At one point I had five of my own, rode generally four a day. I had a long commute, but I lived on the farm with my horses. Honestly I would stick to two nice horses.
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Anyone who says more than two is either lying or has help!
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My circumstances are a bit different, but I am also a young professional with multiple horses. I have my own farm but I have a full time manager and a part time assistant manager who take care of the majority of the farm chores. For the most part I do my own tacking/untacking/hosing/tack cleaning/etc., but the days I’m in a time crunch either my BM or ABM give me a hand in that department. I’m only sharing this background because my time commitment is that of a client at a full board facility like yours, I just have a shorter commute! I also work partially from home on an independent schedule, but I also tutor aboud 20 hours a week, so while my schedule is flexible, there are things that need to be done at fixed times.
At home I have a hunter, a jumper, an equitation horse, and a retired jumper cum trail horse extraordinaire. I try to ride my first three 5-6 days a week and hack out my old man 1-2 days a week. My BM is amazing and has the horses fed by 6:30, so I try to be on my first between 7 and 7:15. Everyone gets a half hour of solid work (sometimes 45 minutes) and I only jump one horse per day. Serendipitously, my three show horses go in the exact same tack, so that saves me a lot of time/effort. I can get 3 done by 10 and the barn cleaned up by 10:20. If I’m pressed for time, I’ll usually skip riding my hunter as he’s the type that can have 2-3 days off and it makes no difference. I try to be at the gym between 11:00 and 11:30 and back home by 1. I take an hour to shower and relax and then I start working around 2 and have the rest of the day uninterrupted until I need to tutor unless I have other plans/have to run errands/etc.
In a perfect world, I’d prefer to do this with 2 horses instead of 3/4, but I’m able to make it work for the most part! I do think I’d have a lot more difficulty trying to get this done after a long day of working as opposed to before.
It occurs to me OP has been a working student while in college so perhaps had some horse costs defrayed, and may not fully understand the hit to the budget. Also OP attended college “close to home” which may mean OP continued to live with parents and had no expense for housing or food.
If you can live expense free with parents indefinitely and spend all your income on horses that changes the equation somewhat.
However I would still caution against taking the good reputation of the company for granted especially in the first couple of years.
College is very different, especially if you are good in the discipline. Class is 3 hours a week, professor doesn’t care how you dress or what you do with the rest of your time, as long as you do well in the assignments and exams.
A well paid job will want you at your desk for set hours. They will want to know that the job is your #1 priority in life, even if it isn’t. Salaried jobs can come with unpaid overtime and there may be slow and busy cycles in your business. There may be expectations of attending after hours events. And don’t discount the fact that sitting at a work station 8 hours a day, getting up at 5:30 am to be fed, showered, commuted and in place at 8 am, is tiring.
You need to spend the first couple of years being a model employee to ensure you get a good start with this company and your career.
And even if your budget model is living with your parents and paying nothing for housing or food, they may have other ideas!
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Completely agree with these statements. Also would not be looking at the year-end raise (or any salary/payment) as a sure thing until I actually got it (ie, don’t spend next year’s, or next month’s, paycheck in advance, budget with what you actually have). It makes me somewhat reluctant/nervous to spend money on horses, when several older people I know - who are well-educated, hard-workers and competent, no job issues or complaints, in good positions at the same company for years and years - have been laid off in past few years. I mean, of course, one shouldn’t live in fear of having fun or spending money, but I like having a safety net.
Where I am, it costs more than my mortgage to have 1 horse in full board and training, which is often required in order to get into a barn with decent facilities. Granted I live adjacent to super pricey urban areas, and horses are in a fancier postal code. Full grooming here is sometimes lumped into training, or “only” $150-200 less if you don’t get it (significant enough amount, don’t get me wrong, but not enough to make horses that much more affordable for me (kind of like when showing is “braiding optional” – if I can afford to braid, it’s a nice discount. If I can’t afford to braid, I can’t afford to be there in the first place)). So it’s around $1500/month, for something on the cheaper side, with a minimum 2 hour commute. Closer is over $2000, or unsuitable for me (either not full board or facilities are not great).
When I was in my early 20s, and making decent money, I had time & money (and honestly, not so worried about stuff like savings & retirement, even though I did put away some savings every paycheck and stuck to a budget) to have a horse in training and go to 1-2 shows a year. Then I started doing more at work and had less time; it was more money but not enough to move horse closer, so it felt like I was paying someone else to ride him, which was not the reason I had a horse.
If (or when, I guess) retired horse passes on, if I could find a barn close by, if I could find full board without full training/grooming (or just partial training even)…I would think about getting another horse. Or leasing or something. But those are a lot of ifs. It’s not even the purchase price that scares me (I’d have a budget, of course, but it still seems like not the expensive part of horse ownership), it’s the monthly costs that would wear me out. I’m comfortable with just the retired horse; looking at the numbers, I could swing a 2nd horse, but I’d be constantly worried, which is not an enjoyable way to have a horse either, I think.
