Selectivity of the BigEq programs?

[SnicklefritzG]

I enjoy watching the BigEq finals every year and appreciate the groups that make the live feeds available. Not surprisingly, there are BNT names that come up each year when the top 10 are announced. Names such as the folks from Heritage, Beacon hill, and North Run.

How selective are these BNT’s when it comes to accepting riders into their programs? The financial commitment alone I imagine might decrease the pool of people that have serious interest. However, in their respective regions, there is enough wealth near those BNT’s to provide them with an ample supply of potential program participants. Do these places typically accept anyone who wants to join, at whatever level, provided they have the money to spend on the training, the horses/ponies, and the showing? Or do they select for only people whose riding is already at a certain level, whether that be height, show results, or other criteria?

[findeight]

Big Eq specialists often work with clients of other trainers closer to where those clients live. These people live on tne show circuits anyway, an at home trainer plus the Eq specialist is pretty normal, especially since the Eq specialist has top tier Eq horses available at those shows. Some of these kids have several different trainers, at home, Eq, Jumper Trainer (possibly in Europe) and maybe a top Hunter person too. They might own or lease horses with all of them.

Far as I know the top Eq folks take anybody who can afford it BUT those people have to accept their program and make a serious commitment to sticking with the program including horse acquisitions and very tough lessons and coaching because there’s always others who will if they don’t. That committment weeds quite a few out who learn they are happier keeping it just a very expensive hobby to enjoy.

[soloudinhere]

The Heritage program at least is huge - I used to board with 2 girls who got their horses through them but boarded them here and met Andre et al at the shows and went down for WEF. Both not serious finals contenders but did get into college programs on scholarship. I got the impression that the program is absolutely massive.

[SnicklefritzG]

That’s kind of what I suspected, that some of it was trainer to trainer. I recall an article about Elizabeth Benson needing some specialized help for the BigEq and Stacia Madden taking her into her program to “Help her a little”. Probably having a parent who is in the business and well known in the area helps to make those connections.

Anyone know what the financial commitment is for some of these BigEq programs? I think someone posted something once that people aren’t considered “good clients” at places like Heritage unless they have more than one horse.

[rockonxox]

Well, you’ve got the board, you’ve got to pay for lessons and I know one of the ones (not the ones you mentioned but another with quite a few well placing AA equitation kids) required a minimum of 2 lessons per week. Board was around $1200/mo and lessons $85/ea. This was not a barn on the coast so the figures in this example are likely low. Then you have the shows to qualify for and every trainer will do costs differently, how far you have to travel makes a difference, etc… but it will definitely be in the thousands per show. You go to at least however many it takes to qualify which is up to the rider/horse.

This is all before you even talk about the horses which are going to be at the very least 4 figures to lease.

So budget a lot. Thousands. Lots of thousands.

[findeight]

Low 6 figures annually, easy. and yes, Heritage wants 2 quality horses per client, probably with a minimum services fee if they don’t take a set amount of lessons or have enough show or lessons or schooling charges that month, and expects clients to go AA horse show often with both of them. Including winter circuit, enough shows to qualify them more shows to stay sharp, and, of course, Indoors and the Finals.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

I know Heritage does take some working students, many of whom have gone on to compete in the finals. I’m not sure what the specific arrangement is for those students and it possibly varies with the individual in terms of the financial commitment the family is able to make and the student’s level of talent (which obviously would have to be considerable, enough so that the student could be useful to adding to the program’s level of prestige).

[joiedevie99]

~10k month at home for 2 horses in full training, plus show expenses.

[adultammylife]

A few years back there was a legal dispute between a pony mom and Heritage - all of the legal documents were available on RateMyHorsePro including things like monthly bills. I don’t remember the exact breakdown but maybe someone can do some sleuthing and dig it up.

[Hunter_Happy1]

@adultammylife

A few years back there was a legal dispute between a pony mom and Heritage - all of the legal documents were available on RateMyHorsePro including things like monthly bills. I don’t remember the exact breakdown but maybe someone can do some sleuthing and dig it up.

Here is one of the docs. $175,000 purchase price for horse. $26k in commission. Monthly expenses p 10.

http://www.ratemyhorsepro.com/userfiles/files/April%208%20Verified%20Bill%20of%20ParticularsRMHP.pdf

[LovesHorses]

@Hunter*Happy

Here is one of the docs. $175,000 purchase price for horse. $26k in commission. Monthly expenses p 10.

http://www.ratemyhorsepro.com/userfiles/files/April%208%20Verified%20Bill%20of%20ParticularsRMHP.pdf

How did this end up? Pony hasn’t shown since 2013 per the USEF record.

[Soaponarope]

Not including purchase price of horses which is 6 figures, I was told it would run about 250k per year and my figures are based on people I knew doing the circuit some years ago. That includes showing, hauling, travel, hotel etc. So there’s a reason why most of the top Big Eq riders are children of rock and movie stars, big-time entrepreneurs, etc.

[Soaponarope]

Oh, and children of trainers of course.

[soloudinhere]

@LovesHorses

How did this end up? Pony hasn’t shown since 2013 per the USEF record.

As of around this time last year attorneys were still deposing various parties to the suit.

[soloudinhere]

@Soaponarope

Not including purchase price of horses which is 6 figures, I was told it would run about 250k per year and my figures are based on people I knew doing the circuit some years ago. That includes showing, hauling, travel, hotel etc. So there’s a reason why most of the top Big Eq riders are children of rock and movie stars, big-time entrepreneurs, etc.

$21k a month? I’d believe it for someone who does WEF and the major shows through the summer. Not a hard number to hit.

[BostonHJ]

About a decade ago, Beacon Hill ran about $10k/month/horse during WEF.

[Barney]

Wow 20K per month for Beacon Hill is a bargin for WEF Anne Kursinski charges around 20K per month and she has no equitation program. I would say that these other trainers are a good deal especially for the expertise you get.

[Limerick2017]

I think the pony, Sports Talk, in the Dildabanian/Heritage lawsuit had a hoof issue that caused permanent damage (rotation of coffin bone possibly?) and was retired at a very young age.

[Limerick2017]

Has the Heritage Farm Fundamentals program taken off? It was designed to help riders whose finances could afford local shows. I would think some Big Eq kids will eventually come through that if it has been successful.

[findeight]

@Impractical Horsewoman

I know Heritage does take some working students, many of whom have gone on to compete in the finals. I’m not sure what the specific arrangement is for those students and it possibly varies with the individual in terms of the financial commitment the family is able to make and the student’s level of talent (which obviously would have to be considerable, enough so that the student could be useful to adding to the program’s level of prestige).

They do have working “students” but their definition of that is not what some are imagining. They aren’t there to teach low jump basics.