Save n’ Show
We all know that showing horses or just even having horses can sometimes be very pricey. But to save your wallet I have found an article by the American Quarter Horse Association to help you show n’ save.
“AQHA Professional Horsewoman Nancy Cahill” recommends showing with a group. If you don’t have sleeping quarters in your trailer she recommends booking a hotel room together and sharing rooms. She mentions, “very little time is spent in the hotel room, so bunking together is a painless way to save money.” While going in a group or by yourselves, you can plan your meals out to your budget length. Snacks can be a key essential food item on busy days in between classes.
At the show, if you and your horse are comfortable, you can go without renting a stall or getting a hotel. “Liz Carpenter of Nashville, Tennessee” says one day shows can be very beneficial if you’re trying to win a few extra points and don’t want to break the bank doing it by finding competitions in your area.
The AQHA article also talks about how individuals have saved for bigger shows. By making custom show shirts and horse slinkies to offering a service of banding or braiding to others. If you want to make money and help others DIY projects or services to others (stall cleaning, banding/braiding, etc.) can be very beneficial to you and your equestrian competitors.
There are ways to cut a budget in almost every way. I know that when I showed as a youth, my mom and I were always looking for ways to cut the cost down from showing. Here are some of things we did:
- Sold custom competition apparel
- Shopped at companies that gave youth discounts for tack and grooming supplies.
- Wisconsin Midwest Horse Fair is a place to find great deals.
- Bought in bulk so we could have food or snacks ready for the next show
- Borrowed tack and show clothes from older friends
- Roomed or traveled with other equestrian friends
- I cleaned carriages at my towns Carriage Classic Show
