Accessibility: Horse Show Edition – A Follow Up

So you might have seen my blog on horse show costs, primarily comparing that of a local to a rated horse show. If you missed it, check it out here. To summarize, a local show will cost around the $250 mark while a rated show will be closer to $600. These numbers are without training, hauling, shavings or braiding. So what can you do to save some money? Check out these tips!

1. Bring your own shavings! There is an added convenience to showing up at the horse show with stacks of shavings already at your stall. With added convenience comes added cost. The average rated horse show charges $10-12 per bag of shavings. In Tennessee, you can go to Tractor Supply and get shavings for $5-6 per bag. That’s almost half the cost. When I am able to buy my own shavings for my boys it usually saves me at least $50-60.
2. Ask for a horse show quote BEFORE committing to the show. Make sure everything is on there: hauling, training, shavings, entry fees, braiding. That way you have a detailed account of any expected cost.
3. Save receipts and statements. Save your old horse show, braiding, trainer bills that way you can save for next time when you’re crunching numbers to see if the next show is in the cards for you!
4. Ship in! Shipping in if it works for your show schedule, horse and trainer is a great way to cut some costs – $250 to be exact at Tryon International. A summer series stall is $300 a week whereas the ship-in/grounds fee if you don’t have a stall is $50!
5. Skip the hack. If you don’t love the hack, your horse isn’t super competitive there, you want to save their energy/legs or just want to save some cash this is a great place to save around $50 depending on the show and division. Disclaimer: there are divisions where if you complete all jumping rounds it is cheaper to pay the division fee than per class. In those instances this hack won’t work 😉
6. Consider opportunity divisions. Opportunity divisions are fantastic for promoting accessibility. These classes typically have a lower entry fee. Sometimes they are associated with a discounted stall rate and/or waived fees depending on the horse show.
7. Do not budget factoring in prize money. Is it nice when we win back money? Yes, of course. What you do not want to do is estimate if you can afford a show with factoring in prize money you are not guaranteed to receive.
8. Expert Level Hack. Learn how to braid! If you can this is a great way to save yourself money. For manes expect to spend $125-150 a pop, tails are usually ~$50.
9. Have your mane tidy and ready to go. This is a small one financially but will make your braider very happy if you are not able to DIY your braiding.
10. Alternate lodging plans. Sharing an RV on the show grounds can be cheaper for a few reasons. You can make your own food and you don’t have to travel to and from the show grounds. If this isn’t in the cards even splitting a hotel or AirBnB works well to cut down on costs.
11. Skip the groom. Sometimes this is not feasible. There’s a lot of reasons – busy work schedule, kiddos, multiple rides to name a few. But if your schedule and barn-structure permits doing your own grooming is a way to save big!
12. Stay close to home. Have shows within driving distance of your barn or house? Pick those, could save you tons on lodging and makes shipping in much easier.

Have a hack I didn’t mention? Tell us in the comments! 🙂 Happy Horse Showing

Photo Courtesy of Gold Horse Media <3