Classical Training: Letting Go of a Social Life and Bank Balance

Training

Training Your Horse

There are two things for certain in the world of dressage: one is that your friends and family will get very used to telling people that the reason you are not attending the party/dinner/anniversary/parade/gala/whatever is because you are with the horses. The other is that you can kiss goodbye any chance of having a happy savings account.

When I was in high school my friends actually stopped bothering to invite me to weekend parties, because they already knew I would have a horse competition. Or whenever I would ask mum about the rollarblades or the trampoline that I suddenly decided I had to have, she would quickly remind me that I had two very expensive versions of the trampoline over at the stables and that I better go and clean their boxes out.

Also starting her career at a very young age, Hungarian rider Réka Kristóf's days are centred around her horses and workouts and she is lucky to have the financial support of her parents. "At age 17 it doesn’t really affect my financial life, but it of course has an affect on my parents'," says Reka. "They have had to spend money on horses, that my family wanted to spend on extra holidays. However, they never told me that my horses or competitions are a waste of money and they try to help me to go to as many competitions as I can. And I usually have to decide whether I spend my pocket money on horses or myself. "

At an age when party invites and social events are usually top priority, Reka admitted that unfortunately her friends are upset with her a lot and that most of the time she has to say “no” to invitations. "If they want to go somewhere on weekends I don’t have time, or I am already tired in the evenings after training. But I have great friends and they understand that this is very important for me, and they come to see me at competitions as well but I am trying to keep the healthy balance between my social life and riding. And of course I have friends from the team so usually I am in my friends' company in the stable too."

Chloe Vell on her FEI pony Danger in 2011 According to British young rider Chloe Vell, her greatest sacrifice, is free time. "I don't have any," the 16-year old stressed."So it usually means I am training instead of socialising and resting. I sacrifice time with friends, parties, family occasions, holidays!"

Again having a greater impact on her parents than herself, Chloe realizes they must find the money to fund training, competitions, purchases, livery etc, and so they must often work long hours to try and support her expensive dream. "I haven't had a birthday present for years because we spend it on the horses. I am lucky to do some part-time modelling which I can use for extras my horse needs," Vell explained. "My parents buy less for themselves and do not spend so much on holidays so we can continue competing at this level. I am more fortunate than many who cannot afford to keep a horse."

With many missed birthday parties and concerts, Chloe confessed that school work also takes a hit and quite often she has to call on friends to bring her all the missed school assignments. "I have missed friends' parties all the time, I missed my cousin's 21st, I miss concerts friends have gone to, I have missed some great modelling jobs that have clashed with competitions and I have missed sporting events for other sports I do. All the time!"

Marne Martin-Tucker and Royal Coeur at the 2011 World Young Horse Championships Chief Financial Officer in the software/IT industry, American Marne Martin-Tucker grew up on cattle ranches, played polo and did a mixture of jumping and eventing before switching to dressage in the winter of 2003/2004. "I was able to train my third dressage horse up to Grand Prix, and have also participated in the World Championships for young dressage horses," said Marne proudly.

As a dressage rider with vast financial knowledge, Marne believes that most people own horses for pleasure or competitive goals, which usually do not prioritise a business purpose. "There are ways of making money from horses if that is the primary aim, just look at the Schockemohle-Kasselmann PSI breeding stallion-sales model," she explained. "However, dressage horses don't earn prize money and unless you are able to have your own low cost stable and ride them yourself with a well-developed clientele it is very hard to make money."

In order to view horses as an investment, Marne thinks you must have a keen eye for those special horses that will not only dramatically appreciate in value, but are also likely to stay sound. "For me, I do it for the love of the horses, and for that reason I do it more for enjoyment and passion for the sport than to make money," says Marne.

Like Marne, most of us are driven by the great feeling we get working as one with our horse. Our sport sure has its sacrifices, but at the end of the day what other sport has equipment that you can claim as your best friend! "What is worth all of the sacrifices at the end of the day is that I spend some precious time with my horses, I learn something new and that everyday I'm a little closer to my biggest dreams," Reka concluded.