Possibly it’s due to work and/or time constraints, maybe you’ve just had a child, possibly you’re broke — regardless of the cause, horse ownership just isn’t within your grasp right now. You realize it’s the smart thing, however it’s so tough to live with! Here’s why…
1. You can’t go to shows
Well, you’ll be able to, both as a spectator (and really feel jealous of everybody who’s there competing), or you need to beg, borrow or steal a horse to ride, either from a pal or your local riding school. (On balance, probably never a good suggestion to steal a horse, from anybody. Scrub that bit!) After which you must do the same as regards to a horsebox or trailer to get there. Such a palaver!
2. Practice makes perfect
By that, sadly, ‘they’ don’t mean a riding lesson once per week. Your horse-owning mates have an enormous advantage in that they will spend hours within the arena mastering shoulder-in, or riding the dressage test in preparation for the weekend, whereas you’re stuck trotting round your front room, making an attempt to learn it. And now your house-mate thinks you’re nuts, too.
3. So many missed riding opportunities
You get up on a beautiful, crisp autumn morning, with the mists rising off the fields, and also you yearn to go out on a hack — however you possibly can’t, since you haven’t acquired a horse. Console your self with the fact that most of your horsey mates will have to work, so will probably be just as sulky as you all day anyway.
4. It’s harder to make horsey pals
Horsey people are fairly friendly and inclusive — however there’s no denying that, like parenthood and the shared experience of mums on the school gate, horse ownership offers a unifying bond. There’s nothing horse folks like better than chatting about their horses — however even the most devoted will eventually discover that her monologue about Snowy and his laminitis has gone uninterrupted, twig that you just don’t have a horse of your own, and really feel a bit awkward!
5. You need a string of rosettes to hang from your wall
OK, so you understand that this is one thing 12-year old Pony Membership girls do (well, actually it isn’t, it’s simply they’re the one ones who admit to it) however having missed out on this experience your self, you’re damn well determined to put it in the future, even if it doesn’t occur till you’re forty. Or 50. Or 60!
6. You get all of the horse mags and browse them religiously
You understand more about hoof care, navicular illness and proper pasture management than ninety% of horse owners. If only you had an actual horse to apply all of it on!
7. You need all of the gear, however common sense intervenes
Well, it tries to, saying things like “is it really value investing in a pair of Ariat Bromonts that you simply’re only going to put on once per week?” Tell common sense to bog off and purchase the boots anyway. You want cheering up!
8. You’re obsessive about horse adverts
You’re feeling like buying all of the horses on the market in H&H personally, and you spend hours on the various horse-selling web sites, favouriting those you want the most. The excellent news is, with a fantasy choice, at the very least you’ll be able to totally live the dream. No point going for an inexpensive, household-pleasant cob when you’ll be able to ‘dream-purchase’ a flashy 17.2hh warmblood with grand prix potential, is there? You may guarantee you’ll never fall off him either! It’s not all bad…
Finally, you can vacate one of your closets and keep hobby horses in there. You don’t have to go out into the cold to feed and water them, poo pick, or worry about poisonous plants that need digging out. You can keep them cosy with straw (this might get messy) have a grooming kit to keep their manes and tails shiny and, you can shut the door so visitors don’t see and decide you’re certifiable!
