Credit crunch and your 2009 plans

[HHO admin]

Is the current financial climate going to affect your competition plans for next year? Are you going to be competing less, changing disciplines, or stepping down to compete at unaffiliated level to save money?

And does anyone have any tips of how to compete on a budget? I'm sure they would be useful for everyone.

 

[jules89]

I am going to only go out competing when I know my horse will have a bl00dy good chance of winning.

I figure quality not quantity is the way forward!

Unless H&H want to sponsor me

haha!

 

[Rambo]

I've already cutback on the number of shows I go to...and I am certainly looking more carefully at the sort of shows where I will have a competitive chance as opposed to just 'going to Hickstead because it's a lovely place to jump'

I will pick more local venues where possible looking forward and even gave up going to the Am Finals at Arena UK...partly because of the money involved, an partly because of the time off work.

 

[only_me]

i am going to have to plan very carefully!

but what has affected me the most is the number of international events cancelled here. i had planned to do a CIC* in the spring season, but with 2 events cancelled and another about to be, i may not get a CIC* which could hinder my hopes of getting to a CCI* in June (burgie).


my tips is to have group lessons, so that you can save say £10 on every lesson - which means that you then have £10 more to pay for events.
also to make friends with top eventers help - one of the grooms for a top eventer helps me warm up in the dressage

 

[BBH]

I think I will chose only local shows with a chance of being in the ribbons and will cut down on my lessons which are currently £40 per 45 mins which when times are hard equals 4 -5 bags of hard feed or the diesel to a couple of shows.

 

[druid]

Try to keep shows local
Thankfully our Winter finals and National Championships are both local this year.
Avail of all the susbsidised training available to U21s possible!

 

[crackersluvrat]

Despite the price hikes I'm still aiming to event once a month as I love it too much! However I will cut down on lessons and have one a month rather than every two weeks unless we have any specific problems and also as I want to improve our SJ and take him out once a month I will have to stick to more local venues. Other than that I'm staying up in the Midlands this summer instead of going home from uni to my parents in the South East as diesel is cheaper up here!!

 

[flyingfeet]

I am going to de-register one of my horses as he doesn't win enough to justify the BSJA fee or affiliated entry fees.

The other horse will only be run at venues I really like - every time I go out its generally £70 minimum cost with fuel so missing a few outings really adds up !

 

[SSM]

Considering putting Donks maternity plans back a year as I really do not want to have the financial burden of two horses (I have been offered a choice of two pure breds on loan) if I was to loose my job.

However I will be competing the lardy one just as much, if not more - getting to as many Cleveland Bay classes as we can and representing the breed as needed.

 

[Supanova]

Provided things stay as they are job wise, I am not currently planning on cutting back on my competition spending or training. I have already started to cut back on all non-horsey related expenditure and diverted it into the horse piggy bank. If I lost my job (praying that I don't) then I would definitely have to think about it though.

 

[amandathepanda]

I'm planning on winning the lottery!

Whatever happens, I will be returning to affiliated competition in 2009 with my two experienced horses & hopefully get my 4 year old to at least the regionals - hopefully the Nationals as she is proving to be a bit special

 

[SteveGG]

I have to say that I am not currently going to change my plans at all.
There has been a lot of talk about the credit crunch but how has this really affected the average person ?
This time last year my mortgage rate was 6.25% and it is currently 2.75%.
Can't remember what the deisel price was at this time last year but it did get up over £1.20 a litre during the season and is now down at under £1.00.
Other bills will be up on last year but with all the talk of the credit crunch some of these including food costs appear to be coming down. On the face of it I think that I am better off than last year.
The credit crunch will badly affect long term savings such as pensions and other savings invested in the equity market or in corporate bonds (some of which include mortgage securitisations) but this is a longer term problem. Also at some point I guess that I am going to see my taxes increase as the government has to fund the cost of the bank (& others) bail out.
Obviously if I loose my job it's a different matter. The problem as well is that the more people talk about the credit crunch the more nervous people get. Nervous people stop spending money and put more companies out of business and it becomes a vicious circle.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

At the present time I have no plans to change the number of competitions we go to. We are fortunate that within about 35 miles & some being only 20 miles away there are at least 6 BSJA venues that we can use. We pay for the horses & competing as a family so it doesn't hurt each of us that much. Now that the cost of diesel has come down to under £1 a litre, what was one of the highest expenses, thankfully has reduced.

