Thank you.
When I grew up we were “middle class”. One car, one phone, one tv. And there was no way my family could afford a horse. I rode what I could when I could and am still in horses today.
Today “middle class” is multiple cars, phones, and entertainment platforms. College education is expected. Horses are managed to much higher standards. It’s all good, but it’s all expensive.
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Middle class in the US is a take home income of between $47k and $147k
I’ll tell you right now that $147k can support 2 people if they’re frugal, carry very little debt, and live in a LCOL area. Forget long vacations, expensive hobbies, or a nice house without a ton of luck and some outside help.
Edited to add: horses have solidly become the hobby of the upper class, as have a lot of other pastimes. I think the image that people have in their heads of “middle class” is rather now upper class - or just the facts of existing in our technology-forward, highway/commuter car-based society.
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All true. Especially what I bolded.
I remember when things like dewormer or dentals were considered above and beyond care; now it’s just the standard.
Feeding something like a senior feed was considered a premium feed; now it’s practically expected if your horse is of a certain age.
Horses were put down because they had an injury that required x-rays and that was too expensive. Yet today people expect a full repository of films of every bone and joint before even considering a purchase.
Riders had saddles that fit them and they used that saddle on every horse. Today you will be hard pressed to find someone at a big show using a saddle that isn’t at least semi-custom to the horse.
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I’m from a solidly middle class family, and wasn’t the only kid in my class with a horse; the vast majority of students where I took lessons were middle class, except for a couple of non-snobby kids from wealthier families.
In my part of the country, horse owning and riding is part of our cultural identity – has been for generations – and all levels of income own(ed) horses. It isn’t/hasn’t been considered a luxury the way it’s so often described on this board; it certainly isn’t/wasn’t uncommon.
The discipline may have differed, but horses are/were the abiding connection, the common denominator. I’ve horse camped and trail ridden with persons from all types of backgrounds for years, that’s just the way it is/was. Lots of male riders traditionally here, too.
It’s not simply me lamenting that the expenses of horse (aka “luxury pet” to some people) ownership are much greater than in even the relatively recent past – which might be blown off as a first world problem – but that it seems there’s real danger of losing one of the identifying symbols of our culture.
It’s not all about me.
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From the way you phrased this, I know it feels like something “less than” what your ideal horse dreams are, but it can be a really wonderful and fulfilling way to be in horses.
This is not directed at your post, but a more general reaction when I read these types of posts on this and other social media sites: a lot of the people talking about being “priced out” are used to the typical competitive show scene, where you are buying a horse that can be competitive, put in a program, paying huge fees to show, etc. I know people aren’t making up or exaggerating the costs, and they are expensive. However, I am surprised that people who are feeling a pinch in that part of the horse world don’t explore other options with horses. Horses will always be an expensive luxury, I get that, but there are many other avenues to enjoy horses that are less resource intensive.
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Same. Early 90s, middle class, SoCal—lots of horses around. Now, hardly any.
I think the biggest single limiting factor is land, followed closely by labor. Cost of living is just too high to hire unskilled labor to do the work and still be able to keep above water. The only straight boarding operations in my part of the country that are up and running have been owned by the same people for 20+ years and I’m sure they’ll sell the land soon—at a cost that won’t make sense for the next buyer to run as a boarding barn. Most good places are privately owned by trainers now, and they make their money on showing, training and sales —not hobby riders. The entire thing is just different now.
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Right up through the 1970s in my province horses were still routinely used in cattle ranching, involved in jobs that young men would do temporarily or long term. There was also a generation of parents that had grown up on farms or ranches and we’re not mystifyed by horses even if their idea of care was rudimentary. Dude strings operated everywhere as a cool thing to do for an hour especially in scenic areas
Over the past 40 years horses have pretty much shrunk or disappeared from most cattle ranches, and we are several generations into suburban life, and the transitional areas that are great for horses, suburbs near rural areas, have pretty much been built out in many places.
There are also a lot more activities for girls these days.
Also like every childhood sport, riding has tended to become more regimented, lesson based, competition based, indoor based even, as parents seek programs to supervise children rather than letting them loose with their bikes, balls, dogs, horses, etc
We were not trying to afford a “show horse” and a lesson program in the 1970s.
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This is what I don’t understand. How you can factor this into the cost of keeping them at home?
When boarding do people factor in the cost of gas, wear and tear on the vehicle and their time to drive however many miles to and from the BB?
If you own a home and board you are still paying property taxes, upkeep and insurance. Now I realize if you specifically buy a " horse property" just to keep horses at home then you can factor that extra costs in .
Maybe more realistically would be to add up the additional insurance on farm buildings and taxes on acreage but at least in my area farms pay less property taxes then they do in the nearby big cities. For that I am thankful.
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I do!
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This is so true. My husband and I (and our one child) sit at the upper end of that with our two incomes. We live very frugally. And we live in Maine, which is somewhat low-cost. We do not take long vacations, we live in a pre-fab split-level ranch on a modest, mostly wooded, 2 acres. Our cars are seven and eleven years old, and my son drives my hand-me-down 11-year-old sedan. My horse is my one luxury, and I do that as frugally as possible. I trail ride and show occasionally at local small pleasure shows and schooling dressage shows. I am fortunate to be able to tag along with my barn owner in her truck and trailer (also at least 10 years old).
My biggest disappointment in horses is that I have pretty much never, at least since my first pony, had one that had more training than me. And now that kind of horse is so far out of my price range it could be on Mars. Each time I carefully saved (and sold a current mount) to finally be able to buy a horse with more training than me, I found the cost of that horse had bumped up to the next price bracket. When I could spend $5000, that horse was $7500-10; when I could spend $10, that horse was $12,500 to $15,000. Now that horse is $25,000. I’m really trying to just be thankful for what I do have, even though my mare can alternately frustrate or scare the bejeezus out of me every now and then.
