How does a family first get into equestian?

[Anonymous]

I used to dance at the pink pony club.

[Anonymous]

One day your little girl is taking riding lesson, a few years later you buy a horse, then ship the horse all over the world doing shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are usually two paths into riding. (“Riding.” Not “equestrian.”)

The first is when your kid lingers over the ponies at the petting zoo, stalks local backyard barns on her bike, draws horses in the margins of her math tests, memorizes the Black Stallion and Marguerite Henry books, and eventually wears her non-horsey parents to a bleeding nub, so they finally sign her up for a week of riding camp in the hopes that all the dirt, sweat, and hard work will make her see sense. Instead, she drags her stiff, sore muscles into the car the first day, but cries even harder when her concerned mom suggests not going back. From there, she progresses to lesson kid, unpaid barn rat, working student, and crash test dummy. With increased parental funding, options include Pony Club, competing, leasing and/or ownership.

The second path is when a horsey parent has access to a saintly pony and can put their kid up as soon as they can walk. This is similar to how everyone in Minnesota can skate — it’s just something you do, because you’re going to be at the rink (or barn) anyway.

I had never thought of it this way, but PP is spot on. That said, I was a second path that drifted into the first - but a kid whose parents put her on crap horses (not a saintly pony). But we had working horses at home and it was a way of life.

[Anonymous]

We have wooded acreage with trails. DD only does trail rides and doesn't jump. In our social circles it's more of a rural/farm thing, not fancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Can you break down the cost progression for a normal family with one daughter? I assume those initial lessons are not terribly expensive, but once they hook you, the costs can get pretty eye watering in a hurry?

Generally, a group lesson will run in the $50-$100 range depending on where you are riding. Most affluent areas and closer to DC are often more. Same with nicer facilities. Most kids start with once a week. Kids will sometimes progress to do a couple of lessons a week and maybe join IEA or pony club. Lesson costs double. Probably want to budget around a thousand a year for the team thing.

One can probably lease a less fancy horse and do some local shows for around $15k a year. Depending on the facility you are at.

Showing and owing a horse can have a wide range of costs. Lower end with lessons, horse, shows is probably $1500-$2000 a month. Very high end, I can’t really fully grasp. Probably more than $50k a year. Neither of those estimates include the cost of the horse. Or vet bills.

Capital challenge is going on now at the PG equestrian center. I wouldn’t be surprised some of those riders spend $100k a year on training/lessons/board/showing and own a six figure horse.



To get into the highest levels of riding you need to be extraordinarily wealthy. The horses in those shows cost between 300-800K and most riders own more than one. That’s just the horse.