All things equestrian

I have quickly come to realize that quite frankly, buying the actual horse is probably the cheapest part of horse ownership. Even feeding them isn't that pricey. But holy motherfucking hell, the STUFF you need is $$$.

A few weeks ago, I bought a riding helmet. I know some people ride without them, but I'm not going to. Besides, leading by example, etc. It cost me $60, with my family discount at TSC. Cheaper than a concussion, I suppose.

Today, I was shopping for riding pants. Not a necessity, but much more comfy. The ones I bought (a size smaller than I thought I needed!) were $60. Thank god they were on sale for 50% off. I picked up one pair that were $100. I dropped them like a hot potato, let me tell you. I've never spent $100 on a pair of pants for anything, and unless I'm riding in a show, no way am I spending $100 on them to get dirty sitting on a horse. Even if they were 50% off.

Little kids pants are just as expensive. $30+ on sale. No way. I'll shop Ebay for those.

And boots. Oh my god the boots. I might be buying those used on Ebay, too. I have a pair that will do for now, but they aren't riding boots, and I really need real riding boots. Besides, the ones I have are hurting my feet. I'm not even talking about tall boots, either. I'm just talking about paddock boots, which are ankle boots. Anywhere from $80+.

I've not even looked at them for the girls. They have some boots from Target that work just fine. Besides, their feet don't even reach the stirrups yet, so the heel isn't too important.

Tack is expensive, too. God knows why, but I entertain myself looking at saddles on Ebay, and drool over English ones. Fortunately, that is something that can be bought for not too much money if you buy used. But, I don't need my own saddle, yet.

Still, I now own a pair of pants, that will get dirty on a horse, that retailed for more than I usually spend on an entire outfit.