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Re: [RC] endurance discussion topic - Chrystal WoodhouseHmmm but horses ARE an expensive hobby and endurance is still not that bad, what I think the hard part is the cost of travelling, it is much easier to find dressage/jumping shows happening every wknd in my area however as there are fewer endurance riders and more spread out then the rides are necessarily farther apart, however to give you an example of showing in a Provincial ( so that would be State level for you) Dressage show my neighbour has to pay $150 a NIGHT for her horse to be STABLED and there are no choices about that and as these high level shows can go for 3 days you have to pay for all three days whether your horse is being shown all three days or not, this does not even encompass the cost of the rider's motel/food or entry fees or gas/travelling expenses, sadly my neighbour who is a high calibre dressage rider has not been able to show for years because of the related costs( Min $1000./ wknd) . Anyway , yep horses and anything related to them are expensive, you think diesel is expensive in the U.S ?? Try Canada... much worse. :-( I think the high fuel prices are a good thing though --it is making people re-evaluate how much driving they need to do and getting them to think about "sharing" rides, all good for the environment. Have you looked for someone to share trailering costs? I know there are usually a lot of people who would love to go to rides with their horses but have no trailer. All that said a $100 for a 25 mile entry fee does seem high, next year maybe you could "boycott" it and check out less expensive rides! Chrystal P.S> $450 does seem like a lot for a wknd, if I am travelling within 4 hours of my farm a ride wknd would usually only cost me about $300.00 ( Canadian) and that is with husband and two kids in tow!:-) And we only go farther than that once or twice a year as yes it does start to get expensive! :-)
Does anyone dare say it? Ride Fees!!! YIKES!!! As if the price of diesel to get to a ride weren't bad enough! My opinion: only the wealthy can truly excel in this sport. My fuel costs, entry fees, and related required expenses to get to FITS last weekend were upwards of $450. That is ONE ride of "only" 25 miles, of which $100 was the entry/camp fee. I have not hosted a ride... perhaps someday will have the chance. I know it is expensive to cover insurance, trail fees, meal prep for several hundred people, and other related expenses. However it also seems that prices have risen dramatically from where they were when I was active in endurance racing several years ago. I have some opinions on other subjects regarding the current state of endurance, but hold off to see if someone else picks them up first. :-) Mike --- Stephanie Teeter <stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > New Zealand (gorgeous!!!) ride finished a few hours ago. will have > photos and story stuff later (dinner and shower first). > > but - to channel RC discussion back to Endurance - would be interesting > to have some discussion on the 'state of the sport'. FEI, National, etc. > The Paris World Forum on Endurance is scheduled for the end of the > month. Delegates from around the world to discuss the state of the > sport. > > what - if anything - is wrong with the sport today? > > conversely - what about the sport must we preserve, on the world stage? > > Steph > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp > Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp > > Ride Long and Ride Safe!! > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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