trainers can schedule their rides whenever they want, can take their horse over to swim on weekdays during business hours, can go to the track during daylight, or ride before it goes too hot/after the ring thaws/before it rains, etc.
Having said all that, those are all workable. I’d be willing to wager vacation time is the #1 reason you don’t generally see many amateurs at the top of the sport. Most of the qualifying events you’d have to go to are 2-3 days off work, and thats if you don’t need to trailer too far. A CCI is likely 3-4 days each time, and again that’s not including the likely day you’d need to trailer on either end. In the winter, the horses usually go south but I don’t, so that’s either flying in on weekends to ride or not riding for 3 months. Or staying home and fighting for fitness in an indoor because once again, it’s too dark to ride outside of the indoor after work in the winter.
The only true traditional amateur’s I’ve seen at the CCI3/4* levels recently are Kevin Keane and Frankie Theriot, both of whom run their own businesses and therefore set their own schedule. That’s not to say they don’t work as hard if not harder than many of us with the traditional 9 to 5; just that they can schedule themselves as necessary to get the riding done.
10 Likes
@Divine Comedy yes, I agree with all the points you make. I also think, though, that a lot of it has to do with the job. One thing that is really changing is the amount of flexibility given nowadays. The 9 to 5 schedule is not de rigueur anymore in the corporate world.
For example, my team at work is based in London, but I work out of the Philadelphia office. I work 3 days in the office and 2 days at home. I could probably stretch it to 3 days at home, but I like going into the office after working from home for 6 years.
Because I work with a team in a time zone 5 hours ahead of the East Coast, I can start work as early as I would like, which can end my day much earlier than 5 pm. I have flex hours, which in our company means that as long as you get in 7 hours per day, you can schedule those hours as needed.
I have 3 weeks of vacation, which will increase, 2 floating holidays, and another week of sick time, plus comp days for any weekend day worked (traveling for work, conferences, etc). This is with an international publishing company with several thousand employees globally, so definitely an example from the corporate world.
All of that time and flexibility would provide the needed availability to train and compete at the upper levels. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability for the upper levels even with the time available. 
I do agree that some jobs do not allow you to commit the amount of time needed, but there are certainly jobs that do, and with today’s technology, more and more corporate companies are happy to provide flexibility.
But I digress from the topic at hand…
ETA: With regard to the Florida winter season, this is the only tricky part if (1) you have to compete to get qualifications and (2) your work out of an office. However, depending on the employer, you can get permission to work remotely for 6 to 8 weeks. I’ve done this in a previous job, and could most likely do it in this one. It’s important to have a job that can be done anywhere as long as you have a computer and Internet connection.
I think what I’m trying to get at (in too many words) is that many times, if you want to make it work, you can.
4 Likes
And some one of the attorney clients are the craziest…not necessarily the type of attorney you really need. Yes, I’m an attorney.
I agree with DC. I handed over the reins on my 2* horse to a local pro (happens to also be one of the best riders in the US…not all local pros are equal ;)) not because I’m not capable of riding him…but I lacked time to compete him at the level he was ready to run. I was lucky to find a situation to still keep him at home most of the time. But there are very few true professionals in other careers who can manage to ride at the highest levels. Mostly because of lack of time. Being able to telecommute is making it a hair easier…but still not easy and not possible for all careers. I spent two weeks south with my horses this year…and a lot of time in my truck on conference calls…and a few calls from the back of my horse. No way could I do any of it without a good support team and in the end…you need time in the saddle, and time is limited.
3 Likes
I do not know this rider or this horse, my thoughts are general, not towards this specific person (who I am more than willing to believe is very nice and very hard working).
My peon level brain can not wrap itself around begging for money on a GFM being the same as syndication or generally seeking a sponsor. I realize in all these situations one person has a horse to ride that is paid for by others, but they are still not the same thing and I think that difference is what bugs people.
GFM is “I want something nice that I can not afford so please give me the money so I can afford it”.
Syndication and sponsors is asking someone else to pay your way but they have a share in what is happening. I am not saying they are getting rich off you riding, I am simply saying they have a say. Which is what caused this rider problems, twice.
That is an interesting post coming from someone whose blog specifically called most of us names.
11 Likes
No one said they are the same. They are all types of fundraising but clearly different. I’m not likely to ever contribute to a GFM like this but I am a member of a couple of syndicates. Yes you get something in a syndicate but your financial obligations are higher. I get something when I bid (and win) on something in an auction. But GFM is typically just an easier way to gift money to someone for some issue. If it is a true non profit…then your donation used to get you a tax write off…let’s not go into how the new tax laws are significantly reducing that benefit. But any thing else…you are just gifting money. And the only people who are going to do that are friends and family or people who think your cause is worthy.
Some of the posts here seemed to imply that this GFM is no different than looking for a sponsor or such.
That is why I gave my thoughts on that.
4 Likes
Kevin Keane (did not ride this year due to injury, but Phillip is riding his horse) is a full time veterinarian.
Its been some years now, but Amy Tryon was an amateur and full-time firefighter.
3 Likes
Penny Rowland in Ontario is a Vet and has competed 4*.
@KellyS excellent post and I completely agree.
Yes Kevin is…but he didn’t ride at that level when he was building his business early as a vet. And is one of the rare exceptions. It also works well for him as many of his clients are right there…even when he goes south. So quite unique of a situation. He also has to keep his horses at an indoor and has a Good team helping him. And doesn’t sleep much.
Amy did do it for a short time. I remember her saying it only worked because her personal fitness workout time was part of her paid job. Once she could…she switched to horses full time.
Some of the other high profile “amateurs” were really in special situations. Family money not really working the traditional career paths.
4 Likes
She did, but hasn’t in a very long time, and doesn’t plan on doing it again.
She’s small animal, which I find very interesting, since she goes south in the winter. I guess when your practice can run that smoothly without you, then why not! lol
Depending on where she is based, maybe most of her clientele goes South too.
