Through the Broke Horse Moms podcast, newsletter and social content, we make equestrian life more accessible, understandable, and connected for all the 'non-horsey horse moms' who didn't grow up in this space. Whether you’re buying your kiddo's first pair of paddock boots, figuring out horse shows, managing the costs of riding, or simply wondering if everyone else knows something you don’t, you’re in the right place.
🐎 BHM: The webinar I attended to learn how to attend a horse show
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Hi Reader, A few weeks ago, I attended a webinar. Not for work. I attended a webinar so I could LEARN HOW TO ATTEND Pony Finals. And while the webinar was super helpful, it highlighted something I’ve been thinking about for a long time: this equestrian life is incredibly difficult to understand if you didn’t grow up in it. We spend a lot of time talking about affordability and accessibility in equestrian sports, and those are important conversations. But I think there’s another issue that deserves attention. Understandability. The average horse parent is expected to figure out divisions, memberships, qualifications, prize lists, entries, trainer fees, stall fees, billing, and approximately 4,000 acronyms that everyone else seems to understand. And that's JUST at a horse show. Most sports have clear pathways and onboarding for families. But, the equestrian world often relies on finding the right trainer, the right horse mom friend, or the right person standing next to you at the rail. So, I'm wondering, if families need a webinar to understand how to participate in the sport, what could we do better? 🎧 How Are We Supposed to Know This? Why Horse Sports Are So Confusing 🎧 Listen on Apple 👀 BTS: The Road to Pony Jumper Finals I thought we were signed up for e'rything..... Until my friend Sarah, mom to another Pony Finals competitor, texted me this: Did you order shavings and stall mats? GIRL. What in the WORLD? So, that's on this week's to-do list. I'm quickly realizing, in addition to understandability being the first barrier for non-horsey families, AWAY shows are the biggest driver of horse show costs. Once you strip away housing, stalls, trailering, A GOLF CART, and shavings...the division fees are really just peanuts. And, honestly, they're not terribly more than what we pay at local shows. SO...that's an a-ha I'll be pondering over for a while: Is there a way to appreciably drive down the cost of attending AWAY shows? Any tips? 🐎 Resources
Alright friend, that's it for this week. As always, thanks for being a part of this community. Inside leg, outside rein 🤷🏻♀️? P.S. Missed a newsletter? See previous posts here. |
Broke Horse Moms
Through the Broke Horse Moms podcast, newsletter and social content, we make equestrian life more accessible, understandable, and connected for all the 'non-horsey horse moms' who didn't grow up in this space. Whether you’re buying your kiddo's first pair of paddock boots, figuring out horse shows, managing the costs of riding, or simply wondering if everyone else knows something you don’t, you’re in the right place.
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