actually that will depend on where you are. Here to show dressage I have to join the local club that puts on the shows (2 or 3 a year), the provincial horse organization and because they only put on sanctioned shows I have to join EC and do I think 3 safe sport courses (even though I have nothing to do with junior riders other than not running them over in the warm up ring and before anyone says one is about concussions there is a medic on site). Than I get to pay for coggins, entry fees, gas etc. None of them are massive expenses individually but they do add up and the time to do courses adds up and you start thinking you are better off spending your money on a nice clinic. Death of a thousand cuts.
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Coggins: $85 (fee and farm call)
USDF for horse and me: $90 and $115 lifetime for horsey
USEF for horse and me: $75 and $80
These are basically start-up costs so letās say $445 to be eligible to participate. I could count vaccinations as well, so thatās like $120 if the vet does it, $70 if I do it.
Hauling to show: $1/mile (in-barn rate) so $50-$150 depending on the location
Gas for my car to and from: $40 for the weekend
Coaching fee: $200 for the weekend (sheās very reasonable)
Show fees for two classes including stabling: $390-$450
Snacks and meals for me and coach: $40 (Iāll buy her a meal when sheās on the ground and have store-bought snacks for us throughout the day)
So anywhere between $720 to $880 for one person, one horse, two classes, 2 days. Itās expensive. And my stomach hurts looking at these numbers.
ETA: these are other things I could get for that same amount of money:
12 clinics audit tickets
11 groundwork sessions
10 ride-a-tests
9 matchy saddle pads
8 reflockings
7 private lessons
6 chiro adjustments
5 bodywork sessions
4 lessons with an FEI trainer
3 farrier visits
2 weekend clinics
1 month of full training
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And a partridge in a pear tree? (Forgive me - could not resist)
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Reagan sliced the industry in the 80ās when many of the tax breaks for horse breeders basically evaporated along with many other tax breaks that the middle class depended upon. Trickle down economics was invoked.
Now, it may have helped curb bad breeding or less-informed breeding by many (but not enough) but it also ensured fewer breeders and they were wealthier so the breeds and lines they fancied proliferated. Kind of an economic bottleneck that led to a genetic bottleneck, in a sense.
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Yup.
Reagan: the wizard of Trickle-Up Economics and instigator of the Billy āGrifterā Graham annual presidential prayer breakfast.
Remembering he existed always galls me because Carterās loss to the Gipper was my first presidential election as a voting adult.
ETA: Please forgive my digression.
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Raising dues and fees is a good way to help kill horse shows.
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As an asideā¦80 different fees 
thatās a lot of fees.
I do like this though:
āAs part of that agreement, USDF will offer three to four online education modules available to our membership each year, designed to help non-judges understand the judging process, check in with the methodology and gain a better understanding of what judges are looking for specific movements, and hopefully open the door for more communication between the members and judges,ā Williams said.ā
That topic (judging) definitely comes up from time to time on this board.
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Will these modules be free, I wonder?
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It says, āavailable to our membershipā so I hope that itās free to members, at least.
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which havnt been raised in 7 years. (5 for the GMO fee, up $1).
yes to members.
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There is no listening. The budget needs more trimming at the top, not more money raised from the bottom.
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At a nearby horse show venue a competitor will pay hundreds of $$$$ more if theyāre showing dressage than they would showing (for example) palomino. Palomino shows have much cheaper stall rates and they are TRIPLE judged, so for every one āgoā they get 3 judges scoring them.
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Looks like a lot of money was spend on that conventionā¦ā¦ I do not believe we have anything like this in Germany. The last change of rules based on a huge online questionnaire which was send to every rider. It was rather long and it had enough space for us to express our opinionsā¦
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bingoā¦the thread about the tack check shows you that the bureaucracy has taken over.
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Same as AQHA.
You only have to belong to one organization, not three.
And they win things like silver buckles and saddles for circuit awards, not just a ribbon.
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Well I can only tell you why I still show although I am over 60 and in Germany very few people show if they are over 60. Most competitors are 40 years youngerā¦.
If I know there is a show in the near future, I try to keep my horse and myself in good shape for the show. I take lessons to work on details on my test, I work out every day not to look too bad compared to the 20 year olds and I love to finally ride the test and perform what I practiced.
of course thatās only me and it is not really smart, Most boarding barns in my area are full of people who gave up showing ages ago. they always tell you stories about the old days and much showing changed 
. You never really see them riding. All the horses are turned out all the time and sometimes the owners show up and do groundwork. If they are avid riders, they trail ride once a weekā¦
I couldnāt do it like that ā¦. I would give up horses completely and I am a little scared how I would keep busy then
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You think that, and I thought that, but the reality may be (at least it is for me) that what you really enjoy is the training process. Shows are actually a very small part of that process, and honestly only an assessment of the actual moment in time that you are showing, not of your training system or arc. I am looking forward to retirement one day so that I can devote more time to training my horses and become more leisurely about it (groom for a long time, put on the Bemer every time, etc.) than how I have to fit it into a busy schedule now. Sure, lots of my friends who are older than me donāt ride much anymore. Some because a trainer sold them an inappropriate horse and they got bucked off or donāt enjoy it; others because horses are too damn expensive in retirement; still others because they need a show goal to keep at it every day. But for most of us the joy of riding is something we need in our lives and we donāt need the goal of showing. The thing about showing right now, especially in the US, is that it takes an enormous amount of effort to go to a show (from joining multiple organizations, documentation, health certificates, rule changes, etc.) and the end result is riding a test for 7 minutes and getting a brief assessment of that moment in time. For most, the ride is never as good as it is at home, so the assessment can actually mess with your mind. Also, being judged by someone who knows nothing of your journey can feel negative. At the point at which shows became as fraught with obstacles, including enormous costs, people begin to reassess what riding really means to them and whether or not they need the 7 minute critique situation that a show offers. Why not just a ride-a-test, a lesson, a clinic, etc. I donāt really see the difference (for myself) of planning to do six shows in a season or six clinics, except Iāll likely get more epiphanies from the clinics and make more progress toward goals from the clinicsā¦ Iām a person who REALLY loved to show my horse because it represented a goal and a weekend away where I could concentrate on my horse. I donāt feel that way now that I keep my horses at home. When circumstances evolve, sometime you do too.
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In Germany itās way more affordable and simpler (to me) so I can see myself continuing to compete for many years once I move back. Iāve had a weird experience or two at shows there, but overall, cannot complain. Especially because itās so cheap in comparison to the USA. Shows are also easier to get to in Germany. There were so many spread out across the spring and summer that were within 1 hour of me. So that just made it more accessible.
I mostly compete just to test my training in different environments and see how solid our ārelationshipā is. I donāt feel like I need to compete, and wouldnāt he utterly heartbroken if I couldnāt ever again. I really enjoy the horse and the process.
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Well Germany is cheaper for sure regarding the costs of showing. but I assume you are not 60 yet and you might change your mind once you get older.
For Germany competition and promoting juniors is the most important thing ever. I have been showing for decades now and nobody I started out with is still showingā¦. I guess there must be a reason for itā¦. The older Generation is not encouraged to show in Germany. the idea is that they support their childrenā¦.
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