British Equestrian Competition Question

Banned 11 years ago

Yes, terribly ... they don't call horse-racing (and its accompanying/related equestrian pastimes) "the sport of Kings" just for fun.

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thunderbird 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Yes, terribly ... they don't call horse-racing (and its accompanying/related equestrian pastimes) "the sport of Kings" just for fun.

My brother over there is more loaded than I realized, lol. I just found out his daughter takes part in equestrian competitions.
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seasoned

11 years ago

I remember when I saw a place selling horses for $5000, around 1970. They were NOT papered and, of course, stables, care, feed, and peripheral needs can be a LOT.

And this is BEFORE the training comes into question. From what I hear, it can be expensive. Traditions in Great Britain and maybe other places deal with the dress and method, etc... and I imagine that is a small market. That generally means a higher price. So to BUY, the startup costs may be well into the 10s of thousands of dollars USD, and ongoing costs could also be expensive!

Steve

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Khemosabi

11 years ago

Originally Posted by thunderbird

Training and taking part in British equestrian competition must be bloody expensive, no?

I think training, and especially for competition, is expensive anywhere. I don't do competition, but I do break horses. I also do some training as far as more advanced "breaking" for people looking to move on to the next level with their horses. I do not do "cowboy" type breaking, for those of you that might have been SLIGHTLY impressed there.. :p

I know what I charge my clients. I will also add, the higher the risk, the more I charge. It takes a lot of time and skill to get a horse to those levels.

Getting a horse over "THAT WASN'T THERE YESTERDAY!!!"

Is a whole 'nother story!

~ Theresa

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thunderbird

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Khemosabi

I think training, and especially for competition, is expensive anywhere. I don't do competition, but I do break horses. I also do some training as far as more advanced "breaking" for people looking to move on to the next level with their horses. I do not do "cowboy" type breaking, for those of you that might have been SLIGHTLY impressed there.. :p

I know what I charge my clients. I will also add, the higher the risk, the more I charge. It takes a lot of time and skill to get a horse to those levels.

Getting a horse over "THAT WASN'T THERE YESTERDAY!!!"

Is a whole 'nother story!

~ Theresa

That's really cool. You and Dennis Gaskill both have experience training horses (maybe others here?). You could probably make a fortune with it online, not sure how exactly...

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Dennis Gaskill

11 years ago

Originally Posted by thunderbird

That's really cool. You and Dennis Gaskill both have experience training horses (maybe others here?). You could probably make a fortune with it online, not sure how exactly...

My experience was a long, long time ago. I've probably forgotten more than I remember. I did well for my age, but my dad was the real expert.

When I was recently demonstrating some HTML 5 for newsletter subscribers, I made a page about horses, and included some pics of me riding when I was a kid. It did bring back a lot of fun memories.

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rondo

11 years ago

You can do it without spending too much. It's quite popular here on the edge of Sydney where there are a few clubs and a lot of stables available to rent. Some people do it as a hobby, some are serious competitors.
I was briefly at a local equestrian field yesterday and saw a wide range of riders, horses and equipment. Some of the very large, 5-star horse trailers/floats I saw there blew my mind.

Andrew

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Thomas

11 years ago

Originally Posted by thunderbird

Training and taking part in British equestrian competition must be bloody expensive, no?

I used to compete in dressage many years ago (though in Ireland, not Britain). It wasn't really that expensive...until you get to a certain level, that is, and then even your own rig-out starts to cost more than the bloody horse did. That's when it was time to give it up.

If you already have sufficient land, keeping horses isn't as expensive as you might think (if you ignore the cost of buying the land in the first place, that is... though I doubt very few people actually buy land specifically to keep horses on). If you're paying to stable them somewhere else though, it's time to take out a second mortgage.

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HeySal

11 years ago

I broke a lot of animals when I was young. Not really TRYING to tame them, but for some reason, if it was big enough to sit on I ended up on its back. Never got hurt. Broke a bull, some cows, a couple of hogs, a couple of horses, several dogs, and a goat - and he didn't like me being there but I was able to hang on, LOL. Stayed away from the sheep cause I was allergic to wool.

Tommy - that's the way it is in the states, too. I knew farmers with horses, and they would graze them in summer and grow patches of hay and alfalfa, etc for winter feeding. It cost them next to nothing to own those horses. I've also had friends who board their horses and they've almost had to live in their cars at times to keep those animals.

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bizgrower

11 years ago

I have customers in Texas and Oklahoma who were having to transport hay and water because of the drought. And, if you own your own horses, there are vet bills..
And the cost of the truck and trailer if you are a horse person as a hobbyist and not a farmer or rancher.

My niece took English style lessons and it was not that expensive, but she did not get
to any competitive level.

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Dennis Gaskill

11 years ago

Originally Posted by bizgrower

I have customers in Texas and Oklahoma who were having to transport hay and water because of the drought. And, if you own your own horses, there are vet bills..
And the cost of the truck and trailer if you are a horse person as a hobbyist and not a farmer or rancher.

My niece took English style lessons and it was not that expensive, but she did not get
to any competitive level.

Trucking in hay and water could get expensive in a hurry.

