12/27/2025
Lately I’ve been reflecting a lot on the current state of the hunter/jumper world in the U.S., and I’m genuinely concerned about where our sport is headed.
The economics have become deeply unsustainable — not just for riders, but for trainers, breeders, barn owners, and families who love this sport and want to participate.
We are losing the foundation that once supported the pipeline of riders and horses.
Lesson programs — the heart of how so many of us entered the sport — have become nearly impossible to sustain. Insurance, board, staffing, feed, and show costs are so high that many barns can no longer afford to maintain school horses or beginner programs. Without accessible entry points, we are losing future riders before they ever get the chance to fall in love with horses.
Breeders and young horse programs are facing the same reality.
The cost of raising and developing young horses in this country far exceeds what most small breeders or independent professionals can ever hope to recoup. We are pushing out the very people who used to produce thoughtfully developed American-bred horses.
And the price of horses has skyrocketed beyond anything that used to seem reasonable.
When I was a junior, a $50–100k horse was considered extraordinary. Today, that price range has become commonplace. That’s not just “market evolution.” It’s a sign that the sport is drifting further and further out of reach for the majority of riders.
Another deeply concerning trend is the level of luxury now expected in equestrian facilities.
Somewhere along the way, “safe, well-run, and horse-centered” stopped being enough. Many barns now feel pressured to resemble luxury resorts — immaculate landscaping, designer lounges, climate-controlled everything, endless aesthetic upgrades — just to stay competitive or be perceived as “credible.”
For most barn owners — myself included — that level of overhead is simply not sustainable.
These expectations don’t improve horsemanship. They don’t make better riders. They just raise costs to a point where:
• board must increase beyond what most families can pay
• barns can’t invest in lesson programs or school horses
• trainers burn out trying to financially hold everything together
The heart of the sport used to be the horses, the riding, the work, the community. Now it feels like we are prioritizing luxury experiences over accessibility and longevity — and that doesn’t serve the sport’s future.
I love this sport. I’ve devoted my life to it. But I don’t know how we sustain a healthy future when the path in is disappearing, the people who produce and teach can’t afford to stay in it, and participation is becoming limited to an increasingly narrow group.
This isn’t about blaming individuals — it’s about acknowledging a system that is no longer supporting the very community it depends on.
Something has to change, or we risk losing the core of the sport entirely.
