How far would you go financially to continue competing?

[Silgram]

At the beggining of the year I decided that this would be my last year eventing due to increasing financial constraints but as the season continues and Ed is enjoying himself so much I am finding it harder and harder to stick to this discision. After talking to my OH we are considering taking a twelve month mortgage holiday. After the year is up our repayments would increase to cover what we have not paid but we know we will be financially better off then. So what do you think is a step to far and should I just gracefully give up and think myself lucky to have had the chance at all?

 

[Tangaroo]

Go for it! It might seem a bit extreme but you never know how many days you have left on this planet! You need to grab every chance you have.

 

[lisan]

There is two ways of looking at it, if you and horse are fit and well, then life is too short go and enjoy it. You never know what is round the corner. Or the sensible way, wait until you can afford it

 

[Weezy]

I would absolutely never get into debt for my horses, horses are my enjoyment, there is no enjoyment from debt, therefore I just couldn't do it!

If you are absolutely 1000% sure that you can afford the rise in your contributions, then sure, I can see why you would consider it.

 

[not_with_it]

I personally would never spend money that I havent got, but I would carry on competing until I had none left.

 

[lizzie_liz]

If I have no money I wouldn't compete, I don't use my credit card, I don't like going into my overdraft.
I enjoy competing so I would try and budget to allow me to compete and keep my horse. It is a hobby and not a career so I wouldn't go into debt to allow me to compete as I would end up in a worse state than I started.

 

[FREESTYLER]

Well for me my horse and competing are important and give me something to get out of bed for every morning!! I would go for it, you have to live each day as if it was your last. You will find a solution for bringing money in to pay for it... if you really want to keep on competing...

 

[MrsMagoo]

Im in the same situation at the moment as we have just brought a house and with the horse i am extremely skint - now having to decide what to do for the best and at the moment have advertised to see what interest i get

Not that i really want to sell...but at the moment i cant even afford to buy OH a bday pressie or buy stuff for the house, and i dont like that....

 

[cheeky girl]

I'm a bit grab the moment now. Although I wouldn't go seriously in debt I do think that there is so many other factors effecting eventing such as lameness, sickness, work, family commitments that it seems a miracle sometimes to be in the start box and I'm all for now.
However having putting off a mortgage I wouldn't do as your home is your one security and I wouldn't jepodise that. Maybe a loan or something might be better?

 

[Silgram]

Thanks for the replies. Have spent the morning thinking about it and have decided against the mortgage holiday. Will have to keep buying lottery tickets and keeping my fingers crossed!!

 

[MagicMelon]

Im the same as FREESTYLER on this one. It depends how important it is to you really

 

[samp]

ATM I rarely compete/ have lessons as I simply can not afford it. I would love to be able to afford weekly lessons and shows, but I can not afford to get in to anymore debt

 

[CSYMolly]

Since I broke up with my OH my riding and competing have been my life saviour and I do everything in my power to make sure I can do it. I think it is much easier when you are on your own cos you can be totally selfish, we had a lot of arguments over money as I couldn't afford to go away, eat out etc becos of Molly but now I scrimp and save on everything so I can get out and compete. You never know when one day you may not be able to do it anymore so I am making the most of it now.

 

[LottieandMaisy]

Go for it - a least you have the support of your OH

 

[tigers_eye]

Oooh, tough one. On the one hand I am very much a "live for the moment" type, and would support most efforts to keep competing, however, it would be a shame to end up in a desperate situation whereyou suddenly had to sell the horse, possibley at below market value, and live a cr_p life for the sake of a few events. I would like to think I'd stop competing before that happened, and if necessary turn the horse away/maybe loan out for a year to get back on track financially. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Baggybreeches]

Thats a good idea T_E! I have thought about selling one of mine before now, but at the moment I have a lady who shares her, she pays £20 a week towards her keep and helps herself whenever she feels like riding or mucking out, this works well for me because said horse is a fatty and doesnt eat any hard feed so this helps towards paying for Sov. I would explore the idea of loaning (the horse not the money!).
Another thing would be to see what areas of your life you can cut down on and keep the money seperate. Good Luck whatever you decide