# Average cost to show on a barn horse?



## uflrh9y

I was wondering what the average cost should be to use a lesson horse to show? My daughter takes lessons at an Arab barn and during the show season she shows on her lesson horse (there are usually 2 other riders who use the same horse in other classes). I know that there are so many costs and fees that go into showing like trailering/gas, getting the horse ready, borrowing their tack, and then all the show fees. However, I have been told that what we are paying is way more then any other barn charges but because this we have only been their for a year and we have only done one show so far, I am not sure. 

Can anyone give me an average of what they pay or think one should pay?


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## DancingArabian

It's going to vary by level of training of the horse and the show and the area you're in. What are you being charged, what does it include and what are you expected to pay for?

Things that I think you should anticipate paying for:
- not all barns will allow you to show a horse that you are not leasing so, lease fees
- associated horse care costs of leasing
- entry fees
- all grounds fees (stall, bedding, etc)
- trailering to and from ($1-2 per mile)
- coaching for the day of
- may have to rent tack or buy your own
- show clothes

At my last barn, you could expect to pay at least $100 to go schooling off site with the coach using your own horse and tack. It was more often around $150 and it was for at most an hour of riding.
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## HorseMom1025

My daughter showed the school horses before we started leasing and finally owned our own horse.

Horse rental for day: $40
Trailer ride within 25 miles of barn: $25
Add $1 for every mile over 25, max 75 miles.
Office fee: $10-$12
Open Show entry: $8 per class or $50 for all day
Breed show entry: $12 per class or $80 for all day
Both Open and Breed classes all day: $100
Stall rental (optional): $15-$20 per day
Shavings for stall: $9 per bag (4 bags needed to cover stall floor)
Trainer Fee: $40 per day
Tack stall fee (usually split between everyone showing with your barn): $5-$8 per day

This is just a list of what is paid to the show office and barn. It does not include tack, grooming/bathing supplies, show clothes, feed, hay (I buy a bale and bring it with us). There are lots of "one time" expenses just to get ready to show. Kitten has specific show boots, saddle pads, helmets, etc just for showing.

On average, I budget $250-$300 for "away" shows that include a night at the hotel. For local shows, we just show out of our trailer and I average $150-$200.

We're in North Texas and show in open, AQHA and 4H shows...usually within 75 miles of home. These are mostly rail classes (performance halter, western showmanship, western pleasure, walk/trot/lope, English equitation, hunter under saddle, trail).

Hope this helps!
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## HorseMom1025

I also want to note that we were never expected to share our horse at a show. I would have found that very stressful! Once the horse arrived at the show, he was turned over to the care of our trainer and my daughter.

If you do have to share a horse, I would expect the fees to be shared equally between all riders (with the exception of the trainer's fees).
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## uflrh9y

HorseMom, thank you. That is about how much my friends have said. The highest quote I got was $500. Let's just say what we are paying is A LOT more then that and I am starting to wonder why? (plus that does not include what I ave to budget for hotel)
I don't want to move barns because I really love her trainer and the best thing is my son is best friends with their son so he is never bored, especially at shows. I would pay extra just for that! LOL But I just can't wrap my brain around why it is so much. 

Oy, I have some thinking to do. Thanks again ladies.


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## HorseMom1025

Wow! The ONLY time I spent $500 was for a show at the Ft. Worth stockyards (Horse-O-Rama)... and that included a stall for 3 days (Friday-Sunday), two nights at a hotel, food for the humans and hay for Acey. Now for that one we had our own trailer and horse. Our total "show fees" were probably $275 of that $500.

Perhaps you should ask for an itemized breakdown of the cost. Also, I usually register my daughter myself. I download the show bill, select her classes (with her coach's input), and take care of her entry fees. Her coach will reserve the stalls (so we ensure we are all together), and I pay her our stall fees (horse and tack stall) and trainer's fee.
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## eclipseranch

uflrh9y said:


> HorseMom, thank you. That is about how much my friends have said. The highest quote I got was $500. Let's just say what we are paying is A LOT more then that and I am starting to wonder why? (plus that does not include what I ave to budget for hotel)
> I don't want to move barns because I really love her trainer and the best thing is my son is best friends with their son so he is never bored, especially at shows. I would pay extra just for that! LOL But I just can't wrap my brain around why it is so much.
> 
> Oy, I have some thinking to do. Thanks again ladies.


sometimes its as simple as the particular trainer...their experience level & credentialing..there is no official certification to be a trainer that is required but some actually carry college degrees in their field.....if you are happy & didn't mind paying the amnt before then be happy & figure you are getting what you are paying for (especially if there are other perks involved)


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## uflrh9y

eclipseranch said:


> sometimes its as simple as the particular trainer...their experience level & credentialing..there is no official certification to be a trainer that is required but some actually carry college degrees in their field.....if you are happy & didn't mind paying the amnt before then be happy & figure you are getting what you are paying for (especially if there are other perks involved)


Yep, you are right. I think the first show I was skeptical but realized after she did so well that they obviously know what they are doing.


