More price rises!

[Kunoichi73]

Or it becomes too expensive - 2023 price where I ride is £96.75 for 45 minutes which means only those with a spare £400 a month would be able to ride weekly

Wow! That's very expensive! I currently pay £26 for a 30 min private and £39 for an hour. They are talking about putting the price up at some point but haven't done so yet.

I usually do a 30 min private lesson each week and treat myself to an hour every so often. I'm thinking about moving to an hour a week but waiting to see what it's going to cost.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Or it becomes too expensive - 2023 price where I ride is £96.75 for 45 minutes which means only those with a spare £400 a month would be able to ride weekly

It sounds like it might pay to shop around, as there are still cheaper decent places about.

Our local decent centre is £60 for a private lesson to £35 for a shared group lesson.

It's not a big name centre you'd perhaps instantly recognise or have access to an unlimited range of horses (or fancy rider facilities like cafes or tack shops attached) but the standard of teaching is sound and would offer a more feasible option of regular bum in saddle time for lots of people.

 

[teapot]

It sounds like it might pay to shop around, as there are still cheaper decent places about.

Our local decent centre is £60 for a private lesson to £35 for a shared group lesson.

It's not a big name centre you'd perhaps instantly recognise or have access to an unlimited range of horses (or fancy rider facilities like cafes or tack shops attached) but the standard of teaching is sound and would offer a more feasible option of regular bum in saddle time for lots of people.

I worked in the industry for the best part of five years - if it exists, I'll probably know about it because I was very aware of what the limited competition was doing Sadly it's my closest decent place and it's still a 120 mile round trip! Their lack of competition is part of the problem.

I'll pay the £96 for the coach, horses and facilities, but not weekly!

 

[MuddyMonster]

I worked in the industry for the best part of five years - if it exists, I'll probably know about it because I was very aware of what the competition was doing Sadly it's my closest decent place and it's still a 120 mile round trip!

My post was more of a royal 'you' - I was just quoting your post as it mentioned prices directly. It still stands there are still more competitively prices places to ride, either on it's own or as a top up, if cost is a factor in people riding weekly or not

I won't offer to pass the details of the aforementioned little gem of a place in Sussex as with your extensive industry knowledge it doesn't sound like it's needed!

 

[SO1]

I presume that is a private lesson not a shared one.

Private lessons for an advanced rider with an an advanced instructor are 85 where I ride. I never book them as it gets so busy in the indoor school at weekends that you don't get the space to really benefit and with other lessons going on it is hard to focus and hear.

I ride in the group ones in the evenings after work as normally get the whole school for the group and often only 3 or 4 in the class. Weekends I try and hack. Group hacks or lessons are 60 for 45 minutes.

Long term the aim is to get my own pony again just need to find the right one. I don't mind travelling but want a relative of Homey's so less choice. In the meantime saving quite a bit of cash towards the pony fund as the RS is a lot cheaper than Part Livery.

Or it becomes too expensive - 2023 price where I ride is £96.75 for 45 minutes which means only those with a spare £400 a month would be able to ride weekly

 

[teapot]

My post was more of a royal 'you' - I was just quoting your post as it mentioned prices directly. It still stands there are still more competitively prices places to ride, if cost is a factor in people riding weekly or not

I won't offer to pass the details of the aforementioned little gem of a place in Sussex as with your extensive industry knowledge it doesn't sound like it's needed!

Happy riding in 2023

Oh there absolutely are undoubtedly cheaper places to ride at BUT it depends on what you're used to, or what you're looking for. Others may be far happier to scrimp on things so they can ride more My point was more that the industry is beginning to get super exclusive for those who don't want or can't afford the cost of having a horse themselves, therefore as a whole, it is becoming far less accessible. The other issue is from a business point of view, lessons that remain too cheap could end with the yard/rs/centre actually closing because they can't afford their costs, therefore reducing the number of places to ride at even further. Vicious circle.