And let’s not even talk about vet and farrier costs. I don’t begrudge them their time and expertise, and I know their costs have gone up, too. But my shoeing bill is now half of what my board costs.
I do fear that when I retire in 4-7 years that I will not be able to afford to keep a horse, even though I will certainly have more time to devote to one.
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I’m not sure I understand your question. I could potentially live on a smaller property or in a condo and have my property taxes be reduced substantially. The time I spend mowing and picking up poop and getting feed/shavings has some value. Although, yes, I suppose I could trade off that value for travel to a boarding barn. And I have to spend some $$ this spring replacing fence posts that are rotting, amongst other repairs and purchases that will pop up, all horse-related, not home-related.
And yes, I did buy property specifically to have horses, but I wanted a decent sized property regardless of having horses at home, because I don’t care for neighbors! (although I do like the couple of neighbors on my private road well enough, but I can’t see them;).
Locality for sure plays a role - they don’t call it Taxachusetts for nothin’!
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Yes.
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F—, no. If we did, we’d never get a horse. 
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the Difference is Urban Land verses Farm Land here you have to have ten acres to be considered a farm thus being able to obtain an exemption .
We are in a large urban area with under three acres. Until recent times this land was consider a single Lot with a property tax value the same as very small building lot of 8,000 square feet or less. Recent times they decided to tax the mass of the land, if we were to be taxed at the current land value we would have to sell but our taxes are nearly frozen.
I am older than 65 the school district taxes are capped at no greater than when I turned 65, School taxes make up about 70% of our property tax bill
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a friend of mine had a husband who was VERY cheap- and he did figure out wear on the car, gas, clothing, but he didn’t ride and I think resented the horse. She had a child, and had to shower quickly and change clothes before touching the child. (I think that was on her though,) weird.
I’m going to sound old . . . I remember spending hours and hours unsupervised at the barn when I was a kid, all day on weekends. In the last decade, I have boarded at 2 barns, one being a top show barn in my area. All the kids came out and took several lessons a week with their parents helping tack up. It made me sad they never truly spent time with their ponies or horses. Often after the lesson, it on to a piano lesson or some other sport. Their horse life consisted of taking lessons and going to horse shows. In the summer, they might take a short trail ride around the property after a lesson. Everything was so controlled. I doubt they have met their farrier or vet more than once or twice. If they walked down the barn aisle and saw a sick horse in a stall, it wouldn’t dawn on them to find help. They would think, Oh the barn staff will see it. The second barn consisted of all amateur adult women. Most, due to work or family only rode their horses in lessons and the trainer rode a few times a week. Starting in the Spring it was horse shows and clinics until Fall. There were a few older gals who in addition to lessons/showing/clinics took their horses to local county parks to trail ride. They were retired or didn’t work. I will say the adult women took an interest in what was going on with their horses, they were actively involved.
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I’ve been following along, reading every post and being filled with a variety of emotions yet not knowing quite what to add.
As recently as earlier this week, I had a near breakdown about the stress of it all. Having two seniors (one is ridable, the other not so much) at home and doing all of the care, paying the expenses, and dealing with the stress of the not so sound horse and wondering why I do this, is it worth it. The special needs horse has cost easily $20K+ in care costs outside of day to day (supplements, hay, grain, shavings, routine vet) over the past 3 years alone and is still “on the mend” but not 100% (we may never get to 100% which is another point of stress). If I just had the one rideable, I’d likely board which would honestly be cheaper. It would also mean we wouldn’t need to purchase another horse property as we look to move this year.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to have horses at home and work in horses, which I’ve been working towards but as the economy has changed dramatically the last ~3 years I wonder what that looks like. I don’t want to board, I don’t want to teach lessons on my own horses (will happily teach on client horses but no boarding = no client horses), not sure breeding is a viable (financially) option. Even if I do find an answer there, I’m not sure what the overall horse market will look like - will there be enough demand for mid to low level HJ horses which would be my target? Or, at this rate of inflation, will we be left with only DIY ammys who don’t need/ want to buy a finished horse and work on a shoestring and the elite? I have no idea. But I know, even with our limited debts, I don’t feel comfortable staking our financial stability on it all.
I have absolutely no answers, even more questions, and immeasurable worry about it all.
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I factor in my time doing chores, etc because if I wasn’t cleaning stalls I would be doing hourly based contracting work outside of my full time gig. I’m ok factoring in paying myself 10.00 an hour when I’m debating if it’s cheaper to pay board.
It’s cheaper in my area to board but my horses wouldn’t get the same care. Barns don’t bed as deep as I do, nor feed tested hay year round.
I couldn’t compete with barns in my area on boarding cost as my care is different. Not better, just different.
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OP I’m not trying to highjack your thread. I also struggled with the search function. But, I’m in your position.
I have a feisty horse who’s awesome, but she has to trust you. I can no longer afford her. So I’ve been looking for a lease, a rider, a sale. Nothing has been in her best interest. So here I am at a loss.
For those who have basically said it’s unconscionable, well my financial situation drastically changed in a very short amount of time.
The OP clearly is t the only one struggling.
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Maybe take time to get out and look at what types of horse business might be in demand in your new location that would suite a smaller investment? Equine assisted learning is a growing one here, and easy to find horses to lease/borrow for that. Boarding foals/young horses doesn’t need a lot of facilities and is also in demand where I live. I think if you just get out and TRY things that don’t require a huge financial commitment, you can feel around for what you like, and you never know where the journey might take you!
