$ $ $
“You have to be able to find the talent as a young horse, and believe in them. And then have the ability to produce them and get them to that level…”
Cha-Ching! Funding the years of a horse’s progress can exceed that Ivy League education. “By the time they’re eight, you probably have—not counting the purchase price—at least $300,000 into the horse. That’s conservative,” Richard says. “When you talk about developing a Grand Prix horse, you wouldn’t really consider the money they cost once they’re eight. That’s when you start making money, optimistically.” “If they’ve become your dream, then it’s not expensive,” he adds with a little optimism of his own. That figure reflects the costs of producing the young jumper and all his competition fees. “That’s going to horse shows, keeping the horse, vet bills, farrier bills—all the normal stuff,” he explains. Derek agrees about the investment in a quality horse,
saying it’s extreme. “You balance if they are good enough quality, or not good enough. Or do you need to sell them before they get to that point if you feel they aren’t going to get to that top level. You have to anticipate and maximize your investment by anticipating what job that horse can really be good at. Then you can sell him to that role.” Lauren talks about the showing costs here compared
to Europe. “When you show [here] in big money classes, it’s $1,500 every single time, plus the stall, shavings, hay, and nomination fees. When I lived in Europe, going to Spain for the winter, it was €350 a week for stall and feed and two classes, including the Grand Prix.” She recalls that in her first U.S. show after Europe, “I had seven horses and it was $10,000. It’s unreal that people can afford to show here.” The made horse—ready to
compete and complete a course in the time allowed—is pricey. Inter- national stars at the top of their success can easily have price tags in the millions. “It’s $400,000 at this point to buy a made Grand Prix horse,” Lauren says. “You don’t pay less than 400,000.” Derek remarks that the sport
has gotten so expensive to purchase an ongoing Grand Prix
Lauren Hester on her 2003 KWPN mare Warinde B (Padi- nus x Ekstein) in the AIG $1,000,000 Grand Prix in
March 2015 at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California.
24 May/June 2019
horse that you have to find a young horse and produce him to the Grand Prix level yourself. “You have to be able to find the talent as a young horse, and believe in them. And then have the ability to produce them and get them to that level,” he explains. “It’s about finding them as a young horse, within your
budget, and considering what you think their ability can be in the future,” he continues, “and producing them to that level. For me, my equine business is based solely on produc- ing young horses to the Grand Prix level.” Derek has taken two youngsters, both bought as six-year-olds, to Grand Prix: Lacarolus (Lasino x Carolus I) and Colour Your Day (Contendro I x Landadel). “I think he literally lives to jump,” he says about Lacaro-
lus. “His daily routine is boring and consistent. But when I’m riding him and he is jumping, he is absolutely his happiest. That horse was unquestionably born to jump jumps. Having that is a real unique feeling.” Most Grand Prix jumpers are funded by the ambitions
of affluent clients, hiring trainers to prepare their horses. “Obviously it’s an expensive game,” Bert says. “I have to try to budget it the best that I can for my investors.” He works hard to balance horses’ abilities with the clients’
expectations. “I only show my horses when I think they are ready. I don’t show them because it’s another day at a horse show. I do things the classical way. I do a lot of flatwork. I do a lot of gymnastics.” “Over the 40 some years of
being a professional,” Bert contin- ues, “I’ve learned how to bite my tongue and take my time, and not push it when I know I can’t push it. These are unique animals. When you have a good one—take your time.” He did that with Cris- tar. Previously in the horse’s career, he started to stop on course, Bert recalls. “He’s a stallion. He’s super careful. He has a little stop in him because he’s careful.” When it comes to purchas- ing a million-dollar horse, Bert says he doesn’t have that kind of budget, like some people do. “I use my talents. I have made a living of riding difficult horses. Being a professional’s son, I never got the good one. I got the ones they gave to us and said, ‘We can’t do anything with this one; let’s see if you can.’” Bert was willing to work with the then 12-year-old Cristar (the
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