What compromises do you / have you made to have horses?

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happihorse

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As the title really, just wondering what people have had to do / go without / make do with / etc to enable them to have horses.

I'm 27 (
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) and still live at home so that I can afford to keep the horses. Although I could afford to rent a small place, I would never be able to save a deposit so I'm living at home for a few years until I have enough money to get my own house.

I don't have much of a social life because the horses take up most of my time and I work full time to pay for them. However, for now, I am happy to make that compromise.
 
I dont eat proper food except at work and on special occaisions, I have lodged in other people's family homes for the past 3 years to save money, I dont wear make up, I swap haircuts for schooling my hairdresser's horse, my social life revolves around doing everything as cheaply as possible.

But it's worth it!
 
No holidays. My two are fairly intensively kept and I couldn't ask anyone else to do them.

Now we have a friend with a farm and stables and his own four horses, maybe we will get to go away as they can go there for the duration - if only we could find someone to feed the cats now we'd be laughing!!!
 
I have no social life, no money to buy clothes or anything else for myself, a pretty old and tired car, and I am just about to move into a mobile home (I hope
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) to save money.... but I still have my horse
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I freely admit I must be flipping mad
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PS - I am 39, I am meant to be established in a well-paid job, with a lovely house, supportive and loving husband and 2.3 lovely kids by now
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What went wrong
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I haven't had to make any compromises because my mum helps me out and TBH if i did have to i don't think i would have them as i hate to be tied down
 
Same as you really happihorse. I made the decision to own a horse at 23 instead of buy a house. Might have been the wrong decision as i'm 29 and still at home but god has life been better since i got my horses
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I'd have gone insane with boredom without them. Life's for living, i'm doing it whilst i can! I was daft enough to buy another last year so must be a sucker! lol

I don't do too bad. I don't buy nice clothes that much anymore, what i save either goes in the savings account or in the "horsey wants" bank. I don't go out boozing much, no nightclubbing, hardly any holidays or meals. But it's my choice and i don't really miss it. Well maybe apart from the nice shoes and clothes bit
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I stepped off the career ladder .

I still have a good job that pays for the horses but no where near what i could be earning as more importantly it lets me look after them the way i want too - as i can go before work and after work and have two days off a week. I am a multi horse owner (3 currently) so as you can imagine time is a great importance.

I am happier than ever and i cant believe how much time i used to spend out of the country before i jumped ship.
 
No holidays, went to local uni, didn't go travelling with friends, no designer clothes, don't go out much or have a nice car either. I wouldn't swap all of that for my horses though
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I'm another with no social life apart from at the yard! I wear makeup out of necessity for work, but rarely get new clothes. I'm 24 and no chance of getting a house just yet so I'm living at home with Mum and paying housekeeping.

However I adore Genie and I am happy with my life!
 
No new cars (mine's a W with 100,000+ miles on the clock), minimal new clothes (that is only when really necessary!), cut own hair etc.

Nothing spectacular, just what the vast majority of horse owners I know do to keep their little darlings!
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I had to turn down a very good job in Paris at the last minute because I had nobody to look after my old semi-retired horse. The person who was supposed to be taking him on for the year had to move away from her abusive ex very quickly and couldn't take him. He died unexpectedly 6 months later and I'm so pleased now that I didn't go. I would never have forgiven myself if he'd died without me being there.
 
Hmm where do I start? No social life, all my clothes are falling apart, I don't own a car I have a bike, I have my own flat but can't afford to make it all nice so it's like a students flat which is very apt as I'm at uni. I don't go on holiday my shoes have holes in them and I eat cheap food.
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In other words I give it all up for him and I couldn't be happier!!!
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no social life as such (but that's my fault for living out in the sticks, moving away from all my mates, and detesting pubs, i know), and very few holidays. i don't see my mates very often (they're all over the country, too far to pop and see) but i know i've made a rod for my own back tbh. other than that i know i'm very lucky.
i have spent fortunes on my horses over the years but i don't regret any of it.
 
I haven't been on holiday since I was 14, (21 now) still live at home, don't have a social life, don't buy clothes until the old ones fall apart. Never eat breakfast or lunch, as I'm out most of the day and can't afford to spend money on food. Might get a jam doughnut from Tesco for 21p if ravenous but thats a rare treat. Work very long hours, six days a week.

