questions on lesson/showing activities

[slc2]

i'm trying to get an idea of how our sport is now and how it may change in the very near future, by looking at what sorts of lessons people take, and how their activities are going to change. we got so many emotional reactions to qualification and rising costs...i'm wondering how specifically it is going to change people's plans in the near term.

i'm not sure one can really understand the situation without alot of information.

[hitchinmygetalong]

i'm trying to get an idea of how our sport is now
"how our sport is now" = What on earth does that mean? Maybe it's too early in the morning for me. "How is your dressage this morning?"
how it may change in the very near future,
"the very near future" = like, in the next ten minutes?
looking at what sorts of lessons people take,Give us a clue, here, please. Frequency? Group? Clinic? Internet instruction?
how their activities are going to change.
Again, too obtuse.
got so many emotional reactions to qualification and rising costs...i'm wondering how specifically it
"it" = what exactly is "it"?
to change people's plans in the near term.

i'm not sure one can really understand the situation without alot of information.

I'm not sure one can really understand your questions without alot of additional explanation.

[seabreeze]

The change that has evolved in my riding program in the last year has been more influenced by the increase in cost of living than by anything else. I'm a one-income household. In order to continue to be able to afford the horses, I have had to cut out the non-essentials like lessons and clinics and showing :(. I want to keep a comfortable enough margin that the horses' care is never compromised, and this is the way I have to do it.

[slc2]

very unfortunate. does it have directly to do with recent gas price jumps and entry fees, or is it more than that?

[Rusty Stirrup]

All we ever hear is how the "powers that be" want to encourage the growth of dressage and then they seem to do everything they can to make it more elitist. Not only are the membership and registration costs prohibitive to many, now they have added all the required qualifications. Keeping horses in this day and age is not financially easy and I see a day (quickly approaching)where the true dressage amateur is gone because to show one needs a to be in the horse business, have a large income, or a sponsor.

[slc2]

exactly what i'm thinking, rusty stirrup. if you take costs of lessons and shows, and bump it up against income surveys for coh members, and compare that to rising costs, it gives a picture of a smaller, more affluent group of dressage competitors in the future.

i have been told 'only show riders take lessons', which i think is less true for dressage than other riding styles.

[CatOnLap]

i'm trying to get an idea of how our sport is now and how it may change in the very near future, by looking at what sorts of lessons people take, and how their activities are going to change. we got so many emotional reactions to qualification and rising costs...i'm wondering how specifically it is going to change people's plans in the near term.

i'm not sure one can really understand the situation without alot of information.

I find the best way to get that sort of information is to actually get involved physically in the sport and ask real riders and real trainers in person while you are showing and lessoning and training and such.
I am not sure anyone could understand the situation merely from posting/copying copious amounts on the internet.

[seabreeze]

very unfortunate. does it have directly to do with recent gas price jumps and entry fees, or is it more than that?

Probably so. I used to take the lesson without too much regard for the $20-$25 for fuel to get there. Lessons have gone from $75 to $85 (understandably), and fuel costs have doubled since then. Throw in the rising cost of feed (increased by $3 a bag in the last year) and hay ($3 increase per bale over the past two years). Then there are the basic living expenses that aren't necessarily horse-related: The local power company just announced plans for an upcoming rate increase, (a competing power company increased rates by 40% last year, and my co-op just acquired them, so you know what's coming down the pike); grocery expenses have increased about 15% in the last year; and so on.

There came a point when I had to re-evaluate my priorities and decide what was getting slashed and what wasn't. And so it goes...I'm very fortunate that I have my own place with plenty of pasture and that I can feel content by riding on my own and taking good care of my horses. Of course I get pangs of "oh-I-wish-I-could-have-a-regular-lesson-schedule." But, that's just not the way it is right now, and so I thank God for what I enjoy at the present time.

[goeslikestink]

i'm trying to get an idea of how our sport is now and how it may change in the very near future, by looking at what sorts of lessons people take, and how their activities are going to change. we got so many emotional reactions to qualification and rising costs...i'm wondering how specifically it is going to change people's plans in the near term.

i'm not sure one can really understand the situation without alot of information.


careful slc2 you being intrustive--

[seabreeze]

I find the best way to get that sort of information is to actually get involved physically in the sport and ask real riders and real trainers in person while you are showing and lessoning and training and such.


Hey, I just read that. I am a real rider. Or I was last time I checked.

[J-Lu]

i'm trying to get an idea of how our sport is now and how it may change in the very near future, by looking at what sorts of lessons people take, and how their activities are going to change. we got so many emotional reactions to qualification and rising costs...i'm wondering how specifically it is going to change people's plans in the near term.

i'm not sure one can really understand the situation without alot of information.

Cost is one of the main reasons I'm against a qualifying rule. However, the "logical" reactions to the qualifying rule overwhelm the "emotional" reactions. :)

[WindsongEq]

No change for me... I show at recognized shows, only the levels change depending on the level of horse I am riding.. I pay for the memberships every year, & try and get the lifetime ones for all the horses I show... Yes gas has become expensive... It cost 150.00 in diesel to travel to and from the last 3 days show I went to, but then I was in England 5 months ago and have you seen the price of gas per litre? We still come out way ahead in the cost of fuel.

[mtngirl]

Fewer but more intensive lessons...with my trainer warming up and schooling/introducing my horse to new movements prior to me getting on and riding...whereas before, I would have simply had two sessions, one where she rode, and the other for me. Economy has made me cut down on the traveling. Also, fewer shows and being more selective in the shows I attend. Fees for shows have increased, and the memberships necessary to compete in recognized shows really put me off...though I recognize the necessity, I'm not showing enough right now to justify their cost. Next year? Yes, I'll probably join. This year? No.

[Sabine]

slick- I think there are 2 things happening at the same time here:
one- the economy is severely shrinking and the available spend is reduced. This reflects on gas prices and prices in general- while you pay more to get to a lesson you also pay more to help get your instructor there. More advantage for those that can get viable internet lessons going- save the gas $$ and work with the web instead...

OTH I think the qualifying process in its inception is correct. One must be able to produce a certain standard to progress and climb up the ladder - in order to make the ladder respectable!
The timing however for this to be requested is unbelievably wrong- as is the apparent desire to add unwanted overhead to the operation.

My beef is more to police the 'non-profit' organization that makes all these rules than the rules themselves...just my 5 cents...

[Lambie Boat]

no showing, no lessons now. just trying to hang onto the farm and horses. did not renew memberships. do not love what is winning in the show ring anyway. due to massive priority and paradigm shift in personal, professional, economic and global concerns. showing and lessons, once my #1 focus, now seeming frivolous, wasteful and meaningless

[merrygoround]

no showing, no lessons now. just trying to hang onto the farm and horses. did not renew memberships. do not love what is winning in the show ring anyway. due to massive priority and paradigm shift in personal, professional, economic and global concerns. showing and lessons, once my #1 focus, now seeming frivolous, wasteful and meaningless

I hope you can hang in there and weather your storms. Sometimes just the day to day activitiy of putting one foot in front of the other is the best and only option. Good lucK!!!! :yes:

[dkcbr]

n showing and lessons, once my #1 focus, now seeming frivolous, wasteful and meaningless

Gotta agree with this.

:sadsmile: