It’s no longer true that hard work…

I bought my horse to take out competing. It has been a JOURNEY!!!

my perspective on success changed because we may not always be out winning at shows but in the past 5 months have cleared ulcers, fixed an inflamed suspensory in the left hind and in the process of correcting negative pedal angles in both hinds. I did a lot of research and followed vet advice etc but could still never be certain of the outcome.

without money (or a good credit score) / strong source of income knowing I can pay this back / payment on my insurance I would never have been able to go ahead with the vet treatment and god knows what would have happened to my girl.

speaking specifically on competing, if you don’t have the money to buy and fund transport, or even hire a box (£100+ a go) petrol money to and from hire, petrol to and from the show etc plus £15 per class plus booking fee (unaffiliated), or affiliated memberships etc plus lessons / arena hires the list is endless! Plus the general care of the animal keeping on top of their body work sessions and other bits making sure they don’t break it’s very VERY difficult to get to the top.

I guess like others have said top riders ride for other people and their fancy horses and qualify that way.
 
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Sadly I think that the commercialisation of equestrianism and all that goes with it, including the rise of the influencer means that our true horse culture (which is sort of on it's last legs) has become a bit degenerate. Much skill has been lost in the art of horsemanship as we have contracted knowledge, experience and responsibility out to the 'market'. I have always valued excellent saddlery/ saddle fitting, veterinary and farriery support and it is good to have genuine expertise but at the same time influencing and marketing has made 'other' things seem more important than developing our own knowledge, skill and expertise in horse keeping and riding. For most people that is where money can help as well as in the buying and producing of quality horses. For most people though, reaching the top is likely to be limited by many things before money!!
 
millikins said:
But suppose there were 2 equally talented 8 year olds at PC level, but one is from a wealthy background and the other "ordinary", I don't even mean poor, parents are teachers/nurses. Unless the one from the ordinary background is incredibly lucky, being in the right place at the right time to attract a sponsor, they won't be able to afford the animals or training to make it to the top. I think that has probably always been the case to some extent but I do think it's got worse.
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I have a fairly talented 9 year old, and we don’t have pots of money. He is learning different skills. Instead of being out there jumping on made ponies, he is learning to back and bring on his own. He toddled off in front out hacking yesterday until I could barely see him, happy as anything on his little Welsh who we bought semi-feral in June. He did all the backing work himself bar the long-reining, I was just his helper. He loves taming feral ponies (we’ve had three so far and they warm to him far more easily than to anyone else), and is fascinated by the whole process of training young horses. But then we don’t go on fancy holidays either, or drive new cars, or… so this is no different really.

To get to the top, you need money (or sponsorship), talent, hard work and determination.
 
humblepie said:
On the flip side there are a lot of people with a lot of money who never really do that well bearing in mind the facilities, training, etc they have.
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I think it takes 3 things: hard work, money and some natural talent.
Hard work and / or money can get you a fair way, but if you don’t have some natural talent then you are unlikely to get to the top.
Do we put this pressure on ourselves in other sports? Do we tell ourselves that if I work hard enough I’ll play tennis at Wimbledon or I’ll get selected to play for Manchester United?
 
little_critter said:
I think it takes 3 things: hard work, money and some natural talent.
Hard work and / or money can get you a fair way, but if you don’t have some natural talent then you are unlikely to get to the top.
Do we put this pressure on ourselves in other sports? Do we tell ourselves that if I work hard enough I’ll play tennis at Wimbledon or I’ll get selected to play for Manchester United?
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Definitely - no matter how hard I worked or how much money I had available, I would never be able to produce the test that Lottie and Glamourdale did as I simply don't have the talent!
 
But equally would Lottie Fry be able to produce a test like that on a 15hh cob cross? Yes, she’s very talented and hard-working etc but she’s also riding a dressage-bred horse owned by extremely wealthy people..
 
I think other sports are different partly because with riding it’s not just how talented the rider is, the horse has got to be pretty talented too. The other difference is that if you’re a good teenage tennis player, you’re unlikely to come up against Nadal at your local tennis tournament. However if you’re a good teenage eventer you are definitely going to be competing against multiple Olympians virtually every time you run. So in some ways getting to the top seems reasonably accessible even though the distance between the teenage rider and say Oliver Townend is just as great as that between the teenage tennis player and Nadal.
 
Equestrianism is incredibly elitist and has very poor levels of representation. Every equestrian "influencer" I've ever seen has their own stables, multiple horses and their own transport - cos I guess being rich has always sold well! I find them unrelatable so I don't watch them.
 
