You need to de-influence yourself from horses!! Here, I'll give it a go xD
I love my boys more than anything, but having owned horses for a long time, I can honestly say that they are not always fun. Social media makes horse ownership look like endless sunny hacks, matching saddle pads, quiet evenings at the yard and magical moments with your “heart horse.” And yes, sometimes it is like that. Sometimes you have a brilliant ride, they come galloping over when you call them, or you stand in the field thinking you would not trade them for anything.
Horses are expensive, but I think people forget that “expensive” does not just mean paying for livery and buying a new rug occasionally. It is feed, bedding, farrier visits, vaccinations, teeth, insurance, worm counts, supplements, tack, transport, lessons and entry fees (if you want to compete). It is replacing the rug they destroyed after wearing it twice. It is discovering that the saddle you spent hundreds or thousands on no longer fits. It's an unexpected vet bill arriving when you have only just recovered from the last one.
Even when everything is going well, the money disappears constantly. When things go wrong, it can become frighteningly expensive overnight. A small cut can turn into an emergency call-out. A slightly swollen leg can mean scans, medication, box rest and weeks of rehabilitation. Colic can mean standing in a stable at two in the morning, walking your horse around while waiting for the vet and trying not to imagine the worst.
You probably will not be able to afford all the little things you currently enjoy without thinking about them. That Friday-night takeaway becomes another bag of feed. The clothes you wanted become a farrier appointment. A spontaneous weekend away becomes impossible because somebody needs to look after the horse, and reliable care is not always easy or cheap to arrange. You start measuring every purchase against what the horse might need next.
It is also incredibly time-consuming. Horses do not care whether you are tired, ill, busy, upset or having a terrible day. They don't care if it's christmas or your Birthday. They still need feeding. Their stable still needs mucking out. Their water still needs filling. They still need checking when it is freezing, pouring with rain or dark before you have even finished work or college.
You will miss out on things. You may turn down evenings out because you need to be at the yard. You may leave events early because the horses need bringing in. You may spend your weekends getting soaked, covered in mud and trying to repair fencing instead of relaxing. You may struggle to go on holiday because arranging care feels more stressful than staying at home.
Even riding is not guaranteed. You can spend all week looking forward to your day off, only for your horse to come in missing a shoe, feeling uneven or covered in cuts. You can pay for a competition and spend hours preparing, only for them to go lame the night before. You can lose months to injuries, bad weather, unsuitable ground or rehabilitation plans. Sometimes you own a horse but barely get to do any of the things you imagined doing with them.
Then there is the emotional side of it. Horses are absolutely heartbreaking. You can do everything correctly and still lose. You can spend years building a horse up, carefully managing them and planning a future together, only for one injury to change everything. They cannot tell you exactly where it hurts or how badly they feel, so you are constantly watching, worrying and questioning yourself.
Was that step normal? Are they eating less? Is that leg warmer than yesterday? Are they uncomfortable, or am I imagining it? Should I call the vet now, or monitor them? Am I doing enough? Am I doing too much??
People often talk about the joy of owning horses, but not enough people talk about the guilt. You feel guilty when you do not ride them. You feel guilty when you ride them and wonder whether they are enjoying it. You feel guilty when you cannot afford the very best of everything. You feel guilty when work, education, money or your own health means they do not get as much attention as you wanted to give them. You can spend years putting them first and still feel as though you are failing them.
And sometimes, despite all the money, time and love you give them, they will still injure themselves in the most ridiculous way imaginable. ( I just had one roll into a fence in a 40acre field, tie up and proceed to colic!! ) They will destroy expensive things, refuse to cooperate, lose shoes immediately after the farrier has been, roll in mud after you have spent hours cleaning them and suddenly develop a fear of an object they have walked past every day for five years. You have to love them enough to find that funny else you'll burst into tears. They can be hard to love sometimes.
Horse ownership can also affect your relationships, career and future plans. You can't always move somewhere new without considering livery prices and availability. You cannot casually change jobs if it means losing the income that supports them. You cannot always stay overnight with friends or partners because you have animals relying on you. Every decision has another living creature attached to it.
We love our animals to bits, but I think that makes it easy to forget the reality. It is not just “expensive.” It is choosing them over yourself again and again. It is reorganising your days, your finances and sometimes your whole future around them. It is sacrificing sleep, comfort, holidays, social plans and financial security. It's loving an animal that seems determined to kill itself!!
Of course, there are wonderful moments. There is nothing quite like seeing their face over the stable door or feeling everything finally come together after months of work. They give us memories and relationships that are difficult to explain to anyone who has never loved one. But those moments don't the reality of ownership.
Spend time caring for one properly, not just helping around a riding school. Help someone through winter, not just summer. Muck out in freezing temperatures. Experience the early mornings, late nights, vet visits, injuries and weeks when riding is not possible.
Do not buy one because the online version of horse ownership looks beautiful - or even the one people at your barn give you! Do not assume love and enthusiasm will make the difficult parts disappear. You need time, money, knowledge, support and the strength to cope when things do not go to plan.
I would not be without my boys, and I love them more than I can explain - but they're not fun, and owning them is when it stops beinf 'fun' and starts becoming a responsibility.
I'm so anti-horse ownership. I'm in too deep now. Save yourself and enjoy the lessons you DO get, and the time you get with the horses!!
Moderate Temperatures and Overcast
