While we all need to replace kit from time to time, some of us have been known to take it too far. Here are some warning signs to watch out for….
1. Your ‘justification’ process gets increasingly more bizarre: “Gosh, that glittery browband is a bargain. But it won’t fit my horse. But one day I might have a horse it will fit, then I’d really kick myself for not buying it.” You buy it, despite knowing for a fact that it will end up in a box under your bed for the next five years until you give it away to a friend.
2. You own so many variations of the same item that friends of friends now send you messages along the lines of “So and so said you might have a (very specific type of girth) in (specific size and colour) I could try.” You can always, always help.
3. You occasionally have a big clearout and put lots of stuff on eBay. It gives you a lovely, Marie-Kondo feeling until you realise you have no stuff and immediately start shopping again.
4. When she catches you online shopping in your lunch break, your friend says: “You’re not buying another pair of navy breeches, are you? You must have a dozen!” You retort that these are marine blue, not navy, and the red trim makes them completely different to your other 12 pairs.
5. You’ve created a spreadsheet with the details of all your favourite brands, including RRPs, usual sales discounts, how many days normally elapse before they apply extra discounts, how many days the sale runs for on average and when their new post-sale stock comes in. You’re on first name terms with many of the online sales teams.
6. You’re also on first name terms with your postman, DHL delivery driver and local Yodel courier.
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7. You schedule your family holidays around major equestrian events, or at least those with major shopping villages.
8. Once, when staying at a friend’s house, you walked a mile in the rain to get enough phone signal to check the progress of an eBay bid.
9. You’ve become an expert at casually passing off new purchases — “Oh, this old thing? I’ve had it for years/borrowed it/bought it at a charity shop/found it in the boot of my car.” You suspect your husband is onto you.
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Sara is an experienced copywriter and journalist, who has owned horses all her life. As a journalist, she’s written about everything from following in the footsteps of William the Conqueror in Normandy to interviewing top chefs, while when it comes to equines she says: “if it’s got four legs and a mane and tail, and, er, isn’t a lion, I’ll write about it.” Sara is also a fluent French speaker and also enjoys writing on countryside and rural topics.
