Buy now or later?

[JoeyJoJo]

I am finishing my college course in about 4 weeks and going into full time work. To buy my own horse I have two options:

1) Save up all my wages for a few months and wait until my birthday in August and ask my Dad to buy me a horse, then using my savings to buy tack, rugs, feeding and stable tools etc.

OR

2) Wait 2 years until I get my inheritance money and buy a horse and equipment then.

I dont know what to do as I really would like my own horse at the moment, but then I dont know if its better to wait a few years so I can build up my confidence on the mare I ride now, and also I'll have money to fall back on if anything goes wrong and I need a vet.

The problem with that is that the girl who looks after the mare I ride is really spoilt and stupid. Sometimes if she knows Im coming up to ride she'll dissapear out on a 2hr hack so I can't ride her, then other days she's saying will I ride her as she doesnt want to and she acts like she hates riding her. Dont ask me - shes weird!!

I get on well with the mares owner though so I might ask him if I can start borrowing her for lessons when I have some money.

Can anyone suggest what I should do and try and give me a rough estimate in £ on how much it would be to keep a horse a month and how much the starting costs will be.

I have a rough idea, but I just wanna see what the average is.

Thanks

[bartera]

I would wait - I know it can be frustrating when you have to deal with an infantile brat, but talk to the horse's owner, if they know how the other rider is using their horse against you, they may consider pulling her riding rights....unfortunately, I do not know the exchange rate from US dollars, so I can't give you dollar amounts, but I assure you, it is EXPENSIVE to buy a horse that is worth anything, plus all of the tack, initial vet exam/yearly immunizations, bi-monthly farrier bills, etc, etc, etc, and all of that is on top of any emergency vet things that come up...I am sure you are attached to the mare that you are currently riding, but another option may be riding someone else's horse (you may also be able to do a lease-or 1/2 lease-with option to buy - that way you don't incurr all the vet bills/farrier bills righ now). Let me know if there is any other information I can give you to help you out!! you can email me directly at mckeej@urbanretail.com

[Allie]

I would probably also advice you to wait (although as Isay that I'm thinking no way would I have the patience to wait two years). It's easy for those of us who already have horses to say you should wait. If you have enough money that you have a backup for emergencies, I would say go for it. I would wait atleast until you are established in your job though, to ensure you will have a steady income to support the horse.

Also, good horses do not have to be expensive. It really depends on what you want to do, and how long you are willing to look to find the perfect horse that is also within your budget. I have two mares, and neither were too expensive. Calypso I bought as a green 5 year old for trail riding, for $800 (about 400 pounds). Champagne I bought as a super-green 4 year old, for trails and hopefully for barrel racing eventually. I paid only $400 for her (about 200 pounds), and she could definitely be resold for a lot more than that. The seller was more intersted in giving her a good home than in making a profit. He couldn't ride anymore because he had cancer, and so he would not otherwise have even been selling the horse. If you have lots of experieince, or a knowledgeable trainer willing to help, a 4 or 5 year old can be a good way to get a fairly inexpensive horse, but yet know the conformation and attitude that it has.

Allie