How skint are you/would you be to keep a horse?

I'm number 2, and I would never put myself in the position of scrimping to get by to have a horse.

I like to be comfortable in my finances - I couldn't deal with being stretched and then have a vets bill arrive I couldn't pay - that's just irresponsible IMO.
 
I've always been the first although at some times in my life I've had enough money that I could do other things besides have ponies, though in that case I have sometime simply succumed to buying more ponies instead.
At the moment I don't have much but I'm fortunate that I can keep him where it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg. I always buy him things without question even when I am scrimping in every other way.
 
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RunToEarth said:
I couldn't deal with being stretched and then have a vets bill arrive I couldn't pay - that's just irresponsible IMO.
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I think most people would agree. But there's being unable to afford a vets' bill, and there's able to afford but only if giving up drinking/socialising/holidays/eating out/buying new clothes/decorating your house/upgrading your car/living away from home...
 
khalswitz said:
I think most people would agree. But there's being unable to afford a vets' bill, and there's able to afford but only if giving up drinking/socialising/holidays/eating out/buying new clothes/decorating your house/upgrading your car/living away from home...
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But what happens if you sacrifice all of the above to enable you to finance your horse, and then, as horses often do, it manages to injure itself and throws up a significant vets bill? How do you cope when you already forego all of your extra cash to keep the horse?
 
I went through my finances several times when thinking of buying to make sure I still had about £400 a month to go into savings. I did dip into that for stuff, but I didn't want to operating at my very limit . I have other interests I still wanted to do, and my friends aren't horsey so I wanted to be able to do stuff with them still. That was off a PhD budget. And of course I ended up with far more vets bills than I predicted!
 
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I used to be 1. It was hard work but I was happy. However I sold my horse 7 years ago when my oh set up his new business and we were getting married. I needed to support him financially and didn't want to scrimp too much on my wedding. The money from my horse and trailer paid for the wedding and the now husbands business is doing very well. We now have a nearly 3 year old daughter and I'm saving to buy my own again.

I'm ready to sacrifice my things again (clothes, socialising etc) for a horse but NOT things for my family. However we have changed our lifestyle recently, don't drink and hardly eat meat and have devoted the garden to growing veg to save money and eat better. Yes I now very the good life.

I'm also going to get a native type to have more chance of it being slightly cheaper than a warmblood!!

So now I am going to be a 2!! My oh has said though that were skint when we had Boo, but very happy. So he's happy to support me.
 
I work to pay for my horse, I never intended on becoming a horse owner again but couldn't say no to having my old boy back to try ro sort out and I can no longer be a full time groom as my children are too young and was finding that very hard so owning my horse does help with my horse fix but my other half pays for EVERYTHING house related and even my car insurance, I pay for my fuel, phone bill and the rest goes on the boy, sometimes I hate that I can't afford to treat myself to clothes etc when I work hard in a pub and do a few hours horsey work a week but I love my horse, even though he is a complete pain in the bum, its really important to me that I have something that is just for me and is my get away from just being a mum so I am not bitter but if it got any tighter financially Id have to have a rethink. I've pretty much a,ways been skint due to choosing a career with horses so I've never experienced having money to spare, you can really miss what you've never had. :)
 
I am probably the first, but only because I have some debts I am paying off (student overdraft/credit card), so I am paying as much off per month as I can possibly afford which means for now I am broke so cant go out and buy new stuff etc but its better long term, and in 6 months or so time I will be far happier without it hanging over my head.

That said, my horses never go without. I don't buy anything unnecessary (and wouldn't even if I did have the spare cash), don't buy the latest fashions etc, they are always well fed and happy (whose horse actually cares if it has 500 different colour numnahs?).
 
RunToEarth said:
But what happens if you sacrifice all of the above to enable you to finance your horse, and then, as horses often do, it manages to injure itself and throws up a significant vets bill? How do you cope when you already forego all of your extra cash to keep the horse?
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You cross your fingers, pray it doesn't happen and PTS if it does.

For this reason I won't buy a horse from a decent home, which has a chance of finding another decent home. I buy horses from less than ideal situations, or who are being sold cheap to any home. They then have a decent home with me (all the proper care, handling and management they need) until something major goes wrong.

Perhaps it depends what you buy or where you buy from? But its not my experience that horses *often* get an injury that needs expensive vet care. I find it happens rarely. Perhaps that's because the situations I generally buy from, if the horse was needing expensive vet care often, it would have already been PTS. So perhaps, by default, I'm already starting out with a fairly tough animal.
 
I used to be the first, now I'm lucky to be somewhere in between. But after being the first type for so long I now buy everything in bulk. A whole years worth of haylage and bedding at a time, with hard feed also bought in bulk and I get my orders in quickly when I am down to about 3 months worth. I work on the basis that if my finances ever changed at least by having our own land so no livery expenses and having large quantities of feed and bedding I would have a year to turn my life around again before it affected my horses. :)
 
I love my horse to bits and although I don't have to go without anything there are times, especially during winter, when I don't splurge on new things for him as my budget just about covers his basic keep! I have a young daughter and so I guess that if I thought she was going without things so that I can keep my horse & her pony then that's when I'd think enough is enough and I'd have to have a serious re-think. At the moment her pony would go 1st because Isla is only 3 and not really mad-keen on riding although she loves her little Strawberry but a year or so down the line when/if she's riding regularly & very keen then my boy would go 1st if I could only keep 1 (fingers crossed, touch wood etc etc etc that I never have to choose though!)
 