I think being a racing jockey is one of the few equestrian disciplines left where sheer natural talent can get you to the top. Yes you can buy your way in if you have the money to buy the best horses but you still need to be able to ride them and obviously pay someone to train them. But at the same time a local lad from down the road who might never have seen a horse in the flesh before can take himself (or herself) off to racing school, this guarantees you a job at the end. You work hard, get noticed by your head lad/trainer and you pick up a few rides on the bosses own horses. You give them a good ride then you will get a better one in a "boys race" for another owner, do that well and you start picking up a few more rides. The more you ride the more you are seen the more rides you then get. You do not need to buy your way in you just need to be damned good at what you do.
 
Muddy unicorn said:
But equally would Lottie Fry be able to produce a test like that on a 15hh cob cross? Yes, she’s very talented and hard-working etc but she’s also riding a dressage-bred horse owned by extremely wealthy people..
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Of course she wouldn’t, a cob x wouldn’t have the paces or athleticism. However I imagine she would be able to train it to an extremely high standard and g the absolute best out of it. She is an extremely talented world class rider.

sounds like sour grapes.
 
Indiangel said:
Equestrianism is incredibly elitist and has very poor levels of representation. Every equestrian "influencer" I've ever seen has their own stables, multiple horses and their own transport - cos I guess being rich has always sold well! I find them unrelatable so I don't watch them.
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I wouldn't even know where to begin to find an influencer to follow and I wouldn't follow them anyway as I have no interest in matchy matchy, the latest gadgets, the latest jods or tights etc because I simply couldn't afford to buy them.
 
Elf On A Shelf said:
I wouldn't even know where to begin to find an influencer to follow and I wouldn't follow them anyway as I have no interest in matchy matchy, the latest gadgets, the latest jods or tights etc because I simply couldn't afford to buy them.
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I've seen some on youtube and instagram, but they're very unrelatable to me for the same reasons!
 
Not sour grapes at all - I’m completely non-competitive! But it remains the case that both horse and rider have to be talented to reach the very top and for the most part being able to ride elite horses requires a lot of money - either the rider’s or someone else’s
 
DressageCob said:
The main equestrian influencers have both financial privilege and pretty privilege. They haven't got to where they are based on their riding ability or their horsemanship. There are exceptions, but I can't name them off the top of my head.
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But many of the equestrian influencers are’nt hugely successful in competition- I think ThisEsme doesn’t even compete, a few have worked at BE to 100 or Novice or lower level SJ, some have had success at BRC. I thinks that’s probably the reason they are influencers - because they are more relatable ? Also a lot of the big names now see the value of being big on social media. So I don’t think it’s about influencers - it’s more about those with rich families buying their kids the expensive horses and lorries that seemingly do well but talent does need to come into it too.
 
I don't think being an influencer is about being a top rider. Its about being relatable / aspirational and good at marketing. Top riders, whatever their background and however they got their break, have to put the work in and prioritise having a career in the sport. Young riders like Lottie Fry or Harry Charles (who had connections) or Emily Moffatt (who had money) became world class riders very young because a) they had an initial advantage and b) they worked at it / were able to ride full time. Without money or connections its a lot harder. Especially if you need to make a living. As Elf pointed out, its possible in racing and it used to be possible in showjumping. I'm not so sure now though.
 
Muddy unicorn said:
But equally would Lottie Fry be able to produce a test like that on a 15hh cob cross? Yes, she’s very talented and hard-working etc but she’s also riding a dressage-bred horse owned by extremely wealthy people..
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It takes an inordinate amount of talent and skill to ride these top horses. I could ride a cob x but I'd get decked in a microsecond on a top dressage horse. The riders are hardly just sitting there and steering.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
It takes an inordinate amount of talent and skill to ride these top horses. I could ride a cob x but I'd get decked in a microsecond on a top dressage horse. The riders are hardly just sitting there and steering.
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Totally agree with this. These horses are not easy horses. The amount of skill it takes to ride them is something I can only dream of.
just watching Lottie ride Dark legend when he’s sharp (YouTube it) shows how good she is.
 
dorsetladette said:
I'd like to think that knowledge also helps.

A good eye for potential in a young horse, patience to bring it on properly, and carefully aiming at the right competition/judge are the skills my dad used to get the results we did when we were competing back in the day. We didn't have tons of money, so dad studied the judges preference/preferred type and then we would take certain ponies under those judges. I know this is the showing world and slightly different to dressage or eventing. But its the sphere that I know and still compete in.

He could also turn a pony out better than anyone I've ever known. He could literally polish a t##d. Our bin end ponies won at county and national level against the big boys. We were at ponies UK/hoys/royal international every year - and won a few times.

