Sacrifices you make for your horses

I don't think I make any sacrifices? I'm not into clothes/make up/beauty treatments etc. Been lucky enough to have two fabulous holidays to the US this year but I do drive a rust bucket, I defo compromise on my car ;) and am ALWAYS skint...

My main thing is the horrendous guilt I feel over trying to spilt my time between ponies and children :( my eldest at 11 hates them, 9yo is very up and down with them, youngest adores them so all good there. I also feel that I shouldn't spend so much on ponies and more on the kids? I've tried selling up, twice actually, but it doesn't work - I turn into a horror without my pony outlet :(
 
Financial sacrifices seem like the obvious ones. The money spent on the upkeep and livery could always be spent elsewhere. Holidays, other hobbies etc but I think the biggest one for me is time.

Horses take up time, grooming, mucking out, feeding. Riding. Then the added time to the time allocated for riding for when something goes wrong and needs more time.

It’s time that eats into friendships and doing things with friends. Time that prevents a lie in because the horse needs out and fed in the morning. Time you spend with the horse because it’s one of the biggest calming influences in your life.

At the end of the day time is my biggest sacrifice. I prioritise the horse side of life to push aside the social aspect. If things can’t work around the horse they won’t work at all. There’s people who don’t understand that sort of commitment to an animal either so there is a social sacrifice.

All in all, as an antisocial being anyway, owning a horse is the perfect cover story for my being antisocial!
 
ThatHorseGuy said:
Financial sacrifices seem like the obvious ones. The money spent on the upkeep and livery could always be spent elsewhere. Holidays, other hobbies etc but I think the biggest one for me is time.

Horses take up time, grooming, mucking out, feeding. Riding. Then the added time to the time allocated for riding for when something goes wrong and needs more time.

It’s time that eats into friendships and doing things with friends. Time that prevents a lie in because the horse needs out and fed in the morning. Time you spend with the horse because it’s one of the biggest calming influences in your life.

At the end of the day time is my biggest sacrifice. I prioritise the horse side of life to push aside the social aspect. If things can’t work around the horse they won’t work at all. There’s people who don’t understand that sort of commitment to an animal either so there is a social sacrifice.

All in all, as an antisocial being anyway, owning a horse is the perfect cover story for my being antisocial!
Click to expand...

This. I have sacrificed money and time for my mare but she has repaid that in the pleasure she gives me (maybe not mucking out in the winter but I enjoy everything else). Nothing is more lovely than when she spots me and comes over to say hello or when she nudges me for a cuddle. She also an excellent excuse if I want to get out of anything!
 
Griffin said:
Nothing is more lovely than when she spots me and comes over to say hello or when she nudges me for a cuddle.
Click to expand...

I forgot to touch on the positives much in my post but you're very right! I absolutely feel like the it all pays off when my mare looks at me across the field and comes wandering over. Just knowing they want to be around you in their means a lot
 
ThatHorseGuy said:
I forgot to touch on the positives much in my post but you're very right! I absolutely feel like the it all pays off when my mare looks at me across the field and comes wandering over. Just knowing they want to be around you in their means a lot
Click to expand...

Absolutely true! I find it amazing that horses like humans (I don't think it is all cupboard love).
 
I was in Horse and Hound - the ONLY time I have been in H&H :D - because my marriage ended because of my horse! One of those classic 'you love the horse more than me' situations - which I didn't, but hey ho the horse stayed and he didn't :D

Also been literally bankrupt because of my horse addiction, and am permanently penniless because of it.

I'm not very good at controlling my addictions.....
 
Nothing really I don't think. I tend to think of life the other way around - what potential horse time and money am I spending on this thing that I probably not even that bothered about.
 
Everything including my sanity.

Career prospects possibly. I would love to jump ship to a different industry. But can't keep both the boys going on entry level pay. I earn ok money which allows me to splash a bit here and there although I'm mostly careful with it.

But yes... I either stick with something my heart isn't in or I sell up and chase the work dream.
 
