"I'm looking at a beginner safe horse for sale. I can't wait to start giving horse riding lessons like you. I'm going to make so much money!"
"oh boy.... how do I even begin to tell you all of the factors you're not considering?"
This was the beginning of a real conversation I had with a friend a few years ago.
Based on all of the instructors I have watched come and go over the years in my corner of the world, I can make an educated guess that the reality of giving horseback riding lessons is somewhat of a surprise to many. These are just a few of the things that I have learned from working as an instructor for a large (100+ horses) farm and having my own riding lesson business.
The Good:
There is good in giving horseback riding lessons. There are grateful clients, and children who are over the moon to ride a pony for the first time. You will build connections and even friendships through giving riding lessons.
Get in shape. It's great physical exercise and it's out in the fresh air (or at least in an indoor arena where you're not stuck in an office). This is a big perk for many instructors' mental health and physical health.
High Demand There will always be a demand for riding lessons, especially if you are willing to provide horses. Even when I was much younger and just starting out, I never had trouble filling my calendar with prospective students that were excited to take their first steps into the horse world.
Make extra cash It can be decent-ish money. No one in the history of the world has ever gotten rich giving riding lessons. Still, if you have a smart business plan and manage to execute it, riding lessons can add a nice income stream to your farm.
The Bad:
It makes some money... but not a lot. I'll start by popping the biggest bubble. Of the business plans for riding lessons that I have seen, a realistic net income is about half of what most prospective instructors are expecting to make.
Factors like no shows, vet bills, lameness, bad weather, and even broken tack will cut into your bottom line.
The weather? Yes, the weather.
Where I live, in Montana, cold weather or smokey skies ate up a solid chunk of riding days, despite the fact we have an indoor arena. Some programs will try to offset this by giving a theory lesson when conditions aren't suitable for riding.
Fair Weather Riders. What will eat up even more days are "fair weather riders" who somehow wiggle onto your schedule. If you can spot them, it's best to let these clients go as soon as possible. These are people who will cancel whenever it is not exactly 75 and sunny. If there is something good on TV, they will cancel. If they just don't feel like it, they will cancel. Make no mistake - these people live in a self-centered world and they're not operating with the capacity to understand, let alone care, that they're wasting your time and costing you money. My personal pet peeve was families who would want to leave the program for a random month and expect a spot to be waiting for them when they felt like coming back. Sorry buddy, it's back to the bottom of the waiting list for you.
Lameness has to be mentioned if you're considering offering riding lessons. Every horse at some point in their lives needs six months off for something they've managed to do in the pasture. While Lucky is bringing in $0 in lesson revenue for those six months, he will continue to rack up $400 a month board. With lesson horses, you have guaranteed expenses, but rarely do you have guaranteed income.
Wear and tear / breakage needs to be considered in your business plan if you want to know what you truly stand to make off riding lessons. Many aspiring instructors make the mistake of not factoring in the replacement cost of the horse, or the cost of tack that is going to eventually need to be replaced. If, for example, you buy a $5,000 horse to give lessons and that horse is ten years old,
Insurance. Perhaps the most unexpected cost factor is the liability insurance. In my years working independently, I never found a quote for less than $750 a month to instruct students riding my lesson horse. I essentially paid $50 - $75 for each new rider joining the program. This meant if someone came to try out one lesson (ah hem, vacationers) and never came back, their entire lesson fee went straight to insurance. Not fun.
Do some instructors operate without insurance? In some states, where the laws are more geared towards, "ride at your own risk", many do go without insurance. This is, of course, a huge gamble. One freak accident or mistake can result in a million dollars of medical bills that the instructor or the barn will be on the hook for. In effect, it's gambling your farm for the chance to make $50 giving an uninsured lesson.
If you are not careful providing lesson horses, you will likely end up subsidizing an expensive hobby for other people.
The Ugly:
It has to be mentioned, in any line of work, you will run into some people who are a few flakes short of a full haybale.
I had the woman who dropped her reins completely so that she could grab the horn with both hands when she got frightened. Being a good boy, and not knowing what else to do. The horse made for the middle of the arena to stand next to me. Of course, the woman still managed to fall off but was no worse for the wear, dusting herself off and quickly saying "I'm fine, I'm okay." She stood me up for her next two scheduled lessons. Then, texted me a month later, asking to be refunded for the lessons she'd no showed. I have a 24 hour cancelation policy, so I refused. She started threatening to sue me for her fall until I presented her with a copy of the liability release that she had signed. I'm sharing this story because no matter how careful you are, one of these people will eventually show up for a lesson.
There are the parents who "volunteer" to drop off their six-year-olds to do farm work... as if the child who can't tie their shoelaces independently is in any way contributing. Free babysitting grab, much?
At least once a year, there will be a call that goes like this. "Hi, I'm Mr. wonderful from Tasmania. I am in town for one week and I would like to take one your beloved horses out on my own for the day to go recklessly galloping across the gopher hole riddled fields. Yeah, I just can't figure out why none of the ranches or stables I have called are offering this. I'm willing to pay twenty dollars."
The ugly will ultimately make you laugh and make for great dinner conversations once the events are over. The ugly will also make you deeply appreciate the good.
I hope this post has been informative if you are considering offering horseback riding lessons. It is an industry with many ups and downs, but can ultimately be fulfilling work.
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