Personally I wouldn't go somewhere cheaper if the horses, facilities (by that I mean arena options/surfaces, not cafes) or the coaching weren't as good as I what I'm currently paying for, nor do I fancy riding Iberians only, which seems to be an increasing thing especially in the SE.

I presume that is a private lesson not a shared one.

Private lessons for an advanced rider with an an advanced instructor are 85 where I ride. I never book them as it gets so busy in the indoor school at weekends that you don't get the space to really benefit and with other lessons going on it is hard to focus and hear.

I ride in the group ones in the evenings after work as normally get the whole school for the group and often only 3 or 4 in the class. Weekends I try and hack. Group hacks or lessons are 60 for 45 minutes.

Long term the aim is to get my own pony again just need to find the right one. I don't mind travelling but want a relative of Homey's so less choice. In the meantime saving quite a bit of cash towards the pony fund as the RS is a lot cheaper than Part Livery.

Yup a private. Groups are around £70/£80 ish where I am Shame about indoor arena use, totally understand that frustration - used to be one of the regular moans from my old clients! They'd have rather got wet than crammed in.

 

[teapot]

Double post by accident.

 

[ycbm]

We live in a very old stone built farm house and its an absolute nightmare to heat. It's also damp and their is always a very long list of maintenance jobs needed (currently saving up the several thousand pounds needed to replace the exterior render at the back and suspect the roof will need work this year).

Never again! It's a beautiful looking building but an absolute millstone around our necks.

Sounds familiar!
.

 

[Nudibranch]

We upsized just before everything kicked off last year. We moved 200 miles across the country and as a result I'm doing supply rather than my previous top of the scale management role. Massive pay cut. My pay is close to half what it was and I'm dipping into savings for big things. Not ideal at all.

But it does mean I have the horses at home. I have thought about what I'd do in the event of an emergency. I'd have to sell/loan them apart from my "big" mare. She'd go on livery of some kind here even if I had to sell a kidney. There's absolutely no way I will ever part with her (despite someone on another thread advising me to sell her on to someone who would love her because I said I suspect she has pssm...?!).

I'm desperate for a holiday somewhere warm with my son, who used to fly all the time as a baby/toddler but hasn't been on a plane since he can remember it, ie pre Covid. But I'm not sure I can justify it at the moment. It seems like a big luxury.

 

[Chianti]

My post was more of a royal 'you' - I was just quoting your post as it mentioned prices directly. It still stands there are still more competitively prices places to ride, either on it's own or as a top up, if cost is a factor in people riding weekly or not

I won't offer to pass the details of the aforementioned little gem of a place in Sussex as with your extensive industry knowledge it doesn't sound like it's needed!

I'm looking for a good riding school where I can go out for a quiet private hours hack. Sussex might be doable for me. Could you please send me details.

 

[paddy555]

We live in a very old stone built farm house and its an absolute nightmare to heat. It's also damp and their is always a very long list of maintenance jobs needed (currently saving up the several thousand pounds needed to replace the exterior render at the back and suspect the roof will need work this year).

Never again! It's a beautiful looking building but an absolute millstone around our necks.

when we first got together we lived in similar and thatched as well. No way could we (or probably anyone, millionaires excepted) ) have ever heated it sufficiently. Whilst I loved it I look back now and think thank heavens it wasn't ours.

 

[paddy555]

That's the membership price too... over £100 if you're not a member Should say that's with a senior coach, but wouldn't necessarily guarantee you an advanced horse.

just as a matter of interest what does membership get you?

 

[AdorableAlice]

when we first got together we lived in similar and thatched as well. No way could we (or probably anyone, millionaires excepted) ) have ever heated it sufficiently. Whilst I loved it I look back now and think thank heavens it wasn't ours.

Thatched cottages fascinate me, are they warm in winter and cool in summer ?

 

[teapot]

just as a matter of interest what does membership get you?

