Where are all the good dressage sponsors?

Recently I've seen more frequent discussions about dressage sponsorship for American riders. It seems to fuel some pretty impassioned reactions on topics like unaffordability of the sport for most, the wild-west of commissions, whether our riders are good enough, domestic breeding vs importing, and whether or not riders should develop their own horses.

Let's start by agreeing on one point. Team USA will be in a better position if we have more top riders with more top horses coming into team selection. Right?

And let's agree on a second point: to find the right solution, we need to be sure we're asking the right question. Is "Where are all the good dressage sponsors?" the right question? I'll argue, it's not the best one. But, hey, let's answer it.

Approved Stallion: Volumia (Vaderland x Floriscount)

While more wealth has moved into our sport, more sponsorship hasn't followed. Maybe part of the reason is - it's not as much fun to be a sponsor anymore. Between safe-sport and the perceived risk it has created for innocent professionals, seeing animal abuse reports used as a competitive strategy, suffering the uneducated army of dressage haters posting terrible things about top riders, hearing the demonization of judges and the FEI, it's just not as much fun anymore - no matter where you stand on these topics. Who needs this?

And two million is the new half-million for a horse on track for an international competition. Yes, it's a global marketplace. And many wealthy families world-wide are shopping. It's not that our uber-wealthy sponsors are price-sensitive, but we can't make the sport less fun and more expensive at the same time. Right?

And, commissions aren't the reason Olympic caliber horses are expensive. Right now, I have two 9-year old Olympic candidates for sale, ranging from 1.5 to 2 million Euro. Those prices aren't because of any agent. The world markets are driving these prices. Bad agents are awful and our unregulated industry is a hot mess - and anecdotally, account for some buyers over-paying. But they aren't creating an exclusive market environment. Supply and demand is.

Approved stallion: Daxx (Dynamic Dream x Escolar)

Asking "Why aren't more wealthy sponsors stepping up?" sounds to me like asking why the world doesn't work like it used to. That's worth sitting with for a moment — because a lot of this conversation feels to me like nostalgia with a megaphone. It may even sound like an attempt to shame the wealthy. Maybe not the best approach, even if the old way worked back in the day and isn’t off the table as a solution for today’s trainers.

But, maybe a better question is, "How do the world's other top riders show up year after year on the world stage?" What is working now, instead of how can we keep the old way the main way.

The answer to that question is more interesting — and more actionable — than most people in this conversation realize. European riders are using strategies that don't show up on American radar, not because they're secret. We're just focused more on our riding and training instead of the business strategies behind staying in the show ring. 

With the radical increase in dressage horse values, there's a new problem, but also an unprecedented opportunity for American professionals to think like entrepreneurs. Praying for a sponsor to spend millions on a Hail-Mary dressage horse is one strategy — but it's not the only one, and it's getting harder to count on.

I’m seeing more top riders solving this problem without a one-sponsor solution or a trust fund. Maybe the better question is “how are they doing it?”

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Interested in this topic? Maybe you'd like to read about one of the most common business mistakes made by dressage professionals - training mediocre horses.

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