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Imogen, it’s my observation that the happiest people aren’t necessarily the people who make the most money. It’s the people who are doing what they find makes them happiest.

If you can make an acceptable living in either eventing or dressage, IMO you should go with the discipline that makes you happiest. You won’t regret it in the long run.

FWIW, I believe that you are likely to do a better job with what you are most happy doing, and the better job you do the more money you are likely to make over the long haul.

Contentment with what you are doing comes through in how well you do your job. You will be a better trainer, or coach, or judge, in the discipline you like best.

Don’t try to follow the money. Follow your passion.

I think it would be pretty evenly split, although you are right about the eventing.

Since eventing is split into three sports, you could possibly make more money. If you think about it, if someone came by, and you were selling them an eventing horse, they’d have more of an immediate career with the horse because they could go into some jumper classes, three day events, or some dressage shows.

I agree with you, that Dressage is my passion. However, while Dressage is popular, I’ve always found that, and I hate saying it, that some snob people consider dressage horses to be a one sport horse- and that once they are retired from dressage, they have no "use." I think that’s a ridiculous statement, but I could understand where they come from.

While Eventing horses may earn the most money, I think Dressage horses would be the most rewarding to yourself. = ]

personally i say go for eventing – there you can work on perfecting your dressage but you can also work on jumping – its much more varied.

Follow your dream and make your passion your career—Dressage !
enjoy whatever you decide but remember, as a quote someone gave me, " God laughs at those that make big plans !". As you know, dressage is at the basis of the other disciplines, so with that passion and grounding, it will be like a springboard to all other equestrian spheres….
Enjoy whatever you decide to do and live your dreams
good luck for the future:o)

EDIT- 2 hours later, 1 simple question, 5 sane , un-controversial answers and I see the thumbs down bug has reared it’s ugly head yet again…..I suspect the manic button pusher hasn’t even got a life, never mind owns a horse..it is such a shame that genuine questions will no longer get the answers they seek as sincere people like myself and numerous others, with no agenda…..just years of in-valuable experience that we hope can help others will just not bother….
really sorry to ‘hijack’ your question and I really do wish you happiness in all that you do, yet again, minority spoiling it for the majority.

Zoe

I have news for you, Imogen- NIETHER of these two sports will ever make you wealthy- in fact, you’ll be lucky to be able to earn a decent living at all. It’s better that you take some business courses in college, and get yourself a degree in that field or one related to it, so you can have and hold a steady day job which will support you while you event and show in dressage as a hobby. I’m a dressage enthusiast myself, and have been so for most of my life- and I spent 20 plus years struggling to survive in the horse business as a professional before I finally wised up and decided to change careers for good. I now work as a medical coder, and that allows me to ride and keep a horse, and to train her in dressage. I will be able to retire in this field, and get a pension when I do- something which will NEVER happen to you, Imogen, as long as you make or attempt to make training and showing horses your profession.

Even if you have your own business and farm ( and there is no guarantee that you will ever be successful enough to reach that level competitively) then you will face these issues. There is no real money in the horse business- most people who go into it LOSE money, they don’t make a profit. The exception to this is racing, of course, but that’s a whole different ball game than the one you are talking about. Breeding horses for a living is even more of a gamble than competing is- and what if you can’t sell the babies, or you have problems with your mares and can’t get them in foal? How will you make up the difference, and put food on the table and keep a roof over your head? Right now, the US economy is tanking and going south- and the problems are getting worse, not better. What’s happening in the national economy is hurting the horse business too, because horses are luxury items for all but an elite few of us. When there are bills to be paid, and people lose their jobs and have to choose between their horses and feeding their kids or putting gas in the car, then the horse loses out and gets sold- if a buyer can be found, that is. Right now, there is a huge glut of unwanted horses on the market- so much so, in fact, that the animals are being abandoned in record numbers because people can’t afford to feed or take care of them. On top of this, there was a drought in much of the country last year ( and it appears as though there will be an equally bad one this year, at least in some places) so the hay crops failed- which means there is not enough hay to go around. That has led to not only abandonment of horses, but also to a sharp increase in the number of horses which are getting sent north on trucks bound for Canada and the slaughterhouses there, since horse slaughter was outlawed and made illegal here more than a year ago.

What does all this mean for you, someone who is an aspiring horse professional? It means that now is NOT the time to try to enter this business, unless you have a solid income from an outside source which you can rely on. That’s why you need to get a business degree, or a degree in something like marketing or finance, and use THAT as the basis for your job search. You can still pursue equine studies, yes, and you should- but not at the expense of other activities which will allow you to earn a decent living and support your hobby. I’m not trying to say no to you- I am just trying to get you to take off your rose tinted glasses and look at the horse business like it really is, rather than as you are dreaming it should be. I learned the hard way that there is no real money in it- I spent years believeing that if I only worked hard enough or long enough, the right job would come along by magic, and allow me to earn enough to support myself. It never happened- not once. Instead, I was forced to endure years of long hours, low pay ( sometimes, not even a living wage, or one which was under the table or in cash) and lots of emotional abuse and mistreatment by my employers, all of which knew better. Most horse business jobs carry no benefits at all, so I was on my own when it came to health insurance. Being without insurance in a sport like eventing can mean financial RUIN if you get hurt in a fall, the way Darren Chiacchia did last spring. He almost DIED, Imogen, as I am sure you are aware- and he had NO insurance to pay his astronomical medical costs. If it had not been for groups like the Equestrian Aid Foundation and for his colleagues, Darren would have been forced into bankruptcy. As it is, I understand he is still paying bills from last spring’s accident in Florida. Don’t let this happen to YOU- and be warned that it nearly happened to me, more than once during my long years in the horse business.

There is also no such thing as a 40 hour workweek in the horse business- horses require care on a 24/7/365 basis, which means that your chances for social contacts,and a social life, are going to be extremely limited. There’s a reason why I am in my 40′s and still single- and my long career working with horses has a lot to do with it. Are you strong enough to deal mentally with the prospect of never being able to marry or have a family, Imogen? You should ask yourself that question before you start looking for work in the business, because the answer will have a big impact on how you live your life. What if you end up marrying someone who doesn’t ride or love horses as you do- can you cope with the demands which are going to be placed on you by such a person? If you decide to have kids, who will look after them, and how will you support them and educate them? I had to face all these questions when I was working, and you need to at least think about them and come up with some answers to them before you get going on your career path. Can you cope with the long hours and broken committments and promises which a life with horses will demand of you? If you answered no, then perhaps it’s time to rethink some of your goals. I speak as one who has been there- I know how demanding a career with horses can be, and what kind of sacrifices are sometimes necessary to make it happen. I’m not saying don’t do it- but I am warning you to be cautious about it. Enough said.