What are we paying to show for a week these days?

[BostonHJ]

What are we paying for a week at a horse show right now? Assume the horse is there Tuesday-Sunday, about 3-4 hours from home so you and your barn’s staff needs hotels, it’s a drive (not a flight) and you are paying shipping. For the sake of this discussion you are showing and stabling with a trainer, whatever their pricing model may be.

I’m out of horses at the moment and trying to convince myself to spend money on an actual vacation and struggling to do so I’m trying to think of all the money I’m saving not showing (or boarding… or paying farrier/vet/trainer/etc).

[findeight]

1500-2500 depending on additional trainer services/pro rides, how many classes you entered and those fees???

[Hoofbeat_Heartbeat]

It is close to 6k, all in, for one week of A/AA showing with a trainer, these days. And this is why I am being priced out of this sport

This includes:
-hauling (depends on mileage but anywhere from 250+)
-groom fees/tip (700ish)
-trainer fees (2000-2500)
-show fees (2000-2500, thanks USEF)
-braiding (let’s say I braided just Friday-Sunday, 300+)

This does NOT include:
-personal transportation
-personal lodging
-personal food

So really, it is MORE than my 6k number, if you factor every single cost in.

You go enjoy that vacation because I bet it will actually cost less than the horse show

[Ponyplusaninch]

For two weeks of horse showing, I can take my SO to an all-inclusive adults only resort in Mexico for a week that includes business class airfare and a spa day). There’s also a barn down the road with lovely Lusitanos and Andalusians if we want to take lessons–they do both advanced and beginner lessons, and I have been humbled tremendously as a rider trying to do straight beginner dressage lessons (I blame that partially on the fact I did not have full seat breeches, and I was full of regrets).

Take the vacation, seriously.

[Hunterammy2020]

You’re SO correct on travel being less - and I’m talking luxury travel! I don’t show right now because of the pure disregard of horse welfare in the hunter sport, I own 3 A/O horses who I enjoy at my farm at home instead. And may I add I’ve never seen them happier! We have instead gone on about 6 amazing trips in the past year, including the Olympics. Every single one of them we have flown first class, stayed at top accommodations and done whatever we wanted, and every trip has been less expensive than taking my a/o hunters to 1 show for 1 week. It’s mind blowing to me.

[Hoofbeat_Heartbeat]

It is honestly taking the fun out of it. Back in 2019 when I started doing A shows, I could be ALL in for 4k ish, which was still a gross number, but more “digestible”, if you will. Now that it is 7k+, I really can’t stomach it OR afford it.

I still have big goals with my horse, but I’ve now come to the realization that I probably won’t actually achieve those show goals, because I can’t afford it. And that’s okay. I ride because I love horses, not because I love to show (and I know that’s not true for everyone).

[Hunterammy2020]

Totally understand and it’s honestly causing the sport to implode - I don’t think the current post Covid strategy is working and you’re seeing it in the numbers and attrition. Plenty of people that can “afford” it are quitting showing too. Tbh it’s a grotesque number for anyone with less than 50MM+ of disposable cash sitting around imho. Plus the way you have to show to campaign to be competitive (I also feel like this is often times a bit manipulated by the trainers/judges in the hunters, some of the scores I see with the mistakes are ) and what that does to the horses physically and mentally, it’s just not worth it. Add in all the drugs the “top” professionals are using, these horses have very short careers and often end up 6 feet under long before they should

[nwjumper]

I have not been to a jumper show in a while so forgive the questions- but what the heck are $2000 in trainer fees for? This seems crazy

[Hunterammy2020]

Rides, show training, their accommodation splits + staff, rental cars, plane flights, sponsorships, golf carts, you name it. She’s not wrong for the well known trainers at the A/AA shows.

[Hoofbeat_Heartbeat]

Exactly as posted by @Hunterammy2020 . Day fees, set up charges, accommodation, laundry, golf cart rental, gas, food, using the trainers tack/bits if needed, splits for tack stalls/groom stalls, etc etc etc

[Hunterammy2020]

Oh yeah I forgot the “setup charges” . A friend of mine asked me recently if I could pull what my splits were at capital challenge a couple years ago and I pulled the invoice up and sent it. The first thing she asked me was, did they ask you if you’d be willing to pay for their “farm sponsorship” fee? Of course the answer was no, it just showed up on the $$$$$ bill associated with that one show

[findeight]

Large chunk of it is day care (feed, water, stall cleaning, grooming, trainer provided equipment like buckets, hay nets etc that can be well over $100 a day. The stalls themselves are 200 0r so a week, not including shavings. Braiding 150 per show day. Schooling rides, Pro rides in class, lesson for client. Hotel split for trainers and grooms. Tack stall splits. Entry fees, which are reasonable but can get up there for stakes and Classics. Grounds fee. Night watch fee. USEF, USHJA fees. Parking, trailer parking, exhibitors pass…all sorts of things you do not think of until you get that bill.

You can take a 5 day cruise with Concierge Class veranda stateroom on a higher priced cruise line for 7500 which includes all you can eat and quality live entertainment and for around 10K you can fly to New Zealand and spend a week there.

There are other aspects of the horse show world that are not as chokingly expensive and it is all relative to what you can comfortably afford.

ETA my estimate is based on a lower COL area and just one 3 trips and a hack division + 1 warm up/low round. Stalls were 2-300 a week.

[mrsgrieves]

$2000-2500 to the barn, plus tips so $100-200 and then the show invoice, about $1200-1800. So $5000 ish a week. A/AA show barn on the east coast.

[lintesia]

Between $4000 and $5000 for one week depending on if I have to stay in a hotel or can stay at home. I do my own hauling and can usually bring hay.

Stalls in CA are usually $500 for one week and the myriad of office charges add up to another $500 as well, so that’s $1K without shavings and without any classes. Kind of sick when you really think about it.

[Lizrd]

Imagine if we also calculated our work per diem for our vacay days used for horse shows…yikes!

[paw]

I was just looking at this for the HITS Del Mar shows (local to me, one happening now). Stall fees at $675 - $725 ], plus $35 (or so) for drug fees, plus $75-$100 for “nomination” fees (WTF?), so about $800/horse before class/division costs, trainer spilt. day fee, transport cost…

Too rich for my blood. And I took 2 horses to HITS Thermal in 2015, which I thought was spendy then.

[MHM]

@paw

Stall fees at $675 - $725

Holy guacamole.

[Willesdon]

For less than $3K you can spend a week in Portugal having lessons on highly trained dressage horses and hacking out each day - with accommodation and food included. Add flight and car hire and still less than 4K.

[luvmyhackney]

I used to think saddlebred shows were priced extravagantly until I saw this thread. WOW!!! My mind is blown with this pricing.

[Lost_Shoe]

Or, you (g) can support schooling shows, like HITS Festival of the Horse, which has $0 stall fees, a low office fee, low class fees, and a huge lineup of classes, held at the same venue as rated shows. If schooling shows aren’t supported by participation, they will disappear again.