DD Expensive Taste-Horseback Riding, Figure Skating & Ski

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do it less often? Horses aren’t like figure skating in that you don’t need to be putting in major hours to get to a nice comfortable amateur level.

You obviously know nothing about equestrian sports. Please be quiet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I run a professional dressage barn and we compete seriously. I was third in the nation last year in my horse’s level with USDF. I have lived and breathed horses since I was 4.

If your daughter loves it, just do what you can. NYC is insanely expensive when it comes to equestrian sport. Board for a horse can easily run $3k-$5k a month, not counting lessons or training. It is obscene. There are few stall mucking opportunities because it is very professionalized. Some top barns require you have at least 2 horses and show. Not at all difficult to spend six figures a year minimum, not counting the price of the horses (easily mid-6 figures). You can’t compete with that; don’t try. There is a lot to be learned in a different kind of program.

I would keep doing your weekly lessons. try to find a barn with an IEA team, and set her up for going to a college with a well-supported IHSA team.

Another option is to try to find a small program and try to additional time. We have just a handful of juniors in my barn and a tiny lesson program. Mostly adult amateurs with competition horses, or horses the pro is competing. I can offer some “work for saddle time” that a bigger program just can’t accommodate. I consider it a “pay it forward” as I had such a position as a kid and it gave me the skills I have today, but it is hard to even find a kid willing to muck stalls to ride. They are so busy with other activities...just the way it is now. Plus, I can’t blame you for not wanting to spend all your time driving back and forth. That is fine. Don’t give yourself a hard time if that is impossible.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Where are you? VA? MD? I used to be a 3 day eventer about a thousand years ago, and am now looking to get back into dressage riding....but struggling to find a place. Can you help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I run a professional dressage barn and we compete seriously. I was third in the nation last year in my horse’s level with USDF. I have lived and breathed horses since I was 4.

If your daughter loves it, just do what you can. NYC is insanely expensive when it comes to equestrian sport. Board for a horse can easily run $3k-$5k a month, not counting lessons or training. It is obscene. There are few stall mucking opportunities because it is very professionalized. Some top barns require you have at least 2 horses and show. Not at all difficult to spend six figures a year minimum, not counting the price of the horses (easily mid-6 figures). You can’t compete with that; don’t try. There is a lot to be learned in a different kind of program.

I would keep doing your weekly lessons. try to find a barn with an IEA team, and set her up for going to a college with a well-supported IHSA team.

Another option is to try to find a small program and try to additional time. We have just a handful of juniors in my barn and a tiny lesson program. Mostly adult amateurs with competition horses, or horses the pro is competing. I can offer some “work for saddle time” that a bigger program just can’t accommodate. I consider it a “pay it forward” as I had such a position as a kid and it gave me the skills I have today, but it is hard to even find a kid willing to muck stalls to ride. They are so busy with other activities...just the way it is now. Plus, I can’t blame you for not wanting to spend all your time driving back and forth. That is fine. Don’t give yourself a hard time if that is impossible.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Where are you? VA? MD? I used to be a 3 day eventer about a thousand years ago, and am now looking to get back into dressage riding....but struggling to find a place. Can you help?

[New poster, not the dressage maven above] PP, are you on the COTH boards at all? There’s a large community of adult re-riders (including some once-and-future eventers like me), and I’ve found them to be great with sharing support and suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I run a professional dressage barn and we compete seriously. I was third in the nation last year in my horse’s level with USDF. I have lived and breathed horses since I was 4.

If your daughter loves it, just do what you can. NYC is insanely expensive when it comes to equestrian sport. Board for a horse can easily run $3k-$5k a month, not counting lessons or training. It is obscene. There are few stall mucking opportunities because it is very professionalized. Some top barns require you have at least 2 horses and show. Not at all difficult to spend six figures a year minimum, not counting the price of the horses (easily mid-6 figures). You can’t compete with that; don’t try. There is a lot to be learned in a different kind of program.

I would keep doing your weekly lessons. try to find a barn with an IEA team, and set her up for going to a college with a well-supported IHSA team.

Another option is to try to find a small program and try to additional time. We have just a handful of juniors in my barn and a tiny lesson program. Mostly adult amateurs with competition horses, or horses the pro is competing. I can offer some “work for saddle time” that a bigger program just can’t accommodate. I consider it a “pay it forward” as I had such a position as a kid and it gave me the skills I have today, but it is hard to even find a kid willing to muck stalls to ride. They are so busy with other activities...just the way it is now. Plus, I can’t blame you for not wanting to spend all your time driving back and forth. That is fine. Don’t give yourself a hard time if that is impossible.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Where are you? VA? MD? I used to be a 3 day eventer about a thousand years ago, and am now looking to get back into dressage riding....but struggling to find a place. Can you help?