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## HorseMom1025

I would be interested to get a breakdown of the fees. Honestly if the show fees are in line and it's the trainer fee taking your show costs to well over $500...I don't know. Our trainer charges $40 per day and has between 3 and 5 students at every show. My daughter gets plenty of attention before her classes, lots of support and our kids always place in the ribbons. 

If this is a local show and the show fees run in the high average of $200-$300...then that tells me that your trainer is charging another $200-$300 per show just for a horse (shared) and her coaching fees. I don't know of ANY trainer whose show fees are that high.

I would still ask her to break down the fees for you. It's not an unreasonable request...if she refuses, that tells you something about your trainer. Fees should be transparent. While she deserves to be paid for her time and resources, it should be fair to BOTH parties.
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## HorseMom1025

I almost wonder if she is charging you her normal hourly rate for the show ($40-$50 per hour I assume?). If the show is 8-10 hours long...that could be between $320-$500 per show. I would object to paying that much if she is dividing her time between multiple students. Just doing the math, if she has 3 students, she's making $960-$1,500 for one day of work.
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## Cinder

Well, at my old barn it was (about):

$30 horse use fee for one day
$50 trainer fee (and I got no attention from my trainer lol)
Then class fees. This was for a "fun show" type thing. 

Now I lease (and am at a new barn), so I don't know what the horse use fee for my barn is. But we are required to wear proper attire (tall boots, coat, etc) no matter the level of show, and we also have to pay class fees and such. For my last show it was about $160 for classes and show fees, then we had:

$20 trainer fee
$40 trailer fee

and probably something I'm forgetting.


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## SunnyK01

Are your friends comparing similiar situations when they say you are paying way more? Meaning, are they comparing the same level of show, breed of horse, etc.? If they are showing open shows or one day shows and you are showing multi day breed shows, there will be a huge cost difference.

Honestly, for a class A Arabian show, $500 for a weekend sounds about right. Probably higher than that - possibly even double - for a regional or national show.

I know from your other posts that your daughter shows at a very well known and competitive Arabian barn, and I would be willing to bet that if you looked at the other Arabian barns in this area, their rates are probably that high as well. I showed on my own -not with a trainer- when I showed the Arab circuit, but I had friends who showed with training barns and they would pay trainer fees of a few hundred dollars (and more) per show even when showing their own horses as opposed to barn owned horses. You are paying a cut of the trainers hotel room, gas to get there, loss of revenue from not being at home training and teaching lessons, etc.


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## uflrh9y

SunnyK01 said:


> Are your friends comparing similiar situations when they say you are paying way more? Meaning, are they comparing the same level of show, breed of horse, etc.? If they are showing open shows or one day shows and you are showing multi day breed shows, there will be a huge cost difference.
> 
> Honestly, for a class A Arabian show, $500 for a weekend sounds about right. Probably higher than that - possibly even double - for a regional or national show.
> 
> I know from your other posts that your daughter shows at a very well known and competitive Arabian barn, and I would be willing to bet that if you looked at the other Arabian barns in this area, their rates are probably that high as well. I showed on my own -not with a trainer- when I showed the Arab circuit, but I had friends who showed with training barns and they would pay trainer fees of a few hundred dollars (and more) per show even when showing their own horses as opposed to barn owned horses. You are paying a cut of the trainers hotel room, gas to get there, loss of revenue from not being at home training and teaching lessons, etc.


You are absolutely right. I think the more I read from others and think about it, it is probably exactly how much it should be. They don't do any shows lower the Class A and their whole purpose if to get to Nationals. I have to now decide what I can afford and hat our goals are. Thanks everyone!


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## verona1016

It sounds like you're just paying a single large fee to the trainer? She should be able to give you a breakdown of what you're paying for (even just a verbal summary would probably be informative). This also lets you know what to expect from her- if you're paying for X hours of coaching during the show, then you should expect to have her undivided attention for that amount of time. If you're not being charged to coach at the show, then you can't expect the same level of service.

I've shown barn horses that I was half-leasing at the time, but have never paid any show-related fees directly to my trainer. My barn, however, is pretty low-key and just does local shows.


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