and also don’t be single. I can’t imagine the extra money I could have if I had another earner under my roof lol
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Being single is definitely a damper on the horse and show funds. I make enough to live comfortably on my own, but not to be comfortable and have more than just a weekly riding lesson. The only time as an adult I’ve been able to do more than a weekly lesson is when I had the opportunity to work off a lease for a few years. Those opportunities aren’t really out there (at least not in my area that I know of) anymore. The things I could afford if I just multiplied my income by two.
One of my biggest expenses that could save me money is no dogs (kidding, I love my dogs)… at least no dogs with expensive health issues. Over the past 10 years my dog has cost me more than a horse or two would, although at least spread out over 10 years it wasn’t as much of a shock as a horse purchase price plus monthly boarding that costs more than my mortgage would be.
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I mean- yes, the extra earner is great, less great when they turn into just as passionate of an eventer as you are, and wanting to do bigger and badder things 
I’m not sure if my budget increased or decreased to make room for him 
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Ha! On the opposite end of the spectrum, I married a nerd who loves to play video games for hours on end (and thus, usually significantly underestimates my time spent at the barn 
).
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I agree about dogs!
If I’m asked by a young person how to swing life and stay in horses, my best advice is don’t get any other pets!
Feed, flea/tick control, routine vet, emergency illness/injury vet, toys, treats, tack and training add up on dogs! And time!!!
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To be fair, I married a pilot with zero interest in horses when we met. First he fell in love with horses, then with the sport!
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We must be near neighbors! I’m in Wilmington. Yes, kids are expensive. DH and I both wanted one but agreed on just 1, for both time and financial reasons. Having a 2nd kid meant agreeing to sell my horse- wasn’t gonna happen! For better or worse, our son was such a horrid sleeper for his first 3 years that we couldn’t fatham having another even if we hadn’t already been set on “one and done!” Our son is amazing, great sleeper now (6yo) and we love him to pieces- absolutely no regrets so far about not having another.
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Hey at least there is help to pay the bills! I would be happy with help paying for heat in the winter 
And yes dogs! I have three and their food is $100 alone every other week 
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I live in NC. I am originally from the Northern Va. suburbs, got out by a series of mishaps, ended up down here, and realized I could afford more with the horses, eventually…especially since I never got into competing.
I ended up with 10 acres, 60 mile daily commute to work and back, two kids, mobile home, did most of the horse stuff myself (training, trimming hooves), ended up with a bad car wreck, messed up my body a good bit (could have been a LOT worse, I was lucky) which triggered my latent MS. I could not longer work hard, let my horses die of old age veterinary problems, and ended up realizing I could no longer afford a horse even though I have no mortgage on my land or house.
There is no way I can afford a horse, none. If I did not have MS it would be somewhat different but I would be very horse poor.
I ended up riding other people’s horses. I found a lesson stable with a good instructor which does not have an indoor ring. My excellent instructor does not charge me for more than the 30 minutes I ride, and I would not be able to afford an hour lesson. I can get a homework ride a week if the Universe ever decides to cooperate again with me about this.
I had to get to the point of what my original goals was for my horse life. Besides owning a horse (I succeeded for decades) my main goal was to become the very best rider I could. When I had horses I could not afford many lessons, so my riding is getting “better” though I no longer can do what I used to do riding. I am bored, but this is the only way I can afford to ride horses in a safe enough environment on half-way decent horses with the best riding teacher of my life.
I would not be able to afford this in the North East, no way, no how. I got my land 33 years ago, there would be no way I could afford to buy it now. I feel remarkably fortunate, I live a stable life financially and I can still ride horses. It is MUCH cheaper to take lessons than it is to own a horse, at least where I ride.
We are hunkering down expecting stuff to get worse. I am glad I am old, my biggest fear is never being able to ride horses again. If I don’t live too much longer I should be able to afford riding until the day I die (knock on wood.)
The whole world is changing around us. I am just glad that I took advantage of my opportunities and rode my horses while the world was at peak prosperity for us in North America and Europe.