In reality? Not a lot. 10% of all lessons/activities is the only thing I receive and you need to use it at least 10 times to make worth the outlay. Their promised (advertised in fact) list of other things have never materialised...

 

[lannerch]

I don't want any of those things- to me they are unimportant. My list is far more basic. I want a yard owner who listens to what I'm telling him/her when I go to view their yard and is honest and says 'Sorry - I can't meet those needs', rather then saying they can and then forgetting all about our conversations/ agreements when said pony turns up. I want a yard that doesn't try to put my fat little pony in a paddock with lots of lovely green grass and when I voice concerns tell me, 'Don't worry - they'll soon eat it all down'. I want a yard where they don't put mouldy hay in the feed and then get hissy when I take it out. I want a yard where if I'm paying for a service it actually happens. I just want a yard where the staff are experienced enough to notice if said pony is ill/injured in the field and I don't have 16 year olds telling me what I'm doing wrong with my pony. I want a yard that listens to me as an owner, who is paying for a service, and doesn't tell me I'm fussing and mollycoddling my pony when I'm concerned about him. I've done livery for thirty plus years and looking back was probably happiest on the first yard which was unassisted DIY and where we never saw the land owner.

My yard is all this as well, although only full livery . Good yards are worth their weight in gold and agree it’s not all about facilities

 

[paddy555]

Thatched cottages fascinate me, are they warm in winter and cool in summer ?

this one wasn't warm, it needed far too much doing to it. It also had "pets". I prefer not to have "pets" in the house or the thatch. I suppose the damp made it cool in summer but in nice condition it would have been cool.
it was the most beautiful longhouse, isolated and surrounded by it's own land and buildings. No electricity, no sanitation, no road into it. A cross passage from back to front usually occupied by horses who had worked out that this was their best escape route when we forgot to close the door.. Sadly not for sale.

 

[Spotherisk]

this one wasn't warm, it needed far too much doing to it. It also had "pets". I prefer not to have "pets" in the house or the thatch. I suppose the damp made it cool in summer but in nice condition it would have been cool.
it was the most beautiful longhouse, isolated and surrounded by it's own land and buildings. No electricity, no sanitation, no road into it. A cross passage from back to front usually occupied by horses who had worked out that this was their best escape route when we forgot to close the door.. Sadly not for sale.

Sounds like many of the Dartmoor properties I used to deliver to!

 

[SO1]

At my RS you can volunteer in return for coupons that you can use for lessons. If you do 8 hours of volunteering you get a group lesson in return. Quite a lot of people do that.

It is very busy with kids lessons and pony club at the weekends so they often need helpers to tack up ponies and lead people and put ponies away as well as the normal mucking out, haynets filling, tack cleaning etc.

Tomorrow I am doing my first dressage competition at the RS. They have lots of activities there too.

There are cheaper places that I could ride but they don't have the late evening lessons which start at 7.15 and I need time to get to RS after work.

I expect RS may actually get busier as more people can no longer afford their own horse but still want to get their horse fix.

Oh there absolutely are undoubtedly cheaper places to ride at BUT it depends on what you're used to, or what you're looking for. Others may be far happier to scrimp on things so they can ride more My point was more that the industry is beginning to get super exclusive for those who don't want or can't afford the cost of having a horse themselves, therefore as a whole, it is becoming far less accessible. The other issue is from a business point of view, lessons that remain too cheap could end with the yard/rs/centre actually closing because they can't afford their costs, therefore reducing the number of places to ride at even further. Vicious circle.

Personally I wouldn't go somewhere cheaper if the horses, facilities (by that I mean arena options/surfaces, not cafes) or the coaching weren't as good as I what I'm currently paying for, nor do I fancy riding Iberians only, which seems to be an increasing thing especially in the SE.

Yup a private. Groups are around £70/£80 ish where I am Shame about indoor arena use, totally understand that frustration - used to be one of the regular moans from my old clients! They'd have rather got wet than crammed in.

