So what do you pay for lessons these days?

[Scaramouch]

Does the cost affect who you can ride with and how often or is it an afterthought? Should lesson pricing necessarily reflect the trainer’s level of competition experience, say, Prelim vs. Advanced vs. 5*, assuming they are in fact a good instructor for your level?

Recently my trainer has increased prices to $100, which turns out to be the threshold that makes me cringe a bit. Once upon a time that was a clinic spot with a BNR, and it’s also twice what I paid when I started eventing lessons with a 5* rider back in 2004.

So that leads me to ask what the going rate is around the US for a private lesson on your own/lease horse at the trainer’s home facility. Everything has escalated in price of course, and I am in a HCOL area (DC exurb). That said the more I think about lesson pricing the more arbitrary it seems so how do you all look at it?

[FromTheGalaxy]

I’m in the Midwest and lesson prices vary widely. With a local lower level trainer who mostly only does unrated h/j shows (does not event), an hour jump group lesson is $45. I also travel to a 4* eventer (hoping she can complete her first 5* this spring!) in a more populated area and her private hour long jump lessons are $60. I view both of these to be extremely well priced (in fact under priced for the upper level eventer, but this is an increase for her from $55 previously).

I do have to travel round trip about 350 miles to the UL eventer, so when I factor in the cost of gas for lessons with her, it ends up being about $180 total ($60 lesson fee, approx $120 in gas). I try very hard to either bring multiple horses, trailer with a friend so we can split gas, or stay multiple days to make the trip more worthwhile.

For dressage lessons I typically pay around $75 for 45 min private lesson. For a “clinic” type setting I have paid between $100-$125/ride. The most I paid for a dressage clinic was $250/ride, and that is not something I would readily do again.

I am not someone who lessons every week. I try to fit in one jump and one dressage lesson monthly, and may do more if I have a show/event coming up that I feel I need to prep more for. For me the higher cost of lessons with the UL eventer have definitely been worth it, I don’t feel I can find equivalent tuition that is closer to me, and I also like being on her roster of students for coaching at shows. I have mostly found that paying the big bucks for BNT is not really worth it, but sometimes will do these clinics if I have the extra cash (ha!) just for the experience.
*edited for spelling/grammar

[HeartsDesireEventing]

Depends. The dressage trainer I have been riding with is $80 per ride if I haul to her, which is typical (I got her to come to me twice when my truck was out of commission, and paid an additional trip fee for that). Eventing trainer that I haul to I think is $55/60ish but it’s been a bit since I’ve been to her for a regular lesson so that has possibly/probably gone up a bit - I’ve been meeting her more for clinics recently so that’s a bit different price-wise since it tends to include a facility fee and such. I haul quite a ways for lessons so I don’t tend to get more than one a month if I’m lucky (working full time, etc). Hoping to start hauling to her again now that the young horse has enough buttons/experience to go places and possibly actually work on things.

On the other hand we were paying $125 for private lessons ($100 for group lessons) with an eventing trainer almost 20 years ago, so I consider both of my current trainers quite reasonable. I can’t usually stomach clinic fees though - I look at a four or five hundred dollar clinic fee and think about how many lessons I could do for the same amount of money. I feel like in most cases it’s better bang for my buck to get 6 - 8 lessons rather than spending it all on one ride at a clinic, although we certainly have taken advantage when there have been specific goals like making sure we were ready to move up to Intermediate, and getting more experienced eyes on me and my horse beforehand to verify.

[Foxglove]

$50/hour haul in; $60 if instructor comes to my farm. $75 for 90 min of herd (cows) work under owners supervision.

[Jealoushe]

Dressage coach $130, event coach $125. CND funds, all Olympians or ride at the highest level and certified coaches.

[dmveventer]

I’m in your area and pay $60 for a half-hour or $100 for an hour. That’s pretty average around here from what I’ve seen, and it’s also about what I was paying 15 years ago in the same area. I see a ton of variety in clinic pricing depending on the trainer’s show record, but regular lessons don’t tend to stray too much from an area’s market rate IME.

[Mallard]

Eastern Ontario $50/60 Private - very good - local trainer. $75 for a wonderful gal who rides and trains/schools GP. $125/150 Big Name trainer…

[Highflyer1]

$75 for a 45 minute lesson, 3* rider who teaches well. Not super fancy, but there’s a ring with decent footing we can use when the weather’s bad, or a pretty nice junping field. I was previously paying $75 for a 30 minute lesson plus a $20 haul-in fee to lesson with a 5* rider at a very fancy local facility (not hers).

I’m not going to lie, I am almost to the point where I can’t afford to compete anymore at any level. I know everyone’s costs have gone up and prices reflect that, but it’s not sustainable for me if things continue this way.

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

South Ontario.

USDF gold medalist (dressage) - $100 for 45 min private. Worth every penny.