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Until they have their own expensive hobby. I am always surprised at how much money his golf hobby cost. Between lessons, clinics, trips, club membership, etc. it’s pretty equal to my horse cost.
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Really what difference does it make if they have an expensive hobby though, they still have to pay for housing, food etc. So that cost is at least shared! One mortgage vs two, one internet vs two, insurance etc. I’ve lived both dual income and single and I can assure you it is easier with 2 incomes lol
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I’m in my mid 20s trying to figure this out, greater Boston area. I have a great job, make 6 figures (barely), and still am having trouble justifying paying 1.5-2k a month just on basic horse costs (board,shoes,vet) 
Currently found a lease situation, but man finding a horse to lease around here is also nearly impossible! Other ways I’ve found that help (in my 20s, at least)
-Dump a lot into retirement (can’t spend it on horses if I can’t see it 
)
-Live with roommates - I’ve never spent more than 650 on rent, even in Boston area
-Ride whatever you can find (as long as they’re safe). This usually has an accelerating effect of finding other things to ride, at least for now while I’m not too nervous about greener stuff! It’s amazing and rewarding to see how a scruffy green horse can turn into something really fun to ride from consistent, solid basics for a couple months.
I’m trying to just be patient instead of rushing back into full ownership, my tactics will probably change soon!
I think the biggest issue for me with the increasing cost of horses is the fact that it becomes increasingly difficult to live a (slightly) more balanced lifestyle. It’d be easy to just fully commit, live in a shoebox, and not see other people outside of the barn, but also that can mess with you too when things like horse injuries come up.
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I’ve been following this thread for a little while now. I’m also greater Boston area, married, have 1 daycare aged child with plans for more, and both SO and I have well paying jobs that put us in the single digit percentiles of income earners for our age bracket – but they are also demanding jobs that leave limited time to enjoy my horse. We are very fortunate and the financial cost still hurts and comes with other life trade offs.
If /when baby #2 comes into the picture (we’ve been on a fertility journey for a while now), selling my horse is a discussion we’ll need to have. I don’t have the time or flexibility to move her to a lower cost option. I have a partial leasee, but I went for good fit / competent over ability to pay so I’m recouping <1/4 of my horse expenditures. It’s harder and harder to justify the expense, particularly as life gets more hectic. I did a fantastic clinic 3 weeks ago…I’ve ridden once since then because…well…life.
My SO is incredibly supportive but we’re getting to the point where my guilt at what we spend on my hobby the average ~23 hours a day I’m not at the barn is eroding the joy of the ~1 hr I get with my horse.
So how do I afford it? Right now by being an ostrich and sticking my head in the sand. I’ve waited my whole life for a mare like I have now…she’s EVERYTHING I’ve always said I’ve wanted. I think she just came along at the wrong time.
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I’ve also found being helpful and staying out of the way also seems to have this effect. Make yourself someone the BO/trainer wants to have around.
You don’t have to let yourself be taken advantage of doing stalls for free or anything like that, but:
- show up on time, be reliable
- respect the trainer’s time and don’t dawdle or pester while they’re obviously trying to get something else done (we all know how busy and unpredictable barns are - you don’t need to be a part of the problem)
- learn how the barn does things and adopt that way quickly, even if it’s not what you’re used to. In a similar vein, aim to never have to be told anything twice.
- always always clean up after yourself, and try to leave things even just slightly better than you found them (sweep the aisle, hang your halters/bridles up nicely, wipe down tack, etc even if you don’t technically have to)
- introduce yourself to other riders and be helpful if they have questions or you notice they forgot something/did it wrong (especially if they’re beginners). No need to be intrusive or a know-it-all, but trainers really appreciate when their riders show up ready and they don’t have to spend 5-10 minutes before the lesson fixing boots put on backwards, or running to go get a forgotten breastplate, fix a backwards saddle pad, etc.