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Yes, even in high demand jobs like engineering there is churn. By which I mean the profession isn’t disappearing but the companies, the profit centers, the technology, is in continual development.
It would be unwise to sink into a job, focus all your money and time on horses, and find out in 5 years that your department is redundant or your operations are being consolidated in a distant city or that your company has been bought out and merged and the workforce cut in half.
And then you are looking for work with possibly outdated skills, along with all your co workers.
Landing a good job right out of college is a fantastic first step but it is just the very start of a career, not final security it might have seemed in 1955 (when you would then have been laid off in 1978 at age 45 when the rust belt struck your particular sector of industry).
In other words you need to continue working on your career and your career prospects even after you get your first good job. This means that you can’t put all your strategizing creative forward looking thought into your horses and treat your job like a steady uncomplicated constant.
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My investing professor had five steps to wealth accumulation. While you are not trying to be wealthy, you want to be able to provide for yourself now AND in the future. His steps were:
- Spend less than you make
- Use debt wisely
- Establish an emergency fund
- Protect yourself from financial peril
- Invest for the future
Nowhere does he say “Buy a third horse” 
I don’t want to discourage you, but as others have pointed out: save/invest now. You have two horses. Why not put the money you would spend on a third horse into a retirement account?
For reference: I am a working 31-year-old who went back to school to get her bachelors degree and am in classes with 20 somethings. I work 40+ hours when not in class during the summer in a mentally engaging desk job (accounting). During the school year, I work about 30 hours and take a full course load. I have my horse at home who I also compete. Now that I am on summer break, I just finished my third 40 hour week. I got home last night and walked out to the field and pat my pony on the nose. I was too mentally taxed to consider even a hack. As you said YMMV, but don’t underestimate the “big girl job”.
Two other points:
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College schedules are WAY different than work schedules. Every few weeks you are on break. When you are working the big time job and you been working 32 weeks straight, you get tired. Take some time off? Oh but you are new and don’t have that much PTO. So you can use that piddly amount of PTO or take the time unpaid. Life if different without spring break.
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Just as you had to sell yourself to this company if they were recruiting you then they also had to sell you on the company. Been there, done that. I suggest settling into your new job for 6 months. You may find out that it is not the job that you expected (ask me how I know) OR you may find it is exactly as described and you DO have the time/finances for a third horse. My point is: Be Skeptical. Trust them as much as you would trust a used car salesman. Companies will do crazy things to attract top talent (again, ask me how I know).
Best of luck!
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How long is your commute?
what do you typically have for dinner and when do you make it?
do your horses live outside ?
details matter!
I recall a poster sharing that her spouse commuted 2hr each way to work. She failed to mention he only did that Monday and Friday as he stayed with family during the week
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What is the long term plan for the two you have now? Sell in a few years, keep forever…? If you plan to keep them forever and got a third young-ish one, you could potentially end up with 3 retired horses to support at the same time. It makes a lot more sense to spread your horses out.
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It depends. Right now I will have 3. One very well broke, one greenie, and a rescue who is coming in with unknown riding history. I’ve done 3 before, and it’s ok, but only if they have differing requirements. Like my older well broke horse, will sour if ridden 5-6 times a week, and the rescue I’ll be basically starting from scratch, so those are small amounts of time semi-infrequently. My greenie is in full training, but I’m starting to work him now. So I’ll likely only have two to ride/work each day, and 3 on weekends. Cost of living in my area is reasonably cheap (Board in the $400 realm) so though it’s expensive, it’s doable.
If I looked at my schedule on paper, sure! I have plenty of time to do three! I could maybe even financially afford three! Except paper is not reality, it would never be able to happen and I would never want to do it anyway.
Ask yourself these questions:
Financially - How much money is going out in taxes? 401k? Rent? Utilities? Emergency fund for you? Emergency fund for your car? Emergency fund for your first two horses? Gas/Groceries/etc? How much horse stuff do you need/buy?
Time - How long is your commute? Traffic? When will you go grocery shopping? When will you cook (with three horses - you won’t) so how long can you survive on microwaveable food? Doctor’s appointments? Bringing your car into the shop? Do you have friends you want to see? Significant other/dating?
So, it seems like the answer is if you plan on living with your parents then it’s doable (not that I would recommend moving in with your parents just to get a third horse). But when you live on your own it’s all those little things you don’t expect that eat away your riding time. Like waiting for the cable guy to show up. Or going to the DMV to get a new license after you moved. Or getting your car inspected. Cooking dinner. Doing laundry…
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A lot depends on your commute to and from the barn. If I had horses at home I could do 2-3. However, my commute to the barn makes it impossible.
