We spend too much on rent. My place is good for keeping horses, but not for riding. No arena, not even a flat area to ride in. No trails, just streets where cars speed past and scare Gracie and Nat. The footing is shit when we have had no rain, or un-rideable of we have even one day's rain.
There is nothing out there to rent where there is good fencing, flat area for riding, safe roads/trails. We have been looking for months and months.
Move back to suburbia and agist my horse somewhere seems to be the only option. Rent would need to be cheap enough to allow for agistment prices. Rent in Sydney normally sits around $400-$450 a week for a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 car garage house. Then agistment sits around at least $100 a week for safe fencing, feeds, waters, rugging, arena, float parking etc etc. then put on top of that petrol to drive there and back at least 4 days a week, plus my husband not seeing me three nights a week while i'm off at the horses, him eating dinner alone and getting jealous of Allie.
We currently pay $580 a week rent. You see my dilemma?
But I can't ride my horse properly at home. Especially not in winter. I'm back to getting up early and riding before work, or floating over to the indoor and paying $30 to school my horse under their floodlights for one hour. I do this at least once a week.
But I loathe the idea of having my horses looked after by someone else, not having them there close by, not seeing them every morning and every evening. I am a stickler for night checks, making sure gut sounds are normal and all feeds have been polished off. Getting 11pm cuddles from Allie.
Gah. What would you do? I know there will need to be a compromise there. What is it I compromise on?
6 comments:
That is very frustrating. Juggling horses and home life is not easy. I board, but I am not always happy with that either. I wish that I had some good advice for you, but only understanding. Rent is expensive by you. Same in New Jersey.
I WISH i had some mind blowing, life changing advice for you...but sadly I don't. We bought our place and our mortgage is less than what you are paying rent each month, but obviously I don't live where you do and things are much different in North Dakota. HUbby and I were fighting all the time about having my horse at a boarding stable because it was costing us so much each month and it was just one horse. My hubbys horse was a few hundred miles away and we weren't about to start paying board for two horses just to have him closer. That's why we bought our own place. It seems to be working for us.
I hear ya!!! I want an arena and trails, but I can't imagine my ponies not being at home. But having them here means I'm pretty limited with what I can do with them... :(
The worst part is that buying is even more impossible.
I come back to my original plan that horse people should live in compounds/estates only for horse people. And there would be trails and an arena of course!
But in reality, I'm not prepared (as things stand) to board my horse. At least not my older gelding. So for now, I'll make do with what's here. And maybe find a way to get myself to the local indoor too.
I wonder whether my horse is happier here than he would be boarded, or whether it's just for me that I keep him at home. Hmmm...
Okay, so I worked it out... move to Texas! This place sounds pretty unbeatable: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3146871754348414260&postID=1916225422992119443
Case, not sure if that's the link you meant to put?
Gah! :?
http://the-continental-drift.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/the-real-world-and-renegades.html
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