The Cost Of Equestrian Sports (Equestrian Sports)

Member Name: milmol

Product:	Equestrian Sports
Date:	11/06/02 (626 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The whole family could join the experience to an extent

Disadvantages: Expensive, Can result in injury

My daughter Becky raved about ponies from the age of 3, who takes a 3 year old seriously? I should have known, don't know where it came from, but the rocking horse we bought her was no substitute for the real thing and eventually riding lessons followed.


At first it was easy, local riding school, leggings and wellies, but eventually she persuaded us to let her go on a riding holiday, aged 10, still with wellies, leggings and nothing flash. It became apparent the 'crush' was not wavering however and pleas of 'I want a pony for xmas' continued.

We came to a truce, she had to help a friend with ponies for one year, rain or shine, for no pay, and realize the work involved in keeping a pony. She not only completed the task but also enjoyed every minute of it, coming in from school and dashing out again. It was at this time, after much commitment from her that money started to change hands between the local tack shop and us. New riding hat and jodhpurs were purchased to replace leggings and wellies. Now be warned, the standard of hat required to British Horse Society standards changes regularly, and although no one has ever checked my daughters hat, it is disappointing to know the 'safe' brand that cost £100 last year is now out of date.

After a year came our first pony, an aged Palomino mare with plenty of life left in her who knew her job. Its amazing how quickly the riders skills improve when able to ride daily and within 9 months Becky had progressed past the abilities of this pony and was itching to compete. This meant become a seller and a buyer.

Now finding the right pony to compete is no easy matter. First of all the pony must match the childs ability. 'Out horse' the child and you run the risk of shattering their confidence choose a pony not capable of being ridden to their level and both they and the pony will be unhappy. Prices of ponies vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands, i
t is also important to note at this stage that the child may outgrow the pony quickly and certain sections for competing have both age restrictions for children and height restrictions for ponies, i.e. 13-2hh and under may be ridden by age 10 and under in some areas but age 12 and under in others, you need to check the rules of where you intend to compete. Ponies can be purchased by various means, sometimes recommendation or knowing a pony that a child on your local competition circuit has outgrown may be a good way, but beware, I have seen poor riders on good ponies who have previously won everything win nothing. Equally a child may bring a pony on enormously. The important thing is that both pony and child are well matched and the price does not necessarily indicate the success of the partner ship. Our second pony cost £1250, we had him for 2 years and he progressed enormously. My daughter unfortunately outgrew him and we sold him to a good home locally for £1800.

Items needed to compete.
Apart from the pony (I will not particularly go into the costs of keeping a pony here as the subject is equestrian sports but please research costs thoroughly before purchasing), the pony will need tack. Saddles and bridles are individual to all ponies and may/may not be bought with the pony. Personally I have always let my ponies tack go with them when we have sadly had to sell them as I feel the saddle was fitted for that pony and belongs to him/her. Saddles range in price depending on if it is new/second hand and the style/make, but be prepared to pay for the ponies comfort and have the saddle fitted. A new saddle can be anywhere up to £800+ depending the material/make although I personally paid an average of £250 fitted.
Saddle cloths/numnahs, brushing boots, and overreach boots may also be needed, I would recommend the reader investigates prices at local tack shops and equestrian catalogues (i.e.robinsons www.robinsons-uk.com).

You will then need a
trailer to transport your pony, our first trailer was a reconditioned second hand one, £800, we then had to change the car to tow it. The car we used was an automatic 2litre Scorpio, I thank goodness for the automatic gearbox. Pulling the box increased the petrol consumption greatly and the reader may find that a new lightweight trailer although more expensive is lighter to pull and easier on fuel, we unfortunately found them to be beyond our means. Next you need to insure both pony/rider/trailer and join a rescue organization in case you break down. My ponies insurance, which covered, vets fees and the rider for personal injury was £20 per month and the trailer was £10 per month. The breakdown service was £15 pound per month.

Rider’s equipment: -
Show jumping jacket-£89.99 (not the dearest but dear enough).
Jodhpur boots-£42.00
Leather Chaps made to measure-£50.00
As she progressed she preferred long leather riding boots-£150
Jodphurs-£49.99
Shirt-£11.95
Tie-Used her school tie
Gloves-£2.99
Spurs-£10
Body Protector-£89.99
Cross country shirt-£19.99
These were all purchased over a period of time as finances allowed.

The reader needs to be aware that different equestrian sports require different attire, i.e. the show jumping hat is different from the cross-country hat, even the horses tack is particular to the event i.e. dressage/cross-country, the list is endless and needs careful consideration. Joining the local Ringing/Pony club is of enormous value, our riding club gave high quality instruction/training at reasonable prices and many fun days including dressage, show jumping and cross-country, both training and competing. Its an ideal way to make friends and have fun and I found my daughter and I both gained from the experience as well as spending quality time together with a hobby we both enjoyed. The gymkhana days in particular were great fun.


The costs of competing at unaffil
iated level varies depending on the venue, typically unaffiliated show jumping in our area cost £5 per class. It is not unusually for a child to enter 3 classes in one day. On top of this are the costs of petrol, food, 'raffle tickets' at various venues and even £1 for the attendance of Saint Johns Ambulance service at one. All of this can amount to £40+. I personally found venues cheaper further afield with equally good facilities but travel/petrol evened out the costs. The local riding club was the most competitively priced and also the most fun. It was also professionally run with trained instructors.

If you wish to compete affiliated (although we personally did not), I believe both horse and rider have to be registered with the British Horse Society although I am not an expert on affiliated competing and would not profess to be.

Finally, where does all this lead, the child may eventually become bored of/outgrow the hobby, or then again they may not. My daughter is presently studying an equine course at college, never having lost the 'horsy bug', she has aspirations to work with horses and unfortunately we had to sell our 2 darlings to fund her college fees, so beware, the costs can continue. In reality though, I consider every penny worthwhile. Many teenagers spend hours on street corners or the internet (like I am now), but we had a hobby for a lot of years, we made many friends and shared many experiences, I don’t regret a penny.

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