Can you afford a horse?

  Can you afford a horse of your own?

How much do you want your own horse?

Having your horse is always going to be an expensive hobby, and you need to be realistic about what the costs are likely to be and if you can really afford a horse.  Buying your horse is just the start.  Depending on the type of horse you decide on, it can cost anything from £1000 upwards.  Unfortunately horses for beginners need to be calm and bomb proof on the road if you want to ride out - and this makes them all the more expensive.  Buying a cheap horse to begin with can be an expensive mistake, as there is usually a reason why a horse is on the market at a low asking price, and any problems can be either costly to sort out or unsolvable.  However, that said, many people do manage to keep a horse on a budget.

Just how much do you want to own your own horse?  It could well mean making sacrifices of many sorts, and one of these will be where your money goes every month.  Look at your budget now and work out how much you need for essentials and how much is left over.  Just what do you spend your 'left over' money on - clothes, cinema, cigarettes, magazines, meals out?  All these and other things may have to go to fund the horse - only you know if it's worth it.  So ask yourself again, how much do you really want your own horse, and how many sacrifices are you prepared to make?  Owning and caring for a horse is more a way of a way of life than a hobby, and anyway, once you have your horse, you won't have time to go shopping, and you might be too tired to go out in the evening if you have to get up early every day to muck out!  

Be realistic about what it means to have a horse.  Make no mistake, it will change your life!  It will be expensive, and if the worst were to happen, could you lead a horse to slaughter?  In todays harsh financial climate, realistically, this is what happens to many horses that have become too much of a drain on family budgets.

If that hasn't put you off, it is possible to survive on a budget and make savings, some big, some small.  15 Top Tips for horses on a budget.

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