# How much should lessons cost?



## wetrain17

The price for lessons can vary on what area you live in and who's teaching. In my area the average "backyard trainer" will charge $25/ hr private lesson. If you go to someone that is reputable, prices go up. If I take a lesson, I'll expect to pay anywhere from 60-75/hr private; but I will go to someone who is not a "backyard trainer" I know Todd Flettrich was charging $125/hr private about two years ago. However, that is for something far more advanced. If youre looking for your basic lesson, I'd say plan anywhere from 40-50 depending on where you live for a decent lesson.


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## kitten_Val

Depends on area. I'm taking private lessons (I had not luck progressing with group of semi), and the range is $50 - 80 for 45 mins. Group is cheaper (usually around $40). I'm talking about English lessons (dressage or jumping). 

P.S. I'm talking about reputable trainers and known barns, not some cheap BY trainer knowing nothing. Those could be anywhere $25 - 40, BUT it's a complete waste of money (even worse, because then you'll have to re-train the horse).


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## Cinder

It depends on your area and the instructor. 

how much do you pay for lessons?

$40 a week.

What discipline are they?

English.

Are they private or how many are in a group?

Two other people in my group.


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## ~*~anebel~*~

For my dressage lessons I pay $85/45 minutes plus stabling ($30/day - so $115 total) and trailering for 4 hours each way if I go to my coach's barn. Or $150/45 minutes plus travel (which we usually split, ends up like $20/lesson - so $170 total) if my coach comes up to my barn. And I consider that reasonable. I've paid up to $550/45 minutes in a clinic/symposium type setting before. 

For a good lower level coach, expect to be charged $40-50 for a 45 minute individual lesson and $30 for a group lesson in dressage. Anything less than that and you're likely paying for an uninsured, uneducated, lower level rider themselves. Always ask if the coach has insurance, and a quick Google search always pulls up good tidbits of info. USDF keeps a great, easily accessible record on everyone that's ridden in their shows so looking up results and levels ridden is really simple.

Good luck!!


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## WesternBella

I don't take lessons anymore, but I used to.

It was originally $21 an hour (group of 2-5 usually)
Or $36 an hour (private)

But then it was changed to 
$25 group
$35 private

They pretty much taught anything you wanted to do which ranged from learning to tack up & ride, barrel racing, WP, dressage, jumping, roping, steer wrestling, etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Canterklutz

I'd say the average going rate here is about $40-65 for a private 45-60min lesson with a decent instructor (English).


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## xJumperx

It varies. For the barns that people go to just to learn how to ride, podunk around, and just enjoy the ride, It's about $25 for a group lesson. $35 for private. Now, I'm currently taking lessons at a barn that centers around -showing- and making people show ring quality. You have to wear long boots/black half chaps, hair net, polo shirt, the whole get up just for lessons. It's because we are a representation of our trainer, and we need to look the part all the time. Now, she is also very fun, caring, and awesome. She's not all business, and we mess around and chat while we cool the horses down and whatnot. But when we are taking our lesson, your taking a lesson. And I love that enviroment!! But lessons here are $45, private only, plus a $10 haul-in fee if you don't board. So it's a big jump from our old price of $35, but we are learning so much more, so much better, so much more quickly.


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## farmpony84

I pay $80 for an hour and I haul 2 hours r/t to get there and back.


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## ChipsAhoy

The barns I've ridden at/trainers I've ridden with has really varied.

Used to take lessons that were $55 and hour for semi private
Have taken lessons that are $75 an hour for private
Currently take lessons that are $30 for private and the trainer travels to you


There's always a huge variation and it often depends on the level at which you're riding.


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## srh1

Yup... I'm gonna be broke. I was looking at stables in MI and one I was considering was $45 for 45 minutes. Which seems about right. I'm going to try out a couple and decide which one I feel like I'll learn the most at. 

That is a lot of money for a college student to be spending on something that seems unnecessary... I'm not entirely sure how I'm justifying this in my head. But I haven't taken lessons in so long!


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## Paintlover1965

My instructor is a certified English and Western coach and she charges $40 per hour and travels to us, she lives close by.


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## Chance59

Your location says western, ny. I'm in the Fingerlakes area, and pay $30.00 an hour for a private lesson. I know my instructor does travel for lessons, and he does training as well, but for me, he's just up the road, so I go to his barn. In this area, that's a good price, being way out in the middle of nowhere as we are!


