Posted 2015-04-01 12:04 PM Subject: LESSONS.. $$$?? What is the going rate?
Member
Posts: 29 Location: Minnesota
How much do you charge? How much do you pay?
Here is my situation,
I just started working with an 8 year old girl who is currently taking western pleasure lessons from a fairly well known trainer. She has decided that barrels/games look more exciting so we had our first meeting and our first lesson together. I will be traveling to their horse once a week to give her a lesson. They have a beautiful barn so part of the agreement is that I will be able to haul 1-2 horses to ride in the arena after the lesson. Win-Win!! However I don't know what the going rate for lessons is. I don't want to short myself or take advantage of them.
I can find out how much the WP trainer is charging but in comparison I don't have the same amount of credentials. I have a lot of confidence in myself and feel like I have a ton of knowledge to offer. But.. I don't have the awards or titles (yet.) They were referred to me by a mutual friend so Last year the family came to our local barrel race to watch me compete. They watched me win the 1D and almost break the arena record but that is about as much they know about me. Let me hear your thoughts on that. Do you pay more for a trainer with more credentials? I didn't want to start giving lessons yet but I think this is too good of an opportunity to pass up and they really want to learn.
More about me,
I've been riding since before I could walk and it has always been my dream to share my knowledge with others but I have never taken lessons. Just weekend clinics and asked advise from a lot of successful people around me. I have trained my own horses and Charmayne James told me that she was very impressed with my horsemanship skills. She asked if I had ridden dressage or reining horses because my mare had such a solid foundation and I had complete body control of her. -The highlight of my barrel racing career so far! Growing up my parents could not afford to help me out so I was lucky to go to small shows. I practiced a lot with my own horses and did as many tunes ups for other people as I could. In 2013 I finished college and got a great job! So 2014 I hit the road every weekend 1D locally, 2D at big shows and amateur rodeo money winner my first year competing!
I'm excited for this next step in my barrel racing career and would appreciate your advise! Thanks for reading my book ;)
Posted 2015-04-01 12:41 PM Subject: RE: LESSONS.. $$$?? What is the going rate?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
I am near Kansas City, and any time I've taken lessons - from general horsemanship to barrels to jumping - it's been somewhere between $30-45 per lesson. Usually the lessons were about an hour, but it wasn't a strict schedule. I think most of the haul in fees for arenas around here are usually $20-25, so maybe figure out what you would want to charge per hour and then subtract what a haul in fee somewhere else would be?
Posted 2015-04-01 12:49 PM Subject: RE: LESSONS.. $$$?? What is the going rate?
Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981 Location: North Dakota
I've paid $25-$40 for lessons. That seems to be about average between several barns in all the states I've lived in. The $40 lessons were from a very good dressage trainer and her daughter who competes at Grand Prix level. Cheaper ones were from people that were good, experienced horse men/women with not the same credentials.
Posted 2015-04-01 1:21 PM Subject: RE: LESSONS.. $$$?? What is the going rate?
Veteran
Posts: 212
they are letting you haul in, but you are also doing them a favor by coming to them instead of them having to haul... so I think 30-40 dollars is fair.
LESSONS.. $$$?? What is the going rate?
