Suggestions to make money as a junior

[LilahEquestrian]

I am a junior rider, but I have been riding for almost 11 years, jumping for 6. I need money by the end of the summer, as I applied to my dream private boarding school and got a $25,000 riding scholarship but unfortunately it still is not enough to cover the $50,000 more needed. I have been wanting to go to this school forever and would literally sell my soul to go. My parents suggested leasing out my horse and using the money we made from that to pay, but I would love to take my mare. She is my Junior Hunter and we have been very successful together, and I would hate a year wasted of her life as shes already almost 15 and I don’t know how much longer she can show for, and I would lose all my progress I’ve made with her. Leasing my horse out is honestly a last resort option.

I was thinking of doing project horses, as I have a barn and arena at my house, and maybe buying and selling OTTBs with the help of my trainer could make some money.

Instructing could also be a possible option, as where I live there are zero hunter/jumper barns and only rodeo. I know most of the rodeo girls and lots of them always want to try English, but the only lesson barns here offer western.

Another option could be a groom, exercise rider, or braider, and travel to shows this summer, but I’m not 100% sure because my trainer has a small program and doesn’t go to many rated shows. I would be open to working with any barn though.

I am very experienced around horses, and I take care of my horses at my house all by myself. I know how to feed, groom, tack up, clean stalls, drag the arena, turn out, blanket, wrap, pull manes, pretty much everything, although I need more practice in braiding and clipping. I also have ridden many horses and have experience in riding and training. I think I am pretty good at instructing, but I can’t really “practice” that.

I am also legally able to get a job, but I don’t know how well that would work. I would be open to also doing basic jobs, like pet-sitting, but I don’t think it will cover much. Please let me know any suggestions or advice you have, I am willing to do anything!

[MHM]

Braiding can be extremely lucrative, but you need to be fast and good, with excellent time management skills. So practice, practice, practice. Learn to do tails as well as manes. Network with braiders to get tips to up your game and see if any of them need a helper. Braiders are in short supply these days.

If you can do a bunch of horses to an acceptable standard, you could probably make more in one night than a week working at McDonald’s or the like.

[dmveventer]

You need to make $50k by the end of this summer? So, ~5 months from now? Leasing or selling your mare is the only realistic option you have to even get close to that amount of money. $50k is a full-time salaried job, not something that can be cobbled together with part-time jobs available to a teenager on short notice. Most of the other things you list are good ideas if you just wanted pocket money or to contribute to your riding expenses or something like that. Flipping OTTBs and instructing are probably off the table since you don’t have the experience needed to teach and I’m guessing also don’t have experience working with horses straight off the track, plus OTTBs are just as likely to lose you money.

You’re very lucky to have the resources you have, but unfortunately everyone eventually comes to a point where they can have some of the things they want but not all of the things they want. Your parents’ suggestion that you can have either the expensive boarding school OR the expensive show horse, but not both, is a very generous one. Those are both luxuries that aren’t accessible for the vast majority of people. $75k for high school is an absurd amount of money, more than a lot of people spend on college and more than a lot of adults make in a year, and they don’t spend that while also riding and showing in an expensive discipline.

The fact that you’re willing to work is great and means your intentions are in the right place, but the fact that you don’t seem to realize the sheer amount of money you’re talking about means this may be a good opportunity for a bit of a reality check. Spend some time deciding what’s more important to you and make a plan to get there within the resources available to you, and find a way to appreciate the fact that you can even make the choice, even if what you really want is everything.

[trubandloki]

If I knew how to make $50K in five months I would have a different job than the one I have.

I do think it is great that you are trying to come up with a way to afford this on your own. I just have no idea how to make that much money in that amount of time.

How much would you have if you did not show/lesson/clinic this summer at all and the monies saved from not doing that went towards your education fund?

[clanter]

@trubandloki

If I knew how to make $50K in five months I would have a different job than the one I have.

OP only needs to come up with $25k as they have a $25k scholarship

Our youngest daughter while in high school did make $20k during summers conducting a beginner’s riding summer riding school. She used our horses at no cost as we leased them to her at $1 per head for each summer. She did the Whole thing herself, created the curriculum, hired a few school friends who also were horse wise. She had full sessions every time. She designed a school T Shirt for her students to wear and they had to wear that shirt every class, these became her primary advertising as the kids wore those shirts everywhere.

