According to a recent article by Chris Kahn of The Huffington Post, “The price of oil is poised for another run at $100 a barrel after a global economic rebound sent it surging 34 percent since May. That could push gasoline prices to $4 a gallon by summer in some parts of the country, experts say.” AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report currently has the national average for regular gas at $3.52. Comparatively, at this time last year, the price for a regular gallon of gas was $2.75.
GoHorseShow.com asked trainers, horse show parents, and exhibitors whether their horse shows plans have changed so far this year due to these rising gas prices. Let us know if the rising prices are making you second guess what shows you are attending, and what are some of your plans to cut your costs this show season.
Trainer Dave Miller from Connecticut–The rising fuel prices absolutely will affect our travel plans for the upcoming season. Since our location makes most major horse show events a long haul (our closest major show is 9.5 hours away), we are already planning on picking and choosing the best places for our customers and horses to show. We are planning on only traveling to far-off destinations (NSBA World, Southern Belle,etc) when we can take a majority of our show string in an effort to keep the other costs of showing and hauling to a minimum. The rest of our season will be spent showing much closer to home and trying to get the maximum amount of horse show time out of our regional affiliate shows.
Trainer Becki Schwab of Wisconsin–The gas prices are definitely affecting my show schedule. My clients are opting to stay closer to home and go to shows where we do not have to travel as far. We aren’t doing any of the world shows, but we will do the Congress as our “big” show for the year. Otherwise, we are sticking closer to home to keep expenses down a little for everyone. I remember when I was a youth, and gas prices were never a huge issue, especially traveling to Youth World! It was always fun to scope out the cheapest gas station as we traveled further south. We would see gas for under a dollar!! It is simply shocking at how long ago and how odd it is to think that gas used to be that cheap. Its really hard for me as a trainer to have clients who have the talent and a great shot at being very successful at the World shows (or other big shows around the country) but cannot afford it because of the gas prices.
Trainer Tina Price of Brenham, Texas–Boy, that’s all we’ve been talking about for the last two weeks! We, my husband and I, are trainers and that’s all we do. We have to stay on the road. We will, however, be doing some things a bit differently.
We will go to more multi-judged shows even if they’re a bit farther away. One weekend with six judges will be cheaper than three weekends with two judges. We will cut back on shows that have been small in recent years and with limited points. Currently, we are considering a fuel surcharge over an increase in mileage, so that when prices go down, so does the extra charge. We will definitely be picking and choosing our shows, looking for the most economical shows offering the most point opportunities.
Our goals are to keep the show costs as low as possible so that our customers won’t have to cut back too much. A greater concern to me is the potential increase in feed and hay costs. Those costs are passed along to the customers, which may force many to reduce the number of horses they keep in training. Fewer horses in training and fewer shows to haul to could well cause significant reductions in the entries at the shows. This combination will not bode well for trainers.
Select Amateur Maggie Bellville of Georgia–While gas prices have not been a dominant element in our horse show travel plans, it is the ‘elephant in the corner’ and is part of our consideration. But it does rank behind things like show management, show scheduling, show location and facility, and how far away the show is. So- gas does take a position as we look at shows with these considerations.
Horse show mom, Jami Salamone from Arizona–I have lots of thoughts about the fuel prices. But, we are probably the wrong ones to ask! We selfishly fuel a small jet to get to the out-of-town shows, although it’s all relative. We think twice about the longer haul flights, like Congress, because the rising cost of the fuel makes the expense beyond ridiculous. Gabriella and I would gladly fly commercial to the shows, but Bruno (the Boss) is firm about not flying commercial and not being left home.
However, fuel prices will not deter us from any shows this year. Gabriella has a new horse, An Honest Detail, and she just entered the 15 – 18 age division, so she is challenged and excited to show in front of as many judges as she can get to this year. We are actually planning to attend more shows this year than last year. Sadly, I see the numbers at the shows dwindling and this fuel price issue will clearly be a factor for many youth across the country.
Select Amateur Andrea Schneebaum from New Hampshire–Living in New England, we have to travel to extend our very short show season and to meet our competitors both in the select events and in trail. Gas prices will make us plan carefully…we check numbers and make sure that if we travel out west that there is another show either before or after the one we’d planned on going to. We were concerned about the change in plans for the Texas Classic as we always go there before the Redbud Spectacular. This year we tried the Prairie Classic in Oklahoma City after Arizona and will carefully consider yet another trip out west to the Redbud.
Gas prices certainly take their toll…most of our barn competitors are working amateurs…so we often have to fly to limit time away from work…and prices there too have markedly increased. But we are always looking for new venues and will be trying two other shows this season in the Northeast.
NRHA Trainers Kathy and Casey Hinton from Texas–Luckily for us we live in the heart of horse country with most major events within a 2 – 5 hour drive. We only make about 3 trips that require extensive travel. We do most of our World Show qualifying within an hour of our ranch and most of the major NRHA events are held in this area. We have found the NRHA events are huge and the gas prices have not taken effect so far, but not sure what will happen as the prices continue to increase. All NRHA events also pay money so having a good day can most of the time cover all of your costs.
