Horses Are Expensive II: February 2016

3/1/2016

My dad likes to tease me about our "toys" by saying that if you want to play, you have to pay. I guess it's true. My husband has a pretty fancy truck - definitely not an off the shelf variety. I have a new car (the last one was eleven years old), a nearly 16 year old truck, and the horse trailer. We also have two quads and a cabin. When I moan and groan about the upkeep on everything, Dad reminds me that everything comes with a price tag.

This month, I had to shell out a prickly $265 to replace the RV batteries in my trailer. It wasn't a surprise, but I had been procrastinating the purchase until it was absolutely necessary. When I showed last October, I just ran the generator instead of drawing on my defunct batteries. It's not as easy and convenient as it sounds.

Since my bff was going to Horse Expo with me and we were camping in the living quarters, I simply had to replace the batteries. It wouldn't have been fair to ask her to read by flashlight. In the end, we ended up with the best parking spot ever and never even needed to use my portable electricity. Oh well. I am now ready for the show season.

Darn "Toys"

Aside from the RV batteries, my other big expenses were four lessons with Chemaine, shopping at Horse Expo (I still don't know what I bought), and two chiropractic adjustments. That kind of stuff adds up. I spent $790 on those three things alone. Add in the batteries, and I spent a whopping $1056 on non-essentials. In fact, basic horse care was the cheapest part of horse ownership last month. I didn't even have a farrier visit in February.

I am not into just basic horse care though. I want to show, ride in clinics, and take lessons. And when you have "sport horses," they require care that is more than just adequate. Like my dad says, if you want to play, you're going to have to pay.

How did you do in February - did you break the bank or get by unscathed?

jenj

3/1/2016 06:44:32 am

I'm going to take the head-in-the-sand approach and not add things up. I know I spent $900 on a load of hay, and I signed up for a show, but the rest? Lalalalalalaaaaa!

Bakersfield Dressage link

3/1/2016 07:16:41 am

HAHAHAHA - you're too funny! :0)

Hillary link

3/1/2016 07:02:46 am

I broke the bank this month between shopping, rated show, lessons, and what not... I can't believe your board on 2 horses is so cheap. You pay less than I do for one in Nashville.

3/1/2016 07:20:07 am

Board in Bakersfield is definitely "cheap," but the median income here is quite low ($54,000). My husband and I are blessed to have good jobs (that's what college gets you) which makes living here REALLY affordable.

My monthly expenses are about to go through the roof though as show season has begun and I do my annual vet visit in March/April. In march, I'll spend $500 - $600 on our first show. Yikes!

Austen link

3/1/2016 09:35:32 am

Ugh. February I paid for my horse's lameness eval and injections. My poor bank account. It's bleeding out.

3/2/2016 10:39:37 am

Vet visits are the one thing that we just can't plan and budget for. I know I have my regular visit coming up, and while it will be around $750, I at least can plan for that one.

Olivia link

3/1/2016 02:10:30 pm

I'm not even going to add it all up as I'd probably cry. Buying a horse, sending it to full training, lessons, board, gas for driving to another state to buy a horse, all of it would be depressing to add up. Plus, my board for 1 horse is yours for 2. Not fair.

3/2/2016 10:40:43 am

I don't think buying a horse counts unless you do it every month. :0)

3/2/2016 03:16:24 pm

My checkbook certainly thinks it counts.

Besides, if I used that excuse then all the tack I buy wouldn't count either. Actually, I like this plan...

3/2/2016 05:35:43 pm

LOL! Of course buying a horse counts, but I would count it as an outlier which means it's not a NORMAL expense. It's like going on vacation or buying a car, but you have to keep paying for it. :0)

SarahO link

3/1/2016 04:25:10 pm

I just finished tabulating my monthly expense tracking...

It was a pricey month for me for horse events, as I signed up and paid for the first dressage show of the year and an organized weekend trail ride through a provincial park that will happen this summer. I also spent $200 on a total of three lessons, but I consider that money well spent.

I spent too much on horse "stuff" in February as I needed a new helmet, and then I bought a show shirt and book online and got killed with the exchange rate. At least this was the first "stuff" I bought since last August so I'm doing alright in that department overall.

I hauled three times this month and I should really separate out the gas required for horse trips. Instead I just lump it in with my general fuel costs so I can remain oblivious :-)
I had budgeted a few hundred dollars this month for sorting out some wiring issues in my trailer, but the place I took it to fixed everything and charged me barely anything so that was a bonus.

3/2/2016 10:43:04 am

I am always looking for ways to lower my costs! If I get any little extra cash, I "apply" it to a show or whatever, but for book-keeping purposes this year, I'm using those little savings somewhere else which of course all comes out in the wash. But woot woot for a bill that came out less than you thought!!!!

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage