The Sport We Love

A few days ago, I had to make the heartbreaking decision to stop riding after 18 years in the sport. I know that this world is very expensive and just gets more and more so. I also found out early on that it is a cruel sport, one that only the top 1% can afford. Today, talent only gets you so far, as it is a sport, no, business, driven by money. No longer is it worth anything if you only have the talent to ride. At least where I live, prerequisites are owning a mini-string of imported horses, showing throughout the summer and going to Florida for the winter, affording show and training expenses, combined with the basic care and boarding that come with owning a horse(s).

I find myself wondering how people make it in this sport we so dearly love. Do you limit yourself? This could take the form of not showing at all, showing locally, riding for pleasure, taking only occasional lessons, or quitting altogether?

For me, it was the latter. After years of riding poor, dead-beat school horses, riding or leasing ponies or horses that no one else wanted to ride because they were too crazy, too out-of-shape, too green, etc. and going through more barns and instructors than Elizabeth Taylor was married, I somehow managed to consistently ride at the 3’9"-4’ level. (I should disclaim that a long the way, I was able to ride with some good trainers and/or learn from schoolmasters or expensive sale horses.)

As I was ready to take the next step in my riding journey of jumping 4’-4’6", I found myself repeatedly shut down. I understand that lesson horses can’t jump that high as it is not lucrative from a business stand-point. Recently, I rode sale horses, but mounts would be sold in the blink of an eye, and I could never get into a rhythm. Again, I understood it is a business and that sale horses would come and go. It was time to start looking to lease a horse again.

As I started the process of finding my Prince (or Princess) Charming, I would quickly find out that I was doomed from the start. Finding a 4’+ jumper to lease without spending the GNI of a small nation is akin to finding a unicorn. Sure, there were horses that could jump the height, but they were unsafe, green, and not show-ready. On a mini-vacation in Florida to watch the American Invitational, I received a return phone call regarding a 4’ horse to lease. It was like God had answered me. I thought I had found the perfect opportunity. When we got back home, I saw the horse. He was stunning. He was IT. The trainer told me that he was purchased for $100,000, and now the owner, who happened to be the CEO of the multi-billion dollar company, Jockey, just “wanted him off their books,” because he was not doing anything and they refused to pay for their just-graduated college daughter to ride anymore. Because of my non-existent budget, they were willing to free-lease him on the condition that I take the horse to shows so he could get mileage and that they could raise the horse’s current asking price of $30,000. I tried the horse two days in a row. He was a technical ride, something I wasn’t used to during my “frog-kissing” days of riding all different sorts of horses. Everything seemed to be set…until the trainer gave us her show rates. At approximately $4,000 for an in-state, five-day “AA” show (that was 1.5 hours from the barn), it would’ve cost my family roughly $24,000 as the owners wanted the horse shown at least once a month. (And that’s not including the $2,000 boarding fee, which would’ve been an additional $12,000, bringing the total to near $37,000…more than the asking price of the horse.) After talking with the trainer and saying that this was not financially feasible and that we stood nothing to gain, she renegotiated and said that I could just free-lease the horse. But her stipulation was that I couldn’t jump at the 4’ level until I took two lessons a week for two months so she could “fix the holes in my riding.” I know that every rider can always improve, but jumping cross-rails and 2’, something which I had done when I first started jumping, for that amount of money, was still too much, especially since when the six-month lease was over, my riding career would have been over as well.

I tried other horses at another barn I was riding at, but they were jerking me around, putting me on inferior, unsafe horses. As soon as I said that my budget could go up, they immediately started showing me “better” horses that came with a lease price of $20,000. I should have known better as the man in a known scammer and wheeler-and-dealer with his barn is akin to a shack; but I was desperate. After a bad fall and riding horses that could barely clear 3’6" without rapping the poles, I had had enough. I couldn’t stand to see the other girls at the barn with their two or three imported warmbloods, jumping five-foot courses, and talking about showing all over the country during the summer. It was then that I realized that I would never be in the same league, even if I had the same amount of talent. Talent exceeded the bank account.