We don't go out drinking, to restaurants, cinemas, theatre, holidays etc, we live for our horses so what some people spend on entertainment we spend on competing. It's our 'Raison D'etre'

As for tips, school your horse & prepare it well for competition, going each week & doing little or nothing in between is a total waste of money as you are not going to improve.

 

[Gamebird]

Hopefully I'll have a horse slightly further up the BE ladder and it will require fewer runs (Intermediate) though those runs have gone up in price. I have cut down from 3 eventers to 1 (given one back to owner as he paid the bills and I paid the entries, something I was no longer willing to do) and I have sold another one so I am down to one now.

Unfortunately with the competing at a higher level comes more lessons, more BSJA etc. as having only one horse at that level I find it harder to keep my eye in.

I am looking into competing abroad for FEI events as the entries and stabling are considerably cheaper and we are hoping that if we fill a lorry with horses and head for somewhere quite near the port on the other side it may be cheaper than here. We may just be deluded though (at least the vino will be a bit cheaper if nothing else and there's an outside chance of a tan!).

Probably my costs will be about the same this year. I have changed my car to something more fuel efficient (use it to tow trailer for competing - have no lorry) but to a certain extent, because it is my work vehicle, my fuel costs are partially covered so the cost of diesel has less of an impact on me than others.

My mortgage is unfortunately still fixed rate so we haven't benefited from the interest rate cuts but may do so in the future once we are out of the fixed rate period.

 

[volatis]

I think we might compete a little more this year, as want to have a full season campaign with the 2yo, rather than just two shows we did last year. I know my boss will do the same shows we did last year and may even have more horses to show in hand than we did last year.

 

[LCobby]

Will probably do as much or probably more next year - a couple of new classes to go far and a yougnster coming on.
Subject to us both still being in same jobs, of course.
Diesel is less expensive now than in the summer. Mortgage has gone down, so this also means investments, savings, pension savings not earning much. So less incentive to save too. May as well enjoy the outings!

I think one area that may be affected will be sponsoship of classes - we will sponsor, as individuals, the classes we normally sponsor, but expect that some company sponorship will be missing next year for some shows.

 

[chunkytfg]

I'm looking to up the lessons as they are cheap and now step daughter has two horses to school she needs one a week(only £10 an hour!!!).

She is now competeing once a month doing 3 dressage classes and will continue to do so with maybe the odd novice thrown in to make it 4.

Our local dressage comps are only 15 miles up the road so travelling costs are not an issue.

 

[scotsmare]

I think that we need a bit of a reality check here - the credit crunch ISN'T affecting everyone - the amount of media hype isn't helping either.

I plan to do more next year - my soon to be backed 3 1/2 yr old will come out later in the year, the weanling will do a full season of in hand shows at county level and my older dressage horse will also do a full season (provided they all stay sound

)

Yes, horses are expensive but realistically a lot of living costs have actually reduced now and provided your employment situation doesn't change then you are probably a good bit better off than you were last year.

 

[AutumnRose]

Agree with those who say it really hasn't affected me a huge amount and the media hype does create a worse situation than need be.

I have more plans to compete than this year as i now have 2 horses, 1 will do BE, the other is BDing. We have also gone from 1 car to 2 this year and one of those is a 4x4. However i use one car for work and i get fuel back from work for running that one. I make cutbacks in other parts of my life so i can compete as i want to. I have recently changed my job and luckily this will allow me to do more with the horses in several ways. So assuming this job carrys on going well i will carry on....

I realise it's difficult for those who loose their jobs but people have to keep spending in order for the economy not to fail completely. Roll on 2009

 

[help1]

Well it has affected me, my savings have been wiped out. Won't be buying my lorry now this year, unless I can find something good or suddenly things improve, will have to hitch lifts so will stay local. Still registered BSJA as otherwise my youngster will have loads of money put on his card. Probably not a bad thing as we will take things easy.

 

[wizoz]

I am very sadly, not going to be able to register for BE next year, for the first time in 10 plus years.
I very much doubt I will be competing at all, as money is needed elsewhere.

