Bearing in mind the credit crunch - How do you all afford your horses?

^^^ As title really. Just wondered if it is only me that is really struggling with everything? I have a good job but am still living on a fiver a week. Anyone else?
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Yep, getting bad now. Can't put anymore on my credit card and 2 days after i get paid, i'm in the overdraft. And i'm in a farely well paid job too.
 
It is proving more difficult. Has made me think about selling both my two main horses and getting just one (but then this is to do with time etc. as well) as I currently have 3 ponies as well so 5 is costly!

Competition-wise, I had planned to do more BE this year and travel a bit further to things but not anymore
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Already decided not to to Hopetoun and probably won't do Strathallan which I was planning on. Saying that, Im travelling 3.5 hours south to the highland show tomorrow and then 3 hours north to past Inverness on Sunday for Coillemore BE! But generally, Im not being able to do as much. And certainly couldn't compete AT ALL without my parents paying diesal!!
 
Me too. Finding it hard to makes end meet right now. My LandRover is about to die and not worth spending nearly £1K on it to get it through MOT. Agh.

Hope my husband's art exhibition end August pulls lots of punters and we could really do with a cash injection right now. I dont spend anything on credit card any more unless it is absolutely essential (and I mean essential).

Mind you, any spending my mare mare and foal comes pretty high up the list, if it is necessary stuff.
 
i'm doing ok at the moment. i get free livery with my work, farrier trims my filly for a discount as he's a nice guy and she's a baby so not much there to trim. she's not on hard feed as she's looking great and doesn't need it. i pay insurance just now and thats it
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i don't drive or own a car, i either bus it, cycle or get a lift from my parents. i doubt we could afford to run a car so thankfully we do fine without 1.
 
I work 2 jobs and have mine on DIY. ughhmmmm. They are worth it though, and I do still ride every night, I just don't get home til 10!
 

I'm lucky, Dad works on a farm so I get hay for free! & I have my own field with lots of grass, so no livery costs for 3 of my horses & not a great deal of feed, I have 2 x yearlings & my 33 year old retired mare there, my 4th horse is in DIY livery & costs a fortune to keep! I got PP to put wooden stables up but as yet cant afford to have them put up! would love to have them all in the same place.

I was also lucky in that when I found my OH he already had his own house, so our morgue is not to bad.

having said that I do have a full time job & also do a cash in hand job on weekends I also recently swapped my 4 x 4 for a 1.4 smaller car.
 
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Yep, getting bad now. Can't put anymore on my credit card and 2 days after i get paid, i'm in the overdraft. And i'm in a farely well paid job too.

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I'm not the only one then!
 
im sorting of keeping head baove water at the mo .. lucky enough my rent for the year is low but with no grass im still having to feed hard feed and lots of hay! .. and lucky enough i can walk there too .. but this is getting really stupid with the fuel crisis and food for us and the animals.. for instance i went to the supermarket just to get some fridge stuff and a small block of cheese jesus 2.97!!! i couldnt believe it so i left it and got bear min ..and then alistar darling said its only for a short while yeah ok mannnnn hell fire its ok for them they have thousands sat in the bank for a rainy day!!!!!we havent !
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Thinking hard about the shows i go to but still managing to get out, just trying not to travel as far. Would really like some lessons but they're on the back burner.

Selling few bits and pieces on ebay for extras.

Asda and tesco own brand stuff

keeping car trips to a min too, trying to get everything in one go.

thankfully have good turn out but mine are in at night
 
Oh gosh I am really very lucky - I pay for my horse's full livery out of royalties from a book I wrote that by some miraculous fluke became a big bestseller!

It was first published 4 years ago, but is still selling very well, so the nice royalty cheques keep coming in.

Also by sheer beginner's luck the 2yo colt I bought has become a very popular stallion, so he earns some of his keep in stud fees...
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Yes it's a struggle on hard cold paper I can't afford mine but then that's always been the case yet some how we get buy.

Bit like on paper no one can really afford to have kids but we still manage it somehow!
 
Yes, the burden is not so much the expense of the horse - she's relatively cheap but the fuel to get to the yard council tax food gas electic bills are worrying as I'm renting a new house now - very small only 325pm but council tax is £82pm and I'm dreading the bills
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thank god I don't have the pressures of a mortgage.

I have briefly considered selling or loaning her to ease things which is scary to think I've even thought about it. I do have a good job as will.
 
Yup, as you. Great job, but a few days ago all our main household bills sky-rocketed (literally - water doubled, electricity tripled, gas quadrupled, etc.) so according to my maths we can now have one shower a week, bread and water on alternate days, and if we flog our lawn-clippings or clothes pegs on eBay, then we can stretch to a cup of tea to share.
 
