Thursday, July 28, 2011

Why are riding clinics so pricey???

Many of us wonder why clinics are so expensive. Are we getting soaked by clinic sponsors? It would appear that the answer is NO. Let me share some typical costs for a Big Name Trainer clinic:


  • Clinician fees: $1500/day x 2 = $3000
  • Clinician mileage for a  relatlively local clinician: 225 miles x 0.51 = $114.75
  • (round up to $115)
  • Hotel Room for 1 night = $120
  • Facility Fee: $150/day x 2 = $300
  • Insurance Fee: $85/day x 2 = $170
Total =$3585

 If you divide that by 20 rides over the  two days (ten rides/day), then the member fees would be $185 per ride.   This is a break-even cost and does not include meals for the clinician or refreshments for auditors, the time and the labor to set up, schedule, staff, and run the clinic. This particular clinician was willing to do 10 rides a day -- some do not.


9 comments:

  1. You're very lucky that your facility fee is so low. We'd pay much more and thus our clinics for big name clinicians cost hundreds per person here in Nova Scotia.

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  2. The clinician fees themselves are outrageous. What is being taught?! Neurosurgery, or guidance on how to ride a horse?! $150-250 for 45 minutes?! Are we all NUTS??!! It really is a racket. And, I have paid it, too, in the past. Not so much, anymore.

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  3. Last clinic ride I was offered an appointment in,
    $250 a ride.

    It didn't happen ... I couldn't justify it.

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  4. That's pretty reasonable for a big name clinician. Out here (Idaho), we're so far away from everything that just getting them here is ridiculous.

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  5. Agreed, that facility fee, in comparison to the ones I've worked with is low. Also to add to the expense is trans-atlantic flights and Euro conversions.

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  6. I guess though my reaction is why $1500/day for the clinician...If they do say 8 hours of work that's what nearly $200/hr. That's a pretty exorbitant hourly rate that they're then passing along to their riders/hosts. Esp considering their travel expenses are covered on top of that rate. If it's an Olympic level or WEG rider that's medaled than ok, maybe it's justified???...ahhhhh everything with horses is just so darn expensive :)

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  7. We pay more for the insurance (wah!) and figure our profit in the facility fee when we host a clinic. Dinner out for the clinician, employees, and volunteers comes out of the "profit"! But they are fun, get traffic through our facility, and provide more/better instruction than is normally available in our location (so improving the horses' lives!), so it's all good.

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  8. The cost starts with whatever guarantee the clinician wants for his/her time. Facility fees and other expenses vary from place to place, but my and large, your figures are pretty on target for the East Coast.

    The question I always have had is whether or not I as a rider was actually going to benefit from the money. I was disappointed a number of times, but at least that gave me a list of "people to never ride with again."

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  9. I've been shocked this summer by how little some of the well known trainers in my area are asking. Now, granted, I live in a part of Mass. where there are a ton of trainers but we're seeing eventing and hunter/jumper trainers who are quite well known teaching for $50-$60/hour if you can line up 4-6 lessons for them. I'm talking world class riders, who've competed at the highest levels. To me, that says the economy is still in the toilet. Of course, we're lucky that we have a town riding arena with jumps and professional footing. No facility fee definitely helps.

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