Car is an old banger. My TV, stereo, DVD player and car stereo have all broken and not been replaced, and I flogged my iPod on ebay to pay the farrier. Park half an hour away from work and walk to and from, to save paying for parking.

The one thing I do spend money on, is decent make up which I wear daily; I look almost ill without it and like I haven't slept for a week but I still scrub up OK. And I spend a fortune on my horse of course, who eats more meals than I do, has the best clothing I can afford and new shoes every six weeks. But its all worth it LOL
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It's certainly delaying paying off some debt a bit! I've bought less clothes (the budget seems to have gone for a show jacket and multiple jodhs...
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), and I'm not eating out very often---both time and money! No holidays away for the time being. I'm contemplating selling my adorable, but impractical car to get a cheaper car and a little lorry. I get up relly early much more frequently than I used to, though thankfully not every day. Mainly, though, I think of what I've gained, in terms of fun and friends and a very soft nose grabbing onto any bit of velcro within reach.
 
I knew that when i got a horse i would need to comprimise alot to have him. I decided that having a horse was more important to me but means no holidays, clothes, cheap socialising if any, budgeting on my food but like most think he is toally worth it. In fact, the other day we were joking after a couple of liveries had the physio out for their horses and thought nothing of paying it but wouldn't dream of spending that money on ourselves despite all of us having the odd pain/gripe from riding!
 
Wow, its nice to see that i'm not the only 1, alot of people around here seem to have it all, money, time and horses, lol.

I on the other hand, am lucky if i get to sleep until 7, most mornings im up at 5 or 6. I never seem to have any money to spend on myself, it all goes on the horses! I do still live at home, but im only 19 so i think i can get away with that for now,
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i never have any time for anything non horsey!
I haven't had a holiday in 5 years and all my friends think i am mad,
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I cant imagine life without horses tho...
 
I know my parents have made compromises so I can have the horse (though hopefully not too many
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) and I've had my allowance halved, so have to buy all my clothes on £25 per month, spent my entire life savings buying horse, limited social life, limited money, limited time, stop other hobbies (though actually happy about that). It's usually worth it, though tiresome at the moment, all pain no gain.
 
oh loads... i live in a tiny flat, - i have no social life, gave up drinking, have inch-long roots and no clothes that fit! but my horses have everything that opens and shuts so thats something! hehe
 
It always amazes me that I spend £60 on shoes for my horse but would never dream of spending so much money on a pair of shoes for myself - ever, let alone once every 8 weeks!

It astonishes me when I work out how much the horses cost me over winter with feed and bedding - but you know, whatever the world throws at me, just going for a ride on the moors or hunting, makes the whole world a better place, I always come back with a smile on my face - and that is priceless
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I left college after 2 years with a Certificate instead of a Diploma which would have taken me another year because my horse came back to me who was on lease at the time.... lol

I didnt give it another thought.

I have always put my horses first, and hubby and I are still doing it now....
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We dont go on holidays, we rarely spend more than one night away from home because of the horses
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We have in the past eaten things like a loaf of freshly baked bread in our own breadmaker for meals as its all we had! lol

Thank goodness we are way over that now and dont have to do that any longer! lol
 
Absolutely no time to see friends or do anything other than the horses! I ought to go to the States or at least to London to help out the old career but just can't bring myself to live in a city away from the nags. So I commute into London when I need to instead. Which is horrible!
 
Im 17 and pay for everything - livery, shoes, edt, tack, hay/straw, absolutely everything. Parents have nothing to do with it. If I want a horse I have to pay. I actually like being able to pay for my pony myself
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I have a weekend job, and thankfully worked a lot over the summer holiday so at the moment that will hopefully pay until the winter. I cant afford to buy new clothes or to go out anywhere with my friends. I dont mind though, i'd prefer to go to the yard instead
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This is really interesting to me as I did it the other way round - I gave up horses for 7 years to finish my A levels, go to Uni, get my degree and MSc and set myself up in a decent job with prospects and buy my first house.

Now I don't have to compromise on stuff - I choose not to buy new clothes v often but that's coz I loathe shopping, but if I want something I can always find the cash for it, and the only real compromise I make is to compete when friends are off doing other things - so often I either won't drink the night before a comp or won't go away for the weekend or go climbing/biking etc when they are because I want to go competing instead. But that's my choice and really I could do the opposite if I wanted to.