Well my newbie got 3 new rugs last month, whereas the past 3 months I've been saying I need new work trousers 😂
I am lucky that I don't feel I've had to sacrifice anything for my horses, yes I don't get my nails done, my hair hasn't been cut in about 2 years, all my clothes are from the sale rail or TKMaxx. But I have a nice house, a decent car (is a 13plate) & have a city break and holiday each year. My husband is very understanding & loves the horses as much as me.
The only thing that I do worry about is career progression, my current role is very work/life balance friendly but I'm as far as I can go with this company. But if I change jobs it may start to impact my horsey time with not much extra pay.
 
I sacrifice a LOT of time (which I don't regret, because time with my horses make the best memories, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't get fed up sometimes slogging my guts out in winter when its raining heavily and even with gloves, I can't feel my hands!)

Also money...they eat all of it...literally..

I don't really have the spare funds to buy make-up/clothes/socialise. Maybe once every few months I go out. The last time I went out was May..
 
nikkimariet said:
I would love to jump ship to a different industry. But can't keep both the boys going on entry level pay. I earn ok money which allows me to splash a bit here and there although I'm mostly careful with it.

But yes... I either stick with something my heart isn't in or I sell up and chase the work dream.
Click to expand...

This for me, too. I don't begrudge the time or the effort the horses need, and I love being with them. I am, however, in a job which makes me pretty unhappy with no real chance to change without a significant pay cut (although I am looking out for other opportunities). Without the horses, I would have walked out about three or four years ago and saved myself a lot of stress and tears. I stay because being able to afford my horses is worth it, but it would be nice to enjoy both my time at home and my time at work!
 
None really, I would certainly go on more holidays if I didn't have a horse. I have to admit though, there was a time after I lost Basil where I felt a tiny sense of relief/freedom, I feel awful for even saying it but it was more that I felt I could walk away from horses and move abroad, do what I wanted, etc etc. Obviously that feeling didn't hang around long :D
 
DabDab said:
Nothing really I don't think. I tend to think of life the other way around - what potential horse time and money am I spending on this thing that I probably not even that bothered about.
Click to expand...

Yes, a cheap £20 haircut could buy four bales of hay.
 
I think time and money mostly, and maybe a tiny bit of sanity :wink3: but they have been a part of my life for so long, I honestly wouldn't change a thing.
 
AandK said:
I think time and money mostly, and maybe a tiny bit of sanity :wink3: but they have been a part of my life for so long, I honestly wouldn't change a thing.
Click to expand...

When you say 'sanity' (I know it's toungue in cheek) are you referring to the stressfulness? Or the crazy things us horsepeople do?
I'm just curious because I've never thought of horses as taking my sanity as much as restoring it!
 
OldNag said:
I am terrible at shopping. I also think in terms of bags of feed/bales of hay so nothing else seems worth buying :D
Click to expand...

This by the bucket load! As to clothes - If I can't ride in it it isnt worth having! I haven't had my hair cut in 13 years, I don't do beauty treatments as I can't tollerate people touching me, I don't drink, smoke etc. My OH and I do try to go out for dinner once or twice a month as us time but other than that I rarely go anywhere. We are going on holiday to San Francisco and Las Vegas in a few weeks but we both work bloomin hard to get to do that!

I don't consider anything a sacrifice for my horses.
 
I don’t think I sacrifice anything. My own horse was a dream come true, and I waited until I could do it comfortably before taking the step. I feel she helps keep me sane and switch off from my job (which I enjoy, but it’s full on).
My garden suffers, but I’d rather be with my horse!
 
I think sacrifice means some thing different to me so many people say time and money but if you are spending time and money on something you love it isnt a sacrifice. Sacrifice to me is giving up something you love to do something that is a chore. Like giving up a horse for a partner, or giving up a dream for something prosaic like money, pretty much regardless of what that dream is My husband would probably say he sacrifices his love of classic cars for my horses but as he has bought his own first pony in 42 years we have been married I guess its a case of "if you can beat them join them"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top