Good local trainers (jumpers) - $50 to $60 - group of 2 to 4.

Excellent local trainer (GP jumper, 5*) - $80 - group of 2 to 4.

Excellent (not local) trainer (GP jumper, 5*) - $150 private.

Recently travelled to ship in for a lesson with 3* eventer, excellent, $75. Clinic with 5* eventer was $200 (4 in group).

All prices in canadian as we’re in Canada!

[MissusS]

My dressage coach charges $80CAD for a 45 minute private lesson.
The local jumping coach charges $60cad for a 60 minute group lesson (3-5 riders usually).

We have a BNT dressage clinician who comes in a few times a year and her price is $125cad for a 45 minute private lesson but we all split the cost of travel so it usually comes to $400cad ish for two lessons in a weekend.

[AMWookey]

In the US, with the best instructor of my life, 4* eventer and i did dressage and jump with her it was 75$ for a 45 min private and 60$ for a group jump. Those lessons feel like they were the best bang for your buck i will ever have (private and group). Her prices may have gone up, but she also always had an insane set up in her riding space (big open field) with a mix of cross country, stadium, banks, water, ditches… so it was always varied and amazing.

We also did lessons with a 5* eventer, mostly cross country and i believe it was 75$ to haul in to his beautiful facility for a lesson. Same price at his best friends place for a show jump, and that was one of the top coaches and managers in the US who was a former Olympian and trained Olympians.

Back in Ontario, we have managed almost zero lessons, but I took a couple at a h/j barn and it was 75$ CAD. Same price for our one jumping lesson we got in with a top eventer in the area. What I have noticed is that the smaller the location and market, the higher the price the only certified coaches are going to charge.

[DGEventing]

I’m in your area and that is pretty standard. The good instructors charge 90/hour now for haul ins. My boarders pay $85.

My dressage trainer is $120/hour, and my eventing lessons are $100/hour (but I usually bring 3 horses so she takes pitty)

[beowulf]

I am just outside of Boston. MA requires that instructors/trainers have a license.

For a private 45m truck-in it’s $85-125 depending on instructor. All the ones I go to are either BNTs or very accomplished trainers. The eventing instructors are a little less expensive than the HJ and Dressage - it used to be there was a big margin between the two but they’ve evened out.

I re-joined Pony Club as an adult two years ago. Buy in is $275 a year, the program runs from March to October with weekly lessons with 4-5 different instructors done on a rotational basis. We get a break in July/August because many families travel those months. The fairgrounds remain open so I still go with a small group and ride. My org subsidizes the cost[s] of running the PC (including paying instructors) by hosting shows 2x a year. It’s tremendous bang for my buck and we also do lots of other fun outings outside of the weekly lessons, and typically get a PC discount when we go.

For adult riders struggling to justify the cost of weekly lessons, I’d strongly encourage looking into Pony Club.

[trakehners]

I’m in southwestern PA, $60/hour with a 5* event rider, $35/half hour or per person for a group lesson (which really only happen when a bunch of us jump school together right before a show). She’s underpriced and she does it on purpose to have a program full of dedicated people who put in the effort instead of one full of people with deep pockets and no desire to do the work.

[DGEventing]

Paying for quality lessons has no bearing on your “desire to do the work”.

[trakehners]

I’m just articulating what she’s explained to me is her motivation for doing it She doesn’t want to price out people who really care but don’t have the funds that some people do just because she could, that’s all.

[FromTheGalaxy]

My trainer has this same reasoning for her pricing. Many people have told her that she could/should charge more (and she did finally increase her full training board to $1500/mo when it was previously $1200), but she says she does just fine and likes to keep her prices affordable for all. She coaches people all the way from starter level to 3*. I appreciate that I am able to afford to take regular lessons with her, I only wish she was closer because the 6 hour round trip is killer!

[DGEventing]

I understand the intentionality of the post and your trainer’s remark - super generous to teach those who can’t afford the going lesson rates.

But that second half, “one full of people with deep pockets and no desire to do the work” is an insulting and untrue way to phrase it.

Just my two cents, as someone who saves up to take the expensive lessons that I work my butt off for.

[beowulf]

I understood what you meant. I’m lucky to have someone local to me who does the same, though on paper she’s retired from teaching. I didn’t mention her in my OP because I didn’t think anyone should use her prices as a metric, they’re so low. I know she does it for the same reason your trainer does. Every now and then she’ll ask me how my rides are going and I’ll mention I’m stuck on something. She’ll literally show up in the driveway with her chapstick and her boots on. I always feel like what she charges doesn’t even cover her gas. I’m probably the reason she can’t officially retire

[Gardenhorse]

I’m in the DC area and pay $65 for a 45-min lesson from my home eventing trainer. We also have a Grand Prix dressage rider who comes to our farm regularly and those are $125.