To think, people say horse riding is really expensive/posh, when actually a lot of other hobbies are just as or more expensive

[LardLizard]

Like dancing for example, I know people that spend far more on that

Does it matter, if that's what you want to spend your time/money on?

It depends if they mean just simply horse riding lessons or owning a horse.

I own horses and think it would be hard to find many hobbies as expensive as owning and keeping competition horses, that go out competing every weekend.

Dancing cam be expensive or it can be 3-4 pounds a week with a leotard from sainsburys. Can horse riding be done cheaply? It usually is monied people to be fair isn't it? (From what I saw of it!).

Warhammer is an expensive hobby.

I speak from experience.

Many other hobbies can be down at a low level cheaply. Dancing can be a weekly dance class and occasional competitions, which I did when a child. It was not at all expensive. Yes if you get seriously into dance competitions it gets expensive. However although my parents could afford a weekly dance class for me, horse riding lessons were not affordable.

And owning a horse is usually an expensive business.

The last time I went to the polo (I know) a very lovely woman was trying to persuade us how inclusive low goal polo is "because you only need three or four ponies altogether".

Meanwhile our junior football club does a fuckton of fundraising so we can keep subs around £2 a week including match kit and training tops.

Different worlds.

Knownim just talking about horse riding it not horse owning

I just find a lot of people are like very inverse snobbyabout it

What on earth is war hammer

I think you are living in a different world to me.

My hobby is smoking. Mumsnetters don't like that.

Dancing is usually a lot cheaper ime. Would have loved for dd to have done riding but no chance of affording it.

Weekly dance lesson can be had for a few pounds, leotard about a fiver. How are you going to get horse-riding that cheaply?

Living in a town, even the bus ticket to the nearest stables would have cost more than the entire dance class. Several dance schools within walking distance.

Warhammer IS expensive

Weekly riding lessons can or can't be as much as any other hobby. Owning your own horse is a different matter.

Horse owning costs me around 300-500 pounds a month roughly (can be a lot more depending on show season).
Horse riding lessons before horse owning for my daughter (a good few years back now) cost 38.00 group lesson per hour. It isn't the cheapest of hobbies, but yes, you can spend more depending on the level you compete at in any sport/hobby.
We are not snobby/rich/posh in the slightest, horse riding is a real mixed bag.

If you know people who spend more on dancing, that is probably because the people you know are quite well off. They can choose to spend more. The people who are not well off have fewer hobbies to choose from for their children.

How much is a group lesson, then? Say you'll wear clothes you already own and a borrowed hat.

One of my dds does a dancing class after school - not competitively but for fun & fitness. They are not put in for any competitions, no costumes, wigs etc. It costs £3 a week and everybody swaps & reuses dancing pumps that they've outgrown or dances in £2.50 indoors from Sainsbury's
Another dd plays Gaelic football - subs are £25 a year.
The youngest goes to a weekly speech & drama class in the local hall - cost £40 a term.
I'd hazard a guess that most things to do with a horse would cost more than that. But why do you care? I don't care what people think about what I spend my money on. Although I think it's slightly disingenuous to suggest that horse riding or keeping horses is an affordable hobby for most - same as anything to do with boats or snow.

Smoking can not really be classed as a hint surely !!!

Hobby

£38?

So I could send my child to football for nineteen weeks for the price of one riding lesson?

I think that shows it's an expensive hobby.

Go on, tell us, OP. How cheap are these riding lessons?

TheWit - not at all accusing people of being snobby/posh but presumably richer than average if they can afford 40 a week for lessons. Scouts/dancing/other activities can often be had for a fiver a week.

We looked into it for our kids and decided we couldn't justify cost.

Because presumably you didn't mean it is £38 per lesson per child per week? That's more than my weekly food budget per person.

Aren't ponies the reason why girls are so expensive?

I think it's very easy to move in circles with people of similar income and assume what is around you is the norm. Hence thinking 38quid per child per week is affordable!

Yes -our local was £38 per lesson per week - £52 for private. Now I pay £20 per hour for a private lesson per week for my DD on her own pony.

It is POSH though.

Jilly Cooper wrote novels about it.

Therefore it is posh.

Older girls can help out at the stables, to earn their lessons/ride time so actually almost frees