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In reply to the discussion: Romney family’s dressage horse-related tax deductions last year exceeded median USA household income [View all]riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)lessons and training.
And yes, you get quite a few years of running it on a loss before you have to show a profit. I just asked my husband if he knew the exact numbers (I believe its 6 years of running the biz with a loss before you have to show a profit for the IRS) but neither of us can remember the exact number since it's not something we have to think about (thank god and knock on wood).
Competition costs are akin to advertising for a horse business. Its the place where the barn showcases their rider/trainer (brings in clients for lessons/sales), showcases their horses in training or for sales (ka-ching), showcases the level of care they give the horses (brings in clients for boarding), showcases a sponsor's products if the rider/horse are sponsored.... You really never recoup competition costs with winning but it brings in larger intangible benefits that are magnitudes better.