What do you give up so that you can keep your horse as you want to?

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LankyDoodle

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Well, if you've read my other thread about being nervous about viewing other yards... it's going to cost £85 per week, per horse!
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That works out as 4420 per horse, and we intend to get another horse as soon as the house things are sorted and I'm settled into a proper job after having been studying for 4 years and lost some weight... so probably around about January. Horsey costs for 2 horses would rise from 6700 to 11700 a year!!! We are very nervous about this and we'd have to seriously cut back other stuff, such as clothes, going out etc.

The new yard is amazing and everything the current yard isn't in so many ways.

So what do you give up/forego, so that you can keep your horse in the Ritz instead of the Travelodge!?
 
Ok - Expensive clothes and shoes always do the sale thing.
Rarely go abroad
Get drunk at home.
If the choice is lots of clothes and shoes and holidays or a horse i would always go out and about in cheap knickers as long as my horse looked good.
 
* ever being clean, or smelling of anything but horse sh!t!
* being able to go anywhere without thinking about what time I will get back/what time it will be dark.....
* nice clothes (knowing that whatever I have will end up covered in shavings, hay and poo!)
*nice nails/hands!

I am quite lucky that financially I dont have to go without too much, only having one horse (and a fat pony), and having them on DIY.
 
* RELAXING (lol)
*a much needed new car
*new tyres
*clothes (but luckily enough OH does spend a lot of money on my clothes each month!)
* nights out with the girls
* time
* big nights out if theres a show on the sunday morning
 
Pretty much everything but would change it for the world!!!
eg buying clothes in tesco or asda instead of topshop etc etc
always smelling of poo of one kind or another! OH is well used to it now.
As above a much needed new car and new tyres and brakes
Going oout generally
Lie ins!!
The list is fairly endless but as long as my ponios are happy im happy.....
 
most things...
never go shopping, my wardrobe is very lacking
hardly ever go out
never go on holiday
dont drive very many places- have to save the petrol money
most of my freedom-always seem to be bringing in/turning out/riding

wouldnt change anything though, i love my boy, as long as he is happy and healthy i can do without
 
Much the same as other people have said.

Don't go out
Don't buy new clothes
Don't drive far, and illegally coast down all hills!
Work most hours god sends, this includes working at the yard for cheaper rent
Rarely get hair done
Holidays are off
 
Hmmm, all sounds similar to what we do now... not sure where else we could cut back.

We go out about once every three months at a cost of £50 a time; we try not to drive everywhere and our holidays include our horse/s. I do spend quite a bit on clothes/hair/makeup when I do go, but I don't go very often - I need to cut back there. We also need to cut back on the food side of things as we spend £300 a month on food and toiletries, and that's before countering in food for the cats!

I have just finished teacher training so am on supply, but I think I will just have to find a job and do some tutoring as supply doesn't pay that well and I need to be bringing in about 1300 a month (my husband brings in something like 1800 a month). I can't stay where I am with how I feel about it at the moment... hmmm, something to think on maybe.
 
i can't think of anything i've ever had to give up. If we couldnt afford or if we had to cut back on normal things like family holidays, clothing, car etc, we woudnt have one.
 
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i can't think of anything i've ever had to give up. If we couldnt afford or if we had to cut back on normal things like family holidays, clothing, car etc, we woudnt have one.

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you're very lucky (or have a good job) like everyone else Ive given up a lot.
and does my horse appreciate that his super dooper rug doesn't leak and my old coat does ??? no i don't suppose he does but at least i know I'm doing my best for him.
 
I kind of agree with kickandshout. My husband has an OK paid job, when I work I tend to earn a decent amount and we didn't even have any mortgage on our house until very recently. Even now, the mortgage is relatively (to other people) small. We do still have holidays (2 counties away and with our horses!), and we still get hair done at a nice salon, I buy makeup and we run nice cars and a nice trailer, we have a nice house and buy/eat good food. But if I want to keep him somewhere with much better facilities, I guess something has to give; and as things like holidays, luxury branded food and excessive clothes shopping all go on the luxuries' list along with horse ownership, I guess I have to decide which of those luxuries are most important to me.

We can afford easily to keep at DIY with poor-ok facilities, and still have all the other luxuries. Maybe that's the option; and a good school, jumps paddock and cross country course, at £5 an hour, are just a 5 minute hack away from current yard where I pay £60 a month. Struggling to decide, to be honest. It's the 5 mile each way journey (20 miles a day), the lack of knowledgeable owners and, therefore, ill-informed bitching, the lack of facilities and the presence of our horrible builder, that have compounded to make us think about moving.
 
Ha when I sit down and work it out it shows my horse dog and cat cost more than it does for me to live! I moan about them all the time but I cant live with out them! I live and work to keep my animals!
 
Luckily OH and I both have reasonably well paid jobs, but of course working full time and commuting means time is tight, so certainly time to sit down and relax. My wardrobe is very lacking, I now buy my clothes at Tesco or charity shops and I can't remember the last time I bought a new pair of shoes. We mostly holiday in the UK and we always go self catering to save a bit. Birthdays and Christmas pressies always consist of things that George needs! I do know and appreciate that I am lucky with having a reasonable job as it does help no end.
 
My horse costs me more each week than my food bill!!
I go without alot - nice clothes, new shoes etc.. Love him though and would never want to give him up! Thank good no-one cares how you're dressed at the farm.
 
The UK.

Well, we gave up on the UK so that WE could live as we wanted to, just so happens that it suits the horses too.
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I live in a pretty non horsey area. I tried a few DIY yards, but they weren't up to much. I found a yard that I really liked, but they only do full livery so I've had to bite the financial bullet and go there! I did have a sharer for one of mine, which helped, but she has just given up and I don't want another one, so I now have to pay everything for both.

What do I give up? Holidays, nights out, new clothes on a regular basis, having my hair coloured at the hairdresser, having the car I really want, any spare cash whatsoever............ But in my view, none of these things really matter - I'd rather have my horses! And my children don't miss out on anything, so I don't feel too bad.
 
tbh i don't feel we give up anything really, i am very very lucky that my husband has a very well paid job, i stay home with the children.

horses now live out 24/7 but that's because it suits jayjay as he hates to be stabled.

if i want clothes/make up etc then i get it, we now go out 3 or 4 times a month just the 2 of us and then another 2 or 3 as a family.
 
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i can't think of anything i've ever had to give up. If we couldnt afford or if we had to cut back on normal things like family holidays, clothing, car etc, we woudnt have one.

[/ QUOTE ]
you're very lucky (or have a good job) like everyone else Ive given up a lot.
and does my horse appreciate that his super dooper rug doesn't leak and my old coat does ??? no i don't suppose he does but at least i know I'm doing my best for him.

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well TBH if you have a family you have to prioritise in a way a childless couple / single person wouldnt. What comes first, horses or my family? my family of course, and I wouldnt make them go without holidays etc just so we could have ponies. It's not lucky at all (and neither OH or I earn loads), I just budget well and make sure that rather than buying a super duper £80 rug the pony gets the £40 rug leaving another £40 for the family.
 
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