Owning/ keeping a horse in your 20s

Glad I am not alone! 25 yrs old and another still living at home with parents and I have two horses. Although I don't really spend alot of time with parents or at home. Out the door at 6am when they are still all asleep back in between 8-9pm sort my dinner sit with them for an hour or so then to bed for me. So being at home doesn't bother me to much.

I do have a BF who owns his own place and I do spend a lot of time round there also, so kind of flit between the two homes. I guess long term it would make more sense to move in with the BF but it would never feel like 'my' home plus he has a house mate to help him pay the mortgage, so it would never feel like 'our' place either. He does earn A LOT more than me and has paid for my car and to enable me to get horses out and about (his choice) he says he wouldn't expect me to pay him rent or any shares into the flat, but that wouldn't sit right with me if i was to actually move in. I do spend alot of time there already and do the majority of the cleaning and cooking for him, mainly as it makes me feel better for being there for free. Although I could probably just about afford to move out with someone like the monthly bills split etc I couldn't afford a deposit for a mortgage.

I try and save each month so when the time does come for us to live together i can put something towards the deposit for the new house and say it is 'ours'. But it really is a struggle, you need thousands of pounds!

As some one else pointed out it is priorities to you at this moment in time and at this time my priority is getting my young horse out and about and the pair of us improving. The money saving happens each month, just not as much as if I was putting the competing money into it also. When i bought my second horse last year it was a case of another horse or move out, can't have both. The horse won! I have kind of resigned myself to still living at home with parents in my 40's :)
 
I don't think I'll ever have kids, the need to have horses is much greater than my need to have kids... I couldn't afford both! There's a sacrifice I guess. A couple of my none horsey friends find it hard to accept how much time, and effort I put into the horses and the yard and they don't consider helping and enjoying them with me a fun day out. =p I do feel selfish but we all need a passion in life!

Oh and absolutely no holidays ever! :(
 
I am 24 and still live at home. I have two jobs - I got the second pub job in order to afford my other horse when I had two but have kept it as I quite like the social side, it stops me going out so much and still means I can afford holidays, new clothes etc. I am VERY lucky in the way that my dad helps me out with a LOT - he bought me my car and horsebox and pays my diesel, tax and insurance for both. Without this I don't think I would cope! I bought my horse myself, and she is on full livery at a very near perfect yard (no floodlights is my only bugbear!). I am looking to move out next year with my boyfriend. I am currently looking for a new better paid job so that I can afford to move out and pay more towards my car and horsebox. I am quite insistent that I learn to stand on my own two feet more, and hopefully this will come about next year.
 
I am 22 (23 in a month :( ) and I have my own horse at a DIY yard. My OH and I have our own house and 3 cars, 1 van. My parents helped a lot initially, but now I'm on my feet they've taken a step back.

I can just about afford holidays and nice things for the house/me/OH/horse etc. I work full time as an accounts manager/bookkeeper :)
 
I'm 24, currently for the moment living in rented house with OH but we are in the process of buying our first house, a new build with the help to buy scheme. I first moved from parents at 21 into a rented house in town with 2 others for 18 months then I moved in with OH.
I have had a pony as long as I can remember and until the age of about 14/15 my parents paid for everything for the pony but I did everything myself. I then started a wkend job and riding for money and have paid for my own horse(s) since. I now only have the one horse and I pay for her completely myself. My partner is not at all horsey and thinks she should probably be in a kebab!!
I'm lucky in that my horse is kept where I work so time isn't so much of an issue but working with horses self employed the money is terrible! I have to put around £70 a week in my van as I do a lot of freelance work and holiday cover as well as running my own breaking/schooling business.
I couldn't go back home unless there was literally no other way, ewe are a very close family and spend a lot of time at my parents but just don't think I could be dependant again. My independence is so important to me and always has been. I constantly worry about money, often laying awake at night even more so now we are buying a house but I am fanatically careful about money. Neither me or OH really go out anymore because we can't afford it and from my point of view, I can't be bothered. I've done many days eventing and showing still drunk from the night before but that part of my life is over and I don't miss it. I don't really have much of a social life but I have a couple of great friends who I don't see often but never change and I do socialise with some of the girls on the yard who although are slightly older, I find I have more in common with them than girls my own age. My horse unfortunately was diagnosed with navicular last year and so she will stay with me until the end, but when she is gone I won't replace her, but then I ride for a living so my own becomes less of a hobby. If I didn't work with horses I wouldn't be happy without a horse but I'm starting to learn what is important.
I'm very proud of what I have achieved though, by 21 I had my own business, a car and horsebox completely funded myself and had moved out, and now hopefully will be in my own home by 25. Neither me or my sister have had any help from parents apart from the odd hundred pound lent to pay for car repairs etc. but I know they would help if I needed it, I'm just too stubborn to ask!
 
