Why do people have such an issue with...

[Cruiseonamiro]

How much a horse costs? It's almost like, if you pay over a certain amount for a horse, then you are guaranteed to get a problem! Who cares what other people pay, if you're happy with what you're sitting on? If you have 30k to spend on a horse then great, but it's a flaming expensive rosette! At the same time, yes you get some bargains - but they are the exception not the general rule. Every horse is worth a different amount to a different person. Just seem to be a lot of posts about at the minute with how much would you spend etc... and the responses quite suprised me, with how many people felt strongly that you shouldn't spend over 2 or 3k on a horse, and almost criticising those that do.

 

[minesadouble]

I think a lot of it is relative to what you can afford and how big a part of your life the horse is.
If you have plent of cash and/or your horse is your main or only pastime then you will justify spending more than someone whose horse is a happy hacker or bit of a hobby but not the be all and end all.
I just ride fror pleasure now and so would not spend more than a couple of grand on a horse for myself but as my daughter loves to compete I will spend whatever I can afford that will do the best job, I wouldn't go into debt for a pony but would certainly spend as much as I could comfortably afford.
I would never judge anyone for spending too much or too little on a horse - it's a matter of individual choice.

 

[Cop-Pop]

If this is in response to my post yesterday then I wasn't critising anyone. I was genuinely curious. I can't even imagine spending a lot of money on a horse - I don't earn much and IMO they cost enough to keep without spending a huge amount on it in the first place!!

Expensive horses go wrong just as easily as cheap ones, and it sometimes seems like some people are paying a lot more for horses than they are actually worth.
If you have the money to spend then spend it - it's like the age old full livery v. DIY debate

 

[Booosh]

Have no issue on what anyone spends buying a horse - expensive ones can make just as much a fool of you as a cheap one and hey if you have the money and you want to buy an expensive one then why not - keeps someone else in a job who can produce them. On the other hand if you can find something that suits you at the cheaper end of the scale then good on you too. The horse doesn't know how much it cost so makes no difference to him - his needs are much the same whatever

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Some people buy a Micra, others buy a Bentley, both will do the job, one in a little more comfort or ease than the other. If you have the money to purchase the horse you particularly want then why not? What show jumper in the world would not want to have Shutterfly if they could?

Whatever you spend is a matter for you & no one else...... they don't put pockets in shrouds you know

 

[MACCIMOO]

I paid £800 for my fully papered irish,the woman i bought him off paid £6000 for him in the feb with a full vet cert then in april he got a melanoma in his mouth (he is a grey) so she decided to sell him on as a happy hacker,3 years later he is still going strong does ODE is more than a happy hacker,i would have been deverstated if that had been me who paid £6000 only for the melanoma to happen 2 months later

 

[CracklinRosie]

I paid £800 for my mare 4 years ago and have just spent around £3 1/2K transporting her from Turkey to the UK! Yes I could have bought a nice horse here for that money, but not MY horse!!

I don't have an issue with people who want to spend alot of money on a horse but I do tend to be more impressed with those who get one for £50 in the pub!!!

I do, however, have an issue with people thinking their horse is worth more than it actually is! All these unproven horses for sale with good breeding selling for £8-£10K or more just because they might be good is madness.

A horse is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so are we creating this market ourselves????

This debate will roll on forever.

 

[Maisy]

I have more of an issue with people who pay a vast amount for a proven horse, and make out like they have done it all themselves.......

Also, as I said on the other thread, it irritates me when people think I am less of a person/rider/'horseman' just because I have a happy hacking cob!

 

[MACCIMOO]

To true,there is a woman i know who has a horse out of a top show jumper ,she had it advertised in HH for £9000 she has done nothing with it,its a bitch of a horse,she justifys the price because of the sire

 

[Flame_]

Mostly jealousy probably. I'm a decent rider who's never made it to an event due to spending my life making the best of cheap, lame horses. Now my back is knackered I'll never get there. Putting lots of work in would not turn a Micra into a Bentley, to use the earlier metaphor. Unless you're seriously lucky, a decent competition horse - even a very young one - costs a decent amount of money. If I could go back in time ten years I'd beg, borrow and steal enough for a proper competition horse. OP, you only live once and if you've got the cash to spend on good horses you carry on and enjoy every minute of it.

 

[somethingorother]

[ QUOTE ]
I think a lot of it is relative to what you can afford and how big a part of your life the horse is.
If you have plent of cash and/or your horse is your main or only pastime then you will justify spending more than someone whose horse is a happy hacker or bit of a hobby but not the be all and end all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't agree. I know plenty of people who pay next to nothing for a horse and their whole life revolves around it, they love their horse just as much as anyone else, they spend every spare moment with it and most of them- it is their only past-time.

As far as i can see people spend more on a horse if they want to compete it to higher levels or if they want to say 'my horse is by suchabody and look how flashy he is' Not saying this is the case everytime- everyone is different but thats mostly what i've seen.

It's a market and as with every market there is someone to shop at every stage of it.

 

[Tierra]

Couldnt agree more. What people spend their money on is entirely upto them. Ive actually come across more bitchyness on yards over the years to those who spend a lot on their horses than to those who dont.

Why people cant just keep their noses out of other peoples' affairs is beyond me.

 

[jellyshake]

what people want to spend is entirely up to them, what annoys me is people who think that because they have spent huge amounts on a horse ,they are somehow better than those of us who perhaps can't afford to spent out large sums, but i guess that is just snobbery on their part and they are probably like that in the rest of their lives too

 

[Ziggy_]

Agree with the OP, although I think a lot of it comes from jealousy when you see what someone else has bought for £2k less than what you paid for yours!!

I paid £1500 for my mare who, unbeknown to me at the time, was bred to event and was headed for the top. Yes, she has a LOU mark which some people may look down on me for, but she is 100% sound and will do everything I'll ever want to do on her, she has good paces, a brilliant jump, is totally bombproof and loves to work hard - she puts 100% into everything.
A friend of mine paid £800 for a walking skeleton of a horse that was written off as unrideable - yet it turns out to have fantastic paces and a big jump and the potential to go a long way in dressage.

When we go to competitions and beat people who paid £5000+ for their horses, yeah they probably get jealous. We'll all take a bargain if we can find one, but thats not to say I wouldn't spend more if I could afford it. Each to their own.