Yes, I know that I could always try dressage or three-day eventing, but eventually, I would run in to the same problem, the same heartbreak. My heart would always belong to the hunter/jumper world. And as devastating as it still is, and will be for some time, I know I did the right thing for me.

Thank you for reading.

Any thoughts, insights, or comments are welcome.

I’d say look back and realize you’ve had more riding experiences than many people. You say you are quitting riding (100% quitting) because you can’t handle the fact that there are people that, due to finances, have more than you?

I suggest you read Denny Emerson’s book, “How Good Riders Get Good”. It’s got some great reality checks in it and ideas (including necessary sacrifices and trade offs) for those who want to get to the top of their sport.

You sound young, perhaps a teen, so I’m trying to be kind in my response.

1 Like

[QUOTE=huntr_eq_blonde;7549682]
A few days ago, I had to make the heartbreaking decision to stop riding after 18 years in the sport. I know that this world is very expensive and just gets more and more so. I also found out early on that it is a cruel sport, one that only the top 1% can afford. Today, talent only gets you so far, as it is a sport, no, business, driven by money. No longer is it worth anything if you only have the talent to ride. At least where I live, prerequisites are owning a mini-string of imported horses, showing throughout the summer and going to Florida for the winter, affording show and training expenses, combined with the basic care and boarding that come with owning a horse(s).

I find myself wondering how people make it in this sport we so dearly love. Do you limit yourself? This could take the form of not showing at all, showing locally, riding for pleasure, taking only occasional lessons, or quitting altogether?

For me, it was the latter. After years of riding poor, dead-beat school horses, riding or leasing ponies or horses that no one else wanted to ride because they were too crazy, too out-of-shape, too green, etc. and going through more barns and instructors than Elizabeth Taylor was married, I somehow managed to consistently ride at the 3’9"-4’ level. (I should disclaim that a long the way, I was able to ride with some good trainers and/or learn from schoolmasters or expensive sale horses.)

As I was ready to take the next step in my riding journey of jumping 4’-4’6", I found myself repeatedly shut down. I understand that lesson horses can’t jump that high as it is not lucrative from a business stand-point. Recently, I rode sale horses, but mounts would be sold in the blink of an eye, and I could never get into a rhythm. Again, I understood it is a business and that sale horses would come and go. It was time to start looking to lease a horse again.

As I started the process of finding my Prince (or Princess) Charming, I would quickly find out that I was doomed from the start. Finding a 4’+ jumper to lease without spending the GNI of a small nation is akin to finding a unicorn. Sure, there were horses that could jump the height, but they were unsafe, green, and not show-ready. On a mini-vacation in Florida to watch the American Invitational, I received a return phone call regarding a 4’ horse to lease. It was like God had answered me. I thought I had found the perfect opportunity. When we got back home, I saw the horse. He was stunning. He was IT. The trainer told me that he was purchased for $100,000, and now the owner, who happened to be the CEO of the multi-billion dollar company, Jockey, just “wanted him off their books,” because he was not doing anything and they refused to pay for their just-graduated college daughter to ride anymore. Because of my non-existent budget, they were willing to free-lease him on the condition that I take the horse to shows so he could get mileage and that they could raise the horse’s current asking price of $30,000. I tried the horse two days in a row. He was a technical ride, something I wasn’t used to during my “frog-kissing” days of riding all different sorts of horses. Everything seemed to be set…until the trainer gave us her show rates. At approximately $4,000 for an in-state, five-day “AA” show (that was 1.5 hours from the barn), it would’ve cost my family roughly $24,000 as the owners wanted the horse shown at least once a month. (And that’s not including the $2,000 boarding fee, which would’ve been an additional $12,000, bringing the total to near $37,000…more than the asking price of the horse.) After talking with the trainer and saying that this was not financially feasible and that we stood nothing to gain, she renegotiated and said that I could just free-lease the horse. But her stipulation was that I couldn’t jump at the 4’ level until I took two lessons a week for two months so she could “fix the holes in my riding.” I know that every rider can always improve, but jumping cross-rails and 2’, something which I had done when I first started jumping, for that amount of money, was still too much, especially since when the six-month lease was over, my riding career would have been over as well.

