2013 Horse Goals for a soon to be newbie.

Just an update. It looks like I'm going to have to move back my goal for June 30th, to July 30th. This is the one goal that is dictated entirely by a large amount of money and unfortunately I am not getting as many hours at work as I had anticipated. My other goals will not be affected by this though, or at least I am going to try very hard to keep it that way. I still intend to finish the barn as soon as possible, but June 30th is no longer realistic, or a least at the moment. That may change, however, and if it does, I will definitely let you know!

Also, I wanted to post these:
Curly Horse | Bashkir Curly Horses | North American Curly Horses | Hypoallergenic Curly Horse
Home - American Bashkir Curly Horse Registry
For anyone who might be interested in learning more about the Curly horse. Both are very informative site.

Although this isn't really horse related it does somewhat affect my goals because it is money related. I just got back from the vet with my cat, Professor McGonagall, who showed up on our from porch on Christmas Eve. The point of the visit was to have her examined and then make an appointment to have her spayed. Unfortunately, that appointment is going to have to wait a few months because someone happens to be pregnant. The vet said it looks like she will only be having two to four kittens, probably within the next two to three weeks. Once she's finished weening them I can get her spayed which, from the estimate, will be quite expensive. The surgery is $150 and with the cost of all her vaccinations and such, her overall bill will be around $300 :/ I'm going to look into taking her other places to have the procedure done, but I do plan to get her vaccinations done at this office. Oh well. It's either have her spayed or deal with litters of kittens every year.

Well, I've decided on a stable to start lessons at. I will be able to learn English as well as Western along with general horse care. I am hoping to start sometime within the next month, I just want to build up my savings a little more before I commit too lessons.

I gotta say, it seems like you've really thought this out. Congrats.
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Thank you Phly. A lot of thought has definitely gone into this, and a lot of planning as well. I'm trying hard not to get discouraged and to keep my eyes on my goals. It's hard, but I am totally convinced that it's worth it.

Well, I may soon be making a job change. Last year, my cousin went to Montana to work at a lodge just outside Yellowstone National Park. She went late in the season (she started in June and the season begins in May and runs to September) but she thoroughly enjoyed working there and is going again this year. I would be doing laundry for the lodge and she said it's normally 40 hours a week sometimes with overtime. They provide boarding, which is taken out of your paycheck. The main reason I am considering this is because the amount of time I'm putting in at the hospital is barely enough for me to cover all my expenses. I still live with my parents so I don't have to pay rent, but I do have to pay a cell phone bill, car insurance and pay for gas. I have very little left at the end of all this to put toward savings. At first I thought I was going to be making more, and I was to begin with, but I'm getting less and less hours and I need to find either a second job or just a different one entirely.

If I do get a job out there, and if I apply it's pretty much a guaranteed thing, I would be making a great amount more and be able to come back with enough to get the barn finished and buy all my supplies at once. Of course this also means I wouldn't be able to get that done until September because I wouldn't even be here in June or July, but I'm willing to do this.

I'm just not sure about it because it means having to leave my family and everyone behind for a whole summer, which I've never done before. I would have my cousin with me but I know myself well enough to know I would struggle with homesickness a great deal. I'm still deciding so I will let everyone know what I decide when I do. This all depends on wheather or not I can find a good job here.

Well, I have decided to stay where I am at. Tomorrow I plan to call the place that I want to start taking lessons at to see if the owner is going to start them soon. I've been working on building up my savings and I'm getting better at not spending money unless I need to but I still need more discipline. I'm still looking for a Curly farm to visit, or looking into finding someone around me who owns one to see if my dad and I are allergic. I'll let you know how that goes.
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Also, whether or not I can start lessons right now, I do plan to make an appointment to visit the farm I will be taking lessons at to see the place and meet the trainer. Any suggestions on what to look for or what to ask about?
Excuse my ignorance, but I've never done this before :/

Ask things like, how long are the lessons, how much they cost, what kind of horses do they board, who else rides during lessons.
Hope it helps, because I've only been riding for a few years now! Good luck by the way!

Oh and look at the conditions of the barn and horses. Are they skinny, overweight or just right? How do the horses act? Check out how big the place is. The barn I ride at has around 4-7 acres I think. But no indoor arena. What kind of barn is it? Do they show? If so, then what?
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