The Economics of Equestrian

A pile of hay bales, which  in some cases have gone up 45 percent in price.  

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/708708.

MILFORD, Mich. - Despite economic-related changes, equestrian teams have found ways to stay on their feet.

The only thing indicating that this was a high school equestrian competition was the line of horse trailers and the unmistakable smell of horses wafting through Milford High School’s equestrian grounds, situated just beyond the rear wall of Milford High School. Upon closer inspection, a few riders could be seen in three different rings, either warming up or concentrating in competition.There were a handful of people around each ring, mostly dressed in riding gear themselves, casually observing the riders. Where were all of the spectators?

Economic hardship doesn't just hit the usual sports.

Horse ownership is not cheap. Keeping a horse can be $300 to $400 a month, not including vet and farrier bills. When competing, the cost skyrockets even more. For students on the equestrian teams, it makes staying in the ring difficult.

“The price of hay and grain have gone up a lot since last year, so just keeping a horse is more expensive,” said Jasmine Levitte, a South Lyon East High School student and member of the South Lyon equestrian team.

Another problem is that because equestrian isn’t a well-known sport, there is only one location for competitions in the area.

“There are definitely fewer people competing, and more people sharing trailers to get to the events,” she said.

Levitte was excited to see her former trainer watching from the sidelines, as the trainer had moved to Kentucky recently.

“A lot of competitors are riding without trainers now, including myself,” she said.

Gabrielle Pollock, a former competitor for the Novi team, has also seen many changes since competing as a senior last year. She comes to competitions now, watching from the team tent as her younger sister Whitney competes

“The first thing I noticed is that there aren’t as many people on the teams,” Pollock said. “People just can’t afford to compete like they could before.”

According to Pollock, there have been changes in the way the competition is run.

“There is only one Port-A-Potty when there used to be five or six,” she said, eying the single red bathroom sitting by the warm up ring.

She also noted that manure and trash cannot be left on the grounds, they must be packed and disposed of by each team. To cover competition costs, teams had to have more fundraising opportunities.

"There has been an increase in team spirit," she said.

Team members are willing to share more to allow their fellow members to continue competing.

“There are more parents helping out in packing all of the lunches instead of buying food like we used to,” Pollock said.

In the South Lyon tent, anyone who supported the team was invited to have lunch with the riders. This increase in morale is what keeps the sport going.