[KleinStar]

Hi everyone! First time poster

I'm planning to move to pursue graduate school, and frankly the cost and availability of horses factors into my decision of where to go!

I'm wondering if anyone can give me a general ballpark on the costs of lessons (on schoolies) or leasing. Or if you're able to compare these areas in terms of price based on your experiences, I'd really appreciate that too.

Seattle, Washington
Eugene, Oregon
Loma Linda, California
Albany, New York
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, Illinois

I'm looking for costs at a relatively low key h/j barn. I'm not looking to do much showing, just keep myself sane by riding during school! I'm just trying to get a general sense of the costs, being a poor student and all I'm guessing there are variations based on availability of farm land, hay, population, etc.

Thanks for any numbers/estimates/guesses!

[joiedevie99]

Where in New York? Costs will vary widely.

[big_red_ottb]

My experience in CA is that you're looking at about $50-$75 for lessons on a schoolie in the mid range. Many trainers are lower, some are much higher. I would guess that based on what you're looking for, you'll run more in the $50 and maybe lower range. But take this with a grain of salt - most of my CA riding experience has been in Northern California (having lived in the East Bay, Sacramento, and currently Redding areas), so I have limited knowledge of SoCal prices, but I'm under the impression that basic lessons run about the same across the state.

Good luck!!

[Calvincrowe]

In Eugene (Go Ducks!), you will probably end up at Triplerise, with Mike Galloway. He has an excellent school horse program (you might look up the farm www.triplerisehorseshows.com and see the prices there--very, very reasonable). I'm not terribly familiar with any other barn in the Eugene area, but that's a good place to start. Mike's program is top notch and he strives to keep costs reasonable for his clients. If I lived in Eugene, that's who I'd ride with in a heartbeat!

Seattle--the commute from UW is hell to most barns. Most folks live on the Eastside so they are halfway between barn and school/work in Seattle. Very expensive to ride/own/board, unless you drive north or south to barns (1-2 hour one way). I'm sure other Puget Sounders can chime in, but that's what I've gleaned from previous topics on here.

[vxf111]

Pgh= my hometown and I love it but kinda a hunter deadzone.

[RolyPolyPony]

Boston - I ride about an hour outside of Boston (southwest) and their rate is $50 for either a private 30 mins or group (2 people) hours on a schoolie. I do a 1/3 lease on a schoolie - one lesson and one practice ride a week - that costs $400/month. This is on the slightly low side of average - a barn I rode at very briefly closer to Boston (more like 40 mins west) is now $60 for the same lesson. And you'll likely need to travel at least 40 mins to get anywhere if you're IN Boston. That said, there are a lot of h/j in Metrowest.

I'm not sure if grad students are allowed to take part in college riding clubs, but maybe look into that at the schools you're considering?

[To the MAX]

Pretty much all of PA except for the SE corner is a dead zone for hunter/jumpers. But, that means that if you are able to find a barn, it will be significantly less expensive than in other areas.
For example, I'm in central PA and happened upon a great farm - huge indoor, outdoor, large stalls, heated/air conditioned tack room with my own tack locker, wash stall with hot water, full bathroom (with shower!) and laundry room. And, a trainer that knows what she's doing. I pay $350 for full board, and lessons are $30 an hour.

[vxf111]

When I rode in Pittsburgh (in high school, so many years ago). There was really only one reasonably A-circuit kind of place. Bar Gee. The good news is-- it was (and from what I know, still is) a fabulous place. The bad news is that it was on par price wise with the most expensive barns I had seen in "horsey" areas of PA (i.e. Chester County, PA). And... you're still in a dead zone. A shows require a trip halfway across the state or to Ohio. I suspect there are a couple more good barns nowadays, but I also suspect that they're no "deal" price wise. You can find deals in the more sparsely populated/less metropolis parts of PA-- but Pittsburgh is still a city, with wealthy residents, land is at a premium, and good places charge accordingly. AND on top of that, it's a dead zone for hunter/jumpers. BUT a great city to live in, and there are some excellent graduate schools (depending on what you're studying). Good luck!

[Senszuri]

I have never lived in downtown Chicago so cannot speak for driving distances/excellent barns in that immediate area, but have lived within 1-2 hours of downtown. I think you would likely find many opportunities for hunter/jumper facilities in the Chicagoland area. Even the WI/IL state line offers several facilities catering to jumping or dressage disciplines and there are several large show facilities nearby.

[KleinStar]

Thanks everyone! This gives me a better sense of what I'm looking at depending on where I end up. If anyone has more info/suggestions/prices I'd love to hear them

[ShadowDansere]

Seattle.. from my research, lessons 2x a week are going to be about $500/mo and up from there.

