Horses are expensive

[andylover]

I am finding it more and more amazing and admittedly irritating how many postings I see on social networks where people are asking for vet calls, tack, equipment etc for cheap “because I dont have any money”. One posting from today wanted to find someone to do an EKG on her horse because the vet wanted to charge too much. There are several postings looking for boarding where the horse owner wants arena, turnout, feedings etc but because they dont have any money they can only afford a couple hundred dollars a month. granted I dont live in an expensive area, but to feed a horse alone here is over $200. There are postings for high end saddles, bridles etc, but because they dont really have any money they cant afford to pay much. Are they looking for hand outs, or is just the norm for when looking to purchase something horse orientated.

These individuals post questions about the lameness of their horse and if “anyone has seen something similar” and looking for ways to treat it instead of calling the vet. that one really gets my goat. horses are not cheap in any form. There are ways to save on expenses but when looking to save by not calling the vet when the horses are lame, eyes are swollen shut etc., I find just terrible.

this is probably more of a vent, but at the same time I am a bit curious. Does anyone see this and find it irritating or is it that I am reading into advertisements?

[Duckz]

Related: my big pet peeve is people who have a $1500 budget to buy a horse, and who plan on boarding at a facility that charges $500/mo. Here’s a thought - if you wait three months and save the board money you would have spent, your budget is doubled to $3000!

(Not that you can’t find a nice prospect for $1500, but inevitably these are parents looking to buy a horse for their kid and maybe that 4 yr old ottb isn’t the best fit…)

[andylover]

[QUOTE=Duckz;8245537]
Related: my big pet peeve is people who have a $1500 budget to buy a horse, and who plan on boarding at a facility that charges $500/mo. Here’s a thought - if you wait three months and save the board money you would have spent, your budget is doubled to $3000!

(Not that you can’t find a nice prospect for $1500, but inevitably these are parents looking to buy a horse for their kid and maybe that 4 yr old ottb isn’t the best fit…)[/QUOTE]

Or their budget is $1,500 and for that they want a well trained, safe, sane kid proof, husband proof, no soundness issues etc horse.:no: and could you please include all the horses tack for that price, cause I dont have a lot of money… :eek:

[skipollo]

[QUOTE=andylover;8245545]
Or their budget is $1,500 and for that they want a well trained, safe, sane kid proof, husband proof, no soundness issues etc horse.:no: and could you please include all the horses tack for that price, cause I dont have a lot of money… :eek:[/QUOTE]

It also has to be capable of taking their kid around the A circuit and not over 10 years old :rolleyes:

[goodhors]

I am with you, they should not have horses if they can’t afford anything beyond the purchase price! They don’t have the knowledge to buy a sound animal or care for it after use, so horse is often needing a Vet pretty soon and they can’t afford it. These folks are unwilling to try giving horse some rest, letting it heal, get back to sound. Expect Vet to provide all the fancy services almost free!!

I don’t mind folks shopping and trying to get stuff cheap, have done that myself. But I NEVER expected other people to gift me with tack for my equines. I did the “save up” method, moving from cheap stuff as a kid to pretty nice older equipment I use now. I take terrific care of my things, they last almost forever, so my investment money lasts even longer.

Seems like everyone has a hand out for filling in the horse circles now. Getting better equipment will automatically will turn them into “a winner” with no work on their part! Everyone will see them with nice horse, nice equipment, to KNOW they are wonderful!! You can’t talk to them, they have NO knowledge of basic care of either horses or tack, do NOT appreciate good horse or nice things. Don’t want to learn either, that takes away from riding time.

Pretty sad. And that $1500? That is the entire budget for horse and equipment, show clothing, feed with some money left over because they shopped economically. No money for shots, Farrier, but those are not really NEEDED things in the big picture, or so they tell me.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

Better yet, use the $1500 for riding lessons at a reputable facility :yes:

[Flash]

I think it’s common in our society that people bite off more than they can chew. Then pride keeps them from coming to terms with “I really just can’t afford this.”

[spotmenow]

[QUOTE=skipollo;8245554]
It also has to be capable of taking their kid around the A circuit and not over 10 years old :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

And it needs to be at least 16 hands, branded, with a lot of chrome and an extensive show record…“an excellent home” is always “guaranteed” in those ads!! Sorry, those ads irk me as well.

