Horses are your passion, and you can't imagine your life without saddle stains on your jeans or hay sticking out of your hair. You knew by the first time you smelled that sweet barn scent that your life would revolve around all things equine. What you might not have realized, however, is that your love of horses would also affect your shopping habits. Most of your money goes toward making your horse happy and healthy, and anything extra goes toward fueling your addiction for all things equestrian.
We know you have a love-hate relationship with spending money, and these signs prove you're an equestrian shopper at heart.
1. You enjoy marathon shopping sprees.
While the rest of the world is stuck in the Target dollar section, you've been walking around the same aisle in the tack store for three hours. Your significant other learned a long time ago that if you suggest going into your favorite store, they'd better stay at home. There's only so much a non-horse person can take. You can spend hours staring at one exquisitely designed bridle only to do the exact same thing with the matching breast collar. It's not unusual for you to go in for a "quick look" and emerge five hours later whether you bought something or not.
2. Your Facebook newsfeed is nothing but posts from your many equestrian sales groups.
Owning horses is notoriously expensive, but thrifty equestrians are always looking for ways to find great used equipment. You belong to no less than 3 Facebook groups for fellow horse people interested in buying and trading used tack, trailers, show clothing, and anything else related to horse care and hobbies. You've definitely messaged complete strangers asking for details about items for sale, and sometimes you scroll through posts to compare what others are selling to the stuff you already own. You don't always buy, but online window shopping is the best.
3. You're weary about buying online, but you usually do it anyway.
There's nothing better than running your fingers along the soft leather of a new saddle fresh to your local saddlery. You like seeing things in person and inspecting tack closely before you decide to buy. But at the same time, buying online is convenient, and sometimes more affordable. When you work a day job and spend every extra minute at the barn, getting to a store before it closes isn't always easy. You've researched all the best brands so you know what to avoid online, but you've also been burned before. You live and learn and usually end up trying again with a different online purchase.
4. You spend hundreds of dollars a month on your equestrian hobbies, but you balk at the idea of spending $30 for a "normal" shirt you can't even wear to the barn.
The price of a high-quality saddle is something you can deal with. You'll even take out a loan to purchase that gooseneck horse trailer you've always wanted. But making any kind of purchase that isn't horse related is going to be a hard sell. You can't validate spending money on non-horse things when you spend all your time at the barn anyway.
5. You're an expert at coming up with ways to validate your most recent purchases.
Do you really need that new snaffle bit? You have about ten others sitting in a drawer in your tack room. But it's on sale! And what about that new pair of breeches? You already have a dozen pairs, but none of them have knee patches, and these ones match your new boots. And you definitely don't need a new cinch, but what if your friend needs to borrow one? If you want something, you'll always find a way to validate the price tag. It's one of your many talents.
6. You're also good at feigning nonchalance when showing off your new purchases.
The first thing you do with your new riding boots is wear them to the barn to show them off to all your horse friends. But when they pay you a compliment, you say something like, "Oh, these old things?" You're especially good at this when it's your significant other asking probing questions about unfamiliar items. "What do you mean, honey? This brand new Dakota saddle is just a little something I picked up, no big deal."
7. People know that if they ever need to borrow something, you're the person to ask.
At this point in your equestrian life, you have just about anything a horse person could want. Everything in your collection comes in different colors and sizes. You might not use everything for your own horses, but you like being the person that others come to for help. You're always happy to let your friends borrow your stuff, and that in turn gives you more reason to continue shopping.
Horse Courses by Elaine Heney
- Listening to the Horse - The Documentary by Elaine Heney & Grey Pony Films
- Shoulder In & Out Training for better balance, bend & topline development with your horse
- Over 110+ Polework Exercises & Challenges to Download
- Dancing at Liberty & Creating Connection with Your Horse (11 lessons) - Grey Pony Films
8. You don't even know exactly what you have.
All of your horse-related equipment and tack is stacked and stored, but it's hard to keep track of years' worth of purchases. You have a lot of your stuff in your tack room, of course, but you also find random tack in the trunk of your car and under your bed. The number of lead ropes you own is almost embarrassing, and you're surprised when you find an old western bridle mixed in with your English tack. The surprises make your shopping habits even more addicting.
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