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[RC] The Cost of Riding - k s swigart

Bruce Weary said:

I will never understand why a $3.00 gallon of gas
stops more people from riding than a $10-$40,000
truck, a $1500-$5000 horse (or two or three),
ongoing feed costs, a $2,000--$50,000 trailer,
ongoing vehicle maintenance costs, high load range
tires, insurance, $500-$2000 saddles, regular shoeings
or boots, the price of land to keep horses on or
boarding fees, ride fees, membership fees, etc.,.

Because the cost of fuel is pretty much the only thing on the above list
that is a true variable cost (totally a function of how much driving you
do).  Ongoing vehicle maintenance and high load range tires are somewhat
variable; although some has to be done even if you don't drive at all.
And ride fees are a variable cost (don't go to the ride, it doesn't cost
you anything); however, those costs have not gone up 100% in the last 5
years the way the price of gas has.

The other costs mentioned are fixed costs, you cannot lower them by
riding less.  The only way to lower them is to ride not at all and get
rid of the horses, the truck, the trailer.  After you have acquired the
land, the horses, the truck, the trailer, they cost you the same no
matter how often you go to a ride.  You can sell these fixed costs off
and get cheaper versions of them, but reducing costs in this way won't
have any impact on the amount of riding you do

When money gets tight, variable costs are the ones that people reduce
first, because they are the easiest to reduce.  And they are ones that
can be most easily reduced without having to totally eliminate them.

So yes, it is only reasonable that if the price of gas to get to the
ride goes up, that people who only have so much to spend will go to
fewer rides and ride less before they start selling off their sunk costs
of horse, trailer, etc. have have to ride not at all.

kat
Orange County, Calif.



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