OP, I hear you loud and clear. My favorite was the person last winter who was looking for a heavy-weight blanket for her horse because she had body clipped him in order to keep showing him, but she couldn’t afford anything over $40…it was a FB post and she kept getting angry with people who responded with nice blankets for $80-$100. But she could apparently afford the show fees…

[Bombproof]

[QUOTE=goodhors;8245561]
Getting better equipment will automatically will turn them into “a winner” with no work on their part![/QUOTE]
:mad: <Rant Mode On>
Ain’t it the truth! This is one of my pet peeves! I’m often reminded of when I was shooting competitively. At a regional match when we stopped for a break, the shooter next to me asked if he could examine my rifle. I’m picky about who touches my rifles, but I was standing right there, so I handed it to him. He put it up to his shoulder a couple of times and looked it over, then said, “I’ll bet if I had a rifle like this one, I could shoot like you do!” I took the rifle back and said, “If you shot 1,200-1,500 practice rounds every month like I do, then you might legitimately need a rifle like this one.” No amount of fancy tack in the world is going to make you a better rider. I’m not a particularly good rider, but I suspect that in riding as in shooting, the equipment makes maybe 1-2% difference. That difference doesn’t matter until you’re trying to shrink your 600 meter groups from 5" to 4". If your groups are 10", it isn’t the rifle that needs to be changed. Getting the saddle the winners are riding isn’t going to improve your score unless you’re already one of the winners.
<Rant Mode Off>

[partlycloudy]

We also do some hauling, and the ads looking for someone to truck their horse 500 mi ‘but can’t afford to pay much’ drive me crazy. That’s right the gas station will give me 50% off on gas and hey, we had nothing else to do that day, so we’ll hook up our $$$$ rig and move your horse. Probably kicks all the way too.

[ladyj79]

Some people have the money but are really, really, really cheap and loath to spend a dime when a penny will do, especially if they can find someone with stuff who desperately needs money. I’ve had “friends” offer me a fraction of something’s cost/value because they figured I wasn’t using it or maybe I really needed the money. That’s how they keep having money. It’s cool, they generally try to screw over strangers just the same. "Oh, did you say it cost x? But I only brought y. Bird in the hand, right?

[enjoytheride]

I’ve seen Facebook posts for “horse wanted for $700, must be able to take payments.”

Which goes right along with “Two horse trailer wanted, $800 or less.”

[Pembroke]

[QUOTE=Bombproof;8245684]
:mad: <Rant Mode On>
Ain’t it the truth! This is one of my pet peeves! I’m often reminded of when I was shooting competitively. At a regional match when we stopped for a break, the shooter next to me asked if he could examine my rifle. I’m picky about who touches my rifles, but I was standing right there, so I handed it to him. He put it up to his shoulder a couple of times and looked it over, then said, “I’ll bet if I had a rifle like this one, I could shoot like you do!” I took the rifle back and said, “If you shot 1,200-1,500 practice rounds every month like I do, then you might legitimately need a rifle like this one.” No amount of fancy tack in the world is going to make you a better rider. I’m not a particularly good rider, but I suspect that in riding as in shooting, the equipment makes maybe 1-2% difference. That difference doesn’t matter until you’re trying to shrink your 600 meter groups from 5" to 4". If your groups are 10", it isn’t the rifle that needs to be changed. Getting the saddle the winners are riding isn’t going to improve your score unless you’re already one of the winners.
<Rant Mode Off> :)[/QUOTE]

Fitting and comfortable tack makes a HUGE difference. I don’t have SUPERDUPEROMG expensive saddles at the moment. I had to sell my top notch high end dressage saddle because it didn’t fit. New one is half the price of the old one. I also have a 6 year old Kieffer jumping saddle. They are both comfortable and fit me and the ponies well. I feel they help me. But I have ridden other people’s horses a couple of times in tack that does not fit me at all. It’s horrible. If the saddle is working against you in all possible ways, you can not ride as well as in a saddle that helps you or at least doesn’t bother you. So, I think tack does matter, more than the 1-2%. But, no, it does not have to be crazy expensive to help/work.

[Pocket_Pony]

I had a friend who was cheap, cheap, cheap and it drove me nuts. She’d brag about how cheaply she got this or that thing . . . saddle, horse, hay, trailer, etc. She’d want me to come pick her up for a trail ride because she was too cheap to want to pay the gas to go 10 miles to the park when it “should be convenient” for me to come get her. I never would, claiming that my horse my doesn’t haul well with others. And maybe her horse was cheap because it was lame and maybe that’s also why it won’t canter for you? And maybe your saddle was cheap because it was an old POS and it doesn’t actually fit your horse anyway. And maybe your hay was cheap because it is crappy hay and maybe because you feed your horse crappy hay is why it is so skinny. ARGH!!!

I agree with the above poster that tack does matter. The price tag isn’t what matters, but the quality (meaning you can find nice used tack), the design, and the fit for horse and rider both most definitely matters.

