You sound like me. I’m finally in that sweet spot of having time because I’m retired, not yet being too old and too broken down to ride, and having a suitable horse. I justify the cost by saying that this is a limited time offer and I’ve got to do it while I still can.
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You’re an inspiration to those still working for the dream 
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That’s nuts. Just to prove to the world that you/they are big time? That is a lot of relentless pounding on the poor horses with a low quality of day to day life to be on the road that much. I have said before that I believe people would have so much more fun, and a happier horse, if they did 4-6 shows a year, maybe throw in some dressage tests and hunter paces, go on some on farm/off farm trail rides, and find a few clinics you like to attend for variety. Your monthly med budget should tell you this show schedule is hard on the horse. People need to have some backbone to advocate for their animals and give the finger to keeping up with the Joneses.
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Even if I had the finances to afford that level of intensity in showing, I wouldn’t want to. That doesn’t sound like a balanced life.
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Is it possible to stay home? Sometimes this depends on where you are. When we showed out of a SC home base, there was really no option. Horses left for the road in April and came back in September. Nothing and no one stayed home. Horses rotated weeks and clients could pick and choose if they wanted to show, but they couldn’t go back and forth. We’d lay over a week or two at somebody’s farm somewhere, but basically went show to show. Depending on the location of the barn and the locations of the preferred shows, a client that isn’t on board with the planned tour might just unfortunately be a bad fit.
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There is a lot of online business advice pressure telling trainers that a tuition-based program is the way to go. It does help I guess for the really annoying late cancels and for the months where people tend to vacation, etc. I think a lot of trainers struggle with the unpredictable cash flow. I get it, it’s sometimes hard to plan for unexpected interruptions in income (Will it snow this winter and stop lessons for three weeks? How did Susie and Becky and Bonnie all get sick or injured at the same time?).
I have a real dislike of organizing prepaid accounts, and enough varied services that I’ve avoided that business model, but there’s a big appeal for a lot of professionals, and apparently it’s more in line with other kids sports so the average parent doesn’t balk.
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Paying by the lesson is definitely advantageous for the client. And even paying tuition is cheaper than leasing, at least in my experience.
I ride at a barn closer to home two days a week because my horse is so far away. I was half leasing a horse which meant I got two lessons a week and a hack on my own on Mondays. If I was out of town, which I was for almost a month last summer, I still paid bc that’s part of having a horse. And then my dad died in March and I had no more free Mondays, or at least couldn’t justify devoting 3+ hours to this horse by the time I drove back and forth, got him ready, rode him, put him away, and took care of the barn cat. Plus it was costing a lot per ride, especially if I went away to a show. Switched to the lesson tuition and my monthly bills went to half. Plus they started offering me make ups. And next month when I’ll be gone for two weeks, they offered to let me pay by the lesson as that would be easier than scheduling makeups.
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I totally understand the economic benefits of charging tuition. Also, it has to make scheduling a lot easier even without the cash flow factor.
Plus, like you said, it’s a great model for kids that aligns with other sports.
It just sucks for someone like me with a full time job and a busy schedule. Honestly it wouldn’t be so bad if all the places locally weren’t requiring 8 lessons or more a month. I don’t have that kind of time or lesson budget. The pre-paying part doesn’t bother me. I’d be happy to pre-pay for a four lesson package that I can use any time (within reason) if I like the instructor.
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But you don’t sound very happy…
(And I think we all know how the horse would vote if he had opposable thumbs)
I think your 16 show goal is a lot healthier for your horse, your pocketbook and you. I did 13-15 for a few years and it damn near killed me, but to be fair I was also the groom, shipper, trainer, braider AND rider, not to mention catch braiding on Friday night. But even if I only had one of those jobs, 22-24 would just suck the joy out of a sport.
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Your horse, your choice. The trainer is using you for income, IMO.
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I get it, but in this instance you can repeat early and often that you really loved trainer x and you would go back in a heart beat, but at this point in your life, you don’t/can’t/won’t budget that much of your time and money horse showing. And it’s ok that this is their business model, and you totally respect that.
Of course people will speculate, but if that’s what you tell the old trainer, the new trainer and everyone in-between, it tends to dampen the speculation.
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There is. However, the pressure to still show an average of twice a month is still there. I have no issue with the tuition route, as I basically feel like that’s what training board has been for a long time. Also, tuition is typically around $40k/yr, but this new format is looking closer to $60-70k/yr before shipping, vet, chiro, trainer splits, etc, which means that you’re putting the average cost much closer to $90-100k annually. MIT doesn’t even cost that much!
Kids doing sports and hobby-intensive programs are spending $5000-10000, but it’s typically 2-4 times a year rather than monthly.
Again, I’m fine with the AA horse show lifestyle and finances, I’d just like the option of 16-18 horse shows/yr rather than the expectation of doing 6-8 shows more annually.
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I’m sorry if it feels like you’re getting an interrogation! Wonder if you’d indulge my question…with all that campaigning, do you feel like you’re progressing? Not just collecting coolers? What’s your reach goal for yourself in this discipline?
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We recently moved out of state, and with that had to choose a new barn/program. It came down to two options: 1) Lovely, very competitive program with a high expectation of a certain number of AA shows, with a minimum number of shows right around my yearly comfort zone or 2) Very nice program, great horse people, much more flexible with options and no such expectations set in stone. It gave me the chance to reevaluate family obligations, time/money output and wear and tear on my horse and I decided that Option 2 sounded like a breath of fresh air. It’s a step down in expectations from our previous barn (1-2 shows per month, sometimes more) and it feels like a weight off of my back and our horse’s! Our situation was a bit different than changing programs locally, but it’s okay to take a step back for the good of your happiness, of your horse’s wellbeing and for family obligations.
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If you’re showing that much, and way more than you want to, it’s likely you’ve reached the point where you’re not learning from the experience anymore. Competition is a skill, and yes, often people who compete a fair amount have an advantage over those who don’t because they know the “routine.”
But if every show you’re overtired, stressed, don’t want to be there, then you create an endless loop of bad show experiences that lead to more bad experiences and the trainer having to fix the bad experiences.
I don’t do h/j anymore, but even when I dabbled in it, I realized quickly that I wasn’t signed up for shows that I was really qualified or prepared for, but rather was showing because I felt guilty not supporting my trainer (who was an excellent and ethical trainer in the discipline). Even for a great trainer, showing is very expensive and an enormous time and energy suck for your horse as well as yourself.
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If your barn requirement is 22 and you want to only do 16, could you negotiate? Pay what would be the barn/trainer profit amount for the 6 shows you won’t be traveling to. That might allow you to stay on, but perhaps reduce your annual financial output a bit. Plus giving you and your horse a few weekends at home.
Or is it a prime driver for your trainer that they produce a maximum number of entrants on the show circuit? In that case you’re screwed if you don’t go with the program. And your words make me feel that this is likely the situation.
So if you do ask, what’s the worse that could happen? They ask you to leave because you are not up to their standards of commitment? They talk negatively about you? Or you back down and go with the program and negatively affect yourself mentally or physically or financially? Maybe it is time for a professional counselor to assist you to work through this situation.
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Yes. I do feel like we’ve made some incredible progress and had some big success. It’s admittedly a lot more competitive at the level I’m at currently vs the level I was at before December 2022, so that’s a bit humbling, but when it comes together, it really feels like a big accomplishment, if that makes sense?
I have larger goals for next year, but this year was more about getting back and comfortable in the bigger space.
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What is this paste?
I should have been more specific, that’s just board, training is 1k and then supplements etc. Its gotten insane
Yes, you would be a coveted client
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