This thread is yet another reminder of why I don’t show rated. It’s over-rated.
14 Likes
Paying for their barn name to be listed as a sponsor on the side of the arena. 
7 Likes
I think there’s a lower percentage than you’d think of people who actually can “afford” the sport doing it. And by afford, I mean if their A/O hunter breaks tomorrow they can go add another to replace it (200k+) with as good and continue down the road of campaigning, 15k trainer bills/mo + horse show travel and show office bills. But if you look at the numbers in the higher amateur hunter divisions the numbers are significantly down, while the low adults are big (30+ at big shows). Those horses are also much less expensive. I personally think there’s A LOT of credit and credit cards being used though.
As I’ve mentioned above, there’s also a lot of people like myself who have seen the very dark side of the top professionals programs and what they are doing to the horses, and said “no thanks”. I do think horse shows have hit their max and the attrition is following (and lets see now what happens as a result of poor jobs numbers and stock market). Also, in my personal situation, my husband and I are both business people, and when we figured out we’d been stolen from, no matter how much money you have you don’t like that!
16 Likes
This is what always kills me with these weeklong shows. I surely am not expected to pro-rate my board for the week my horse isn’t home, so I pay full board. However the days my horse isn’t showing I also pay for “day care” which is just mucking, feeding, and watering. He’s cared for just as he’s cared for at home. (This is not for any days showing, where yes, the grooming fee absolutely makes sense.)
If the horse gets out to be ridden I pay the same ride fee I do at home. So what does daycare at the show cover that my board at home also does not cover??? I’m paying for him to be cared for in a full care program, he just happens to be at a show not in his stall at home. Same with hay and feed - i understand it costs to buy at the show. But my horse isn’t eating at home for 6 days….and I don’t pay any less board. I pay for hay and grain splits, meanwhile the food my horse isn’t eating is at home. Make it make sense 
This is where the $2k+ show bills have made it impossible for many of us. On TOP of 2k+ a month board and training bills!
(eTA: to answer the question, a show costs me about $2000 in trainer fees, show costs, and office and class fees. I am a jumper so do 3-4 classes max a show. Ouch!!)
16 Likes
The only way I afforded to do it for several years was to do most of it on my own. No grooms, learned to braid, did my own hauling, used all of my own equipment and tack. I even went trainerless for a few years- I knew how to groom and tack my own horse, when my classes were, how to warm up my own horse, get to the ring and do my course. It was honestly liberating and rather enjoyable.
9 Likes
Yep! Saddlebreds are pretty darn affordable. I’ve laughed at the ASB crew for years for thinking they are sooo expensive. Devon highlighted it pretty well. Look at me! I’m in a $500 road pony stake! Big time here! Wait, that’s being followed by a $10K h/j class. Never mind.
Devon
Horse expenses - $1350 (300 mile haul)*
Lodging ~$500 ish
But I am at a smaller barn. I didn’t have any grooms’ tips at Devon b/c we groomed for each other. There’s no in sense in me paying a barn mate $50 for a class when she’d be paying me $50 for helping with her class in the same session. Smaller shows, there generally is a kid who gets a tip.
*includes USEF membership; I usually don’t do USEF shows
3 Likes
Can I tell you when I first went to a “real” show barn as a junior my dad had this exact same argument? The part that baffled him was that despite all of these fees, the trainer still never seemed to have any money (which was discovered when we tried to buy a martingale at Beval on the barn account and saw there were years of unpaid bills there - like truly a massive amount).
I do think the “day care” fee is worth something because there is inherently more mucking and more times to hay at a show. I know that the barn argument on this is that their monthly board bill assumes the horses will be showing X weeks per month and away, and that is what they base their costs on. To be clear, I don’t think that 98% of trainers are making much more than minimum wage for the hours they work unless they are selling a fair number of horses. It feels like it used to be a sport for those doing reasonably well in life, and now it is for those doing exceptionally well in life.
To all the comments saying it is less if you do XYZ yourself - this is very true. The cost of getting a truck and trailer isn’t low, though, and my job that pays these bills sometimes doesn’t allow me to be at the show the entire time my horse would be. The weekend C show or “local A” is indeed greatly missed.
10 Likes
We have unrated weekend shows with stabling available all spring/summer long near me at PG equestrian center, which is also where Capital Challenge and WIHS are. The shows seem to be very popular and are quite affordable. There are only a few classes above 2’6” and they often don’t fill. As far as I can tell, barns and riders who want to jump higher are opting for rated shows instead. But then also locally there is Twilight Jumpers that I think is very popular and has a 1.25m mini prix and one amateur class at 1.05m. Ship in only.
A stall for the weekend show is $90. A stall for the week for Maryland Horse and Pony at the same facility is $300. Fri-Sun makes the unrated show stall $30/day and Monday-Sunday for $300 is $42/day. So more, but not crazy more.
