it may be a good idea to have kids first eric before you continue this hobby

Unfortunately, any equine activity is even more expensive than triathlon, and if you are a guy, all that posting can really put you in a world of hurt.

But yeah, lots of women at the stables.

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My wife has been a dressage rider for years. You have no idea how expensive that bloody sport can be.

wanna bet?

my wife rides dressage and endurance = 2 horses for her and one for me.

add in the board and trainer fees $$$ this is my wife winning her class at Yarra Yarra 2 weeks ago...horse cost more than my truck

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"on your Left"

Everytime someone asks me why I tolerate the expense of my wife's horses (2), the response is always "because one day I will buy a Porsche."

ROTFLMAO

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"on your Left"

Beautiful. Congrats to your wife.

Matt, my wife just takes riding lessons($300+/month) and occasionally drags me to the equestrian shop. While I don't know for sure how much it all costs, I have a good starting point. I know it would bankrupt me.

What freaks me out the most is that as much as you can spend on dressage/riding English, the Western side of the store has even more lavish, obscenely expensive gear.

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just to scare you

dressage horse 20k and up

lessons $60 hr 2+ times a week

trailer for going to shows 10k and up

truck to pull trailer 30k-50k

saddles and tack 2-4k

entry fees $150

stable fees 500/ month and up

frigging money pit

trail horse like mine $1,500+ up keep=couple of hundred/month for 2 horses

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"on your Left"

Yeah, I'm a few too many zip codes away from having that kind of budget. Hell, I can't even afford Ironman racing.

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Add this up:

Board

Lessons

Vitamin supplements

Vet (several times a year for all sorts of things)

Farrier

Various ointments, pastes, and other medical supplies

Gear for the horse

Gear for the rider

Trailer

Truck

Show fees (easily $200 - $500 per show)

I bet we spend $15K a year on this madness, and now my daughter wants in too.

Meanwhile she keeps riding and you keep dreaming...



:)

yep Triathlon is cheap by comparison

bike 4k helmet & shoes 300, running shoes 100 wetsuit 150 then just entry fees and fuel plus the occaisional hotel room

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"on your Left"

Eric - you forgot to add one item to your list:

dressage horse 20k and up
lessons $60 hr 2+ times a week
trailer for going to shows 10k and up
truck to pull trailer 30k-50k
saddles and tack 2-4k
entry fees $150
stable fees 500/ month and up
frigging money pit
trail horse like mine $1,500+ up keep=couple of hundred/month for 2 horses


having a happy, fit and contented wife = priceless :)

Congrats to your wife!!

D.

Not only is it a great sport for single guys, but if you are fortunate enough to snag one of these gals, the lovin' is GREAT! ;) I went out with one gal and she had one hell of a body from that sport. Tight and tone in all the right places. The only drawbacks were I saw an inordinate amount of stuck up snotty rich girls who thought they were better than the world. Quite a turn off.....good thing some of them liked slumming it!! ;)
ahhh....to be young again.

Wow! Beautiful horse Eric!

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Richard

"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever" - Larry Andersen

Is there a Clydesdale division?

This coming from a group of guys who ride bikes all day long.

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I'm just a 10 cent rider on a $2,500.00 Bike

tryclyde

for endurance: heavyweight division>> 200 pounds on up

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"on your Left"

The perfect single guy sport - Running.

Show up with your cute looking Labrador Retriever for group runs at your local running shop and you will have no shortage of good looking women, with a mutual interest, interested in you.

It's far less expensive than horseback riding.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Eric, that pic looks like Marin. I would imagine the places horses give you access to are beautiful.

Any suggestions where I could get the GF some horse back riding lessons for Xmas in the Bay Area? I'd love to get her a 3-5 lesson package that will get her on a horse a bit. I'm trying to avoid signing up for a morning horseback riding that involves riding an old pony at .5 miles an hour in circles around a barn :)

Any suggestions would be great.

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"He broke into the long easy lope, and went on, hour after hour, never at loss for the tangled way, heading straight home through strange country with a certitude of direction that put man and his magnetic needle to shame."

-Call of the Wild

I'm in the south bay the picture is at Borelli Hill, Russian Ridge Openspace, www.openspace.org . tons of good running, mt biking and horseback riding in these parks.

Garrods stables in Saratoga is good for lessons and trail rides.

post a question in the chat room at www.bayequest.com the ladies there will have tons of suggestions for places that have nice facillities for lessons.

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"on your Left"

Cool. Thanks.

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"He broke into the long easy lope, and went on, hour after hour, never at loss for the tangled way, heading straight home through strange country with a certitude of direction that put man and his magnetic needle to shame."

-Call of the Wild

I thought Marin, too. The sign looks very Mt Tam.

Maybe try calling Miwok Stables for info. I know there's a lot more equestrian action up in Santa Rosa.

I grew up with horses (gaited), and sure miss them. Dogs and horses. :-)

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**************
Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

well put Dawn..you beat me to it...for all that my wife is slowly trying to dig herself out of horse induced debt (her saddly cost $4000, sort makes my Storika purchase of $120 pale by comparison), for all that she rides her horse at least 4 days a week, spends all of her Saturday mucking stalls to save on board, seems to love her horse more than me, for all the things she doesn't do around the house so she can 'just go ride'
I see what it does to her and for her mentally, emotionally, and physically (she comes from a zero athletic background) and when the scales have stopped their pendulum swing it really all does balance out. When she can come home from her office day from hell with a look that could freeze the tropics...has a quick bite to eat...heads to the barn and comes home hours later a brand new woman...there isn't enough money to pay for that kind of transformation. I've seen her leave for the barn in weather I wouldn't dare set foot out in to make sure she gets her training in and I'll stand in awe of her dedication (wishing I had an ounce of it). And just like me and triathlons..when you do something you love that much it would be criminal to deny them. The way she was the day she came event champion from a recent hunter show...high as a kite...told me that no matter how deep she/we/I got into debt over her addiction I would never do or say anything to take it away from her. Especially given that it was the same day I podiumed in my AG in a very difficult race series...we were like school kids talking about it over celebration dinner.
Yep..it is expensive...but is it all worth it in the end since you can't take it with you and we'll all live with some kind of debt for most of our lives
you're damn right it is. Sure we could be saving money for retirement or paying off our house sooner...but why? Live for the now..you might not make it to the later.
Plus...the original poster was right...women everywhere (sometimes lean fit and wealthy women too) ..who appreciate you being at an event to lend some well earned tri muscle (the joke in the barn is that all the guys in the sport are either married or gay). AND it allows me to buy whatever tri gadget I can afford and not be questioned. Sounds like a marriage made in heaven to me.