Between last year and this year, I accomplished a handful of goals (mostly financial) that, upon completion, I told myself I would be ready to buy my first horse.
Fast forward to now and to be honest, I find the thought of buying and owning my own horse to be quite unnerving for many reasons.
The upfront costs aren’t the problem, it’s the recurring expenses that worry me. And seeing as I want to purchase a home this year, I’m projecting my monthly/annual recurring expenses to balloon substantially if I get a horse as well.
Another reason I’m worried about purchasing a horse is because I have no clue where I am with respect to riding in all aspects. I know where I want to get to but I have no idea how to get there. I switched to dressage last September after 5 years of lackluster jumping. I’ve proverbially had to start over and I’m unlearning most of what I “learned” in those 5 years. I have no clue how to assess my abilities as a rider. On some horses I ride fairly well, on others it feels like I’ve never been on a horse. On some horses my trot work is great but my canter needs work. On others its vice versa. I have no consistency between lessons and often have one great lesson amongst several really bad lessons (bad being my performance, not the horse nor my trainer). I also don’t know what horse is right for me given my current situation. Do I want a well trained horse, a horse that needs work, younger vs. older, etc. In short, I feel quite lost and confused and I don’t know how getting my own horse fits within my current conundrum.
Finally, it’s a lot of responsibility. This is what it must feel like having a kid Having a half-ton, four legged animal dependent upon me is a lot of responsibility and as a single fellow, not a type of responsibility I am used to. I suppose it’s the unexpected that is most concerning: a sudden need to move, a veterinary issue with respect to the horse, a change in income on my part, etc. I suppose I’m looking at what can go wrong which isn’t necessarily healthy but it’s a way of thinking gleaned from my career so it’s hard not to factor in the unknowns and potential pitfalls.
Cold feet I’m having it seems. Anyone else experience this upon purchasing your first horse?