Back to a horseless existence...

Just thought I'd crawl in here and rant to some people who will understand what my whinging is all about. As another forum member said as a preface to their rant--I'm not looking for sympathy. :[ Just want to rant, maybe other people have been in a similar position before.

I just really thought I would be able to get back to riding after several years without it. I got to take a few lessons at my boyfriend's house this past spring and winter breaks. It was so great to be on a horse again, even if 45 minutes per week was agonisingly little, it was so much better than nothing.

My boyfriend and I were going to live with his parents in Illinois for the time being (I just graduated uni), but they decided to move. It wasn't great there, I didn't like living with his parents, but at least we would be able to take riding lessons. But that didn't end up happening. So we've had to move in with my mother in N.J. Meaning he now has a job that pays way less than his old one. I'm working on getting my driver's licence (way late, I know) and I only have a crappy part-time online job right now. So there is no way we could afford lessons right now. Even when I do get a proper job, and who knows how soon that will be, given that I can't yet drive, I'm way into debt with my student loans, and my mother wants us to move out when we can. So...with rent, other bills, and paying back my student loans, and my boyfriend going to college, I don't see myself getting to ride for years.

I shouldn't bitch, I know "that's life". It's not that I'm not willing to work hard to have a horse someday, I just don't see how it will ever be possible with a bazillion dollars in student loans to pay off on top of everything else. I just wish I was rich, or had rich parents. If that's shallow, oh well. At least I would be getting to do what I like instead of just dreaming about it and looking at other people riding on television and the internet. I get frustrated that other people have horses of their own and can ride all the time when the most I can even hope for is an hour a week. The responsibility part of owning a horse wouldn't be a problem for me, I'm very dedicated and serious when it comes to caring for animals.

I know I'm being pessimistic because I'm in a sour mood. I know that it will be possible when I get a real job, more possible than I'm acknowledging at the moment. I just don't know WHEN it will be possible, and that's depressing to me. I'm going to do what needs to be done, but it's hard to be motivated when it's like "If I get a job, I get to pour my paycheck into my student loans" rather than "If I get a job, I can pay for riding lessons."

Just...ugh. >_<

Have you looked into jobs that offer to pay back your tuition? They are out there. Depending on your field.

Get out there. Make some friends. Go to some local shows and maybe you'll make a friend that will take you riding...
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Thanks for the kind words. :3 I haven't given up, just feeling discouraged. I'm trying to see if I can maybe volunteer at a local stable in return for even a reduced price on lessons, or something...

What is your college degree in?

Networking is key in your situation. Get out there and just talk to people. Go from barn to barn to see if anything needs to be done. There are a lot of horse barns in NJ. I'm sure at least one of them needs an extra hand. If you want it bad enough you'll find a way, if not you'll just come up with a list of excuses why you can't do it.

Biology.

I understand. I'm trying right now, asking different places. I didn't want to give up, but I was afraid that everywhere would be too exclusive to want me around, seeing as I didn't grow up on a farm or anything. I would have to learn things, and I've had some bad experiences volunteering at this one place (not horse-related) where the person in charge was put off by the fact that I didn't catch on fast enough in the first few days. The person expected me to know "their way" of doing things almost as if I were psychic. Apparently I was "too slow", when in actuality, I didn't know the amount of time to spend on one task as opposed to another because no one told me. They basically just said "clean this". I've also had good experiences volunteering at other places, I just wasn't sure how open people would be to having me around because I don't know everything already. :[ But hey, I got through school...I think I can pick things up pretty quickly.

I feel your pain. I went over 2 years without riding when I enlisted. My horses are back home in NM and I can't afford one here on an E-4 pay. I was going batsh*t crazy.

But I found the rescue where they let me ride so thank god I get about 4 or more hours every weekend....

So mayve find a rescue near you that needs an exerciser or a stable or something.

Heck I even put an ad out that I would exersice and train for free and I got 2 hits so im riding those horses too.

I understand! For some reason I married a man who hates horses (he's finally getting over that). I had 2 of my own, sold one, the other colic'd when no one was around and diet :(. But, dad had his horses still, so got my horse fix with his, I still counted them as mine. He sold his last one about 10-12 yrs ago, so no horses!!! I work the First Aid at the Texas Ranch Round Up every year, enjoy sniffing the horse sh**, people look at me funny! Then one of the Doc's I work with and I started riding together, I was in hog heaven! Dad bought me a horse for my birthday last year, so I'm back in business. DH is even petting the horses when around them now! Lol

Sorry to hear that you guys have been in similar situations. >_<

I just need a bit more experience before I can start doing stuff like that, especially because of the long hiatus I've had away from doing "horse" things. D: But I've been in contact with a stable nearby and they said they train all their volunteers in horsemanship, handling horses, training horses, et cetera. And you get 20% off lessons. While it's not free, it does make me feel better that I can learn and get a discount on lessons at the same time. My mother always makes me feel terrible about volunteering, because she doesn't see it as a benefit to me, she sees it as "doing work for people for free". :S But I don't see any drawback to myself, personally.

Gah! Sorry he doesn't like horses...yet. :P My boyfriend took lessons with me and he loved it. I guess this is both a good thing and a bad thing, because it means twice the money to spend on lessons. >w<;; It would be cool if I could make friends with someone who would want me to ride one of their horses with them or something. That's how I got a few opportunities in the long years during uni. It just feels weird, because I don't just want to use someone or anything, and I wouldn't want it to seem that way from my saying that. It would be great to also make a friend who likes to ride. The only person I had like that moved away and no longer rides. :[