Prize Money - Who keeps it?! Owner/Rider?!

L

luce1

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 December 2010
Messages
706
Location
Hampshire
Visit site
Hello,

The lady that runs my livery yard is competing my Eventer this Winter in BD. She is a dressage rider and enjoys it and I am not that mad keen on DR and actually really enjoy just watching, so it works well!
We went to Merrist Wood on Sat for his BD debut and he won both his Novice classes!!
So my question is, who keeps the prize money? As the owner, I pay for his entry fees, him being ridden etc. So do I keep his winnings? Or does the rider who does put the work in practicing etc or do we spilt?!

What does anyone else do?

Thanks!
 
I pay all the bills for my horse, who is competed by someone else, including the entry fees, so I keep the prize money.
I also pay the rider to ride as it is a professional arrangement. If I were not already paying the rider I might feel inclined to offer them the prize money as a 'thank you'.
 
I don't know the law here but legally it's the owner in North America since prize money is paid to the horse not the rider and so does not affect amateur status. The only exception would be Equitation classes but they don't pay prize money for that reason.

Some people do a "percentage deal" like jockeys have but I can't really see the point of that unless it's high end competition and in that case, again, it affects amateur status.
 
I was competing a horse for the owners and i got nothing! Ok she paid entries and fuel, but apart from muck the horse out i did everything and got not a bean :( i won £3k plus a £1400 saddle in the two years i rode her and that was only competing once or twice a month (two months off at xmas). Plus i was doing extra work on the yard and paying livery for my own being there! I got fed up in the end and as much as i loved the horse and she is now just a very expensive field ornament, i stopped riding her and moved yards - So i would say if you are getting someone to compete your horse for your/horses benefit just think about the work and time they will be putting in to the horse etc. as the last thing you want is a messy ending. Obviously it might be a completely different arrangement as in who is doing what in your situation. I would have been happy with either free livery for my own or 50% of the winnings. I didnt expect to be paid as it was nice for me to have another horse to compete.
 
Yea slightly different set up and dont think he will be bringing in thousands just yet!! Its just enough to cover the next entry fees! lol so yes bennefits both of us
 
strictly speaking, i think the owner keeps it although it really depends on the situation but i agree, can be slightly awkward.

i think there are some things to take into consideration. Firstly, if this is an unoffical arrangement between the 2 of you, did she approach you and ask to compete the horse as she wanted something to compete or did you offer her the ride as it wouldnt have been doing much over the winter ?


Her competing and possibly amassing BD points on your horse's competiton record is going to increase his value and at the very least he will be schooled to higher level at dressage so you are gaining from this.

I think the best thing to do is to discuss it with the rider as not doing so if she thinks she should be receiving the winnings when she presently isn't, will very soon lead to resentment setting in and the relationship between the 2 of you will sour..

best to sit down with her and discuss it though now the horse is winning.

well done for that too. must be a nice little horse :)
 
Last edited:
Would suggest you get an agreement drawn up, so that everyone knows the score.
We are co-owners and the rider (co-owner with us) gets the first 25% and then the balance is split between the rider and us. This is quite fair I think and everyone is happy.
 
I'm in a similar situation to you with Frodo - I, as the owner, pay livery & training, all bills, diesel costs, entry fees, etc and I 'keep' all of the winnings (although they merely pay for the entry fees!).
 
As an owner, if I was paying for a pro to keep and ride my horse, and if I was paying entry fees, I would be expecting the prize money.
 
Slightly different as I am sponsored rather than owned but as sponsor pays entry fees they also get my prize money :) fine by me !!
 
I ride a horse for someone and owner pays bills and entries - we give the money to the horse in the sense that it goes into a pot for the next thing the mare needs.
 
Thanks for all your replies...
MissTyc - I like that idea of putting into a horse pot.
Lula - I approched her as my horse isnt doing much over the Winter and I really enjoy watching him perform and am not that keen on dressage myself! He is schooled to a very high level in Dressage but I only compete at Pre Novice Eventing so his potential hasnt really been unleashed and she is able to unleash it! He is going to be 18 in the New Year so not that bothered about his record as I wont ever sell him..
But I agree I think we should chat about prize money so everyone knows where we stand!
Thanks for all your replies! :D
 
I think the general rule of thumb is whoever pays the entry fees keeps the prize money. In my case I pay the entries but split the money. My rider at BE is a pro, but she doesnt charge me a lot so its a bonus for us both.
 
I pay the entry fees and I also pay the rider a proper fee each time she competes my horse irrespective of whether the horse wins. So I keep any winnings. Seems fair to me.
 
Usually when you pay someone to ride and pay the entry fees you get any prize money unless agreed otherwise. I know a few riders that say they keep any prize money as a 'bonus' but that is agreed before the competition.
Personally I think in BD seen as prize money is very low that it should always go to who pays the entries, if you are already paying the rider.
 
it depends on the individual arrangement that you have with the rider. prize money isnt much til you reach the heirarchy, so shouldnt be enough to fall out about, but sit down and air your views in an amicable way. if the horse goes well and wins a class and you keep the money, then a bunch of flowers or a bottle or a box of chocs to show your thanks in an arrangement goes a long way. best to sort this out so all parties are enjoying the relationship from the start. Good luck sounds like your horse is a nice one to have around.
 
I am currently going through this situation due to pregnancy and having to get a rider. I will be paying the rider/ entry fees and transport costs and feel that as I am paying for a service, I would expect the prize money/ rosette (if he was lucky enough to get placed!). If I wasnt paying the rider it would be a different matter.

For those of you employing riders- would you mind telling me what sort of money I should be expecting to pay just so I have a general idea?
 
I pay the entry fees, get horse ready and to the show and then have someone show them for me. I pay their expenses, travel, food, accomodation etc but don't pay them to ride. If we win money I give it to the person showing my horse and I keep the ribbon.

If you are paying the rider to ride then all prize money, ribbons etc are yours.
 
My trainer is having my horse next week. Hewill be taking him out , I pay my share of the diesel and entries and prize money is split between me and the rider , this is a professional show jumper though as opposed to an amateur person doing me a favour
 
I think it really depends on the horse being competed.

On my 4yo last year i paid entries and took her to shows then paid the rider a set fee per day to ride her.

We have an agreement that when she starts to win more money it will get looked at again or if she wins a final say and a good couple of hundred pounds then i would take off the entry fee (for that class) then split the left over money between me and the rider

For my good horse who would often win a couple of hundred at one show i would again take the entry fee off and split the prize money - then i wouldnt pay the set fee though
 
I competed a mare this year owned by a lady on the yard that I keep my horses on. She pays entry fees, transport costs, schooling fees etc. And she pays the horses keep and rides her to keep her fit. I did the odd schooling session as well as competitions.
I am not a pro and am not being paid to ride, I do it for the experience and enjoyment! (she is so much fun to jump!). I get to keep the rosettes we have won, and when we were placed at an ODE and won some prize money, I gave it to her owner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top