Help with pricing services at a horse trials

[SEP]

I usually take studets to H/J shows so I know my pricing at those shows is not out of line, however I am not sure about for horse trials.

What would be a reasonable but still make a little money price for coaching at a two day horse trial,and warm up day, hauling approximately 300 miles, braiding and final clean up of horses stall (so I could leave with out having to sit in to much traffic, not good for horses in 105 degree heat, while owner wnet and ate lunch:mad: after discussing that I needed to leave before the awards because of above reason.) and resonably priced hotel which would be split between the riders.

Client thought the total bill would be about what I charged for hauling. I tried to discuss numbers with her before we even entered and she never had time. This is her MO on every thing. So not a suprise to me.

I also had to cancel lessons at home.

Thank you for your help

[purplnurpl]

well.

when I was running with a group our coach charged us 50 dollar a day. Yes, this included the Friday night ride.

So coaching ONLY was $150.00 for the weekend.

Hauling was always 50 cents a mile. When gas was waaaay cheap it was 35 cents a mile.

Then hotel, food and such was split if our coach WAS NOT showing. If she was showing then she needed to be there anyway so food and hotel was out of her own pocket.

braiders charge 35 bucks or so per horse at HT, usually.

And I'm not sure what to charge for cleaning and grooming.

Now, Eventing is my discipline. I'll be there with my own horses so I've decided to only charge my peeps (my whole 4 students) what I would normally for a single lesson x 2.
All the course walks, extra advise, helping tack, helping stud, helping dress and buying diapers is on me. lol. I want my peeps to be able to afford to go.

I know one thing. If I'm taking someone to a HT they better well clean their own darn stall and tack up their own horse...otherwise I'd stay home.
Eventing is about horsemanship. Not about showing.

[CookiePony]

braiding and final clean up of horses stall
Wow, lucky client. My trainer would laugh if I asked her to do these things, even if I paid.

Anyway, she charges course walks and warmups a la carte, and my bill usually works out to about 100 bucks per show, 150 if I have a lesson on the grounds the day before. This does not include hauling (I do this myself), or any of her hotel/food expenses (she usually has a horse competing).

[CookiePony]

Here is a thread from a while ago on coaching fees:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=205775

[GotSpots]

I would be surprised if hauling was much under 1$/mile these days, maybe more. Plus braiding, plus coaching fees (which vary, but usually around the cost of a lesson - and some folks charge extra for course walk). The stall clean I'd likely just chalk up to puckey happens, though maybe you should get her stall deposit back. But what's "fair" and what your client will pay you are different issues - and these are the kinds of things that likely need to be worked out in a pricelist up front that spells out what kinds of charges are expected at shows, be they H/J or horse trials.

[Rescue_Rider9]

Am I strange? I have never gone to a show with my trainer... even when I did HJ's... I couldnt imagine needing much help at an event... Although having my mom around to run back to the trailer when I forget my gloves is awesome!

[SevenDogs]

Am I strange? I have never gone to a show with my trainer... even when I did HJ's... I couldnt imagine needing much help at an event... Although having my mom around to run back to the trailer when I forget my gloves is awesome!

No, you are not strange but it is also not strange for riders to go to shows with a coach. It should be about what you are comfortable with and what is right for you.

[scubed]

It might not help you recover money from this client, but you probably want to come up with a price scale. If you have h/j clients as well, you might charge the same day fee regardless of type of show, so that you are not "discriminating" against some of your clients.

I have worked with trainers who have done it either as an ala carte menu, such as $30 for the course walk, $50 for dressage warm up, $25 each for SJ and xc warmup, etc. + hauling, typically $25 for braiding (though I typically braid and bathe my own). Alternately, $35-70 per day, depending on trainer and how much they actually do with you.

If you clean the stall, you should get the stall deposit, otherwise, it would be going back to the organizer and just leaving the stall dirty in that case would be an option if they have charged a deposit. I have been know to offer a teenager 1/2 the stall deposit to strip a stall, which they are usually willing to take, but if you do it as a trainer, you should certainly get the deposit. Alter

Hauling always separate. Most of the trainers I have worked with have a sliding scale where you might be paying more than $1 per mile for short hauls (like $25 for the 9 mile haul to the local schooling facility), but less for long hauls (like $400 for the 600 mile haul to the distant show with advanced as well as lower levels). In addition, most eventing coaches would only charge hotel, etc if they aren't showing their own horses.

I would expect to pay around $350 total for what you are describing, but that could certainly vary.

[SEP]

I charged my usual coaching fee for any multi day show, I chaged my usual hauling fee per mile and the hotel for two nights. I braided both horses and fed both mornings, morning 1 because they couldn't get there in time to feed when told to, I found out when I got there that they had not arrived. Poor horses.

I was just trying to figure out if my prices were out of line.

Thank you again for your help.

[ThirdCharm]

Coaching $30/day so would be $90 for three days
Cleaning stall, they can pay a groom $10-20 or forfeit their stall deposit if they don't want to do it themselves.
Braiding $45
Hauling 300 miles $200 per horse. And I'm not driving three hours plus to a show unless the trailer is full--unless it is a show that my competition horse really needs to get to!!

If I'm competing too, I pay for my own hotel or stay in the trailer LQ. If I'm not competing, the bill is split between students (but I usually stay in the LQ anyway).

Cancelling lessons at home not an issue, we show enough that I do not schedule lessons on weekends, there would be no point. :-)

Jennifer

[hb]

If you have h/j clients as well, you might charge the same day fee regardless of type of show, so that you are not "discriminating" against some of your clients.

I could see the day fee varying if different services are provided. For instance, don't most HJ barns have multiple grooms at a show that do stalls and turn out the horses? If this is the case but the eventers groom their own and do their own stalls then that could be a basis for a difference in fees.

[Thames Pirate]

I go to events by myself, but I'd say charging "lesson" prices for show warm-up and course walking isn't unreasonable. Charging your normal rate for hauling would also be fair. I'd say at least $20 for stall cleaning (depending on the deposit--whatever it was, you get, with a minimum of $20) and $40 for braiding. As for hotel and food, I'd ask what your policy is for h/j--probably split between clients, right? If so, I'd say it's not unreasonable to ask them to pay it, or at the VERY least (if you're feeling generous, though with someone incapable of feeding their horse I would not be inclined to) they should pay half or more.

One of the reasons I go to events myself is that I can't afford to pay my own hotel/food (I sleep in a tent or in my truck and bring a camp stove and canned goods as well as a cooler of drinks and goodies), much less those of the trainer. I could MAYBE swing the warm-up fees if they're similar to lesson fees, but that's about it. My instructor (well, my jumping instructor) is a h/j instructor, and I would fully expect to be charged the normal h/j rate if I were paying for her to come to an event. I would also expect that she might say it's not worth giving up a weekend of lessons and tell me "sorry" or "only if I can get several clients" or whatever.

Your rider needs to buck up if she wants to event--you either pay for services or you do it yourself. Nothing is free.

[pegasusmom]

Son's trainer charges about the fee for a lesson ($60) usually (depends on the show - the most we have ever paid is $100) - but we are "bread and butter" customers. He hauls 2+ hours every week for lessons and rides her horses as well when he stays at her barn. She would beat him witless if he didn't do his own stall, feed etc., make sure he and his horse were properly turned out and that he was on time for course walks and warm ups. And as a very attractive 30 something with gravitas, her word carries far more weight than his old fat mom. She has always had her own horses so we don't cover her travel expenses and we haul ourselves. I would certainly expect to foot the bill for such if she wasn't entered at the show.