Lease the horse to me is their most viable option for OP, horse’s expense is reduced greatly and since leased should become a depreciable asset rather than an ongoing liability

[Tha_Ridge]

@clanter

OP only needs to come up with $25k as they have a $25k scholarship

Are you sure? OP said:

@LilahEquestrian

I need money by the end of the summer, as I applied to my dream private boarding school and got a $25,000 riding scholarship but unfortunately it still is not enough to cover the $50,000 more needed.

Key word: $50,000 more.

[clanter]

appears you are correct

I know the costs have increased since or kids were in school. Our oldest daughter graduated from a private college, it was $50k per year, she had a 50% academic scholarship and was able to take riding as PE class each semester.

[FitToBeTied]

This will be an unpopular opinion but choose a different less expensive school. When it comes to undergraduate degrees, there is really no difference from school to school. Bachelor degrees represent entry level knowledge.spending $75000 a year for a BA/BS is just not worth it.

Also, do your research on what your degree will be worth when you graduate. Too many people spend a lot of money on degrees with no financial return. I would say an equestrian science degree is not worth any tuition. My wife went to small private school with a riding program. She majored in equestrian science and computer science. Lucky for her because she got a good job in tech.

[Amelia.643]

50k is a lot of money. Really, a lease seems like one of the only reasonable options. Could you do a show lease or a summer lease? Someone in-barn or near by? Maybe in addition to working all summer, that could help with the money.

[trubandloki]

@clanter

Our youngest daughter while in high school did make $20k during summers conducting a beginner’s riding summer riding school.

That must have been an impressive summer camp.
I can’t see how that would work most places.

$20,000/12 weeks = $1,667 per week.

I suppose if you have no expenses at all and there are not many other camps around so you can charge more for your small groups (the OP here only has one horse).

[LSBC]

I am not doubting your ability to raise the money, but I am concerned about how much money you will need when you are actually at the school. I am very familiar with the private riding boarding schools. Here are my thoughts:

• Not only do you have to come up with the money for tuition, you would also need to cover board for your horse. Board, at minimum, is probably $1,500 or more. That does not count lessons, training rides, vet, or anything else. Some of these schools have really great school horses if you do decide to lease out your mare.
• Showing: a barn like this, if you bring your own horse, will most likely want you to show. You’ll need to pay a pretty penny for that, and show often on the weekends. You’ll probably travel out of state with reasonable frequency.
• Cost of riding: just because you have a horse and pay board does not necessarily mean you will be enrolled in the riding program. You would have to pay for that on top of the board. It could be anywhere upwards of $2,500.

I would also urge you to consider what you want to do after school. Do you want to ride in college? Do you have college savings? I have had friends who banked all their college savings on showing on the circuit and then got riding scholarships. Do I think it is smart? No. Did it work? Yes. If you don’t want to ride in college, what are your plans? Will you need a scholarship? Is that something you can work riding into?

I know that this is a lot to take in, but when thinking about these schools you really need to think about your long term plan and how it will best set you up for the future. I, too, was willing to sell my soul to get to one of these schools and by a stroke of fate I ended up at one for free. I never had a horse, could never afford leasing, and sometimes felt like I was the least accomplished person on the varsity riding team because I couldn’t afford to show. It was difficult, but ultimately what the school gave me was a great education and admission to a good college.

You are more than welcome to PM me and we can discuss the intricacies in more detail if you would like.

[clanter]

@trubandloki

That must have been an impressive summer camp.

There were ten day camp openings per week, cost for the five days a week was @$250 per kid per week, she ran that camp for ten weeks over four summers, had kids waiting for a chance, several came back each year even though they had moved out of state. She did continue to do individual beginner instruction also.

She was fairly well versed as she was a Gold Metal equitation rider as well has an award winning competition rider in several disciplines

For several years she added a winter day camp over the midterm holidays, waiting list for those also.

Helped that we are in the actual middle of several million people in the DFW area.

