Do I buy a second horse??

J

Jango

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 July 2010
Messages
615
Visit site
So I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford a second horse. My current horse had a ligament injury last year and he's 13 now so realistically I don't think there's any point spending the next year getting him back to full fitness/schooling for him to have to start slowing down at 15/16 anyways so he is just going to be a happy hack. However I miss competing so much :-( I miss lessons, having motivation and a plan and pushing ourselves. Current horse Jango is on full livery and I'm saving £500+ a month towards a house deposit. So I can afford horse 2, but saving for deposit will have to stop.

My bf split up with me last week and I was saving for a house for us to live in really. I know buying a house is the sensible thing (I currently rent in a shared house) but I think a second horse would make me much happier and I'd be so busy I wouldn't have time to miss the ex bf! I work away quite a bit but realistically I can ride at least 4 or 5 days a week and probably get a sharer for Jango as he's a fab and fun little horse.

Talk me out of this please!!
 
Get one if you like but not at the moment. It's too easy to do something while you are feeling down to cheer yourself up which you might not do if you were thinking straight. Give yourself some time and when you are feeling yourself again then make the decision. (says I who bought a foal a couple of months ago when I was upset :D . I do still like and want him but he will give me logistical problems when he arrives, being a colt)
 
exmoorponyprincess1 said:
Sensible head on...buy your house, get your current horse back to full fitness and keep competing him - 15/16 is not old age for a horse these days!

Irrational head on...of course you need another horse!! :D
Click to expand...

You know this is right. But whenever did common sense come into it with horses. It's probably not a great idea to get a 2nd to replace the bf, but they do take a lot of time and energy so you would def be distracted and busy enough. Bear in mind the 2nd could still have issues, and really don't underestimate the time and cost involved. But I didn't listen to reason and got a 2nd, in similar circumstances, so who am I to judge !
 
Was your current horse given a poor prognosis, or could he come back to full fitness? If so I'd do that, 15/16 really isn't old for a horse, if you look after him right he could well keep competing until he's 19/20 no problem. It's much less of a gamble for you to invest your time in a horse you know you get on with, compared to taking on an unknown.
 
exmoorponyprincess1 said:
Sensible head on...buy your house, get your current horse back to full fitness and keep competing him - 15/16 is not old age for a horse these days!
Click to expand...

15/16 is not old.
Buy a house, get your horse fit and sound.
If you miss lessons go to a good equestrian centre and have training on a school master, what about bhs exams etc?
 
You could get a sharer for Jango to help with the cost of having two - you may even be able to reduce to part livery if you have support. That way you could probably keep saving a bit too?

Just be careful this isn't a kneejerk reaction to suddenly finding yourself single. It's natural to want to fill your time at the moment but that may not last. What happens when you meet someone new? I'm not saying anyone should ever ditch horses for men (OH knows never to make me choose!) but it's inevitable that you would want to spend some time with a new boyfriend. Could you give two the attention they need and continue a new relationship too?
 
Honestly, I'd be glad to get back down to one horse.
I wish I could save the extra money I spend on my second horse fora deposit but I couldn't get rid of either of my horses now.

If I were you, I'd go with my head but it really depends on what you truely want.
 
At some point I expect you will get a new partner so thats wort taking into consideration as well as the horse and the fact that you can afford one financially and time wise. If your boy is going to need a year out why not find him grass or retirement livery for that year and get a horse that could either make you a competition horse if yours did not come back to full competition soundness or that you could sell on in a year or so if he did? if the final vet decision for yours is that he will only be a hack you could find a sharer or 2 who would enjoy a horse like him? taking away the being sensible thoughts the obvious answer is of course that you must buy another immediately :D
 
Keep saving - buy your house - rent it out so someone else pays your mortgage off, THEN go buy your second horse. I have two and long to only have one, I'm exhausted after a hectic winter and riding one and having two on DIY takes up three hours of my day! I'm a student and previously worked 7.30-3.30 every day so I could fit both in after, but I'm going to be working in the city and getting out at about 6/7pm and dread having to decide what on earth to do with two horses. Your first horse sounds like he can come back into proper work and definitely doesn't need a quieter life unless he actually develops arthritis or something else to prevent him competing. You then have double the tack and rug expenses, double the farrier and vet bills, double the insurance! I can't get rid of either of mine as one is retired and worthless but means the world to me, the other is my ridden horse that I've spent a fortune raising since a yearling and being broken and having gone 4 years without riding to wait for him to be ready! Put your sensible head back on, or at least loan out the first one and then get a second.
 
Mines retired so i thought I go get another one (a pony tho) but I wouldn't have if my first one was still in work. (Go and buy another horse, you only live once lol)
 
you only get so many trips round the sun :) so I would say buy another horse if that's what you want to do. I also agree with people saying 15 isn't too old, I know horses competing that are 19 and 21.
I had enough money for a deposit on a house, but after a long spell in hospital I decided that happiness was more important to me, so I bought my first horse.
 
I recently gave up saving for a house to afford to buy my loan horse because she's 24yo and I couldn't see her sold on at that age. I already had a youngster. I can afford both if I don't put a penny towards anything else. Kinda regret it, but couldn't have seen the old mare go anywhere else!

I would not recommend this though. I live off next to nothing to afford the best for the horses, my savings are now there to be an 'in case' fund instead of a house fund, and if I scrimp about for the month I can put away maybe £200 into my savings at a push. Which then gets called upon for something essential for the horses!
 
Ok my heads saying save get your foot on the housing ladder , my hearts saying you are only young once buy the horse .
Not much help I know .
 
