TC, you ARE in trouble. My wife talked me into her first horse three years or so ago. It was cheap--about $1500--and I thought, no big deal, right?
Then came the barn I had to build. With stalls. And a tack room. Then we needed a trailer to haul it in. And a bigger truck, with a turbodiesel, to haul the trailer. And saddles. And pads. And dressage lessons. And all of the tack that goes along with several different riding styles. And memberships in four different organizations. And the costs of registering the horse. And hay. And feed. And vitamins. And minerals. And shoeing. And hot wire. And upgraded fencing.
Then she decided she and the horse needed some fine-tuning. Off to a trainer for two months, with all of the costs of storage, feed, and lessons for both horsie and her (well, the storage and feed were just for the horse. I allowed my wife to live and eat at home during that time).
That was just the beginning. Our neighbor has been riding for thirty years and is delighted to have someone to share all of her interests with. So suddenly we're traveling off to endurance riding events, which as best as I can tell are races that aren't really races but instead are excuses to trailer your horse several hundred miles in order to trot it for twenty-five miles or so, then load up and drive several hundred miles back home. Of course, endurance rides are invariably overnight, so suddenly we needed a bigger trailer--a gooseneck three-horse slant-load--to haul not just her horse but her friend's, as well, with of course not just a tack room but full-blown living quarters with a/c and heat and all the comforts of home. That, of course, necessitated the purchasing of a generator to power all of that stuff--not just ANY generator, mind you, but the latest, most expensive, ultra-quiet Honda generator, so the noise will not spoil the pristine pastoral quiet of the endurance ride camp in the evenings (even though, at endurance rides, generators are not allowed to be run under any circumstances after 9 o'clock...).
Then there are routine shots, check-ups, floating of teeth (don't ask), round pens, dressage arenas, lights for the round pens and dressage arenas, hauling the beast to the vet for maintenance, paying extra fees if you don't haul the beast but make the vet come to you, subscriptions to all the horsie magazines, and of course all of the horsie-style clothing, jewelry, artwork, and assorted hubris that your wife will suddenly become enamoured of.
I haven't even gotten to those emergency vet bills when horsie gets sick, mind you. And God help you if she decides she wants to breed the poor thing.
And then, of course, having one horse begats a desire for another. And another. We're currently at three and counting.
Keep in mind that, at some point, you will need more land for all of your newfound equine friends.
If it sounds a lot like the car illness, it's not. IT'S WORSE!!
We were driving somewhere one day and my wife was giving me grief about the money I spend annually on car insurance, gas, routine maintenance, etc. She was bragging about how much cheaper horses are. So I proceeded to start rattling off the costs associated with all of the stuff I've listed above. Suffice it to say the car got VERY quiet when I finished and she did not raise the issue again. Ever. She's a smart girl, in spite of having married me.
Have fun!