Back in my day teaching a person to ride was much less expensive than training a horse. Training a horse includes boarding costs and other fees not required with teaching a person to ride.

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HeySal

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

Trucking in hay and water could get expensive in a hurry.

Back in my day teaching a person to ride was much less expensive than training a horse. Training a horse includes boarding costs and other fees not required with teaching a person to ride.

So I've trained pets before, but never a horse. How long does it take to train one to a solid equestrian event level - or even just a race level?

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Sal
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Dennis Gaskill 11 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

So I've trained pets before, but never a horse. How long does it take to train one to a solid equestrian event level - or even just a race level?

I know nothing about British equestrian competition. Here in the US, things could have changed a lot since I was on the ranch, but having put forth my disclaimers...

It depends what kind of race you're talking about. We didn't race around an oval track. We didn't run the kind of races where they jump over bushes, barricades and that kind of stuff either. We rode in events like the keyhole race, pole bending, barrel racing, and others.

How long it takes to train a horse isn't a question that's easy to answer because when it comes to learning, horses are like people. Some learn faster than others. Some are stubborn. Some are skitterish. It could be anywhere from a several weeks to a several months to get one trained well enough to compete. It could take a year or more to train one well enough to be consistently competitive.

Part of the training is to get them to ignore distractions, and there are a lot of distractions at a horse show.

By equestrian event, I'm not sure what you're thinking of. There are many different types of competition: dressage, endurance riding, eventing, reining, show jumping, tent pegging, vaulting, driving, rodeo events, buggy racing, cutting, trail riding, team events, halter and showmanship (not a riding event), pleasure classes ... you get the idea. You'll have to be more specific if you still have questions.
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HeySal

11 years ago

Nope -- I get the idea. Not much different than training a dog (in terms of time/performance ratios). If I could get near a horse without breaking out in hives and having to take benedryl to breath, I'd probably find it fun to give it a shot. I love to teach animals to interpret "what the stupid human pet wants now".

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Sal
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Dennis Gaskill 11 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

I love to teach animals to interpret "what the stupid human pet wants now".

I like that.

Horses are remarkable animals. They'll literally run themselves to death for their trainer if he's that dumb/cruel/insert pejorative here.
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bizgrower 11 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

Nope -- I love to teach animals to interpret "what the stupid human pet wants now".

I like that, too. It reminds me of advertisements for pet adoption where the dog is talking about how he does not understand why the human keeps throwing the ball after he brings the ball back. Then the dog says something like, "Oh well, he seems nice though."

Horses are remarkable and I would like to spend more time with them. My Dad is a very brave and accomplished man (enlisted at age 17 to fight Hitler...). And he can be an a## and is uncomfortable around some animals. When I was little, were on a trail ride and the horse he was riding kept brushing against trees as if he was trying to get this person off his back.

I took Western lessons once and somehow bonded with this big horse named Cheerio. Being around them that way is quite different, in a special way, from doing trail rides. Cheerio would not obey many of the other students, but he entertained this stupid human very well.

One time I came to the riding lessons all dejected from not getting a job I wanted. It seems like he sensed it and did something - like stop abruptly, I don't exactly remember - to get me to get my focus back.

Another time, I had finished grooming him and put the curry comb on the post in front of him. He grabbed it with his mouth and here I am playing tug of war with this 1100 pound horse.

Dan
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Dennis Gaskill

11 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

Nope -- I get the idea. Not much different than training a dog (in terms of time/performance ratios). If I could get near a horse without breaking out in hives and having to take benedryl to breath, I'd probably find it fun to give it a shot. I love to teach animals to interpret "what the stupid human pet wants now".

Just to give you a flip side to training horses...

They can also be dangerous. I think I was around 8 or 9 when we were at a horse show in Minneapolis. One of my dads prize stallions didn't care for the long ride and was agitated in the stall. I went in to give him some hay, and as I walked past the horse bit me in the shoulder. Lifted me up off the ground by his teeth! I had 8 deep purple marks where his teeth latched onto me.

Another time I was driving a horse and buggy down a gravel road. As I was coming up a hill, a car came flying over the top of the hill from the other side. It startled the horse and she jumped toward the ditch.

The horse, the buggy, and myself all went tumbling down the ditch. The horse and buggy ended on their side, while I was thrown clear. I was trying to get the horse and buggy right-side up again when the horse kicked (trying to get up, not trying to kick me) but she nailed me in the side of the head. Knocked me out.

The pic below may have been my first riding lesson. My family, and especially my dad, was avid about horses. I practically grew up on horseback.

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HeySal

11 years ago

I was allergic to them all when I was a kid. But I loved to ride and play with any animal that I came near. One of our neighbors was a vet and taught his daughter and I to saddle and bridle their horses. She and I would sneak out with them sometimes and when I could no longer breath she'd take the reigns and lead us back in. Her mom would call mine and then throw me in the bathtub, mom would rush down with medicine and a change of clothes. She never punished me because she couldn't figure out what she could do that would stop me if an asthma attack wouldn't. I've been called a "natural" with the horses, though, so am a little bit put off to not be able to ride without problems. They're one of the only animals that bother my asthma anymore.

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Sal
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British Equestrian Competition Question

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