 

[SO1]

I don't have children but my sister's partner has two from a previous relationship a boy and a girl who are teenagers. They can't share a bedroom so they need a 3 bedroom property which is costly if they didn't have the kids they would only need a one bedroom.

Housing is so expensive and the extra bedrooms required if you don't want different gender teenagers sharing bedrooms or children to share bedrooms with their parents.

Children are not that expensive. Yes it is expensive at xmas and birthdays and such but most mothers or parents tend to sacrifice themselves to give more to the children. I worked two jobs while they were small but that is because I still want to have my luxury ?

 

[Barton Bounty]

I don't have children but my sister's partner has two from a previous relationship a boy and a girl who are teenagers. They can't share a bedroom so they need a 3 bedroom property which is costly if they didn't have the kids they would only need a one bedroom.

Housing is so expensive and the extra bedrooms required if you don't want different gender teenagers sharing bedrooms or children to share bedrooms with their parents.

My point really is if people live within their means they can manage but generally, people want the new build with 2.4 children and 4 holidays a year and the fancy car!
I sacrificed when we had our children, I worked two jobs, OH one job usually with homers and one of my jobs was only paying childcare so it can be done if someone wants it enough they just have to live more frugally

 

[gallopingby]

Yes prices are going up but a lot can be managed with a bit of thought. Everyone wants everything now / immediately rather than the way we managed when l was young! There are far to many ‘hand out’ and expectations are unrealistic in many cases. It’s interesting the way people / families divide as to their views on what’s essential. So many essentials aren’t necessary - do people really need a gym membership / netflicks / sky / high end mobile phone / endless takeaway meals or coffee takeaways? So many people no longer want to work and can easily claim benefits yet there are huge numbers of vacant jobs and trades in very short supply. Plasterers/painters/builders/ electricians etc all important and in demand jobs but huge delays as there don’t seem to be enough people wanting to work, and plenty of opportunities for homers if you can find someone willing to work. We need a complete rethink of the way our lives are run, COVID was bad but some many people realised they could get off the hamster wheel and many haven’t returned to full time occupations.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Yes prices are going up but a lot can be managed with a bit of thought. Everyone wants everything now / immediately rather than the way we managed when l was young! There are far to many ‘hand out’ and expectations are unrealistic in many cases. It’s interesting the way people / families divide as to their views on what’s essential. So many essentials aren’t necessary - do people really need a gym membership / netflicks / sky / high end mobile phone / endless takeaway meals or coffee takeaways? So many people no longer want to work and can easily claim benefits yet there are huge numbers of vacant jobs and trades in very short supply. Plasterers/painters/builders/ electricians etc all important and in demand jobs but huge delays as there don’t seem to be enough people wanting to work, and plenty of opportunities for homers if you can find someone willing to work. We need a complete rethink of the way our lives are run, COVID was bad but some many people realised they could get off the hamster wheel and many haven’t returned to full time occupations.

That last part I totally agree with, those certain people saying they struggling were the people that were getting paid for drinking every day and having barbecues with their new garden furniture, while I was still going to work two jobs every day! Same as normal! There are tons of jobs there for people that want to work! I cleaned schools when I really needed the money. Not that there is anything wrong with it but is a thankless job

 

[Art Nouveau]

Yes prices are going up but a lot can be managed with a bit of thought. Everyone wants everything now / immediately rather than the way we managed when l was young! There are far to many ‘hand out’ and expectations are unrealistic in many cases. It’s interesting the way people / families divide as to their views on what’s essential. So many essentials aren’t necessary - do people really need a gym membership / netflicks / sky / high end mobile phone / endless takeaway meals or coffee takeaways? So many people no longer want to work and can easily claim benefits yet there are huge numbers of vacant jobs and trades in very short supply. Plasterers/painters/builders/ electricians etc all important and in demand jobs but huge delays as there don’t seem to be enough people wanting to work, and plenty of opportunities for homers if you can find someone willing to work. We need a complete rethink of the way our lives are run, COVID was bad but some many people realised they could get off the hamster wheel and many haven’t returned to full time occupations.

