[JessicaGDA]

Not owning a horse is so rough. This thread may be kind of silly, but surely at some point another horse lover has thought and gone through the same things that I am.
I don't own a horse of my own because of the cost, as my parents can't afford it(I ride lesson horses and have been for a year)... but I love horses so much it's painful to not have my own, and it's literally all I think about and dream about.
Any advice on how to deal with those feelings and thoughts? It's hard to contain them, and it just gets worse and worse. And with not owning my own, my horse obsession(lol) grows and grows. It's crazy! I've never wanted anything SO badly!

 

[Dani9192]

I know how you feel! I used to feel the exact same way, after taking lessons for 3 years I eventually proved to my dad that we could afford it, and I would be able to handle the responsibility. You can always wait till you get a job, and can handle it on your own. That's what it would of come down to if I hadn't convinced him!!

 

[horsluvr198]

My family can afford it, but my parents say its too much of a commitment. What's worse, is the horse at my barn that i have been riding for 8 months and finally recognizes me, it now very close to being sold! talk about tough love.....

 

[ridingismylife2]

I feel exactly the same as you. I've been riding for 12 and a half years and have never owned or leased a horse. Just can't afford to. I would get a job, but I don't speak Finnish well enough (I live in Finland).
My biggest dream is to have my own horse.

 

[Jillyann]

I feel exactly the same as you. I've been riding for 12 and a half years and have never owned or leased a horse. Just can't afford to. I would get a job, but I don't speak Finnish well enough (I live in Finland).
My biggest dream is to have my own horse.

Are you originally from the states?!

 

[Jillyann]

I felt the same way!! I thought my dream of owning would never happen. But then i found a barn owner who was willing to work with me, and if i help out at the barn she gave me a huge discount on leasing. Maybe you could work something out like that at your lesson barn?

 

[greymaregirl]

i know how you feel!

I know exactly how you feel about not having your own horse. many years ago as a little girl my dad sat and explained to me that his priority was to feed the human mouths... our family budget did not stretch to an equine mouth! i worked with horses for a while then reality kicked in , i had my own chilldren and many times i sat and explained to them that our family budget did not stretch to their material desires! I worked very long hours for ten years as a long distance truck driver. i drove round the uk looking at the horses in the fields ... my dream never went away. in time i started my own small but succesful business... and last year at the age of 42 i bought my horse. Chester is a 16.2 irish sport horse. We had a rough start and it took at least 6 months for me to realise i was there. id got my horse and was lucky enough to find the right one first time.
i know for the young ones reading this seems a long time to wait. The things is i earned the money , i bought him and i pay for all his needs.He is my dream and i made my dream come true all by myself.. i have had to wait and i have had to work hard . My mum and dad would have bought me a horse if they were rich enough but they werent. The fact that i had to wait so long means the whole experience is so much richer for me.. and the moral of this story is NEVER SAY NEVER.

 

[ridingismylife2]

Are you originally from the states?!

No. I'm half Finnish and half English and lived in Germany for half of my life.

 

[Equus_girl]

I know how you feel - I dreamed of owning a horse for 8 years and now finally I'm getting one in the spring. Don't give up! Now that I'm 18 and have a steady job I'm able to afford one myself. Sometimes the wait can make actually getting the horse all the more amazing! I'd suggest trying to get a job if you are able to and show your parents that you are serious about helping to take responsibility for a horse. Learn everything you possibly can about them and I'm sure one day your dream will come true.

 

[Kashmere]

I don't have a horse either, and yeah it's painful!
But just keep thinking you can do it LATER.

My mom couldn't even afford me riding, so I only rode about a year, when I was 12 and then no more.
Now I'm 21, and I do commissions to help support my riding lessons every week.

I keep myself sane knowing EVENTUALLY I will get one

 

[Cheshire]

Most horse lovers have been in your shoes at some point or another. I was the exact same as you...family couldn't afford it, but I took lessons and hung out with horses when I could. Now I am almost 21 and I finally have my little red poneh. That is about two decades of waiting, lol.

Work hard, never stop learning...and never stop dreaming! At least you have the lesson horses. Believe me I KNOW it's not the same, but it's a start! You'll get your own horse one day.

 

[Annaland13]

I know how you feel. My parents are open to having a horse but there isn't enough money. I'll be 18 in six months so I'll be able to get a job and start looking around.

 

[Candace09]

Not owning a horse is so rough. This thread may be kind of silly, but surely at some point another horse lover has thought and gone through the same things that I am.
I don't own a horse of my own because of the cost, as my parents can't afford it(I ride lesson horses and have been for a year)... but I love horses so much it's painful to not have my own, and it's literally all I think about and dream about.
Any advice on how to deal with those feelings and thoughts? It's hard to contain them, and it just gets worse and worse. And with not owning my own, my horse obsession(lol) grows and grows. It's crazy! I've never wanted anything SO badly!

I was in ur shoes 4 years ago. i had ridden all my life and wanted a horse SOOOO bad. my parents thought that if i got a horse id be into the whole idea for a month and then theyd be stuck witha horse. So once i got a job i saved up money and always had a look out for a horse for sale. right now in the states you can find horses REAL cheap because of the economic state. I bought my boy for 1500 4 years ago when he was 5. He was green broke but i was looking for something i could finish off the way i wanted them to be. I got lucky enough to find a lady who had bought him for 12k thinking he would be calm and easy to ride beucase he is half warmblood. But she didnt take into account that this horse was also half Arab. she didnt like what she got her self into. the owners of teh barn where she kept him didn't like arabs and told her she wouldn't get anything for him so she sold him dirt cheap. when i went to pick him up she handed me thins envelope with all these register papers. on the way home i opened it up and low and behold he was registerd with American Warmblood Registry, Half Arabian Horse ***., USDF, USDE and one other (i frget).....Point is you can find a nice horse for a pretty good price! Chin up! itll happen when its the right time.