I plan to continue in dads foot steps with my current cheapy ponies. Our C is already doing well in the youngstock classes and will be shown under saddle in time too.
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Studying the market and knowing the preferences of individual judges is the key to successful showing which for some reason many people don’t seem to understand. It’s not always the most expensive animals that win it’s the ones produced / educated correctly to a standard the judges / selectors like.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
It takes an inordinate amount of talent and skill to ride these top horses. I could ride a cob x but I'd get decked in a microsecond on a top dressage horse. The riders are hardly just sitting there and steering.
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I think they are very athletic, which can take skill but all the top horses are very trainable and willing or they wouldn't make very good top level horses.
 
wills_91 said:
In which case we shouldn't post anywhere results from junior/lower league competitions incase the child doesn't want it to be in the public eye... alot of posters on here clearly not grasping the difference between an "influencer" & sponsored rider.
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she is influencer regardless she is constantly advertising for companies and I actually really disappointed adults would support someone like that . For anyone wondering It Harlow and popcorn the Mam is definitely making money of her child to the point she stuck a camera in child face when she broke her wrist and record the whole thing and uploaded everything.Technically a child shouldn’t be under the age of 13 shouldn’t be appearing YouTube.
 
I think when it comes to money and horses, many people forget that lessons are a huge part of that as well. Of the riders I knew when I was in my teens, the ones who have gone on to compete at a decent level are, without exception, the ones who's parents could afford lessons at least once or twice a week with top trainers. And not just as a kid but throughout their careers. My occasional lesson on my cheap horse (when I can scrape the money together) will never compete, no matter how many books I read or YouTube videos I watch. I could have the best horse in the world and all the talent but if I'm not shelling out £40+ regularly on top notch instruction then I won't be able to ride one side of it. I'm sure some people would argue that I could go and work for a top rider and get lessons that way but without parental support, how can anyone manage to pay bills and keep a horse on the wages of a junior groom? It may have been different in times gone by but that seems to be the reality these days.
 
My daughter is not an influencer. But at the age of 11 she and her sister set up an Instagram account. They put up pictures of sitting on the pony bare back and other relaxed photos. Not competitive at all. In less than a month they had 10,000 followers, yes 10,000. I was shocked. But she learnt that being relatable to lots of folks with equine interests was more engaging than the high end competitive stuff. Sort of a Ryanair model. After a while she found the pressure of coming up with new posts too much and packed it in. But what is frightening is a. How much €/£ she could have made and 2. How easily it could be to give/share poor quality management methods etc.

I do agree that the model is changing re entry into equestrianism. Only today I attended a clinic. The other lady in my group has a retained trainer and her horse is on livery. We would both be riding club level. But 30 years ago no-one (in Ireland) would have had this setup. Parents are also very concerned about having their child aligned with high end trainers. This will push out people like myself who learnt from their parents and always operated on a shoestring budget. But if I won the Lotto tomorrow, I wouldn't change it. I have loved the freedom of my horsey life as opposed to following someone else's plans/training goals.
 
shortstuff99 said:
I think they are very athletic, which can take skill but all the top horses are very trainable and willing or they wouldn't make very good top level horses.
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I think it’s not quite that simple.
Some top horses are athletic but easy darlings that just need the right training.
Lots aren’t!! They might become that way through highly skilled horsemanship but many top level horses could become very difficult very quickly
 
Smoky 2022 said:
she is influencer regardless she is constantly advertising for companies and I actually really disappointed adults would support someone like that . For anyone wondering It Harlow and popcorn the Mam is definitely making money of her child to the point she stuck a camera in child face when she broke her wrist and record the whole thing and uploaded everything.Technically a child shouldn’t be under the age of 13 shouldn’t be appearing YouTube.
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I think we will need to agree to disagree. I only see her in Instagram and very rarely is there post advertising companies other than those who sponsor her. I don't use YouTube at all so couldn't comment on any content on there.
 
ihatework said:
I think it’s not quite that simple.
Some top horses are athletic but easy darlings that just need the right training.
Lots aren’t!! They might become that way through highly skilled horsemanship but many top level horses could become very difficult very quickly
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But I don't think that is from a lack of trainability or willingness, they are just smart and quick thinking and get confused by bad training or pick up habits really easily.

One of mine loves work, can do piaffe/ passage you name it she will give it a go. Wouldn't dream of bucking you off anything like that but in the wrong hands she would be an anxious mess and probably seem unrideable. She is none of those, but neither does she need some amazing rider just someone with vague ability which most could do.

ETA most people won't rider her as they think she is too much for them (even pros) but she is nothing of the sort ?‍♀️
 
I have sat on a few top horses in my time and sitting on paces that big is no mean feat in and of itself … it takes unbelievable core strength and balance and then to be able to ride effectively at the same time shows not only skill but incredible fitness. You dont get that strong and fit by having money (i really wish you did) it takes hours of riding and time in the gym … dedication. Yes money buys you time but it doesnt make the effort for you
 
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