 

[exracergirl]

<font color="darkred">I technically have three to compete next year - but plans are (not directly influenced or created by credit crunch but will certainly make a welcome difference) is that the older horse will do a bit of jumping/eventing here and there and the odd show sidesaddle, but mainly stick to being a hunt horse in the winter (had a great 2008 season showing but would like to just 'play' with her) .... the ginger will be doing the odd bit here and there locally, was broken March this year although 6yo is still a work in progress, not sure she will be doing anything to any high level (other than her rears?!) and the other lad will only be 3 and he will do half a dozen county shows in hand as hunter youngstock.

I am definately going for quality over quantity, but not so much that I am only going where guaranteed a result but going where I know I will have a great fun time and experience.</font>

 

[CrazyMare]

Similar to the Alchemist - I have my older mare who if she comes totally right, will just go out to play - GrandPrix Workers and the like when and where they come up, hunter trialling etc.

My filly will go to a few inhand shows, plus probably the Futurity and the SPSS shows.

I am debating taking them both (if mare is right - nearly there!) to Equifest - I doubt we would win, but it would be my holiday for the year.

 

[lilym]

i am lucky that being on a riding club committee that i can enter all of our own events for free, so i can get plenty of ring craft in!!
i will have a play with my older mare and plan to go a little further afeild for some showing, and may treat myself to a county class if all goes well.
i know it is expensive, but i don't drink or smoke, i rarely go out and have few holidays....sad aint i??!!
i did cut back on some shows when diesel went sky high - but if i'm truley honest i didn't go because i couldn't be bothered and we had rubbish weather!!

 

[wonkey_donkey]

For the first time in years my horses haven't been out competing BSJA and I'm shocked at how much money it actually saves me.
The last horse we had out doing the shows (up until early 2008) was a pretty reliable 'diesel horse' and won his entries back and a bit extra at most of his outings. But even despite this I've found myself with enough money to pay for three good holidays in 2009 - just by not competing.
I've got a mare that's coming back into work after foaling and she will probably do a few BSJA shows during 2009 in preparation to be sold, but otherwise I think I'll be using the opportunity to save a bit more cash and have more time to myself.

Until I get bored of course - then it will be back to weekly shows again !!!!

 

[tantallon]

My plans are defo going to have to change have two horses registered BSJA at the moment and have three, three year old gorgeous homebreds coming on for next year as four year olds. Was hoping to get two of them out starting their jumping careers. However husbands job gone down to four day week and may get worse so now going to sell two if not three of those youngsters as broken and going four year olds in the spring.
I hope to keep my two older horses going but only to shows and classes that they are in with a shout of winning back the diesel money. Year after have two more youngsters ready to back but if times still tough they'll go for sale too.
I am in Scotland and bsja centres are all miles away apart from one local one. So diesel, although has come down, still makes difference when you are driving for two hours just to get to a show!

 

[SpruceRI]

I'm intending to cut the BE outings down from 12 a year to 10, and do quite a few in the Spring and Autumn and little in the summer (famous last words!) so that I can get my youngster going and afford lessons and have the time for more free stuff, like hacking with friends.

I'm cutting back on the spending a little now as I'm saving for living costs for the future.

All the time I have my job though I'm OK and I still think very much that you have to live life and enjoy it while you're still physically and financially able to do it - so I'm not going to turn into the miser which I was once (in the days of poverty!)

 

[qwertyuiop]

I am planning on doing more stuff next year than this year as I am hoping that the numbers doing BE will be down and I can actually get in!

 

[cheekycharley]

For me its nothing about the credit crunch - now petrol has gone down and things are cheaper - sales etc and lower vat i am now better off that i would have been!

Still very poor though as dont have a job

!

I plan to go eventing as before (the most i have managed is 9 in a year though) and i may well stop in july when i get a job - if i can and thats a big if.

 

[HammieHamlet]

I dont think the credit crunch will affect me that much in the general day to day running of the horses, after all, diesel is now a lot cheaper than it was back in the summer... Must admit though that I've become slightly meaner with the amount of shavings I put in my stables - I struggle to understand why the cost here has rocketed!!! Think the manufacturers are taking advantage

However, I do think the cost of eventing fees have gone up more than feels comfortable. I am planning to compete at Novice too (after a year of PN), so will feel an even tighter pinch from the increased entry fees just from going up one level. I did register with the BSJA before the hearing about the special 'eventers' offer - I'm quite glad that I have a whole year of registration though as it means that I could probably get away with doing one BE event a month, then SJ in between (hopefully winning back my entry fees on good days!).