Jodie Hall McAteer shares her thoughts on making a living out of horses and the vetting debate
It’s unbelievable how healthy business is here on the Andalucía Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, where I have been based since the start of February. Whether it’s young horses, amateur horses or ready produced horses, there are plenty of people looking to buy and willing to sell.
The Spanish tours have always been the best place in Europe for getting away from the cold winters and Vejer has grown so big, it’s become a great place to network.
Although a lot of industries are struggling in the current financial climate, our sport seems to be growing.
One thing I have noticed is how much the tours are investing in their facilities. Vejer now has a veterinary clinic, with its own team of vets on the showground and there are constantly vettings under way. For that reason, I was quite interested to read Rowland Fernyhough’s column on vettings.
Out here, most buyers are knowledgeable and aren’t expecting to eliminate all risk. Pre-purchase exams have certainly become more thorough and I think there is an increased onus on vets’ opinions these days – a vet can indirectly overrule a deal. However, the system is not all bad. A good vet should evaluate the point a horse is at in its career and what will be expected in its new home.
There’s an expanding client base behind these horse sales. New people are coming in, motivated by investment opportunities as well as the love of horses and the attraction of the lifestyle.
You only have to look at the show calendar to see how global showjumping has become. I was mindblown when I added up that there were 18 international events last week, four of which were at five-star level.
Growing up, there were probably one or two bigger international shows a week, so you can see how much opportunity there is in the sport, even though it has its challenges.
Now I am a little older, my attention has shifted more to the business side and my sister Ellie and I need to make it our focus to be financially viable. Going on tours has become hugely expensive, but you need to look at it as adding value to horses and take it on the chin – hopefully you win some money out here or sell some horses to help make it pay.
Polly Gredley has given me the ride on her exciting stallion Kingsborough Kasper, who has jumped CSIO3* Nations Cups with Louise Lovegrove. There’s such a range of classes here you can be competitive while also stepping horses up and giving the less experienced ones a bit more mileage.
A juggling act
The first time I ever came to Vejer was when I was 12 or 13. My parents had horses in action here and luckily enough, I went on to compete here while still in school. In hindsight, I don’t know how we did it. We would go to school from Monday to Wednesday, then jump in Spain till Sunday. We would continue in that same routine for eight weeks.
It was a great opportunity to experience riding such a variety of different horses at such a young age and it’s great to see other young riders having a similar experience now.
● How easy is it to make a living out of showjumping these days? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine
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You might also be interested in:
Rowland Fernyhough: ‘Selling a horse may soon become impossible’
The definitive guide to the pre-purchase equine vetting
‘The best day I could ever imagine’: a British rider’s dream result and why is the world number one riding in a brace?
When your whole family visits from Ireland to watch you win in USA: meet a teenage star living the dream
