Horses Are Expensive: Season 2

Way back in 2012 I made a New Year's resolution to keep better track of how much I was spending on my horses. It wasn't that I was being cavalier with my money, but I had discovered that dressage was far more expensive than competing in the endurance world.

In order to show and take lessons, I needed to revise my personal budget to allow for the increase in equine expenses. To keep myself truly accountable, I launched the Horses Are Expensive series of posts. Each month I tracked my equine expenses to the penny, and then I publicly shared it.

The final post in Season One.

While it was tedious and time consuming to accurately track each expenditure, it was so worth it. I learned a lot about need versus want during that year, and as a consequence, I was able to develop better financial discipline.

​I felt the effects in the rest of my life as well. I found that I was more patient while waiting for the non-material things that I wanted, like getting a good canter departure, earning an award, or qualifying for a championship. That resolve probably helped me last year as I waited for Izzy's leg to heal.

I am finding that today, in 2016, I might have learned the lesson too well. Sometimes I show too much restraint. That's why I allowed myself to buy a new car. I've been trying to teach myself that it's okay to indulge a little here and there. After all, I don't want to be a miser, unhappily sitting on a pile of gold. 

​With that, I've decided to revise the Horses Are Expensive series and am hard at work on Season 2. Like before, I'll share every expense related to the maintenance and upkeep of my two horses, including the bills I accumulate for showing and training.

Look for Episode 1 at the beginning of February.