What do you sacrifice to ride/keep horses

[Becominghorsey]

We see so many threads on here about what people sacrifice in order to send their children to private school (or similar). But where are all the horse-sacrifice threads

So tell me, what do you sacrifice to ride/let your children ride/keep horses? For me, our cleaner has moved to a new role so instead of finding someone new we are doing our own cleaning and I’m notionally allocating the cost saved to our riding budget! Sadly only covers a half hour lesson weekly but it’s something!

I downgraded my car (significantly!)

I holiday in the UK now as abroad is too costly. In fact the UK ones have also been slimmed down.

I no longer buy clothes delicately wrapped in tissue paper.

I eat in my own house a lot more.

My hair’s a mess, and my nails and eyelashes are both short and stubby and all my own

Lockdown is helping with most of these sacrifices.

Brilliant thread .. I get up at 4.30am every day to feed muck out and turnout them and happy for that xx spent over a year sleeping on the sofa as husband got cross that I got up early and disturbed him in the hope I would change .. just bought a better duvet and cracked on. Daughter now addicted too .. haven't bought new clothes in forever 🙃

4.30 am every day is that really necessary?? I'm excited to discover a yard near us (built up city so it was a surprise, however it's DIY only. I don't think I can cope with those early mornings

It’s 6am for me with 2, depends on your set up, I have done 4am when I had something to do at work and done that then full day. Similarly to another poster my career is set up around horses and as soon as I qualified I got one, thereby significantly reducing time able to spend at work and promotion opportunities. I would be much better paid if I could commit to more at work and have completely changed role in my field to accommodate not just horses but other animals and family commitments. So I think it is fair to say the opportunity to earn more whilst acquiring a very significant cost. I have 2 on DIY which is £5k ish a year and as yards here are disappearing I am just buying land with money earmarked for an extension we really need. In winter I am often really knackered and reach semi breaking point this time every year. Little peaceful alone time as pony and horses takes all family time away I can get generally. I absolutely love my two though and would not be without them

Mainly time, sanity, smelling nice, holidays, keeping to plan to pay off mortgage quicker.

We have 2 on Mon-Fri livery (but down 6 days a week). No overseas holidays, don't spend on clothes, I work weekends (inbetween mucking out, bringing out, DD riding etc.). I dream of a day off. I can't remember last having a whole day to myself.

I am lucky in that DH is enormously understanding. He knows that he will never be told exactly how much is spent on them (he guessed once, I laughed a lot). He accepts that when I say money is tight this month and no spending, this excludes buying the horse a new rug because she doesn't like the cold. He is fine with using our savings to buy DD a new horse after outgrowing the pony, and then keeping the pony because the little sod is family now.

But what we get is so much more. They're so important for DD mental health. I am sure I am healthier (and a strong believer in the therapeutic benefits of sweeping a yard). DH has a quiet house on weekends to watch rugby.

I am aware that I spent more on them than my mortgage though which occasionally makes me feel sick. I could probably live in a mansion :)

Oh and being interesting to non-horsey people.

I now only know how to talk horses :)

We haven’t had a holiday in years and I rarely spend anything on me or the house. It was ok pre-DD, but now we have nursery fees DH is rather fed up of it, as we really are scratching around to pay our bills every month. DHorse costs £5-600 a month excluding vet fees.
But DD will get 30hrs childcare in less than 2 years and then she’ll be at school so our circumstances will improve!
DHorse is semi retired though and 23, when she is no longer with us I will probably have a break for a few years to allow us some financial recovery. Then I expect DD will have the pony and I’ll do all the graft for no riding

Right now, essentially DHorse takes all our disposable income. Which was ok when I was single but is a bit of an issue now I’m marrried, have gone part time and have DD. Worth every £ though

I would love to own a horse, I never have and probably never will. I used to go riding as a child when my mum stopped me from going because of Christopher Reeve's (Spiderman) accident. Such beautiful creatures that I have to admire from afar I sacrifice my desire to own.😭

Superman. Spiders and horses don't get on...

I had one, then two horses on full livery for a large chunk of my 30s. I then started having babies and the horses were loaned out and eventually one sold and one died naturally, he was an old timer.

To my ridiculous idiotic shock I only realised lately that having horses felt like ‘my necessity’ and I justified not buying a house because I needed the money for the horses.

I look back on it as the most idiotic thing I did in my 30s, and I adored those horses and my horsey life. But it was a stupid thing to do.

Private schooling. We have horses at home so it was either increase mortgage by £600 per month plus pay for all the ground maintained per month or send kids private. We went for land and kids go to good local schools. We have 3 horses at home which the kids benefit from so...