I’m with the person who said that OP is in the “wallowing” stage and many of the responses in her posts imply that she’s at a maturity level where excuses abound rather than action. Having said that, we’ve all been there whether for a minute or a year or somewhere in between. To start things off, OP, I hope that you’re able to resolve your health issues in some way. I can imagine that not having the money to go as far as you want in conjunction with compromised health is a heavy weight at times. I can’t comment on what you can or can’t do based on health, but I can say that the old saying “where there’s a will there’s a way” is certainly true in the horse world in relation to money. Usually the trade-off works in such a way that you either have to give up money or time, and the less you have of one the more you have to contribute of the other. I certainly feel like I’ve paid for much of my horse career with time rather than money, and I’ve worked very, very hard for every dollar I’ve spent on horses from early on. My very much not short story:
Ages don’t quite match up, but I sold my big time horse from my teenage years (who, btw, was an uber cheap “off-breed” QH who took me through the big GPs on a shoestring budget) to pay for college. I then took time off from horses to focus on setting myself up for a career that would allow me to find my way back to the horse world as soon as possible. That meant several years with no riding (except for rides I could steal in my spare moments and school breaks - which in some cases meant doing things like riding gaited trail horses, not to mention riding every evil and poorly trained horse anyone would allow me on) and then buying a very, very cheap baby with the hope of making him up into my next GP horse.
So slightly different than the OP, because at 24 I did have a horse. But I also had no money, and had to work all sorts of odd jobs to support him (housesitting, babysitting, I was a lifeguard, etc.), but despite living in a tough horse market, I found a good friend who boarded him for me basically for the cost of living. Funny thing, through good connections and a good reputation, it’s possible to find situations like that all over the US. Whether it’s a good friend who will board cheap for you, or a place where you can work off part/all of board…they exist everywhere. Perhaps not at the top end barns. But if you think you have to be in a top barn to find a good horse then you are wrong. The top barns often allow short cuts in the horse world based on the experience of the top trainers. Needing those shortcuts (which are completely valid if you have the money to pay for them) just means that you haven’t learned how to evaluate horses yourself (side note: learning this can be free if you’re dedicated to it and willing to read everything you can find and befriend people who are already good at it).
When I moved into the full time work world I kept that horse in a fancy barn that cost just about my entire paycheck. I was lucky enough to have a boyfriend (now husband) who was willing to support our living situation, and I realize now (and realized then) how lucky that was. But I also realized that I didn’t need to be in a show barn to do what I wanted to do. So back to a backyard barn (located near a mediocre training facility) I went for pennies on the dollar. In the meantime, I did all sorts of odd jobs (like braiding) to be able to afford horseshows, and found through time that my horse just wasn’t careful enough to be a top jumper. So if you think moving up in height is the end goal, let me tell you that height has nothing to do with anything. I took that horse through 1.45m and found out that pulling rails in every single class makes for a very much not fun experience. I sold him and also learned that a very well trained and rideable horse is a marketable entity at far more than I would have expected. That helped even out some of my debt incurred by the handful of shows we did each year (I think we made it to 3 or 4 big shows a year, tops). It also allowed my husband and I to buy the farm we have today (which, speaking of fixer-uppers and non-fancy facilities…)
Throughout my younger years (and actually still today) I studied the people who I thought had a good eye for horseflesh and befriended every single person I could whose “horse ethic” I admired. You are at an age where you could be picking up this valuable information at every opportunity. Much of what I learned about horses I learned through following trainer friends around as they looked at prospects for the people that actually had the dollars to pay for nice horses in the barn. Was I jealous? Of course! Was that productive? Nope. So I learned to focus on WHAT I HAD rather than what other people had. I also studied what those people who were able to buy nice horses often didn’t know…which was how to spot a diamond in the rough, how to develop a nice horse through systematic training, and decided to spend my time developing those skills since showing at the top levels was far out of reach.
A couple of years later I was basically given a “throwaway” mare because she was deemed dangerous and unpredictable. She was 5yo and in a bad situation and had never done more than the short stirrup hunters. She became my next High AO/GP horse. Don’t get me wrong, there was a LARGE amount of work invested in getting her to that point. And even more work to keep her there since she wasn’t a scopey horse and was jumping outside of her scope range. Winning a championship on the biggest underdog of a horse ever sure was a sweet feeling, though.
My next purchase was a sub-$2K OTTB. He’s my current High AO horse, has done a couple of 1.50m GPs and I’m hoping to put him in some 1.60m classes this year. Again, LOTS of work has gone on behind the scenes in the 7 years I’ve had him. LOTS of work and time…
And as my career has grown, I’ve suddenly found myself in a place in the world where I can spend more than $2K on a horse, and now I have a couple of nicely bred babies (still not in a place where I can afford a going horse!). I still envy those people my age and younger who get to have a string of imported horses, or who are able to go to 27 shows a year. But funny story, there are a lot of people who envy my position of having several “going” horses, and my ability to make it to 5 or 6 shows a year. The envy chain never ends. How you deal with it is what makes or breaks you as a horseperson.
But back to where I started. When I was 24 I was at the lowest point of my riding and showing career. Quitting never crossed my mind. If you honestly feel that you DESERVE to be showing at the top levels then DO IT. There are a million paths to that goal. They all involve a sacrifice of money and time. If you have neither to sacrifice then focus on what you can do to make yourself a better horseperson TODAY. Many people have suggested books to read. READ THEM. Find the horsepeople you admire the most (hint: these are not always the BNTs…there are many many old school horsemen who can teach you more than you can imagine that almost no one talks about). FIND THEM. There are vets and farriers who are brilliant at understanding horse mechanics and on a neverending learning path. FIND THEM.
All of these things are investments you can make now in the horseperson you’ll become in the future. I did all of that not knowing if there would really be a payoff in the end. It’s paid me back time and again at this point in my life. I have a team of horsepeople around me who I think are the best I could ever hope to know, and they’ve helped me immeasurably in getting to the goals I want to achieve.
And finally, to echo several other posters’ sentiments - height has nothing to do with anything. Focus on horsemanship and realize that you have many decades left in the horse world if you want to keep riding. Everyone has to pay their dues in one way or another and having to earn every penny along the way makes it that much sweeter when you achieve your accomplishments. Heights come and go with the horses you’re sitting on at that moment and the most successful people embrace wherever they’re at in that moment.
) but those are what I choose because I LOVE the sport and am determined as all get out to participate in it. I have even started a second business to help fun what I want to do.
