Despite my cranky initial post, I think I’ve softened on the OP a bit. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know.
This may have been any of us in the first year of their riding when they have what they think is simple dreams, only to be hit with the reality of life and horse ownership.
It’s likely the OP has gone quiet because she’s not able to answer many of the questions here, or has seen that perhaps we’ve offered a perspective she hadn’t previously considered.
Terms like ‘top notch’ are subject to interpretation. It’s quiet possible in OP’s area with slim pickings for true performance horses, that 10gs will get one a competent horse for their specialty in their immediate area. And by that standard, then perhaps 5k for a trail horse doesn’t seem so hard to fathom. But if all you’ve got is 5k and your’e working with a trainer (or being influence by) someone who only looking for hoss’ best future, then it might be easier to just quietly disappear if that 5k exhausts your funds. OP may not have understood just how expensive it is to maintain a horse and all the unmentionables. Nevermind showing.
I hope OP isn’t intimidated by this thread, does a little soul searching and has some patience to figure out what she really can handle and truly wants from horses. Being under the mentorship of a good role model who truly has only your best interest at stake is the best thing possible. Yes, it may seem like leasing is throwing good money away since the horse isn’t ‘officially yours’. But then again, it’s much easier to get out of a bad lease than it is to have to sell a horse that’s a bad fit. Especially if you’ve got a trainer telling you you should’ve never pulled the trigger in the first place.