Thanks for the replies everyone! A real mixed bag! Getting my current horse competing again sadly isn't an option for me. He's a 15hh Welsh and we were starting to compete at BD elem and be80/90, and a full up 90/single 100 fence was probably the top of his scope. He was injured because he needed to be super fit to be competitive affiliated as he's not a natural athletic type and imo although I was doing everything by the book with regards to fitness/warm up/variety it was just too much for him physically. I'm not going to risk another injury on a weak ligament for the sake of a competing. I'd rather have a sound happy hack. Unfortunately I'm too competitive myself to go back to unaff with him (would be fine on new youngster) so he is staying a happy hack whatever happens with regard to a second. I wouldn't full loan him either unless he could stay on present yard and that is almost impossible to find. Part loan would be good for him though if I do get another one.

Im 26, why do you ask?

I need to keep telling myself house then horse as many people have said, it's just so hard now I'm not with my boyfriend and I don't really have proper friends up here yet (I moved 3 hrs away from my friends and family back in Jan). I've had a think today and I have decided to wait until at least early July as I am technically still on probation at my new job. Then see how I feel and make a decision then. Thank you everyone :-)
 
If it helps I did house then horse.

Bought my house nearly three years ago, have settled into it had a pay rise, Doodle got diagnosed with cushings so I retired her from competing and bought a youngster last November.

This way round I feel I am in control of my finances and can afford the second, I might be a little pushed once baby pony is backed and I want to compete my mums horse and baby horse but we're a while off that so I'll see how I go.

Just wanted to say this as although it is tempting to want it now, I found waiting has made it much easier and ultimately better. The wait might seem interminable but it will pass, sometimes being sensible has its rewards.

It was two years from buying my house to buying my second horse and it flew by, I can't believe I've had my little house three years this year!!!

x x
 
You can still ride the first horse so if it is only competing you will miss I would try looking for a share horse to compete. Or go to a riding school that is also a show centre and lets you hire their horses for use in competitions. Neither option is necessarily cheaper than owning but the commitment and time is less. If after a year you still want a second horse then get one. I got a second horse when the first was no longer upto full work and I have no regrets but it is hard work to fit in riding both and I have less time for cuddles with each of them.

FWIW I agree with your plans for your horse I think too many bring a horse back to full fitness or try to, only to have it go lame with one niggle after another. I find it is less disheartening to accept defeat gracefully and retire/semi retire/reduce workload as appropriate and have a sound horse not one who is having intermittent periods of box rest. People always say late teens is not old for a horse and that is sort of true but at the same time my experience when I look around on any livery yard I see lots of slightly-past-it horses in their late teens who are not upto the work they would have been when younger. Do you always keep horses for life? You could buy a second with the aim of competing for a few years then sell and save for a house.
 
Only you can decide, but you've had some good advice here.

Remember, the grass is always greener. A shiny new horse might sound appealing, but in reality it'll eat into your time and finances big time - and what if you meet a new partner? You might like to spend that time with him. You might also resent not saving for a house deposit too, especially if the new horse doesn't turn out as perfect as you'd hoped (shiny new horses can get injured too!)

That sounded like a real killjoy attitude, but I recognise that common should prevail (in hindsight, I should have exercised some of that myself in years gone by!)

Have fun with whatever you decide upon!
 
I did things the other way around, but only have 1 horse. I split from my husband almost 2 years ago. I was able to buy my own place instead of needing to rent (after a period of 'recovery' where a lovely friend took me in). But I could only afford to buy my little place cos my mum helped with the deposit.

I'm now supporting myself, a horse and 2 dogs. Ends meet each month by the skin of our teeth and as someone previously commented, what little savings I have are considered an emergency fund.

Don't under estimate the cost of home ownership but get yourself on the property ladder if you can. It makes so much more sense than renting IMO.

Spend the rest of your probation till July looking at both the house and horse market, then maybe you'll have a clearer idea of what your money will get you in both regards.

But as others have said, heart over head.... Go out and buy a shiny new pony immediately!!!
 
AlexHyde said:
If it helps I did house then horse.
Click to expand...


I did the same - I'm the same age as you and I was in the same position as you a couple of years ago. Had a broken pony and split up from my then boyfriend. I've never had mine on full livery and at the time didn't have time for 2 on DIY as I was working as much as I could to pay for my new house so the decision was quite easy for me, I had to wait for the new pony.

At the time, I wanted to do the irrational thing and buy a new horse, but it would have meant renting or living with parents, having no time for either horse and probably not having my house now. I saved up and bought my new youngster a year ago and even if I could go back, I wouldn't do anything differently.

My broken pony was completely out of work at the time and I had no real hopes of her ever coming back into work, so it wasn't nice and I did miss competing etc but at the time she needed all the time and spare money and I had. You will still be able to ride your pony, so it could be a lot worse.

Personally, I think you should look ahead a few years and imagine how you will feel if you haven't saved up enough for your own house and decide if that outweighs putting off getting a new horse now or not. Good luck whatever you decide
Good luck whatever your decide
 
Last edited:
Jango said:
I need to keep telling myself house then horse as many people have said, it's just so hard now I'm not with my boyfriend and I don't really have proper friends up here yet (I moved 3 hrs away from my friends and family back in Jan).
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it sounds like now you've split up with your boyfriend and you're on your own a long way from home, you've got a gap in your life you want to fill with a new horse. There's nothing wrong with that, but are you sure that gap will always be there? If you have two horses, you could well end up with no time to go out and make friends away from them. I think you're wise to leave it a while. I'd spend that time making a real effort to meet some new people and make some new friends. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top