Leasing.. a care lease? Closer in to the UW? Full Board and training probably around $2k a month.

Yea, traffic will generally suck in the afternoons. I'm a Seattle native, though, and love the area.

[ladyfreckles]

Seattle lessons would be at MINIMUM $500/mo and leasing would easily be $300+.

Full care board is usually at or around $1,000. Include training and that doubles.

However some of the schools have equestrian teams and I think they have discounts on certain things do if you looked into joining a team that might work out better for you. Seattle is $$$$.

Lessons are usually $60-$90 per lesson. I very rarely see less than that (though I have seen it from quality trainers.... an hour outside the city). Expect most things close to Seattle to be $70+.

[alternate_universe]

Also a Pittsburgher here. Basically, the closer you are to the city the more horse stuff costs. I live north of the city so I'm really only familiar with barns in this area. Barns in Allegheny County have board starting at around $700 and month and going to over $1000. Go about 30 to 45 minutes north and board prices can easily be half that in Beaver and Butler County. The lessons at my barn in Allegheny County run $45-$65. I think the other major barns in the area are the same. Further north I'd bet you wouldn't pay more than $50 for a private.

The show scene is okay. There are a couple of local places that do unrated shows and a couple B and A ones. The people that compete at a national level end up at Chagrin (Ohio) and Kentucky. AA's not happening arond here. lol There are oodles of schooling shows.

[Ray]

Boston Area:
leasing price is going to be driven by price of board, which is pretty high if you are within 45 min of Boston. I dont know what field you are in, but I work in Worcester MA and we have some great schools out here (OK, I am biased.. I teach at one). Feel free to PM me.

[vxf111]

Can you tell us the field of study? My guess is computer engineering

[BostonHJ]

Boston area: expensive and almost a guaranteed long drive. Land is at a premium here even in the suburbs so even the barns closest to the city are by no means a short drive. A 15 mile drive may seem perfectly reasonable and something that will take you 20 minutes, but it will easily be 30-40 minutes in mid-day/off peak traffic and can turn into well over an hour during rush hour.

The land a premium thing also means riding is quite expensive. Full board at a place with an indoor, which is a necessity at least four months a year, is a minimum of $900 and can go WAAAY up from there depending on quality of instruction and proximity to the city. A half lease would be at least $500 and likely more if you are paying for half of the farrier and any lessons would be on top of that.

[jj90]

When I rode in Pittsburgh (in high school, so many years ago). There was really only one reasonably A-circuit kind of place. Bar Gee. The good news is-- it was (and from what I know, still is) a fabulous place. The bad news is that it was on par price wise with the most expensive barns I had seen in "horsey" areas of PA (i.e. Chester County, PA). And... you're still in a dead zone. A shows require a trip halfway across the state or to Ohio. I suspect there are a couple more good barns nowadays, but I also suspect that they're no "deal" price wise. You can find deals in the more sparsely populated/less metropolis parts of PA-- but Pittsburgh is still a city, with wealthy residents, land is at a premium, and good places charge accordingly. AND on top of that, it's a dead zone for hunter/jumpers. BUT a great city to live in, and there are some excellent graduate schools (depending on what you're studying). Good luck!

This is my recollection of the Pittsburgh area from when I lived there many years ago, possibly around the same time as you. Pricing was fairly comparable to SE PA/NJ area, but finding H/J barns was very difficult. I spent a lot of time in the Chagrin area. Nice city, but not sure I would choose to live there if I wanted to have a convenient, reasonably-priced H/J scene.

[alternate_universe]

This is my recollection of the Pittsburgh area from when I lived there many years ago, possibly around the same time as you. Pricing was fairly comparable to SE PA/NJ area, but finding H/J barns was very difficult. I spent a lot of time in the Chagrin area. Nice city, but not sure I would choose to live there if I wanted to have a convenient, reasonably-priced H/J scene.

There are 4 (that I can think of) very nice barns in the north suburbs that are either solely H/J or have a substantial H/J population. I think there may be a couple places in the south, but nothing that I've ever heard of to the east or west. Atleast not very fancy places with folks that compete beyond schooling shows or local stuff.

Basically, there are very pretty facilities if you look but not much in the way of top notch shows in the immediate area.

[SullyNYC]

Albany, NY area - pretty active H/J scene as it's close to Saratoga and close enough to Saugerties for HITS and Vermont. You'll find lessons run about $50 for a half hour private on pretty nice schoolies (2'6"-3' but unlikely higher) and $40 for an hour group. Lease fees vary based on board but are the typical 30% sale price plus board. There seem to be quite a lot of owners willing/looking to half lease or share board in that area so I'm sure you could find something like that. PM me if you want any specifics! And good luck with grad school!