Fairway Farms

11/30/2023

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💥 MARK YOUR CALENDERS TO JOIN US FOR GREAT PROGRAM! 💥 FREE TO ATTEND. BRING A LAWN CHAIR AND HOT DOG ROASTING STICK.

11/01/2023

Congratulations Caitlyn Knight on winning the drawing for a free lesson!

10/23/2023

Our fan club at the rodeo this past weekend, we love these girls!

10/11/2023

Had some good people come over to get rodeo ready tonight. Blessed to live this life.

10/04/2023

10/02/2023

Some great shots of the Fairway Farms crew from Saturdays show! Thank you Ga Equine and Ag Photos

10/01/2023

The whole Fairway Farms crew had a fantastic day at the show! Piper took 2nd in peewee, Sadie made a nice solid 3D run, Gracie had a gorgeous run, and Chick and I put together a nice run to win the 3D! Attached is a video of Chick and I. I will post more pictures of everyone in the next few days. Thanks to all my amazing clients that allow me the privilege of teaching these kids! We are very blessed!

09/30/2023

💥Show Day!💥

Good luck to the Fairway Farms girls today! Y’all have worked hard all month now have some fun! Prayers for safe runs and safe travels!

09/21/2023

Beautiful night for lessons! No filter just gods work!

09/14/2023

Parents please double check your children turn the lights out.

09/06/2023

It turns out, Fairway Farms has sunsets that are just as beautiful as ours!

09/05/2023

"I didn't think riding lessons would cost that much..."
Well. We wish it didn't. But, if you don't own your own horse and you ride a school horse (horse owned by a riding barn), there is a harsh reality behind the expenses.

As the cost of living for everyone increases, our horses are no exception to that. The days of $5 60lb good quality hay bales is over. Grain is no longer $15 per 50lb bag. So how much does it actually cost today (in 2023, in North East America)?

Let's break it down...
Hay $12 per 40lb bale - 1 bale / day = $360 / month (no access to pasture + free choice hay)
Grain - $30 / bag - 1 bag / week = $120 / month
Bedding - $7 / bag - 3 bags / week = $84 / month

(For reference, these numbers used to be $5 / bale, $15 / bag, $5 / bag )

So far, for just basic supplies for your horse we are at $564 (in comparison to 5 years ago it being $270), excluding any labor costs or facility costs....let's keep going.

Your stall fee (mortgage/rental) will run $350 / month on the low end (with an indoor arena). I have seen dry stall fees cost as much as $500 as well.

The following fees would be divided amongst horses on the property...

Insurance $50 / month
Manure removal / arena/facility maintenance $50 / month on the low end
Utilities $75 / month

Without labor, we are at $1,089.00

Let's say your horse gets a total of thirty minutes of care each day (turn in, turn out, stall cleaning, water bucket refills/cleaning). That 30 minutes probably doesn't include blanket changes or any additional services aside from general care.

Good barn help will not get out of bed for anything less than $20 / hour, so totaling per month your horse would cost $300 per month, assuming your horse didn't recieve more than 30 minutes of care each day. If you run your facility plus teach, you can't be in 2 places at once, so some help is necessary, especially if you don't cut corners in your care.

We are now at $1389.00

We have not accounted for vetting, farrier, or supplements. Let's do that now.

Farrier - $250 every 5 weeks (low end) so let's call it $200 every month (my personal farrier charges $275-325 for 4 shoes, but to keep Facebook from resulting in uproar over expensive shoeing costs - I've estimated it low)
Vet - assuming your horse is healthy annually you would spend maybe $700 so let's say $60 per month if divided
Supplements - that tried and true schoolmaster you ride probably needs some joint support, so let's buy a lower end joint supplement at $50 / month

We added an additional $310.

Your school horse now costs $1,699.00 per month, and there are many more costs associated (like your tack, equipment, tractor, trucks, trailers, etc)

Okay. So how does this school horse pay for himself? Let's say the horse does two 1 hour lessons per day, 5 days a week. That means the horse can produce income 40 hours out of the month. To break EVEN (theoretically, because any horse owner knows the pricing listed above isn't even as comprehensive as it should be) you would need to make sure the horse worked twice a day, 5 days a week, and charge $42.50 per lesson.
Realistically, If you do not overwork your school horse, the horse is probably working 30 hours per month, which would bring us to having to charge $60 per one hour lesson to break even.
But wait....Our instructor hasn't even gotten paid yet! So let's give them $20 per hour, which of course is low. And for reference, that would mean your instructor makes $600 per month.
Now we're at $80 per lesson.

