Hi Reader,

A few weeks ago, I attended a webinar.

Not for work.
Not for a certification.
Not to learn a new skill.

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
​🎧 Listen on Spotify​

👀 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:

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

• Huge thanks to Big Dee's Tack and Vet Supply for their support of the podcast. If you're stocking up on summer supplies, gear, or just stuffing your pony full of German Horse Muffins, be sure to use code BHM10 to get 10% off your ENTIRE order, including sale items (yes, I tested it!)!
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• Other podcasts covering the closing of Dover:
  • Horse Person Podcast: The Dover Saddlery Collapse and Whose Left in its Wake​
  • The Plaidcast: Orchid Bertelsen (on Dover Saddlery)​
  • And, Broke Horse Moms, obvi: What Dover’s Closing Reveals About Equestrian Retail w/Orchid Bertelsen​​
• Love what we're doing here at Broke Horse Moms? Pop on over to https://buymeacoffee.com/brokehorsemoms where you can contribute as little as $1 to help support the work we're doing.

Alright friend, that's it for this week. As always, thanks for being a part of this community.

Inside leg, outside rein 🤷🏻‍♀️?
Angie

P.S. Missed a newsletter? See previous posts here.​