Im skint all the time. I work casual hours still (about four jobs!!!) so until i get a full time job i will use all my money on my horses. I generally buy the cheap food in iceland ect to live on
 
mixture.
im skint by pay day because i spend all my money! i dont have to (in order to cover basics) but whilst i am very good at budgeting i am no good at saving..................so any money not needed for basics is splurged on pretty things for me or him :)

i would say overall he has more designer stuff than me lol! but i buy clothes, make up, accesories for myself each month too.

i bust my balls to do it though and teach all the hours i can to supplement my 9-5 job............but i dont mind at all as i love to teach, and love to have money to spend!
 
My life is a simple one, I have no debts and life revolves around the horses. If I needed to, I could move them to a rented field and keep them much more cheaply. I've always ensured my finances are stable and the horses are well trained and mannerly so they could find good homes if I couldn't provide for them without detriment to their well being. That would be the only reason for selling them. Sacrificing holidays and luxuries would be no loss in comparison to losing the horses as life without them would be very bleak.
 
I was 1 for a while with my first horse, I got a job, moved from home and moved the horse....then had to work days and night shifts to cover it and ended up barely able to afford his livery within 3 months of moving him. Didn't have the time to ride him, he wasn't easy so it wasn't enjoyable, ended up selling him and haven't bought my own since..I have loaned and shared and have found it suits me better, I love having holidays now that I can...I dont spend that much on clothes, I would rather try and compete each month and have lessons...I have to travel each weekend to see my BF which has added to my costs, so my current part loan suits as I have flexibility when I'm away at sat/sun to see him. I would love to own Lou but whilst the BF is 2.5hours away it would make it very difficult..
 
Before I had a family I went without most luxuries to have my horse, lorry, go out competing, etc. Now I have a family, I cannot make my family go without for my sake, that would be most selfish.

I am lucky that I am able to keep mine very cheaply. They are native/native cross so don't cost a lot to feed, I have access to very cheap, unlimited grazing and my husband makes hay as part of his business so I don't have to go out and buy that. I only get to hunt/compete once in a blue moon now due to the cost and lack of time. If things got tight I could cut costs further by not having my boy shod but if it came to it that my family had to go without (not that we have a lavish lifestyle anyway) they would have to go and if either needed huge amounts of expensive vet treatmeant they would be PTS. TBH, even if I were still single and childless I would not risk the roof over my head for the sake of a horse, but I know people who have and would.
 
I'm in the middle too.

I'm not rich but can afford my horses and any unexpected extra.

I'm not social and not into shopping, except when its to do with horse!

My horses are my life, not a hobby and they are part of the family.
So its not about fitting them in but managing my time to get everything done.
Mainly going without sleep!
 
I'm the first one i think, I was fine with one horse, had plenty of money left from my pay check that i was very comfortable financially, so after 4 years of my old boy retiring i worked out i could comfortably afford a second horse (especially as i was hoping to have one on grass livery) so saved up for a second horse and payed for her and the extras like vetting, grooming kit, buckets and so on the only thing i did do was put her saddle on my credit card.
Then the drama started my grass livery fell through 2 weeks before i was due to get her, so had to go onto a DIY yard but i would need assistance in the evenings some nights so the money was creeping up, which was still fine.
Then 2 months after having my mare i broke my finger and after that i needed an operation so i was off work and on sick pay for 3-4 months, that ate up my saving account and then some.
I'm just slowly getting back out of the red now and into the black, but my horse's have all way's came first over my needs and they have never gone without.
But as all things go it never turns out how you plan, my mare was meant to be on grass livery but now she in a very nice but expensive yard so financially now i have very little or no money left at the end of my pay check but i wouldn't have it any other way my horse's are my life there the main reason i work so hard for.
2013 was a hard year for me and the start of 2014 (for financial reason's and for others as some of you may have read in my thread's) but I'm hoping as this year goes on it's going to be a better year.
and I'm also lucky to have a great and helpful partner and family that will help me out if I'm in a tight spot. So i consider myself a very lucky girl :)
 
I definitely fell into category 1, I ended up in a lot of debt to keep my horses.

Now I'm lucky enough to fall into category 2. I am thankfully out of debt, just brought an amazing house with my perfect OH, have two great step kids, cat, have adopted three rescue rabbits, have two ponies that will hopefully be brought back into work this year, I can afford to pay someone to look after them when I'm ill or busy with work, we can go out ocassionally and buy things if we budget.

I have a life that 18 months ago when I couldn't afford to eat, was stuck living with my abusive ex and in £30k of debt I could never of dreamt of.
 
Horses are such a large part of my life that I can't imagine the day that I couldn't afford to have one, and I know that I would do my utmost to keep a horse.
So I would certainly economise in order to keep my horse(s), but if it got to the point I couldn't pay my basic living bills and my horses basic living bills then I would have to re-evaluate.
 