Hey! I relocated from the DMV over a decade ago to Chicagoland. There were some smaller programs in the area when I left...it is hard with COVID as no spectators, so ordinarily while K would recommend to go watch the warmup ring at the spring shows and see who you like, that doesn’t work so COTH is probably your next best resource. I know a lot of DC area horse friends on it and they will give good advice.

[Anonymous]

Maybe none of them. What does she actually have a talent for? Start there and just have her stick with that. In the long run she will be happier and stick with something she can excel at vs struggling. If she wants to take a round of lessons or maybe summer camp for other activities than that’s fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do it less often? Horses aren’t like figure skating in that you don’t need to be putting in major hours to get to a nice comfortable amateur level.

You obviously know nothing about equestrian sports. Please be quiet.

+1. PP is way off

[Anonymous]

Do not do horses! It’s so expensive. Horse shows are so expensive and the horse girls are insane and rich and indulged. To be a high level equestrian is a hundred thousand dollars a year. You end up having multiple horses and trainers and get a condo in Wellington for winter.


Skiing she won’t be competitive in coming from the dmv.

Maybe encourage skating? She isn’t going to the olympics but maybe will play hockey eventually? Girls hockey is also a good hook for college.

[Anonymous]

Actually, you can get quite good at riding even if you go once a week to group lessons. And you don't lease or own a horse. I don't see where OP said he DD wanted to compete?
I did riding twice per week, the adult beginner rider. Dressage with small jumps from the start. Within six months I could ride pretty well. Then I continued with former instructors of the Canadian Musical Ride.
Then I moved and rode trails, sand, and mountains. No more lessons whatsoever. This was all within 6 years.

While I liked riding the whole time, nothing in the arena compared to free riding for miles. I am a better rider now due to that fantastic experience. That is what riding is all about, miles of trail riding. Imagine galloping in the desert? Going back into the arena seems like an exercise in torture, for the horse and the rider. However, having learned a lot of dressage riding, made me a much better freestyle rider.
Many went riding and were owning horses and the whole shabang. Then they were flopping like chickens riding in nature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Horses are expensive. She can pick one of those activities, skating and skiing are more practical.

You are completely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not do horses! It’s so expensive. Horse shows are so expensive and the horse girls are insane and rich and indulged. To be a high level equestrian is a hundred thousand dollars a year. You end up having multiple horses and trainers and get a condo in Wellington for winter.


Skiing she won’t be competitive in coming from the dmv.

Maybe encourage skating? She isn’t going to the olympics but maybe will play hockey eventually? Girls hockey is also a good hook for college.

Sooooo you can't ride unless you go to Wellington PP are you ignoring the experiences of many of us in the thread who have enjoyed low key riding? Maybe go back and read you might learn something.

[Anonymous]

We found a great lease for our daughter - $2k a month. It included 6 lessons a week. Eventually, we bought. I highly recommend when you buy, shop overseas - its cheaper. We took two trips with her trainer who had horses lined up when we got to Europe. Saved 10K on the same quality horse you'd find showing or auctioned in Wellington during the winter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We found a great lease for our daughter - $2k a month. It included 6 lessons a week. Eventually, we bought. I highly recommend when you buy, shop overseas - its cheaper. We took two trips with her trainer who had horses lined up when we got to Europe. Saved 10K on the same quality horse you'd find showing or auctioned in Wellington during the winter

How is that cheaper after tickets and transport?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We found a great lease for our daughter - $2k a month. It included 6 lessons a week. Eventually, we bought. I highly recommend when you buy, shop overseas - its cheaper. We took two trips with her trainer who had horses lined up when we got to Europe. Saved 10K on the same quality horse you'd find showing or auctioned in Wellington during the winter

Really? I'd have thought that European horses would be more expensive. What do you think causes this price differential?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Horses are expensive. She can pick one of those activities, skating and skiing are more practical.

You are completely wrong.

You have no idea. Nothing beats horses as far as expenses - except maybe sailing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found a great lease for our daughter - $2k a month. It included 6 lessons a week. Eventually, we bought. I highly recommend when you buy, shop overseas - its cheaper. We took two trips with her trainer who had horses lined up when we got to Europe. Saved 10K on the same quality horse you'd find showing or auctioned in Wellington during the winter

Really? I'd have thought that European horses would be more expensive. What do you think causes this price differential?

Multiple factors. A 3year old FEI prospect with the same training can have a 10k difference. I also think the breeding pool is better over there. We paid 25K versus 35K. Which for a 3-year-old who you can't tell will really enjoy the upper-level stuff, is important. I can get something a smidge more developed closer to 40k who will have started to demonstrate better aptitude. But we took a gamble (let's be honest lol, that's what it is ) on better breeding but younger.