03/18/2026
Such a true statement!! I’ll never forget being Shamed by a trainer a couple of years ago for my prices but then complained to me on how she couldn’t get her regular farrier out, and then praised me when she needed a horse done last minute because it was being sold
I’m always seeing posts looking for someone “affordable” the word they aren’t saying is “cheap”
When it comes to small businesses and horses, unfortunately we aren’t a chain business and can’t give you “the best deal in town” if anyone is out there saying they are the cheapest around they are only playing themselves and aren’t really running a business, they have a hobby.
This is our full time job and how we make an income, sure you might find some in the equine industry that fluctuates on pricing but at the end of the day, it should be quality work you’re getting, unfortunately some sacrifice quality for pricing.
Having horses cost money, wanting to participate in something with horses costs money and the ones running these businesses shouldn’t be shamed in how they run their business to afford to live.
If you don’t like the costs of having horses and having equine professionals work with them, nobody is stopping you from picking another hobby
Be fair with people, don’t be cheap
🐴👍🏾
There’s been a lot of conversation lately about making the horse world more “affordable” and accessible for beginners, and I think that matters. A lot.
Horses shaped who I am. They taught me work ethic, responsibility, grit and now I get to watch that same transformation happen in kids coming through our program. That part is priceless.
But here’s the piece that’s often left out: affordability cannot come at the expense of the people already carrying the weight of this industry.
Barn owners, lesson instructors, and horse owners have been overworked and underpaid for far too long and too often made to feel guilty for charging what they’re actually worth.
Because the reality is…horses are expensive. Even the most “low maintenance” horse costs thousands of dollars a year to properly care for. Add in the physical, financial, and emotional demands of running a farm, and this isn’t a hobby on our end—it’s a livelihood.
Yes, there are bigger-picture issues. Fewer small breeders. A growing gap between everyday riders and six-figure show horses. Those things matter, too.
But in the meantime, how do we create real, sustainable entry points for beginners…without expecting horse professionals to subsidize it?
Lessons help. Camps help (though even those have been harder to fill lately). But clearly, there’s still a gap.
So I’m genuinely asking: what are solutions that support both accessibility for newcomers and sustainability for the people keeping this industry going?
Because it has to be both.
PC 📸: T C Photo Co.