09/05/2024
"How much for a lesson and what is included in that cost?"
How many trainers, stables, owners hear this question? We give a simple price and simple answer of $60 per 60 minutes for a private lesson, etc.
But what we really should be saying is you get all of this:
You get the years of knowledge and experience that a breeder put into breeding a quality animal that will be rideable.
You get the years of experience that it took to be able to properly select a horse safe enough for a lesson for your child.
You get the years of time spent by trainers and instructors putting education and mileage on the lesson horse to know how to do its job.
You get to use my tack that I spent hours searching for at the right price and fit, the saddle, bridle, martingales, bit, saddle pad, girth, half-pad. The halter and lead rope that brings it from the field. The hoof pick, curry comb, brushes, shampoo, hoses, buckets that we purchased to properly groom and bathe the lesson horse to keep them healthy for your lesson. You get the hay, grain, water, fly spray, wormer, vet bills, farrier and medicine, supplements, shavings, stall mats, barn, fencing, electricity, insurance, clippers, combs, rain sheets, winter blankets, towels, brooms, feed bins, water troughs, muck rakes, manure spreaders, washer, dryer, grooming boxes, saddle racks and horse trailer, tires, brakes and maintenance on the trailer and truck that hauls that is needed when the horse needs to go to the vet. You get the coggins, vaccines, dental.
You get the labor that goes into cleaning and feeding. The time and labor of the person who has to walk a horse thru the night that might be colicing. You get to put wear and tear on my farm, on the footing in my ring, and fields. You get the cost of my tractor and its maintenance.
You get to let me put my lesson horse's health at risk when you ride them and hope for $60 they don't end up permanently lame.
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