I tried other horses at another barn I was riding at, but they were jerking me around, putting me on inferior, unsafe horses. As soon as I said that my budget could go up, they immediately started showing me “better” horses that came with a lease price of $20,000. I should have known better as the man in a known scammer and wheeler-and-dealer with his barn is akin to a shack; but I was desperate. After a bad fall and riding horses that could barely clear 3’6" without rapping the poles, I had had enough. I couldn’t stand to see the other girls at the barn with their two or three imported warmbloods, jumping five-foot courses, and talking about showing all over the country during the summer. It was then that I realized that I would never be in the same league, even if I had the same amount of talent. Talent exceeded the bank account.

Yes, I know that I could always try dressage or three-day eventing, but eventually, I would run in to the same problem, the same heartbreak. My heart would always belong to the hunter/jumper world. And as devastating as it still is, and will be for some time, I know I did the right thing for me.

Thank you for reading.

Any thoughts, insights, or comments are welcome.[/QUOTE]

Whoops, meant to quote you.

[QUOTE=Carolinadreamin’;7549702]
I’d say look back and realize you’ve had more riding experiences than many people. You say you are quitting riding (100% quitting) because you can’t handle the fact that there are people that, due to finances, have more than you?

You sound young, perhaps a teen, so I’m trying to be kind in my response.[/QUOTE]

I’m quitting because I can not progress as I’d like to, which is taking the step up in fence height due to not having the income to spend $70k+ to lease a horse that could jump that height. I don’t care that I don’t get to show or go winter in Florida; I do care about progressing, not stalling out or digressing.

And by all means, you can be brutally honest. I am almost 24 years old. I thought I crafted a mature expession of what I am going through.

In the nicest way possible, you are having a pity party. It is totally ok to have those once in a while, but quitting riding altogether?

Very few of the top hunter/jumper riders own their horses because they simply could not afford it. If you made it to jumping 4"0’+, you have come way too far to quit.

This is a sport you have to be passionately in love with. Don’t let something like finances keep you from it if that’s the case.

If you were a real horseman, you’d ride a paint mule if it were offered.

But you’re apparently not willing to ride for the joy of it; you want a fancy horse.

Such a First World Problem.

3 Likes

[QUOTE=Ghazzu;7549738]
If you were a real horseman, you’d ride a paint mule if it were offered.

But you’re apparently not willing to ride for the joy of it; you want a fancy horse.

Such a First World Problem.[/QUOTE]

Ghazzu nailed it.

OP, if you were that stellar of a rider, why aren’t you riding for some BNT as a working student or catch rider? If you were the absolute best, wouldn’t others want you riding for them?

There will always be those who have more. And yes, it is a business. Who do you want to pay for your horse, your training, your showing, etc.? People won’t give any of those away for free - there has to be some benefit to them.

I was going to say something similar to Ghazzu. The 2 trainers at my daughter’s barn value horses as individuals–even those who will never be 3 foot+ jumpers can learn and progress, and a true horseman/horsewoman feels satisfaction in making that happen.

I also think there are ways you can progress beyond just ever-increasing jump height. Do you know how to start a young horse? Do NH-style groundwork? Teach beginners to ride? --Maybe there are opportunities you can seek out that increase the breadth of your life experience with horses, that aren’t just about another 6" in jump height.

I’ll put on my flame suit and echo the OP. Riding in the big leagues of the H/J world is the realm of the 1%ers. The rest of us work for a living leaving us, even if one should have the talent (not me) and drive, without the time to ride and show enough to accomplish much (other than personal satisfaction). Now I’m on the other side of 40 practical matters like saving for a comfortable retirement have surpassed the importance of that personal satisfaction. As such, my now fabulous but no world-beater A/O horse hasn’t been to a show in over a year and neither he nor I have missed it. Keep your Carplina gold and ponies keeling over in the cross ties at Devon. I’ll bomb around some local B shows or whatever they are now called to further marginalize the base of our sport and when he’s done I’m not buying another one supporting an industry that is increasingly sickening to me. Hoping my 3 yo I bred to horse show doesn’t realize eventing is a second class sport.