5 Likes
There is a trainer who charges a flat rate each month. It includes basic board, tack up and grooming at home, lessons, and training rides. It also includes day care, coaching, pro rides, lessons. Splits are separate. If show is local he buys the minimum amount of bedding to avoid the clean out fee and brings shavings. Hay and grain come from home. Because he gets it that you are already paying for all of this. It win for clients but big win for trainer because at the beginning of the month he already knows his income. He has a lot of clients because, at the end of the day no one likes to be nickeled and dimmed to death. You get enough of that from the shows.
If I were a young pro I would absolutely do this model.
11 Likes
That’s been common in the dressage world forever. A lot of their clients are true full training though with all lessons and riding and grooming included, so nothing is a la carte ever. Most offer a groom for shows but many clients do their own. It’s only 2 classes and you have times so pretty easy.
1 Like
My bill yesterday:
Ambulance fee: $65.00
Association fees: $47.00
Jumper/Hunter/Equitation Nomination fee: $115.00
Credit card fee (because you HAVE to enter online and HAVE to use a credit card for the deposit): $20.13 (I pay the balance with an old-fashioned check.)
Office fee: $135.00
Manure disposal fee: $35.00
Stall: $575.00
That’s $992.13. No shavings, no splits, no classes.
6 Likes
Times 450 competitors that’s just under a half mil before any horse steps foot in a ring.
6 Likes
jesus that’s a number.
I wonder what the annual upkeep on a show facility like WEC is. I know footing doesn’t come cheap when it’s due for an upgrade, and they have a ton of equipment… maybe a couple mil each year?
Shows are money makers. Join the board of your local schooling series or PC and you’ll find out how profitable they can be. Back in the day almost all of them were fundraisers. High Desert still is and I’m sure some others are too.
The mega facilities are nice but also privately owned and they are often designed as real estate sales vehicles these days. As an athlete I don’t feel that I should be going broke to support someone else’s “dream” that is a massive asset they own and are making money on hand over fist.
3 Likes
You’re being ripped off. $2500 in trainer fees?
The most I paid in TIEC was $1500 and that included my trainer riding my guy in his jumpers classes. My trainer did international show jumping and still rides in the grand prix classes. The least I paid was $500, including schooling classes and my classes.
Show fees? How are you paying that much? Are you showing multiple horses?
2 Likes
I don’t doubt it but it has been what I’ve been paying the last few years 
and not totally abnormal (sadly) per others threads.
My show bill has included a pro division, AO division, maybe 1-2 schooling rounds, plus a derby entrance fees which are usually several hundred dollars 
. AND the AO Hunter Classic fee, usually $100-125. One horse. @lintesia mentioned their show bill above, which was over $900 BEFORE any classes or splits were added. Maybe the hunters are just …. much more expensive than the jumpers?
But, I’m not sure when I’ll get in the show ring again so maybe I’ll save some money, hah!
Wasn’t there a thread a while back where someone made a spreadsheet inputting all the costs and others could input their costs as well? Would be interesting to take a look.
1 Like
@jody_jaffe: Yeah, I think it is the uber-rich, or kinda. A typical profile: hedge fund money. Some have made a pile of money in the last few years (see the stock price history of Nvidia, AVGO, TSMC, and a few others) and have it to spend. Some got it other ways. Read the stories on the Chronicle where the riders are “boarding a plane …” - read “private jet”. The good news: professionals can make money training and selling horses. The bad news: it’s to a very small # of clients.
As someone not described as above, :), here’s what I see among riders around me: they are showing at those big, fancy venues twice a year, for 4 shows total. Or maybe once, for 2 shows total. It’s a fun experience, with lots of amenities, and the show managers do a great job of making the experience that. The bad news: no one shows at the 2-3 day rated shows any more. So, it’s those big trips, at those fancy venues, and then schooling shows. If you can’t afford those venues, then you are at schooling shows. Trainers want to take the whole barn to those big shows, and stay for weeks, so if you aren’t able to do that, you may not have a trainer at all.
BTW, other disciplines like reining are also complaining about the cost of horses to show (not the show costs, but the horses themselves). Good news: professionals make money. Bad news: if you are not in that high $ customer category, it’s tough to play at all.
It’s a change from the past, that’s for sure.
5 Likes
I think there’s far fewer “uber rich” than you’d think 
. There’s a lot that want people to think they have a ton of money, and they’re just hyperextended on credit. I would say 10% of those who are at these A/AA shows are “uber rich”.
3 Likes
What’s a “barn fee?”
Never seen it. Yet.
1 Like
Don’t forget all the realtors working hard remotely 3 days every week from a horse show! The drop in the housing market is going to hit the amateur divisions in CA pretty hard. It’s going to decimate the AQHA shows.
5 Likes