I do all of these things on a regular basis, and it hardly takes any extra time/effort on my part, but I’ve found that even taking the little things off your trainer’s plate goes a surprisingly long way. I’ve never once had to ask for extra riding opportunities, nor do I ever try to point out “loook look I did this for you and this for you and yada yada”, but after a few months, every trainer I’ve ridden with has given me at least a handful of extra rides, with a few even going so far as to “create” some of those opportunities for me.
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I recognized in college that horse sport is an expensive luxury and I chose my career accordingly. Also no kids
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I struggle a little with this response as the “answer” because I similarly had the same realization in college. I did my freshman year, spent several months after that being a working student for a top dressage rider, and realized that it takes way more than talent to make it in the horseworld. Returned to college and doubled-down on “career choices to afford horses”.
I earn 6 figures. Husband well into that. We have a modest mortgage, one car (bought second hand and paid off), a son in daycare. I read all that on ‘paper’ and would think “this person has money for horses”. And I do…but it hurts, and I do it as modestly as possible within realities of my own time constraints.
I don’t compete. I own second hand mid-range tack. I take lessons sparingly. I clinic 3-4x a year. I don’t own a truck or trailer. I board at a modest barn (but it’s still $1200 and rising). I partial lease to a young rider…yet I still look at the monthly cost and think “this is absurd” and am riddled with guilt at the trade-offs we make so that I can keep my horse.
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6 figures only goes so far with ANYTHING, depending on where you live. I’m in the MidWest and my salary on either coasts when I get headhunted is about 35-50K more. If I made that where I am it would be life changing. The 35 on the coasts would be a lateral financial move.
For your last statement I bolded specifically- that could be said for someone who takes joy in owning an expensive car on payments, someone who takes multiple vacations etc. You have to be comfortable to justify the expense in your own mind.
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This has turned into a good conversation.
This is how I view the combined experience we all have. Affordability of this sport, regardless of income becomes a function of our life’s priorities, dreams and passions. It creates a situation where we are able to recognize the true value of horses in our lives and what we really want with them.
There are no wrong choices provided we stay true to our own self. For instance, I could never date (much less marry) somebody who did not have horses. For me, that is the only kind of person who can understand the costs in time and money that I commit to riding. Thus, I shut the door on having a family or other aspects that “regular” society consider part of a balanced life, e.g. going out with friends, travel, social activities such as attending concerts or sports events. For every dollar I think about spending on going to a concert, going skiing, I counter that with “horse shoes, fuel in the truck, entries, lessons,…”
There are a lot of things I will never experience or understand because horses and the horse lifestyle is so ingrained in me (since the age of 2). To those here with families, well established careers, I am sort of envious.
In the end, it is about living the life that best expresses you. Horses may not be a top priority relative to other things. And that is OK. We then must tailor our expectations to match that priority. We can then look at what the value of horses are to us. Is it simply just being able to hack out and around? Take lessons? Compete (and at what level)? In my world, my competition addiction started at 6 years old (my first show) and has never abated. Luckily, I see competition as a training point and not as an end goal or a defining moment. I love it as a test and as a place of shared experiences with my closest friends. I don’t have to compete. But I do HAVE to train because the development of the relationship with my horse is what I love the most about horses. Special time with my closest buddy.
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I think this is a more attainable standard if you’re not a straight woman 
but I think you make a good point. Even if they’re not horsey, you do need a partner that is supportive and understanding of you chasing your passions. And a non-horse person is going to have a much harder time understanding. My DH has always been a more extravagant spender than I am, so weirdly he was the one who pushed me to start taking more frequent lessons/showing/clinicing with my horses.
And when he comes with me I’ll spring for nicer accommodations/a golf cart rental for bigger venues etc so the experience is more fun for him. But when I’m by myself, I’ll still rent a questionable room on airbnb with a mattress that feels like a toaster, eat exclusively granola bars and applesauce and hit 30,000 steps daily for a horse show weekend.
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Well, being a “not a straight woman” I can tell you even that is hard. Two hyper independent eventers? It’s kind of like you can never get two positive pole magnets to occupy the same space.
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