Fantasy_World
Well-Known Member
Right here is my two penneth....
I am not rich but then again I am not poor either.
I am new to owning horses but have ridden since the age of ten(so that's 24 years).
I would not have been able to afford to buy a horse ( the other is on loan, permanently) had I not re-mortgaged with my new partner and paid off ex blah de blah.
We are not poverty poor, but we are not in the comfort zone either as re-mortaging and paying people off has led to a big jump in mortgage payments.
We both have cover should something go wrong and have a will ( was part of the mortgage) any debts I had whilst with my ex were paid off but I still have a substantial uni loan to pay off if I ever earn enough which with my chosen career is very doubtful so not concerned about that.
Having a horse for me anyway was a dream. I don't smoke. I don't go on expensive holidays ( last holiday taken out of season in Wales and that was 2 years ago). Only been abroad once and that was at school. I don't go out very much to dine, for a drink etc in fact the place I am more likely to go is the cinema as it is cheaper and more value for money than sitting in a bar buying watered down spirits. My clothes are bought cheaply, either in the sale or from cheaper places. I don't buy designer wear but at the same time I don't buy the kind of clothes that would probably last a few months ( if you follow). I don't drive either, partner has a car an R reg as we cannot afford a newer model and even that was bought second hand off ebay lol.
In fact most of my items for the horses were bought off ebay and most are secondhand. I just don't see the point in buying 'names' or the very best unless you need to look good for shows etc. I started buying items around 18months before I got the horses so as to spread the cost and it has paid off although buying in advance has left one problem some items I don't need and some don't fit. But ebay being what it is there is a market out there and people will buy them.
My horses don't go without even though we are not comfortably well off at the moment.
Only yesterday the farrier came and I told him that they had both had thrush in their back feet and he told me that they were fine -a little smelly- but that I had done a good job with the thrush. Borax and water and hydrogen peroxide and water plus plenty of feet picking and scrubbing-not forgetting purple spray- has done the trick. At the moment both mine are barefoot and he charges £20 for a trim and shape etc.
The cob will be staying barefoot as he has very good feet and as he had only been shod about 2 to 3 times before anyway ( before I had him) then he should be fine.
The big lad is doing fine but I will most probably reshoe in summer and then maybe think about shoes off in winter as I will be riding less and the ground is soft.
Both mine have a stable and turnout and for the pair of them it is £96 per month. Insurance is just under £50 a month for the two, big lad's being more as he is older and with petplan.
Feed, now mine are good doers and have mostly hay and grass with the little bit of hard feed and carrots as a treat in the evening when they come in. They are bedded on straw too and all is bought from where they are kept, so no need to make car journey's fetching stuff. Last month's feed and bedding bill was £96 but they had very deep beds over winter which I have now reduced in size ( as like I have said I am a novice owner and we all make mistakes). Their hay has been cut down too as after talking to a friend I had discovered I was giving them too much - not that it had made them obese or made their health suffer- so now I know I have acted.
Apart from treats, such as swede etc. mints and the like there is only the vets side of things like teeth, jabs, worming etc to think of.
Because I bought tack etc secondhand or got good deals I have saved loads.
My point is that you don't have to be rich to own a horse if you just buy the basics and find cheap stabling or grazing. So long as the welfare of the horse is met and its needs are taken care of it does not matter what brandnames you buy for tack, feed etc.
You can be poor and own a horse imo-not poverty, breadline poor though- so long as you plan most things in advance and make sure that you can afford insurance and or vet treatment in case things go wrong.
Horse owners come in all shapes and sizes and from different walks of like and I would like that trend to continue.
IMO no-one should be told they cannot have a horse just because they are not weathly. Horse ownership is not just for the privileged.
Caroline
I am not rich but then again I am not poor either.
I am new to owning horses but have ridden since the age of ten(so that's 24 years).
I would not have been able to afford to buy a horse ( the other is on loan, permanently) had I not re-mortgaged with my new partner and paid off ex blah de blah.
We are not poverty poor, but we are not in the comfort zone either as re-mortaging and paying people off has led to a big jump in mortgage payments.
We both have cover should something go wrong and have a will ( was part of the mortgage) any debts I had whilst with my ex were paid off but I still have a substantial uni loan to pay off if I ever earn enough which with my chosen career is very doubtful so not concerned about that.
Having a horse for me anyway was a dream. I don't smoke. I don't go on expensive holidays ( last holiday taken out of season in Wales and that was 2 years ago). Only been abroad once and that was at school. I don't go out very much to dine, for a drink etc in fact the place I am more likely to go is the cinema as it is cheaper and more value for money than sitting in a bar buying watered down spirits. My clothes are bought cheaply, either in the sale or from cheaper places. I don't buy designer wear but at the same time I don't buy the kind of clothes that would probably last a few months ( if you follow). I don't drive either, partner has a car an R reg as we cannot afford a newer model and even that was bought second hand off ebay lol.
In fact most of my items for the horses were bought off ebay and most are secondhand. I just don't see the point in buying 'names' or the very best unless you need to look good for shows etc. I started buying items around 18months before I got the horses so as to spread the cost and it has paid off although buying in advance has left one problem some items I don't need and some don't fit. But ebay being what it is there is a market out there and people will buy them.
My horses don't go without even though we are not comfortably well off at the moment.
Only yesterday the farrier came and I told him that they had both had thrush in their back feet and he told me that they were fine -a little smelly- but that I had done a good job with the thrush. Borax and water and hydrogen peroxide and water plus plenty of feet picking and scrubbing-not forgetting purple spray- has done the trick. At the moment both mine are barefoot and he charges £20 for a trim and shape etc.
The cob will be staying barefoot as he has very good feet and as he had only been shod about 2 to 3 times before anyway ( before I had him) then he should be fine.
The big lad is doing fine but I will most probably reshoe in summer and then maybe think about shoes off in winter as I will be riding less and the ground is soft.
Both mine have a stable and turnout and for the pair of them it is £96 per month. Insurance is just under £50 a month for the two, big lad's being more as he is older and with petplan.
Feed, now mine are good doers and have mostly hay and grass with the little bit of hard feed and carrots as a treat in the evening when they come in. They are bedded on straw too and all is bought from where they are kept, so no need to make car journey's fetching stuff. Last month's feed and bedding bill was £96 but they had very deep beds over winter which I have now reduced in size ( as like I have said I am a novice owner and we all make mistakes). Their hay has been cut down too as after talking to a friend I had discovered I was giving them too much - not that it had made them obese or made their health suffer- so now I know I have acted.
Apart from treats, such as swede etc. mints and the like there is only the vets side of things like teeth, jabs, worming etc to think of.
Because I bought tack etc secondhand or got good deals I have saved loads.
My point is that you don't have to be rich to own a horse if you just buy the basics and find cheap stabling or grazing. So long as the welfare of the horse is met and its needs are taken care of it does not matter what brandnames you buy for tack, feed etc.
You can be poor and own a horse imo-not poverty, breadline poor though- so long as you plan most things in advance and make sure that you can afford insurance and or vet treatment in case things go wrong.
Horse owners come in all shapes and sizes and from different walks of like and I would like that trend to continue.
IMO no-one should be told they cannot have a horse just because they are not weathly. Horse ownership is not just for the privileged.
Caroline