I am lucky in that my OH won't have anything to do with paying for horse stuff but will pay for things like foreign holidays for us, so I don't have to go without those either. Whenever I feel like whinging I do have to remind myself that actually I have a very nice life, and though it has taken 11 years of hard slog to get here, at 29 I am really very lucky. I can run an eventer and lorry, go on foreign holidays a couple of times a year, eat out with friends when I choose. My social life is cheap in that generally we go to people's houses for dinner or people come round to us - last night we had to pick from two diff dinner invites and an offer to meet for drinks - but pretty active - usually see friends 3 or 4 times a week.

But I knew how I wanted to live, worked out how to get there then worked damn hard to achieve it. I didn't want to be living at home/earning a pittance/struggling to scrape by and keep the horse (not that I judge those who do - it's all about what makes you happy IMO) - so I gave up horses entirely to get to where I am first. And yes, I was v lucky to meet a lovely man along the way, as I certainly wouldn't live in such a nice area or go on holiday as often if I had not!
 
I live at home with Mum & Dad after my marriage fell apart (he asked me to sell my horse so he had to go! On top of many other issues!).
I have a non-existent social life
I work extremely hard at a dead end job because it pays well to keep my boy in the manner to which he has become acustomed!
I think my horse has more rugs than I have clothes, I don't think I have been clothes shopping in two years! (strangely enough two years ago was when I bought my first horse!)
I eat cheap and quick to cook comfort food as I never seem to have time, the inclination or the money to eat properly.
I am a freelance photographer aswell and haven't had much chance to earn the extra dosh and keep my eye in!

But I wouldn't change a thing, I love my new boy to pieces and I'd sell everything I own just to keep him, I love him soooo much! He keeps me saine, makes me smile and I do everything I can to keep him healthy and happy!
 
The horse fortunatly has enough kit to probably last her life time. The dogs and the horse always get enough to eat, I on the other hand don't always bother. There has been no new clothes, hair cuts, nights out or anything else I can think of. The car is always kept running out of nessecity and all my bills are paid. I thought it might save money getting a bus pass for work but it actually works out the same as the disel in the landy and takes 3 times as long so scrapped that idea. That was with a weekend job...... now that has gone, things are going to have to be a little more creative. days out with the horse are the first to go.
 
I haven't given up much to be honest! I have been married for 33 years to a brilliant husband, we live in a nice big house in the country with easy access to local towns and Manchester City Center. We have 4 children, Rachel (32), Thomas (28), Joshua (19) and Rowan (15). The older two have flown the nest whilst other two are living at home. Only Rowan is horsey (and me and her dad!) she has two horses of her own, me and her dad have 1 each. We keep 3 at home and one of Rowans on livery as she likes the social side of things. Im the manager where i work i work shifts and earn a good wage. Compete most weekends alongside daughter, go shopping often although not as much as i used too! Dont go out much for meals but we never did prior to horses anyway, we like having big family meals at home. Still give younger two children money to go out with friends, shopping etc. Husband has lots of motorbikes and still goes shooting with his friends. I still have a social life, friends either come over for food and alcohol or we go out to local pubs once or twice a month. We have a holiday home in spain where we go once or twice a year, husband doesnt like going abroad so he looks after 3 at home and the other goes on full livery and DH goes to the TT races every year for his holiday. Also sent Rowan to Finland this year for a few days with her auntie as she has an obsession with some wierd finnish band and letting her go again at new year. Horses get everything they need and more but dont think we would have them if we had to sacrifice everything we've worked hard for!
 
People think you have money when you tell them you have horses, but that is far from the truth! We go without lots of things to afford them.
My fantastic non horsey hubby works 2 jobs to keep the family and horses whilst I am at Uni full time training. When I have finished my training and am in work I shall buy him the motorbike of his dreams.
He also helps out with the horses if I am plowed under with either Uni work or placement hours, he will lead them in, pick out feet, rug up, and sort the feed and beds out. My mare loves him, but my colt will try his luck.
And when I get home he will have made the tea and run me a bath
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They say some men can't multi task- mine certainly can and doesn't moan about it
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I love him to bits
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