15/02/2024
I have been hearing desent lately that horses are becoming an "elitist" hobby due to high prices of feed, hay, board, or entry fees to competition and that this is somehow the greedy fault of those who own and operate barns and lesson programs or manage shows.
The fact of the matter is horse ownership is not necessary for daily survival. That, by definition makes horse ownership a luxury plain and simple.
Using the word "elitist" in derogatory response to horse facilities and professionals charging a living wage for their time, facility, and expertise, in hopes that it might somehow guilt them into subsidizing your hobby is simply selfish.
The facts are the facts. Prices for everything have gone up. Quality labor is hard to find and even harder to keep and comes at a price. No other industry seems to be under such a microscope to explain or justify their pricing. In no other industry does the client feel entitled to complain about rising costs with the expectation that the owner/professional ect might somehow be able to make a change to the reality of their own operating costs.
Maybe one day in the future Walmart or Amazon will provide horse board, training, lessons and shows at a cheaper price. When that happens good luck talking to anyone about your concerns needs goals and definitely not how much they charge for service.