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## Delfina

I think they *should* be free..... but apparently my trainer likes to eat and have a roof over her head. :lol:

$65 for an hour lesson IF there are multiple lessons (she travels to us and several of us will have back to back lessons) and $75 for an hour if only 1 person is having a lesson unless she happens to be in the general area for other reasons. Supposedly she will discount the $65 lesson if you haul to her training facility but I've never asked about it or done so.


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## Paradise

I used to pay $30 for an hour private lesson.

Then I switched, and went to a far better, more helpful and more experienced trainer who charges $25. How does that work? Anyways, I see it as I'm getting the best deal possible.

My trainer (who charges the $25) is, I guess what you guys are calling a 'backyard' trainer, but I absolutely disagree with it being said that they have nothing to offer and aren't worth the money. This trainer is extremely experienced and knowledgable. She has helped me more and brought me farther in the year I've been with her than the two and a half years I was at a 'reputable lesson barn'.

I think that if she set her place up to be a lesson barn and focused solely on lessons, she could charge a lot more, but her first job is training, not instructing. That's the reason I prefer her so much more to the typical lesson scenario.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't underestimate cheap, 'backyard' trainers. Prices are going to vary a bit in different areas, but being more expensive doesn't always mean you're more qualified.


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## Endiku

I have to agree with Paradise. Although there are definitely more bad than good 'backyard trainers', just because someone's prices are lower than $80 an hour or they aren't extremely well known does not make them a bad trainer. Different people need different types of training, and sometimes it just isn't necessary to pay that much for a big-name trainer if you're just looking for someone who is willing to help you strengthen your skills and get in tune with your horse- not go win national shows.

We give riding lessons where I work, and I'm an assistant instructor. The barn charges $35 per lesson for a group of 3-5 riders. While I'll admit right now that we are _not_ the place to go to if you're looking to ride fancy $10,000 horses and learn how to jump four foot fences or execute the perfect piaffe, we are perfectly capable of teaching SAFE, CORRECT riding that is based off of balance, thought, and communication- not training aids, whips, and mouth hauling. None of our instructors are world time champions and none of our horses are worth more than a few thousand dollars, but that doesn't make us no good. 

Before coming to the farm where I now work and take lessons, I went to another supposively 'higher quality' farm that charged $50 per group lesson and $65 for a private. Honestly though? I learned less there in a year of lessons than I did at this farm. They didnt teach me how to tack up, didn't teach me how to lead or cool out a horse, didn't teach me how to seek contact...the list goes on. And they had exactly the same type of horses we do. Retrained OTTBs, former ranch horses, all arounders. And if you wanted to hang around and watch or spend some time with the horses or some friends, you might as well forget it. Where I am now its pretty much a family atmosphere. You're always welcome and someone is always willing to teach you something or give you advice. I dont know about you guys but I'd much rather the personable, knowledgable trainer for $35.

OP, shop around a bit. Find someone who's teaching style you like, and go from there. Sit in on a few lessons if you can, ask them questions. You'll find someone!


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## cirrutopia

How much do you pay for lessons? $55 per hour, and I take a lesson every Friday... tomorrow YAY!

What discipline are they? English.

Are they private or how many are in a group? Private


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## Euphoria

Well I pay around 12.5 us dollars (it's 250000 Tomans) For one hour, it takes like 1,5h to get there, and it's group lessons , but I usually go there a bit soon so I can get private lessons


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## jinxremoving

I pay around $600 a month for 3 English lessons a week and it's still not enough!


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## Country Woman

My lessons are $ 28 for 45 minutes
here they range from $20 an hour - $60 and hour


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## HorseMom1025

We pay $40 per hour for group (2-4 riders) or $60 per hour for private lessons. Our trainer offers a discount if you pay for 6 lessons in advance. ($210 for group, $310 for private).

My 9 year old is basically taking "show" lessons. She shows in AQHA and open shows in both English and Western. We focus in English, but added Western because you must show both to have a chance at high point.

Our trainer has her own barn (but comes to ours once each week). She has credentials and her kids have won district, state an national titles.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kitten_Val

Endiku and Paradise, it very much depends on what kind of lessons you (general you) take with BY trainer (and what one mean by "BY trainer"  ). There is no way BY trainer with no show experience and riding experience to upper levels, who don't understand dynamics of the movement for the horse and rider (and many don't as sad as it is) and doesn't have tons of experience working with all kinds of students/horses, will be a good dressage trainer. I'm sorry, but I've never heard about or seen one like that. 

P.S. Expensive does NOT mean good either - I 100% degree. I pay less to both my trainers (dressage and eventer, both are well known and awesome to work with challenging riders and horses) than I paid to couple trainers I used before them who taught me almost nothing. Some trainers seem to ask too much for what they give in return. Just because you ride at GP level doesn't make you a good trainer either.