So when you call any facility, and their lesson price is $80 or less, think of this cost break down!
We don't do this for money. We do it because we love to share our passion with the next generation of riders. We wish this weren't the case financially, like the rest of America and how the economy is. We want so badly to have horses be affordable for everyone, but these are the real, true, uncensored costs of owning a horse today. If riding schools don't charge what they need to in order to stay afloat, I fear one day the horse industry will not have school horses, and the only people who will be able to ride are the ones that can afford horse ownership outright, and then pay for lessons on top of that.

*disclaimer* these prices are based on our experience of pricing in the industry. Pricing may vary based on care and diet provided to horse, area of the country, and specific horse requirements. This pricing is assuming the horse is receiving top level but basic care (free choice hay, quality grain, etc). There may be cheaper options available and there may be more expensive options available. I'm sure there will be many comments that say "those are low" or "those prices are high". We are happy to share receipts as these are the legitimate prices we pay!

08/23/2023

The whole Fairway Farms crew had a great time at the nbha show this past Saturday. Everyone came home with points and/or money! These girls have been working hard in the practice pen and it’s showing!

08/19/2023

Show day! Good luck to all they Fairway Farm kids competing today!

08/07/2023

I get ghosted a lot when people receive lesson prices after asking for them. “That much?!? For an 8 year old!? That’s absurd!!!” I think the shock comes mainly from misunderstanding the nature of the business. There are many, many factors to consider when signing you or your child up for any type of lesson. In *most* instances, a participant in an activity is learning how to handle inanimate objects, preform a task solo, or work with a group of other individuals who are mainly self sustaining. However, riding lessons require two athletes and a coach that can simultaneously watch and critique both athletes, of two different species, while keeping the biomechanical and mental health of both in good working order.

When you pay a facility for lessons you are paying for (at minimum) the following:

1) Years and years of lesson expenses, where a trainer dedicated their time to becoming an expert in their field.
2) Continuing education or peer review. A trainer who is doing the BEST for their students and equines will either have accolades, be in consistent lessons, or will be showing in a discipline (and often all of the above). All of which cost time, money, and labor.
3) The facility. A mortgage or lease. The electric bill that covers fans/lights run in the barn, arena lights, structural insurance, etc.
4) Professional liability insurance. Don’t ask how much that costs in the equine world. It’ll hurt your feelings. 🥴
5) Bare minimum nutrition for the horses. Quality feed and hay—and y’all, that stuff ain’t cheap. Plus fresh water at all times.
6) Labor. Whether that be from the instructor tuning up horses, paying a trainer to ride lesson horses, or farm hands who muck stalls, mow the grass, feed the horses, etc.
7) Taxes—cause, well…Uncle Sam.
8.) An accountant to make sure you don’t genuinely screw your whole business up.
9) Fuel—yes…fuel is a BIG one. Fuel to drag pastures, to drag arena, to put hay out, to travel to the facility to teach or take lessons, fuel to run the water truck, fuel to go to PL Woodard Hardware to pick up parts for things that fall apart on a daily basis.
10) Maintenance. That fence, ain’t gunna fix itself. Let’s factor in the cost of insulators, wire, posts, etc. Did I mention you need labor to put those things up? And good labor to make sure the fencing is safe for the equines. Anyone can rig a fence, but horses can be bubble wrapped and still injure themselves.
11) Routine care. Twice a year the vet comes for vaccines. Every SIX WEEKS a farrier has to do a horse’s feet. Dental work should be done every 6 months to a year, depending on the horse. PEMF, Chiro, and body work are needed for some horses also. Oh! And don’t forget injections that cost several hundred dollars every 6 months to 2 years.
12) Ever had to go to the ER or Urgent care? Yeah, horses need those emergency bills paid too when they decide to impale themselves on something it shouldn’t even be possible to impale anything on.
13) Barn supplies and equipment: fly spray, grooming supplies, water buckets, water troughs, feed bins, hoses, zip ties, duct tape, light bulbs, brooms, mowers, tractors, weedeaters, bush hogs, tractor drags, golf cart/side by side to do chores on, a dependable truck and trailer for emergency vet visits, tires, oil changes, etc.
14) Helmets. Those need to be replaced every couple years.
15) The time someone spent marketing to even let you know there are lessons available.
16) TACK! GOOOOOOD Tack. Tack that won’t sore you up and teach you bad habits. Tack that won’t sore up your horse. Tack that won’t break in the middle of your ride. And the upkeep of that tack requires supplies like leather conditioner, brushes, rags, etc.
17) Oh! And let’s see….horses! Have y’all checked out the horse market recently? “Pick two: sound, cheap, broke.” If you can find a GOOD, SAFE, SOUND lesson horse, you’re paying a pretty penny to purchase it. You’re also paying a good penny to keep it broke and/or keep it maintained.
18) There’s so much more, but this is the general info that I can come up with off the top of my head without getting into the nitty gritty.