Select Amateur Allison Ham from Missouri—Like most everyone I’m thinking twice about some of my horse show plans. I will still go, but probably not quite as much as last year. I think people in general are going to pick and choose where they go. We just had a weekend show in Carthage, Missouri which is close to home and we sold out of stalls. It was a good show and from what people were saying most were planning to stay closer to home this year. Horse showing is a hobby for me, so I guess it’ll still be kinda a top priority!
Trainer Angie Proctor-Reichert from Florida–Speaking from a trainer’s standpoint, I have to say that I have not noticed the increase in gas prices effecting my horse show plans.
Basically, I have two groups of folks that show: One group shows at the State Quarter Horse shows. These folks love to run for Year End Highpoints for the State club; these shows are fairly close to home (2 hrs max); these folks tend to be either Youth riders that can not take time out of school for travel to distant shows or Novice riders with full time jobs who can not afford travel time off. The other group tends to be Select riders or Amateur riders who love to travel. There are complaints about increasing gas prices amongst this group, but the rational is, “Another $50 in gas will not keep me from doing what I love to do!”
Personally, I hope the gas prices come down very soon. This is just another hard knock for a desperate economy. This country needs the horse industry to thrive!
Amateur APHA Exhibitor Shannon Fisher from North Carolina–Well, I have lots of thoughts! We will be choosing the shows we go to more carefully. Alan had to go up on his mileage this year for hauling. It is very important to have a full paying load when you travel to the horse shows now.
Before the hauling fees use to help pay for the rig itself, but now, it literally just covers the fuel to get you from one place to the other. Alan (Her husband–who is also a horse trainer) is at $.65 a mile. He was at $.55 up until this year, but with the cost on the rise, he had no choice to increase it. But with that in mind, he has tried to keep the hauling at a reasonable cost so customers can still go to the horse shows. We have our calendar made out for the year, and it includes the major shows for this year. But, we really take into consideration what the numbers are going to look like at the shows, so we know it will be worth it.
It is a little to swallow when you haul so many hours away to show with five horses. Alan has tried to make sure we can get the biggest show for the biggest bang for your buck. I think these fuel/gas prices are crazy, and I hope things don’t take a turn for the worse and people stop going to the horse shows again. The economy has just started to reboot itself…it would a shame for things to go in the gutter all over again.
AQHA Exhibitor Meagan Dean from Texas–I’m honestly not sure if the rising gas prices are going to affect me personally when it comes to show plans this year because in the past I’ve only planned to hit up a couple non-local shows throughout the year. However, it’s definitely going to be a factor that I’ll have to keep in mind when it comes to planning because I start saving money to cover travel and show expenses for out-of-town shows just as soon as I make the decision to go. Whenever I first heard the gas prices were rising, I’ll admit that I didn’t realize how bad the situation was. I thought that it would just be another case similar to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – the gas prices rose to an exhausting price, but it seemed there was a pretty good chance that they would lower again once things settled down. I soon realized with all the trouble currently going on in the Middle East and the fact that we were dependent on other countries for a large portion of oil and gas, there might be a good chance that we don’t see the $2.50-ish/gallon prices for a very long time, if ever. I’m not the most political or economic-savvy person in the world (to be honest, both are subjects I find rather frustrating!), but with our economy’s current state I’m worried that the rise in gas prices will cause a decline in the number of people who attend shows.
AQHA Amateur Exhibitor Valerie Fites Sturgeon from Ohio—I think the gas prices are going to have a huge impact on everyone’s show plans for this year. The gas prices are making me rethink about where I will be going to show this year. As a poor working amateur, and with gas prices in my area running from $3.50 for unleaded to $4.00 for diesel and still on the rise, I will be showing closer to home. I have also seen a price increase lately at the grocery stores too. Actually, I have been doing some deep thinking about my show schedule for this year. I have been working on a spreadsheet that includes judges, miles/hours from home, cost for entries/stalls/electric/office/drug fees and last year class numbers and an other important notes like facility details–so I can make a wise discussion of what shows I will hit this year. Last year, I really enjoyed the four judged system but they have their pluses and minuses. Pluses, if you do good you can get a lot of points that costs you less on shavings, gas, stalls, electric for your bus/motel, food and wear and tear on your rigs and horses. The minuses are if you have a bad ride you don’t have that second chance in a day or two like the split-combined shows give you. Also another minus is for the novice riders/green horses, they don’t get the experience that they might need like to go around the pen several times that a split-combined show gives you. Another aspect of my decision making is going to see if the shows fall over just the weekend or fall during the week too. As an online/virtual teacher it’s really hard to take off work during the week unless they fall over a holiday that I already have off or during my summer vacation. I do get three personal days throughout my show season, so I treat them like gold. I really hope the rising gas prices don’t hurt the shows this year but time will tell.
