Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
There is no feeling like a barn full of hay. Right now, that feeling of deep satisfaction is coming at a price. A STEEP price. Here in the Central Valley of California, alfalfa is selling for approximately $25 a bale at the feed store. The tricky thing with feed store bales though is that you buy by the bale, not by the pound. Anyone who buys hay knows that there's more to the purchase than just the price. The adage, you get what you pay for applies just as readily to hay. Who cares if it is cheap if it ends up being old, dusty, moldy, or stemmy. Most horse owners are willing to pay more if the quality is good. Last week, the ranch had a few tons delivered - probably a year and a half's worth. I don't think the owner wanted quite that much, but she couldn't find enough neighbors willing to buy at least some of it, so she took an extra stack or two. Grass hay is also on its way, so the barn is going to be bulging from both ends. The alfalfa that the ranch owner gets comes from the Imperial Valley; the grass comes from Oregon. The buyer she gets it from sells good quality at a competitive price because she buys the entire load. We all know the price of hay is going through the barn roof. This load ran $475 a ton with approximately 16 bales to the ton. So while these bales ran about $28 each, slightly higher than feed store bales, they are heavy. Each bale weighs around 119 pounds. They're almost too heavy for her and I to move around. I'd love to know what your hay is costing you this year. Do you buy it by the bale or by the ton? Do you have round bales, two strand bales, or three strand bales like ours? Do you buy alfalfa, and if not, what are you feeding? Are cubes any cheaper?
Between hay and diesel costs, horses are getting more expensive by the minute. Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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