Last edited:
Similar situation to me JennyConnor, I am 24 and live with my boyfriend, although we are lucky to have a cottage on his farm. My horse is on DIY 4 miles up the road and the yard has everything I need!
I run a freelander, not cheap, and work 2 jobs, one full time as bookkeeper/accounts and the other a couple of nights in a local pub! The pub work pays for my horsey expenses!
We go on holidays and manage to go out and about too! Wouldn't be without my horse :)
 
I'm trying to but work and lack of free time mean I can't get to college one day a week! Looking at doing my next one home study :/ not sure if that's a good or bad idea!
 
I am 23 and have my own horse but do still live at home. I am saving for a big enough deposit to get a mortgage that won't be hugely expensive per month as would rather get mortgage than rent.

I do pay rent to the parents of course!

Would love to move out but just wouldn't be able to afford the horse, mortgage, living costs etc!

Need to win one of these lottery raffles or meet a nice rich man ;)

Was talking about it at work the other day- someone's suggestion was oh just sell the horse... er no!!
 
undergroundoli said:
Yep, you do seem to be collecting the worlds most expensive places to live. Where next, Dubi? :)

I've got a huge amount of respect for the 20 somethings (particullaly the young 20 somethings) on here with horses, childrean and morgages and want to ask them really personal questions :o Mainly when did 21 year old mother horse owners save all the money? I cant possibly have drunk an entire morgage deposit can I? And what do you all do for a living? And your partners? And do your parents help with childcare? and about a million other questions.
Click to expand...

Me and my partner got together when I was 17 and he 21. He works for the British transport police and I work for a health spa. We moved in to rented accommodation when I was 18. At the time I had two horses kept 5 mins from my house on DIY livery. Fell pregnant with my daughter a few months in (totally unplanned) so we moved home and put what we 'were' paying rent in to a joint savings account. I sold one of my horses, oh sold his classic mini. We saved 1200 a month between us for 5 months, with the sale of horse and car, we made 11k and parents lent the remaining 5k needed to put the deposit on our 3 bed house. We brought it on a key worker scheme as my partner is in the police, so we had a low deposit however solicitor fees were about 4k, it's ridiculous. Moved in here about two months before I dropped, been here a year now, I'm 20 now pregnant with our second, and oh is now training to be a train driver. Both sets of parents help out massively with child care. I went back to work when my daughter was 6 months as we found out we were expecting again! (Gulp) so if the grandparents couldn't help out we would be stuffed. Mum is horsey also so she helps with the horse too, if I can't get up there for whatever reason. Horse is coming in this winter so will be tricky juggling a toddler, a very sensitive mare with a messy stable and a 38 week bump... Even more difficult when that bump becomes a new born!

We have been very lucky, I'm only a baby, but after finding out we were expecting it was time to grow up and boy I wouldn't change a thing :)
 
BSJAlove said:
Me and my partner got together when I was 17 and he 21. He works for the British transport police and I work for a health spa. We moved in to rented accommodation when I was 18. At the time I had two horses kept 5 mins from my house on DIY livery. Fell pregnant with my daughter a few months in (totally unplanned) so we moved home and put what we 'were' paying rent in to a joint savings account. I sold one of my horses, oh sold his classic mini. We saved 1200 a month between us for 5 months, with the sale of horse and car, we made 11k and parents lent the remaining 5k needed to put the deposit on our 3 bed house. We brought it on a key worker scheme as my partner is in the police, so we had a low deposit however solicitor fees were about 4k, it's ridiculous. Moved in here about two months before I dropped, been here a year now, I'm 20 now pregnant with our second, and oh is now training to be a train driver. Both sets of parents help out massively with child care. I went back to work when my daughter was 6 months as we found out we were expecting again! (Gulp) so if the grandparents couldn't help out we would be stuffed. Mum is horsey also so she helps with the horse too, if I can't get up there for whatever reason. Horse is coming in this winter so will be tricky juggling a toddler, a very sensitive mare with a messy stable and a 38 week bump... Even more difficult when that bump becomes a new born!

We have been very lucky, I'm only a baby, but after finding out we were expecting it was time to grow up and boy I wouldn't change a thing :)
Click to expand...

Wow, hugest of respect To you :)
 
BSJALove (and everyone else), thanks so much for answering my extremly personal questions :) It sounds like you are increadably together and did an amazing job of growing up. Good luck with your new one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top