Also, yes people are in at 8 and out at 4 but sometimes work requires more. My hours are set as well, but rarely do I leave on time as I need to wrap up loose ends or I am backed up on paperwork and I refuse to work at home. I could leave it for the next day but for me that’s not my style and I am on a fast track that I would like to stay on.
Personally I would never be able to manage that number of horses and that show schedule. Not without my SO. He is one of those rare birds that takes care of all things house related ie cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc so I can work and ride and still have clean clothes and eat.
I’m married with kids. No way I could do more than one unless I kept my horses at home and didn’t drive far for work. Even before kids, I could have made the time for 2 but I’d never be home. I have a hard enough time making time to clean my house with one horse.
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I kept 3-5 going with a full time job and two small kids. I’ve always had my horses at home, so that definitely helped - but then the flip side of that is that there’s no one to ride them for me if I don’t make it out.
I also kept a full show schedule going that way for many years (though I only took 1-2 to the shows for most of my work time, and then 3 for the last couple of years). It took some jugging because I was flying cross country for work several times a month, but I was able to keep my crew fit and going, and I never regretted having the number of horses I had.
It sounds trite, but it really comes down to how much you want to keep a schedule like that going and whether you’re prone to burn out or not.
im doing something wrong, it takes me 3 hours to ride 2 horses!
I actually never wanted 2 horses, but one got hurt and prognosis was unknown. Im older than you (in my 40s) with no kids and a full time stressful job.
My commute its about 30mins to work and 25 to my horses. I do DIY in a barn situation.
I could ride 2 daily if I was energetic and young, but honestly I get tired, adn sometimes I have late meetings. I am now rotating the horses (ones out on break and ones back in)
Honestly I often wistfully wish I only had one. But recently my new one developed a splint and has gone out, so rather than have nothing to ride for 2 months ive bought the other back in.
Im quite dedicated and I ride a lot compared to non-competing average horse owners here (but fairly standard for competition riders)
My advice to you would be if you heart really burns for it, do it while your young.
But a word of advice too, if its a lucrative job they will expect a certain performance level from you, dont let the horses interfere with that (or you’ll end up with neither)
Ive ridden all my life and all my life my horses have come first, they take all my money, they take all my time and they have caused me a fair number of injuries over the years I feel now (and a number of relationship breakdowns - maybe that wasnt a loss?). I wouldnt change it for the world, and I dont question my dedication, but I do at this point look back on my life and wonder why Ive done this all these years.
I always thought people that said ‘dont let horses take over your life’ were just not dedicated enough. Now I think they were wiser than me.
Just my 2c
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I board about 45 minutes (with traffic; without it’s 25) from home. Home is 10 minutes from work. I leave the office at 4, ride my good old fellow who’s usually good with 20-30 minutes of active work, and am home between 7 and 7:30. That includes grooming, tack-up, warm up, cool down, post-care, turnout. I occasionally tack my sister’s high-octane A/O horse onto that, and then I am home between 8 and 9 depending on how he settles into his work (or not.)
Unless your salary affords you a Delorean, or you’re OK with only riding all three on weekends, now is not the time for a third horse.
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OP, why not do horses full-time? If you want a non-horse career, it’s going to limit horse time. If you’re passionate about having horses as more than just a hobby, perhaps consider horses as your career while you’re young.
Otherwise, be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices and tough choices. Your current plan is doable, but not easy.
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Thanks for the reality check, folks.
I’ve decided to hold off for a while on number 3.
For the record: I have budgeted maxing out my 401K and saving for a rainy day fund as well as general savings and using my employee stock purchase options! It’s just a really, really good job and I am blessed to have a (relatively) low cost very high quality situation for them and essentially no living expenses at the moment.
RockingJ: Been there, done that, got the T-shirt as a working student. Getting my ammie card back in less than two weeks! It’s really hard to break even/make a decent living around here where board tends to be quite high (Boston - land is expensive). On top of that, I was never able to afford a horse that could do more than 3’ locally so I just don’t have the show record of 3’6 at A shows that would make people take me decently seriously. It’s really a mix of factors.
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For sure they do!
My commute is only 15 mintues now (last 6 years has been 40 minutes)
I usually eat dinner when I go in, so around 9:30-10pm maybe later depending on the night. I’m also a night owl so I stay up a bit late at night.
I have three horses and they all are stalled at night. Turned out at 6:30-7AM and in at 5:30 after work.
Definitely not lying! It just takes planning and a good routine, and like I said you have to really want it. I don’t watch TV, I never am in my house all summer. All my time is riding or in the garden and time with friends.
definitely not calling you a liar I think it’s helpful to be more detailed in saying how you manage it so others may be better informed. My commute is one hr each way, and that alone is a time killer.