Im ok at the moment as only 18 and still living at home and dont drive. I do wonder what i will do though when i do want to learn to drive and want my own place, then i might have to be a bit more strict with my money. Or maybe my chap will become a millionaire then i wont have to worry at all about my money lol
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i am 22 have a career/full time job in insurance claims which sees me ok but i also work 3/4 nights per week in a pub and teach as much as possible so i can earn the xtra i have lived on pasta pretty much for the last month unless my everso lovely housemate cooks for an army then i get some of her cooking which is always lovely...

i wouldnt have it any other way though, having horses is a privilage and not a right and i appreciate that i have to work damed bloody hard for what i have, and to compete etc
 
I've got an instructor who comes to me which saves diesel. Also I've become more selective re competing. My aim for this year is bsja ££ & BD points on card so I only go to things that will help with this & don't go charging off xc schooling etc if I've got a free w'end.

Non horse, we've stopped buying *all* treats at the supermarket & are trying to work out the central heating timer to save oil. We are both higher rate tax payers, but our mortgage is £££££££ & we've just found out that our house needs £20k of work to be structurally sound due to previous owner's bodgings.
 
I moved home to my parents, moved horse to cheaper yard, and am looking for a new sharer. He is unshod (well will be next time round as can't justify £70++ every 6 weeks!) and he thankfully lives on thin air!

If it gets really bad I will put him out on loan to someone who can afford him, or he will come home to my parents - only down side with that is no one to ride with and no school
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im keeping afloat.
got 3 on diy.hard work but worth it.
if i didnt get extra money for being on call, wouldnt be able to afford it unless i locumed or went into community.
horses dont go without anything.
i save by not buying clothes i dont really need and just getting treats such as nights out and meals and food (not as in any food but expesnive stuff LOL)occassionally.
 
INTERESTING QUESTION one which I was only asking myself today, as have been family members.

I am feeling the pinch big time, especially with fuel costs going up, that is where my problem lies, been alright up til now, but it has been suggested to me to sell my horse, which I really do NOT want to do, yes it would make financial sense but it would feel like losing part of the family to me!

Easy for other people to say as they are not "attached" but I am! Help!
 
I work 3 jobs and have ned on DIY.

I have few lesson and dont compeate way from the local area.

I'm not buying ned the usual bit and bobs that aren't nessary. Shoing every 4 weeks doesn't help though!!
 
Same thing as what my family say to me, but as you say it would be like selling one of the kids!
I have been thinking alot recently about letting my shetland go and be a companion to another needy neddie but he really is part of the furniture! I keep my horses on DIY and have a husband and two children so money is very tight, as much as i love my gee gee's and it would break my heart i would sell them to support my family
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I was struggling pretty badly about six months ago with four credit cards, owing nearly £10,000.00 in total.

I remortgaged my house luckily before the credit crunch really bit and paid off all my unsecured credit, saving myself nearly £400.00 per month in card and loan repayments, which is making it much easier to afford my horse.

Good job really, seeing as he's a full livery and costs me about £700.00 per month!!
 
fortunately we managed to buy our own grazing land a couple of years ago. we've pretty much got it all fenced/hedged etc as we want it now.
i've had the shoes removed as I dont ride much anyway so we potter locally along the lanes and grass verges now.
I dont compete any more [anyone want to buy a I W trailer?]
i dont have lessons any more
I dont hunt anymore
we make our own hay
i feed straights instead of cubes or branded mixes
 
I can afford the ponies - but have had to cut back quite drastically on the shows we go to, the big county qualifiers cost a fortune - without the cost of the diesel to get to them.
 
errmmmm, by not adding up what they really cost and living in lala land
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mine are on farm livery so very cheap, if i was back on even DIY i wouldn't be able to afford it. my OH helps the farmer with ploughing and rolling etc so we get extra hay for free in the winter and extra grazing in the summer. i am just looking into changing to a cheaper farrier tho to help save some money. whatever happens tho my lot will be staying even if i have to go hungry !! i'd go insane without them
 
I travel by motorbike whenever possible - all my work/yard trips are on this. It's the only way I can afford to have a horse - £8 tank of petrol covers about 180 miles!

Mare is on grass livery to save on bedding/hay/feeding costs, plus less chores to pay for when I can't make it down. She is a youngster, so we're going to start hacking to shows soon. Dread to think how much the lorry is going to cost when I buy one.

I have to work in the city to earn a decent wage doing a fun job - but I am totally dispensable - were my job advertised, it would have hundreds upon hundreds of applicants - so I have to put in decent effort to what I'm doing. If I lost this job I would be b*ggered - my line of work never has any vacancies, I got here by fluke.

And the most important thing ... OH has a fancy design agency job with a very good wage, so he can buy me shoes and trips to nice restaurants so that I don't have to go without
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I am okay as I rent a field each year from a farmer and have a mobile stable in it so no yard fees. But I have made some changes as I was previously self employed and whilst work was okay it was not terribly steady...so for the first time in 10 years I have got myself a salaried full time job instead so that I have a regular income each month. I am lucky because I have the option to do that and not many households do...I have increased my monthly income by quite a bit. I also car share with my husband to save a bit on fuel costs.
 
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