But you’re not going to find a good quality saddle for $100 that you can just pick up on ebay and expect it to miraculously work for you and your horse. It might, but it probably won’t. Cheap things are cheap for a reason - either the quality of materials or workmanship or attention to detail or all of them combined.

Granted, I am cheap about some things, too. But my cheapitude means that I’ll just go without versus buying a crappy version of whatever it is . . .

[RiderInTheRain]

This drives me nuts too and I’m someone who does own horses on a small/limited budget that I manage carefully in order to ensure they are well cared for. Their basic care and any vet expenses come first, followed by functional and comfortable gear for them with things like brand new tack and fees for shows coming in last (if they can be paid for without dipping into the $ cushion I feel comfortable with keeping in case of unexpected vet or other expenses). But I do know folks who will pay for all kinds of show entry fees one week, then complain that they can’t afford to get a vet out to see the horse.

I do think its appropriate and kind to help out other horse folks who have befallen a real, unexpected tragedy (death of a family member, barn fire, etc.) and have in the past and will again contribute to such causes as I’m able.

The “GoFundMe” and other type posts that irritate me the most are from folks (typically older juniors or young professionals) seeking donations to embark on some kind of upper level show campaign. I think its great when such ambitious folks can find mutually beneficial sponsorships, ride nice horses for owners, or come up with clever fundraising ideas (like supplying financial supporters with “Team Horse’s name” gear and including them during course walks, other events, etc) but to simply ask for handouts doesn’t to me seem like a very appealing strategy and if I had the money to spare and wanted to support an up and coming rider I would be very much inclined to support one who would treat me as part of the team in some small way or another rather than just a source of funds.

[soloudinhere]

[QUOTE=Impractical Horsewoman;8245573]
Better yet, use the $1500 for riding lessons at a reputable facility :yes:[/QUOTE]

Good luck finding that reputable facility, most closed because it’s not sustainable to maintain a string of sound lesson horses when people complain that $50 for a 30 minute lesson is ridiculous.

Had this conversation just yesterday with my barn owner, who was charging $100/horse to ship 170 miles round trip, and people were complaining, so she made it cheaper. Insulating people from the cost just delays the problem but we all know it cost you more than $300 to drive your $35,000 trailer and $55,000 truck that 170 miles if we are actually speaking in the realm of reality.

I’ve got that cheap friend who will spend $700 to compete at an event but rides in a $150 ebay Indian saddle because it “looks just like my other one” and won’t get get work done because it’s too expensive. And is confused why her horses have soundness issues.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I see way worse for people who just bought a dog. Trying to find a free vet, skip shots, someone else to train their dog for free, giving it away “to a forever home” because they didn’t realize it would get this big and wanting a $300 “rehoming fee” like they are a rescue, etc.

Oh and the “forever home” and “rehoming fee” movement is just driving me absolutely nuts.

I’m not seeing it with horses so much.

[rugbygirl]

I guess they can always ask. If no one ever gives them the handout they want, presumably they eventually give up?

I don’t get the mentality, but I see it in young adults who grew up with parents paying all of their horse expenses, and they basically got to do whatever showing they wanted as kids and teens. Adult reality hits them pretty hard when they want to continue the lifestyle, but without mummy and daddy’s income level.

It REALLY irks me when those kids are the ones who snarkily comment that my horse would go better if I rode more, or who comment on how I deal with my equipment ("you should clean your saddle after every ride, you know ") . I roll my eyes. Come talk to me when you have to work to pay your own bills, sweetheart. I’d ride a lot more if I didn’t have this pesky career on the go, which I pursued IN ORDER TO AFFORD HORSES.

[rugbygirl]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;8246001]
I see way worse for people who just bought a dog. Trying to find a free vet, skip shots, someone else to train their dog for free, giving it away “to a forever home” because they didn’t realize it would get this big and wanting a $300 “rehoming fee” like they are a rescue, etc.

Oh and the “forever home” and “rehoming fee” movement is just driving me absolutely nuts.[/QUOTE]

Yup. People selling animals who use those terms should fall down.

[Covergirl15]

I see it with everything having to do with animals (and other stuff as well)! Both horses and dogs/cats–I was helping with an adoption event and people were gasping at the $40 adoption price–um people, if you can’t afford that, how are you going to afford everything else? I spent several hundred dollars on my kitten when I got her (for $40)–b/w shots, a feline HIV/leukemia test, declawing her (my mom made me), kitten food, and everything else (and we already had 2 cats so I didn’t need many supplies for her).
Also, I work at a high end stationery store and people try to do the same with invitations-- this from people who live in million dollar houses and have their gucci, prada, or hermes bags thrown over their arms. Really?! I’m sorry but I have too much pride to nickel and dime people over prices…