how much money does it cost to spend the winter horse showing in florida?
i know that every barn is different, but i’m curious… how much money does it cost you to horse show down in FL for the winter? (about two months)
Which circuit are you talking about? The two big ones are HITS in Ocala and WEF in Wellington, though Tampa and Jacksonville have small shows as well. The prices will vary depending on which you do.
Let’s take a look at WEF since I’m most familiar with their prices. This year, stalls from December to April will be $5000 a piece. From January to April they’ll be $3000 a piece. That’s just for a dry stall at the show grounds. If you opt to board with a nearby barn, you’ll be looking at paying $1200 to $2000 a month for full care board (including feed, hay, shavings, turn out, tack up, etc.). Since you’ll be showing at one of the largest shows in the country, you’ll probably be looking at training fees. These can easily reach $500 or more a month, plus more for coaching at shows. Entry fees can be $35 to thousands for a class, and you’ll be doing about two or three classes a day three or four days a week. Admittedly, the classes with the huge entry fees are those which offer huge payouts, Grand Prix jumpers and hunter classics. There’s also shipping from wherever you are to FL. That can be in the hundreds or thousands depending on distance. Don’t forget normal expenses for the vet, farrier, dentist, etc. And what about your accommodations? You’ll need to rent an apartment or get a hotel room. Expect that to be in the thousands.
Showing at this level is very pricey. I don’t know of many ways to cut the expenses short of getting a position as a working student, and those jobs can be hard to get and don’t always pay for all of your expenses.
Ski Joring extreme winter horse-racing sport