Can't work out if you think it's good or bad that some people have realised they can get off the hamster wheel. Personally I think it's a good thing if people don't feel compelled by society/their work culture to work a full working week or overtime just because that's the norm, if they would be financially comfortable on a part time week.
In any case, statistically it's the close to retirement age people who have left the workforce after Covid. Unfortunately our data doesn't drill down enough into whether that's due to ill health or personal choice (ie, realised they could get off the hamster wheel).

Also, where the people live who want/need jobs, and where the jobs are, might not be the same place, which isn't much use if you don't have a car or can't afford to move. The idea that there are huge numbers of people lazing around on benefits voluntarily is a frustrating myth that doesn't ever seem to budge.

 

[teapot]

Also, where the people live who want/need jobs, and where the jobs are, might not be the same place, which isn't much use if you don't have a car or can't afford to move. The idea that there are huge numbers of people lazing around on benefits voluntarily is a frustrating myth that doesn't ever seem to budge.

Plus the fact that you need a smart phone, or a laptop and wifi, to access any form of Gov benefit, complete a job application etc, let alone afford to get to an interview.

 

[Flyermc]

Nursery fees are optional. You get funding from 2 years old now for a certain number of hours. It must be soul destroying to pay over half your income for childcare and I think that’s one of the reasons a lot of people don’t have children. I couldn’t do it, anymore than I would pay £1k livery a month.

Nursery fees arent really optional unless you can find free childcare or dont go back to work, however holiting your career, may cost you more in the long-run. When mine were in nursery (unless things have changed) you only get 'free' 15hrs at 2 years old if you dont work and are on benefits. You get 30hrs 'free' once they are a 3 and you are working. (gov will pay 80% of childcare fees (any age) if you are working and on certain benefits)

The free childcare that we got did reduce our fees once the kids turned 3, however most nurseries (that we looked at, at the time) increased costs in other areas, so the reduction wasnt as much was we first imagined.

Kids are expensive and the expense just seems to move from nursery costs (when there younger) to days out, various after school actives and school holiday clubs!

 

[maya2008]

Yes prices are going up but a lot can be managed with a bit of thought. Everyone wants everything now / immediately rather than the way we managed when l was young! There are far to many ‘hand out’ and expectations are unrealistic in many cases. It’s interesting the way people / families divide as to their views on what’s essential. So many essentials aren’t necessary - do people really need a gym membership / netflicks / sky / high end mobile phone / endless takeaway meals or coffee takeaways? So many people no longer want to work and can easily claim benefits yet there are huge numbers of vacant jobs and trades in very short supply. Plasterers/painters/builders/ electricians etc all important and in demand jobs but huge delays as there don’t seem to be enough people wanting to work, and plenty of opportunities for homers if you can find someone willing to work. We need a complete rethink of the way our lives are run, COVID was bad but some many people realised they could get off the hamster wheel and many haven’t returned to full time occupations.

I take it we don’t need lower paid jobs like teaching assistants, shop assistants etc then? On £1000 take home pay a month, with rent/mortgage, food bills, energy, water, council tax, transport… none of the above would be possible anyway!!

 

[Barton Bounty]

I didnt get any free childcare whatsoever. I paid from 6 months old to 3 years old and then I was able to reduce the childminder slightly, but I paid till they were old enough to be able to walk to school and after that my parents walked them to school or OH started later, yet another sacrifice we made. Do I regret it?
Not one bit. Cant wait to be a grannie ?

 

[teapot]

Just bumping this to say I've just seen another often recommended much smaller centre (in SE) raise their prices from £50/£60 max for a 45min private to £80...

 

[Chianti]

Just to say it isn't just the horse world. About eight years ago I had a 1.5 metre fence put in the front garden. Four panels and five posts. Total cost about £450. Three of the posts have rotted and need replacing. One quote is £300!