So if you see somewhere that’s charging the same price as ballet lessons for riding lessons, you probably need to walk away….And yes, your 8 year old should pay more for lessons than an 18 year old, because you need someone special, patient, and super detail oriented to work with the 8 year old. “They just want to ride. They don’t want to learn anything else. We don’t need to learn how to tack up or clean a saddle.” Well, put a quarter in the horse at the mall. These equines have a special job—to teach people how to safely interact with and communicate with their species. They are living, being creatures and riding facilities owe these horses welfare.

A lot of people have no idea what goes into it, but I hope this short list gives insight as to why it can be costly to go to a good facility for lessons.

And that’s all I got to say about that. 🤠

COPIED FROM A FRIEND

08/05/2023

Now that we are all settled in I am going to open my schedule to take on a few more students! It’s not often that I have openings so if you have been wanting to schedule now is the time!

07/30/2023

The OG of Fairway Farms has made his way back. Welcome back Dakota.

07/29/2023

Good luck 🍀 to all the qualified for finals today at the NBHA YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! May your runs be clean, your smiles be big and your ponies and you be safe! God bless and traveling mercies home!

07/02/2023

06/07/2023

Y’all read that number 2 twice

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

05/22/2023

Arena getting broke in and arrowhead hunting underway.

05/07/2023

Kids did great at the show yesterday! Good day spent with great people!!!

John Wayne once said “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

It takes a lot for anyone to stand in front of a crowd. It takes even more for a 7 yr old to saddle a horse and ride in front of an arena full of strangers.

Courage is learned through adversity, practice and patience. It’s taught by incredible trainers like Brittany Schmidt. We are so thankful for the many lessons learned. You aren’t just teaching these kids how to ride horses. These girls will forever know the value of hard work, they will always know that small steps lead to great strides, and I’m sure they will never forget that sometimes you gotta step through crap to feel the wind between a horse’s ears.

I’m so proud of this little girl, being scared and pushing through anyways, always knowing that we are behind her, and her sweet friend Rio is there with her.

05/04/2023

Beautiful day for lessons.

01/06/2023

We wanna thank everyone on behalf of The Spurred to Victory crew and ourselves for a great turnout tonight and a great message. We appreciate y’all and god bless!

01/05/2023

Todays the day!!

💥 JUST ANNOUNCED!💥 So happy to announce we are having our 2nd annual SPURRED TO VICTORY! event, where we have an evening of fellowship and learning through gods presences in one of the most beautiful animals he’s ever created! Please join us! Bring a chair you don’t wanna miss this!

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas to all our friends and clients. Remember today is the day our savior was born! It’s the reason for the season. Blessed with and love y’all.

12/19/2022

💥 JUST ANNOUNCED!💥 So happy to announce we are having our 2nd annual SPURRED TO VICTORY! event, where we have an evening of fellowship and learning through gods presences in one of the most beautiful animals he’s ever created! Please join us! Bring a chair you don’t wanna miss this!

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and clients! With all going on we still have so much to be thankful for! Hope y’all have a day full of blessings and laughter! If anyone has no place to go you’re welcome at our table. God bless.