horse riding

I wanted to just say a few words about my greatest passion - horse riding. Many people think of horse owners as toffy nosed, upper class, snobs. On the contrary the majority of us are everyday hard working people (have to work to pay for the horse) who are mad about horses and have saved and waited a long time to have their dream of owning a horse come true.
I personally have waited my whole life to own Smokey my 14h Welsh Section D. I thought I would let everyone out there considering buying a horse for the first time to think long and hard. Its a bigger commitment than kids in some ways, at least you get financial help with them and its easier to find a babysitter than a horse sitter. You need to think what your going to do with it, hacking, jumping, cross country and will you want to compete? At first I was just content going for a steady plod around the country lanes but as my confidence grew so did my ambitions and my need for speed and thrills on horseback. Choose your horse wisely and always have it vetted to make sure its sound and will do what your ambitions aspire to.

Now this is where you have to start digging deep into those pockets, the vetting process starts at around £80 to check the horse's heart, lungs any deformities and that's it's sound. The vet will either pass it or not. That's before you pay for the horse which can costs thousands depending on what you want to do with it OK it passes the vet process and you fork out your hard earned cash for your dream horse. If you haven’t got your own land and stables then it will be kept at a livery yard. The cost for this depends on what type of livery you want and can afford. Full livery means the yard do everything from feeding to mucking out and cant cost from £40 per week. Part livery the yard do muck out which starts at around £30 and D.I.Y livery which is the cheapest but you have to do everything yourself and pay for food on top of that. This can start at about £15 per week and is the one I use. (only cause i cant afford the others).
Your tack, saddle, bridal etc can be bought new or second hand, new expect to pay around £500 or second hand about £150 +. It doesn't end there , you will need various rugs, brushes for grooming, hay nets and numnas. Next you need insurance to cover vets fees, public liability, loss of animal and accident, around £15 a month. You will also need your horse vaccinated against flu and tetanus another £30 a time, in the first year you need this done 3 times then yearly after that. Worming is next, this costs around £12 and is done every 6 to 8 weeks.
The farrier costs on average £40 for a set of shoes and they need replaced every 6 to 8 weeks.
Well that's the basics but the list can go on and on, to include entry fees if you compete and petrol and transport to and fro. It is an expensive hobby but its worth every penny for the joy of owning your own horse and the pleasure you get out ways the cost.
So think long and hard before you commit, it costs a lot of money and time to have your dream come true. I should know I had to take a part time job just to pay for the horse but I wouldn't be without him.