She also sold the curriculum she created to a few farms she knew from showing her horses

She got her amateur status back after college, but she was competitive while competing against the pros any way.

We had the horses and the farm corporation that she worked under.

[dmveventer]

@FitToBeTied

When it comes to undergraduate degrees, there is really no difference from school to school.

Off topic but this can really depend on the field. I’m in an industry that places value on having a “name brand” on your diploma (do I think this is the way to do things? No, but I digress). I went to a private college knowing this and I did get a better education in my intended field than I could have gotten at a state school, and more importantly it landed me the exact job I wanted right after graduation. I had to take out loans but I took steps during school to minimize them (scholarships, part-time work, graduating early) and got loan repayment assistance from my job after graduation, so it worked out really well for me. I have no regrets about spending so much money on college.

This is not true for the majority of career fields, so everyone should consider carefully before taking a gamble on an expensive degree. And bringing it back on topic, I’d bet that expensive high schools pay off in even fewer cases, so definitely not an expense to be taken on lightly without a solid plan for the future.

[luvmyhackney]

50k would be extremely tough but not impossible, I agree with your parents on leasing your horse if you would “sell your soul” to attend.

Break it down to how much you need to earn per week and figure out what you need to do, whether mow lawns, offer camps, nanny for a summer to a family with money plus a side gig, digital channels, etc.

[CHT]

$50K after tax is a massive amount of income - don’t forget you have to pay income tax!

my recommendation is too see which is more important to you: the school or having another show year on your mare.

If you do go with the lease, be very careful with the terms - what happens if your mare becomes unusable by the lease rider and the horse is returned…can you (your parents) afford board/care and your school?

I would not go with flipping horses- lots of risk there- think of what you would do if your project become injured or turned out to have an underlying issue that makes resale difficult. What would you do then?

Braiding is a money maker IF you are near shows and IF you are very good at it. Pulling manes too. Night watch/stall cleaning another option to keep you busy beyond braiding.

[candyappy]

@LilahEquestrian

I would be open to also doing basic jobs, like pet-sitting, but I don’t think it will cover much.

From what people on here pay per day for pet / farm sitting, you could make more money doing that than any job . As long as you have transport.

I don’t think your age would bother most potential clients. Maybe you could get vet, trainer maybe farrier( ?) references as to how your own animals are cared for and as proof of your dependability take one of your parents along to show you have back up.

We did this with 2 of my kids and they did the work on several places farm sitting before they were old enough to drive. I was there to transport and just kind of watch and look over the animals for any thing “off”.

[BAC]

I think $75,000 for boarding school is insane, that money should be going towards a college education. And since your mare is older, I think you would be better off having another year with her instead of leasing her out.

[OldJR]

Nobody at the top of the horse business got there by going to “equestrian school”. Its about who you know, who you worked for, and if you find wealthy customers. Money for education would be better spend at a collegiate level for a field that has known income. Go to public high school and show your last JR year and try to make as many connections as you can.

[FjordBCRF]

@LilahEquestrian

nstructing could also be a possible option, as where I live there are zero hunter/jumper barns and only rodeo. I know most of the rodeo girls and lots of them always want to try English, but the only lesson barns here offer western.

Lots of good advice here! Im sure someone else can chime in, but if you are being paid for lessons, does that impact whatever showing status you have?

I would also think in that case you will need to figure out things like insurance in case something happens to a client under your watch. I don’t imagine its a ton, but an expense that you need to consider as well. Do you have more than your own horse to use for lessons? If not, consider how much she could reasonable deal with in addition to any riding/showing you want to do with her. Or in the case she gets hurt/sick and needs recovery time.

I also agree that kind of money for boarding school isn’t the route I would go or advise anyone to spend. Unless of course money is not an issue, but in this case it seems to be to some degree. Save it for college.

[trubandloki]

@candyappy

@OldJR

Nobody at the top of the horse business got there by going to “equestrian school”. Its about who you know, who you worked for, and if you find wealthy customers. Money for education would be better spend at a collegiate level for a field that has known income. Go to public high school and show your last JR year and try to make as many connections as you can.

Not sure why you quoted me ? My post above had nothing to do with going to school…

They did not quote you.

They did respond to you.