 

[JessicaGDA]

I know exactly how you feel about not having your own horse. many years ago as a little girl my dad sat and explained to me that his priority was to feed the human mouths... our family budget did not stretch to an equine mouth! i worked with horses for a while then reality kicked in , i had my own chilldren and many times i sat and explained to them that our family budget did not stretch to their material desires! I worked very long hours for ten years as a long distance truck driver. i drove round the uk looking at the horses in the fields ... my dream never went away. in time i started my own small but succesful business... and last year at the age of 42 i bought my horse. Chester is a 16.2 irish sport horse. We had a rough start and it took at least 6 months for me to realise i was there. id got my horse and was lucky enough to find the right one first time.
i know for the young ones reading this seems a long time to wait. The things is i earned the money , i bought him and i pay for all his needs.He is my dream and i made my dream come true all by myself.. i have had to wait and i have had to work hard . My mum and dad would have bought me a horse if they were rich enough but they werent. The fact that i had to wait so long means the whole experience is so much richer for me.. and the moral of this story is NEVER SAY NEVER.

Wow your story is incredible and so inspiring to me! I can't imagine what buying a horse after so long was like, or how you must have felt.

My parents aren't quite so supportive. Not to add to the story or anything
but when I go to college in a couple of years, I'm going to cosmetology school to be a hair dresser and makeup artist. This was the job that my mom had for years, and when she had that job- financially we could had afforded a horse, no problem at all.
I told my parents that when I get a steady and established career, then I'll own a small working farm... their response is always "That's not going to work, you're going to be much to busy to take care of horses"... Cosmetology has no different schedule than most jobs, about 7 hours a day 5 or 6 days a week, and I've thought up a schedule already and everything. So that brings me down a bit when they say that... or even when I tell them I am getting a job in about a month to own my own horse, they still say that it isn't going to work. So it's just frustrating to me. Maybe it just really isn't the right time for me to own a horse.

 

[ponyboy]

Before I lost my job, I could afford a horse or a car but not both lol. And the car would have to come first. Now of course I can't afford to ride at all, but I'm used to it. As much as you might think otherwise now, life doesn't end just because you can't be around horses. Happiness is a state of mind no matter what you have or don't have.

 

[reveriesgirly]

i work at a barn weekends & about 4 years ago i thought i was ready to own a horse ; now that ive been at this barn 6 years working there everyday in the summer and weekends in winter i realize 4 years ago i diddnt KNOW 1 thing about horses but riding ; now with 6 years of riding 4 years with horses im ready for a horse ; but my parents always say its too much money . or that there not driving me the 30 minutes it takes to get to the barn ; & i have "clicked" with a for sale rescue ; and i want her SOOOO bad i cry at night thinking about her not being there saturday morning for my lesson .

 

[Lovehorsesandrunning]

Honey i know EXACTLY what you mean. im 13 years old and ive wanted a horse since ive known what one was. i took lessons in 3rd 4th and 5th grade but now im not aloud because even that is too much. and trust me i want to ride so bad i want my own horse sooo bad i swear im going thru like a depression. it sucks. im saving up 4000(yes four THOUSAND) my mom says i need to pay that much to get a horse( which is a year of board) then i have to pay the next year. god i want a horse so bad. i babysit and i sent in a modeling forum. i hope im excepted cuz i NEED it

 

[JessicaGDA]

i work at a barn weekends & about 4 years ago i thought i was ready to own a horse ; now that ive been at this barn 6 years working there everyday in the summer and weekends in winter i realize 4 years ago i diddnt KNOW 1 thing about horses but riding ; now with 6 years of riding 4 years with horses im ready for a horse ; but my parents always say its too much money . or that there not driving me the 30 minutes it takes to get to the barn ; & i have "clicked" with a for sale rescue ; and i want her SOOOO bad i cry at night thinking about her not being there saturday morning for my lesson .

I know exactly what you mean. I'm sorry about the horse you're talking about. It's so hard to be so close to a horse and not be able to own it, or seeing it go.
I know a horse at the barn I ride at, and I've bonded with her a lot, but she isn't for sale. It's killed me inside ever since I met her... she's just helped me a lot and I can't get her.

 

[Lovehorsesandrunning]

okay sorry im like rearted( not litterly) but how do i start a thread?

 

[JessicaGDA]

Honey i know EXACTLY what you mean. im 13 years old and ive wanted a horse since ive known what one was. i took lessons in 3rd 4th and 5th grade but now im not aloud because even that is too much. and trust me i want to ride so bad i want my own horse sooo bad i swear im going thru like a depression. it sucks. im saving up 4000(yes four THOUSAND) my mom says i need to pay that much to get a horse( which is a year of board) then i have to pay the next year. god i want a horse so bad. i babysit and i sent in a modeling forum. i hope im excepted cuz i NEED it

I do hope that you get your horse. It sounds like you have a good plan for saving the money. But I know where you're coming from completely.

I, too, am trying to save my own money. I'm turning 15 in a little less than 2 months. So I can get a job and everything...

I wish you luck in your quest for your horse!