My oh-so-wonderful husband has agreed to experiment with a monthly blog post for House on a Hill! Last month we played ’10 Questions’, but today let’s look at a trickier subject…
A lot of people think that equestrianism is a hobby exclusive to the wealthy. Based on your experience sharing finances with an equestrian, how would you respond to this stereotype- is it justified? Why or why not?
First jump in the Champagne / Caviar combination?
No, this is not a realistic stereotype. I remember when Britt and I first started dating her typical meal was simply Rice-a-Roni because most of the money she earned working 2 and sometimes 3 jobs went toward gas to drive to the barn, vet bills, and boarding for her horse. She did not even eat it as a side – it was the whole meal. She did not have much money left over for many other things, but I do not want to imply she was starving. No problem, as I am anything but a picky eater.
Ah yes, my old friends, Rice-a-roni and Chef Boyardee
I think most people’s image of horse riders is that of people who house their horses on their own luxurious properties. This feeds the stereotype that all horse riders have the funds to own a lot of land and multiple horses. Very few non-riders (myself included until I met Britt) knew anything about boarding barns/farms.
Truth: Most of us frequent barns of the non-chandelier sort / PC: Pegasus Builders
Most riders I see at horse shows with Britt do not appear super wealthy. Britt notices some of the nicer trailers and points them out to me, but overall it is a regular [Britt: isn’t it nice to hear the word ‘regular’ applied to equestrians for once?] crowd.
The fanciest trailer I could afford / PC: Toystogrowon.com (ironic!)
Now that Britt and I completely share finances, I have even more of an appreciation of the investment she puts into riding. The most obvious is boarding and gas, but when those vet appointments come up I really start to notice [Britt: uh yeah, me too]. However, I know that when you have a working horse that you are constantly training to move on to the next level then it takes a lot of time and also money. In the end though, seeing the satisfaction and joy that Britt gets from riding definitely makes it worthwhile.
Red on the Right 
This is really sweet! Manfriend had a similar realization that boarding barns aren’t all chandeliers and champagne, and now I think he actually enjoys getting to go hang out in the dirt and the hay.
Manfriend! Haha love that 🙂
He is just the sweetest thing ever. Absolutely love this :).
aww he thinks we’re ‘regular’ – i’ll take it!!
Husband of the year!
He’s a keeper!
My husband loves this series! Thanks for sharing 😀