Shopping on a budget can always be tricky and becomes even trickier when owning a horse. We all know how expensive horses can be but it’s not impossible to save some money when shopping for your upcoming show season. There are options; here are few that we will discuss in more depth going from most to least expensive.
- Purchase Custom Clothing
- Purchase Clothing from a “Mass Producer”
- Purchase Consigned Clothing*
- Purchase Clothing at a Swap Meet*
- Trade Clothing at a Swap Meet
(*Note that 3 and 4 could possibly be interchanged)
1. We all know how expensive custom built show clothing can potentially be from a big manufacturer. For example Berry Fit Company offers custom made show blouses starting at $1200. Don’t believe me, take a look for yourself. Unless your showing continually in the World Shows, most of us won’t be spending that kind of money for show clothing.
2. There are companies out there that “mass produce” show clothing. (By mass produce, I mean they offer a few hundred to a thousand pieces) With these companies you may find that others around you have the same blouse or top as you, although unlikely, it can happen. The price on these sorts of tops range anywhere from $100 – $300. They are definitely much more affordable and still give you a great look for the show pen. You’ll find some of these tops at Al-Bar this spring from Hobby Horse and The Performance Collection. They should begin arriving the first of March.
3, 4, & 5. The first two options are going to be very similar and you could ultimately spend about the same amount of money on each one . Consignment shops are great as they can offer you a large selection of previously used show clothing at a fraction of the cost. You can find items relatively cheap or quite expensive depending on whether the items were custom made or store bought.
A swap meet will offer you a fairly good choice in clothing options as well but you’ll be limited to the number of vendors there. You may find it easier to get some great deals and you might be able to haggle with the owner of the items for a lower price.
The 5th option could be the cheapest if your lucky enough to have something that the vendor might want you might be able to trade them for an item that you want. That is all part of the fun of a swap meet.
If your not sure where to start we’d love to help by pointing you toward our Consignment Shop area or helping you with some of the Hobby Horse and Performance Collection pieces that are available. You’ll even be able to get those Hobby Horse and Performance Collection tops at a discount during our 37th Annual Spring Open House in March.
As always if you have any questions or comments let us know. We’ll gladly respond and help in anyway possible.