09/11/2026
This week we’ve been asking ourselves a question that, honestly, is getting harder and harder to ignore:
When do we reach the point where we have to admit that horses are becoming a sport for only the very privileged?
Running a lease program for kids and young adults is getting harder and harder. The costs keep piling up — boarding, farrier care, tack, insurance, veterinary bills (especially the unexpected ones), show expenses… it all adds up.
And this sport is getting closer and closer to a place where a middle-class family simply can’t afford it anymore.
As trainers, many of us have been absorbing the difference for as long as we possibly can. We pay ourselves less than minimum wage because we want to make sure our assistants are paid fairly, our horses are cared for properly, and the kids still have an opportunity to ride and show.
Because that feels like the right thing to do.
For us, this program exists because we love horses. And because we love seeing kids experience this sport without their families having to purchase a $10,000 or $20,000 horse and then take on another $1,000+ every month for boarding and training.
But dang… it’s hard.
It absolutely kills us to raise our prices when we know what that increase can mean for a family.
What if Lily’s family can’t afford it anymore because we raised our prices?
What if Sarah can only come once a week instead of two or three times?
These kids love “their” horses. They love their time at the barn. For some of them, the barn is one of the few places they have where they feel happy, connected, and like they belong.
And that matters.
We have also been incredibly lucky over the years to have people trust us with leasing their amazing, top-quality show horses to our program. We owe those owners a tremendous amount. Without their generosity and trust, we simply could not do what we do.
At the same time, there is a line we refuse to cross.
We aren’t going to put our horses into extra lessons and rides every single day just to make the numbers work. They deserve better than that. Their well-being has to come first, even when that makes the business side harder.
So what’s left?
Sometimes, honestly, it feels like there’s no good answer.
There are nights we lie awake trying to figure out how to make the numbers work. How to keep the program affordable. How to pay our people fairly. How to take care of the horses the way they deserve. How to keep giving these kids the opportunities that mean so much to them.
Because at the end of the day, we didn’t start our lease program because it was an easy business model.
We did it because we love horses.
We did it because we believe kids should have the opportunity to fall in love with them, too.
And because if we don’t find ways to make this sport accessible to the next generation, who will be left to carry it forward?
Maybe the answer isn’t simple. Maybe there isn’t one.
But we’re going to keep trying.
We’ll keep looking for ways to make the numbers work without compromising the horses, our staff, or the quality of care we provide.
Because we believe the horse industry needs to make room for the next generation — not just the families who can afford the biggest checks.
The future of our sport depends on finding a way to keep kids in the saddle. ❤️🐴
(Copied and pasted - Author unknown)
