6 things we scrimp on so our horses can have the best we can afford

Let’s face it, life is all about compromise, and when you’re a horse owner you’ll probably end up saying goodbye to many parts of your “normal” life so you can afford your equestrian one. There are things we owners do for our horses’ benefit that we would not do for ourselves.

Owners will happily scrimp on luxuries (or even necessities!) so that their horses can have the best we can afford to give them…

1. Shoes

While your horse is treated to a set of shiny new footwear — which is made to specification — every five to six weeks or so, it’s likely that you’ll own a minimal collection of footwear. If you do have any spare funds for shoes it’ll go on riding boots, so chances are your “posh” shoes for those rare social occasions are the same pair of boots or heels you bought during the Black Friday sales back in 2015.

2. Food

Your horse’s diet has been carefully researched, planned and measured right down to the last grain. You regularly consult with a nutritionist to ensure he is dining on the finest ingredients for his level of work and build. He eats set meals a day at specific times and munches down on the best hay in the county. On the other hand, you’ve eaten the same ham and cheese sandwich for lunch every day for the past five years…

3. Workout gear

If you added up how much you’d spent on tack, bits and equipment over the past years, you might cry, but you don’t need a calculator to work out that the cost of your own very limited gym gear collection won’t come close to his…

4. Bedroom

Your own accommodation hasn’t had a revamp since you moved in and it’s definitely in need of a once-over with the hoover. Guests might even have you down as the untidy sort. On the contrary, your horse’s stable is a place cleaned and bedded with military precision. Dust-free bedding placed on top of ultra-clean rubber matting all neatly poo-picked and fluffed to perfection. If sleeping in your horse’s stable is good enough for Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, then it’s good enough for us!

5. Clothing

The extent of your horse’s wardrobe could possibly rival that of the Kardashians’, while your own is looking a little sparse (to say the least). He has rugs for all four seasons and all possible weather conditions. You can pick out the best matchy-matchy headcollar and bandage sets, but it’s obvious that your fashion sense – and budget – ends when it comes to picking out an outfit for yourself.

6. Education

You quite fancy learning the piano or perhaps joining a regular yoga class, but when you’ve got a horse to produce you need all the extra pounds you can save for those weekend training sessions with the best teachers in the business. When your horse went away to be backed you spent hours researching the best rider in the area and would pay top dollar for the best eduction you could afford. When you need to learn something non-horsey yourself, it’s time to scout the free resources on the internet to find your answers…

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