I don’t quite understand this post. We all struggle with financial limits and things we have to give up for the sport. We all make sacrifices because we love the sport. Its okay to take a break from the sport if you’re feeling burnt out or just need to regroup. It sounds like you have had a lot of opportunities in your life. Be grateful for those opportunities and remember that there are people out there who would love to have any one of the opportunities you had.

4’ plus, show ready jumpers take time and money to create. Someone has to pay for the horse, for the training, for the initial show experience, and it isn’t unreasonable for them to expect to get back some of that investment when they lease or sell the horse.

Why aren’t you willing to get a green horse that will take more time and isn’t show ring ready right away? Honestly, I think that if you really wanted it, you would be open to doing that. Life isn’t fair and there’s always going to be someone with more money than you. I can’t afford a nice, fancy 3’6" hunter so I got a nice, fancy green horse that’s going to take more time to get there. Sure, I’m not jumping to the highest of my ability right now, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not progressing and not learning and not being challenged. Would I like to be walking into the 3’ show ring next month like I was last year with my old horse who had to be retired? Sure I would. That’s more exciting than the under saddle I’ll probably doing (I’m hoping the baby will be ready to show over fences in June, but that’ll still be just 2’3-2’6). But I’m not going to quit riding because I can’t jump 3’ or 3’6 yet. I’m learning tons and being challenged a lot by my green horse, and I’m really looking forward to the journey of bringing her along myself. It’s a longer road, but I’ll still get to the end that I want to eventually.

3 Likes

This seems to come up every few weeks, kids realize that they can’t afford to be the next Reed Kessler and post about it. Some posts are good, others are pity parties.

OP, I think you should take a good, hard look at WHY you “love” the sport. I read your post twice, and even though you say you’re not motivated by showing, to me, it reads like “I can’t afford to show so I’m not going to ride anymore. Period.” Because of that, I would say that it sounds like you are very much motivated by the showing, the big jumps, the bright lights and probably blue ribbons. Bottom line, there are an awful lot of us who have been through that tough realization that we aren’t part of that top tier that can afford expensive horses and thousands in show expenses every month. It’s tough. I know that. Been there. But most of us have found ways to make it work, so either you’re willing to make it work, or you’re not.

But you giving up completely on riding, in my opinion, is you acting a little dramatically. I’d suggest taking some time off from horses, finding other interests/activities, and give your love of riding and the horses, NOT of the competition, to recover. I think you’ll find after some time away, that the horse itself becomes much more important to you. That being a real horseman, and learning everything you can about training and management, becomes a priority and the need to show fades. And maybe you’ll find yourself a nice, inexpensive prospect down the road for you to work on and bring along. You never know, maybe the right prospect will surprise you and take you farther than you ever imagined, even without the six-figure pricetag.

Learn to appreciate the horse and how he can enrich your life, not the competition aspect. If that means walking away for a little while, so be it.

3 Likes

OP stop feeling sorry for yourself and take off the blinders. There are many paths to get to your goals. One is to buy a young horse (3 or 4 yr old) bring it along. Go to a few shows a year to test you and your horses progress. May not be the easiest or quickest path but If you really want to be a part of this sport you will find a way just like the many of us have.

It sucks, but rest assured you are not the only one whose talent exceeds their budget. I own a horse that I bred myself because I couldn’t afford a horse this nice and even his talent exceeds my salary. I still love him and get to ride a nice horse every day. I lesson once a week, which I work off and maybe we’ll show this year. I’d give an eye to have the finances to ride with a BNT and go to Florida for the winter. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who will take it as payment. Do you love horses? Find a nice OTTB and board somewhere you can work off training. Learn how to make your own 4’+ jumper. Believe me, it’s more satisfying that way :slight_smile:

[QUOTE=Carolinadreamin’;7549754]
Ghazzu nailed it.

OP, if you were that stellar of a rider, why aren’t you riding for some BNT as a working student or catch rider? If you were the absolute best, wouldn’t others want you riding for them?[/QUOTE]

No where in my post did I EVER say that I was a stellar rider. I’m not Tori Colvin. Most everyone isn’t. But that doesn’t mean a rider can’t jump that height or want to keep progressing to higher jumps.