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## Endiku

I'm sorry, maybe I just brain farted and am not seeing it, but I never saw anything by the OP saying that she was taking dressage lessons? Yes, ofcourse you need a high level trainer that is most likely going to cost you a lot of money if you want to get into the upper levels of dressage, but that doesn't mean that you can't learn a lot from a trainer who never made it to nationals.

We have three instructors at our farm. All of them had significant formal training in their younger years, and all of them showed. One of them did show with AQHA for about seven years, another is still competing actively in dressage at Third Level with her imported Hanoverian gelding. The other broke horses for a living until she was injured badly enough to need to find a different occupacion. The other was just a simple ranch hand for over 30 years of his life (he is now in his mid 60s) and broke horses, rode the range, and worked cattle. All three are capable trainers even though they might not be able to train someone up into FEI levels of dressage or take a Quarter Horse to congress. They may of been able to, given the chance and money- but none had the financial backing or time to make that happen. Not everyone can shell out that kind of money.

All I'm saying is that you can't always go by how sucessful a person was in the show ring, where they've been, or how ritzy of a place they work at is. There are plenty of honest, well taught people out there. You just have to look for them.

That being said, I'm NOT telling the OP to go get lessons from someone who just wants to make a bit of extra cash with their horses, or someone who isnt insured or set up to give lessons properly. I'm saying to weight your options and not count someone out just because they didnt have the same opportunities as other equestrians.


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## kitten_Val

Endiku said:


> We have three instructors at our farm. All of them had significant formal training in their younger years, and all of them showed. One of them did show with AQHA for about seven years, another is still competing actively in dressage at Third Level with her imported Hanoverian gelding. The other broke horses for a living until she was injured badly enough to need to find a different occupacion. The other was just a simple ranch hand for over 30 years of his life (he is now in his mid 60s) and broke horses, rode the range, and worked cattle. All three are capable trainers even though they might not be able to train someone up into FEI levels of dressage or take a Quarter Horse to congress. They may of been able to, given the chance and money- but none had the financial backing or time to make that happen. Not everyone can shell out that kind of money.


I would never call such trainers BY. By capable trainer I do NOT mean the one who'd take you to GP level, but someone who will make you and the horse progress successfully in riding/balance. 

And by BY I mean some self-taught "guru" not knowing how to ride/train him/herself, having no idea about basics, etc. As sad as it is I see quite a bit of such "trainers". They are cheap - that's for sure, but those money is nothing but waste.


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## TamHorseGirl

I live in an expensive part of the country (with horses-even more expensive)

I pay $80/lesson (with trainers well-known in my area). Short lesson and private, or long lesson and group.

My old barn was around $50-55 a lesson, but not nearly as good instruction, and up to 9 people in a lesson!


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## justxride97

Of course it depends on where you go but: 
How much do you pay for lessons?

$30

What discipline are they?

English

Are they private or how many are in a group?

Usually private

My instructor was certified and went to collage for it. Usually it's cheaper if they didn't. Maybe like $25 then.


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## horsebarter

I would say £35-£50 ($50-80) for around 1 hour.


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## starfia

When I first started beginner lessons in groups of 8 people, it was £25 for an hour.
One on one at that school was £40 for an hour.

I now pay £20 for an instructor at my yard using my loan horse, for half hour.

I do English riding

Not sure what prices that is in $$


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## 2BigReds

When I still lived in BFE...
1st trainer: $20/1hr group (sometimes 13+! :shock for beginner, intermediate, and gymkhana.
2nd trainer: $35/1 hr private for WP/equitation, reining later on if you wanted

In the SF Bay...
Current trainer: $65/45mins private, $55/45 mins small group, primarily dressage but she trains low level western as well (used to train primarily western YEARS ago)
Different trainer at our barn: $40/1hr private for WP, reining, and hunt seat, primarily AHA geared

Not sure what the other trainers at our barn charge (we have 5 atm), but thank god I'm working for my lessons instead of paying out of pocket!


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## Aennikay

I used to take lessons for around 75 $ (60€).
But I think it depends on how good you are or how long you've been riding for. I think the first lesson is always the one that is the most expensive. But I don't remember how much it was.


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## sapphiresrider

I pay £16 for an hour of a group lesson, with about 3 other people in it, all areas.


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## Black Out

$40 for one lesson weekly in hunt seat with my hunter coach. It's an hour long and is private but sometimes other people are in the arena warming up. I'm trying to get my mom to let me take two weekly but I'm not sure if we can afford it. I'm happy riding two-three times everyday though.


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