I will always find the money for my horses! I'd be quite well off if I didn't have them, but without them my life would be very boring!

I never have any money left at the end of the month and every time I get a pay rise or a bonus, something always happens that means that it needs to be spent on the horses!

I've just got a new job with a £5k pay rise, was going to use that extra money to get a freeland but literally that same month my horse was diagnosed with cushings and is now on 3 tablets a day, at a cost of £1.30 a tablet + the cost of the blood tests! my bill is currently just shy of a grand since Oct!

needless to say, no new car :( but my horse is my world, I've had her 13 yrs and she will get what she needs for the rest of her life!
 
RubysGold said:
Im the first option.
I live with my parents, cant afford my own place.
I rarely buy clothes, I don't go out much, and I never have more then maybe £100 to my name for more then a couple week, I may get up to a few hundred but then a vet bill will come or Ill need to buy wormers/hay/bedding/farrier all on the same day and suddenly Im skint again.
I very rarely go out, but I can afford the occasional night if I want to.

To be honest, Im perfectly happy, I was never a social bird before horses so I don't miss it. Without the horses, I think, truth be told, I would be a recluse.


ETA, I think the point above is a valid one! If you cant comfortably afford your horses, then that's an issue.
I always have enough money to buy what they need and I have a bank account that I pay into every month (on a set date too) so there is plenty there ready for emergencies with them
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I am basically this, bank balance isn't horrendous but can't afford to move out- I have possibly got enough for a very basic deposit but paying off a mortgage would mean I couldn't afford the monthly costs or furniture and I don't want to rent.

I can afford to go out but I don't go out that often so it's not like I'm out getting drunk every weekend day like some people I know

I'm also of the hating buying new clothes for you but think nothing of buying a new rug group!
 
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A bit of both...

I'm lucky enough to have walked out of Uni into a comfortable job, and have a living situation that is a big help (and something I'm eternally grateful for).

I'm good at budgeting, but terrible at saving. If I have it, it's got to be spent and 9 times out of 10 it's spent on Fig. I never spend more money than I have/can afford to repay and don't struggle to pay for the basics. I would always ensure he comes first and he wants for nothing.

However, if I had to, there is a lot I could cut back on to save money.
 
second..

i went almost bankrupt first time round due to vet bills....had a break, back on my feet and vowed never again

I live at home...but even if i had my pony i still cannot afford to move out - so would rather have my pony and be happy


however right now ive not got a massive interest for horses - she lives out and its fine that i have the best of both worlds :)
 
Guess I would be the 1st.

Not usually alot of money to my name by the end of the month. Have on many occasion been financially crippled to keep the horses, but always (touch wood...) managed to sort it out. The horses may not have all the cosmetic things in life but they are fed / watered and looked after second to none and want for nothing. Competitions and lessons are paid for as and when I can afford it, above any social life I have remaining! lol.

I still live at home with no expectations to move out anytime soon, I would have to be willing to sell one of the horses 1st. Which at the moment I am not.

Would like to be able to afford the horses and be option number 2 of still being able to do other things also, but not sure I would have the time to fit other things in my day to be honest!
 
Horses are made more expensive by their owners 90% of the time.

If you strip it back to the cost of the basic necessities then it isn't that expensive. Does your horse need PE rugs or would a cheap Gallop one suffice and so forth.
 
I am with keeryberry2, but if i really really was on thebones of my ass, and my horses were going to suffer, then i would pts, not sellon, they are getting older anyway. They have been my rock and my hard place and deserve everything i can give them.
 
chrisritch said:
Horses are made more expensive by their owners 90% of the time.

If you strip it back to the cost of the basic necessities then it isn't that expensive. Does your horse need PE rugs or would a cheap Gallop one suffice and so forth.
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Agree with your first point but I'd always buy the best quality rug I could afford - cheap ones leak. Look after it and a good rug will last years, so is better value at the end of the day.

OP - have never not had horses, managed to keep them through my very skint uni and early career years and now am in a fortunate enough position to not have to worry too much about vets bills. But if it was a question of paying the mortgage or having horses, the horses would go!
 
Despite being an accountant I am terrible with saving money myself, last winter with 4 horses and a new baby and all the associated expense and reduction in income I was totally broke and absolutely hated it, I never want to be in that situation again so I sold one horse and intended to sell another but shortly afterwards my husband had a big increase in his income due to starting a new business so this year we are much better off. It's really nice to be able to buy something for me or the horses without worrying about the cost, I wouldn't get into the position of having 4 horses again though (which I did due to having issues with just 2 at home getting too attached) as it was too many for me, I won't sell the ones I have but would like to eventually get down to 2.

I love the horses and they take up a lot of my time but once you have children they cease to be your whole life and you have to prioritise your family whilst still making sure that the horses are well looked after and you still get to enjoy them!
 
I'm the first.. always overdrawn, never go out or buy myself new things but horses want for nothing.
I'd rather have no money and my girlies than plenty and not have them.
Having said that, once my 2nd job picks up I'll be the 2nd scenario you mentioned..but will probably use the extra money to get even more stuff for the girls. :p
 
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