[QUOTE=huntr_eq_blonde;7549733]
I’m quitting because I can not progress as I’d like to, which is taking the step up in fence height due to not having the income to spend $70k+ to lease a horse that could jump that height. I don’t care that I don’t get to show or go winter in Florida; I do care about progressing, not stalling out or digressing.

And by all means, you can be brutally honest. I am almost 24 years old. I thought I crafted a mature expession of what I am going through.[/QUOTE]

Ahhh, good! If you don’t care about showing but just want to keep growing and progressing as a rider then you can certainly do that without needing a big dollar horse! :slight_smile:

Heck, both of my current horses can jump 4’ and both are ranch-bred AQHAs. Well, the bulldog-built one isn’t pretty when he does it, LOL! But the other one has a lot of TB on his papers and he doesn’t have any problems.

Neither could place in a hunter class, not even if they were the only ones in the class. But today’s hunters are more about the overall picture than they are about the scope.

If you’re hung up on wanting to go higher over fences and instructors have told you that you really need more lessons to fill in a few holes before going up in height then maybe look for a horse that can do the height but not the show ring hunter movement and personality. And take the lessons, fill in those holes. (we all have holes)

My $650 auction ranch horse can do 4’, I used to show jumpers around that height on my childhood horse and she was cheaper than that, 14.2hh and homely as they get. Back then adult hunters started over 3’, and unless the horse was put together like a Picasso almost all horses from off the track to backyard woopsies to auction grades were able to handle 3-4’. It was a non-issue. I don’t think horses that can do it are rare, just the ones that can win in rated rings are. Heck, the little children on ponies in the UK do it. :smiley:

[QUOTE=Ghazzu;7549738]
If you were a real horseman, you’d ride a paint mule if it were offered.

But you’re apparently not willing to ride for the joy of it; you want a fancy horse.

Such a First World Problem.[/QUOTE]

^^This can’t be repeated enough.

As someone’s signature says: “When opportunity knocks, it’s wearing overalls and looks like work.”

If you love horses, I promise there is someone, somewhere willing to give you the chance to work with them- if you’re willing to put in the hard work. If you want to jump around the AAs on a fancy WB for free, well, keep dreaming.

I appreciate what you all are saying. I didn’t mean to come off as having a pity party. These are simply my honest feelings and experiences that I wrote down as a cathartic way to express what I just went through.

As far as bringing horses along, I leased two green horses that I brought along and trained or re-trained. (If you remember me mentioning earlier, I rode a lot of horses or ponies that no one else wanted to because I was desperate to ride. After almost 9 years of doing that, I finally wanted a nice horse for me to progress on and finally focus on me. That’s not a crime, is it?) And for me, it wasn’t that satisfying bringing those horses along because I always got used and someone else (the owners) benefitted from it. Yes, I learned how to work through problems and ride tough horses, but it also gave me bad habits and made me more defensive.

And as far as people saying I’m a ribbon-hunter and just want to show all the time, I can count on one hand the number of shows I’ve been to in 18 years of riding. I will admit, as others might as well, that it is nice to show occasionally to see how you stack up against other people and show off your training. But if I were just in it for showing, I would’ve quit ages ago.

And I am grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had. Horses have helped me through my continuing 9 year health struggle. When nothing was and still is going right with my health, I had horses to look forward to. But it has become frustrating that I can’t progress further, and coupled with my equally frustrating, unsolved health problems which have kept me from continuing college, it has become too much emotionally to handle, which is why I quit riding.

There are ALWAYS going to be people out there with more than you. I won’t give up riding just because my super cheap green horse isn’t Rolex material (he’s an eventer, not an H/J horse). There is a lot more to this industry than bringing home blue 10-cent ribbons every weekend.

Giving up something you say you love because you can’t compete in the top of the sport and because your family won’t buy/can’t afford to buy you a made 4’6" jumper is a bit over the top.

Well, since you’re a young adult, you must be supporting yourself as well as your riding at this point. Perhaps take a break from riding, save up a good amount if money from your job and then revisit your goals and aspirations in a year or two. You must be doing something right, career wise, to be able to support your riding on the side (as well as afford the time away from your job).