Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
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. 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! 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. 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. 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 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)
I just finished tabulating my monthly expense tracking... 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!!!! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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