In the Money: Practical Tips for Saving Up for a Horse As a Teen

Ah, money. The necessary evil of the equestrian world. We need money to ride, money to maintain a horse— heck, the PRICE of a horse alone is enough to make your eyes explode. And for a teen, those price points can look pretty steep, if not downright discouraging. More than once I’ve done the math and wondered whether I could ever actually afford a horse.

Thus why the horse money-saving articles always intrigued me the most. However, they were also the most disappointing, since usually they were aimed at people who already OWNED a horse and the article was really about saving up for show fees. And I’m a spendthrift— saving up for something as huge as a horse felt so impossible that any saved money was spent on easier-to-obtain benefits like horse models and books.

So how does one, practically and realistically, save up for a horse as a teen?

Start a Realistic Savings Fund

When you think “save up for a horse”, you probably think like I do, just shoving ALL of your money away for it and never spending anything else. But if you’re like me, then the “someday” feels like “never” and it gets pretty discouraging to save up with no results. Even when I got my first job that came with paychecks, the idea of saving ALL of it for a horse still felt discouraging and distant.

So, don’t save all of your money for a horse— just a percentage.

At first this felt equally slow to me (although at the time I was planning on using my savings for a writing education program, not a horse). After all, what good did setting aside only 20% do? 

But it grows. And the nice thing is, since it is so small, you still have money for immediate expenses and it’s easier to ignore spending that savings fund.

These days I split the money I make in 70%, 20%, and 10% increments. Ten percent to tithe, twenty percent to savings, and seventy percent to immediate expenses. I’ve never had to touch my savings and it’s actually grown quite nicely. For the first time in my spendthrift life, I actually have backup cash.

So figure out a savings fund that works for you. Maybe you can only earn money through odd jobs for your parents, and can only commit ten percent to your savings fund. Maybe you want to lean really hard into savings and put most of your money away into it. However much it is, find a nice envelope, shove it away, and simply commit to not spending those savings. It’s a lot easier to save up if you have immediate cash on hand.

So… How Do I Get That Cash?

Allie, this is great, but… how on earth am I supposed to get this cash in the first place?

The amount of times I have asked this question reading these articles… oyyyy. It’s the one question these articles never seem to practically answer and it really frustrates me.

If you’re a teen over 16, you can get a job… but what if you’re not?

The “making cash” question was always a struggle for me, especially as a homeschooler living in a rural area. Ultimately… it came to odd jobs around the house. Really. I know, we’ve all heard that one before, but if you have limited options… there’s not really much else you can do. I know some people suggest starting a business— I would not suggest that, just because the startup costs rarely make it back in profits. If you really want to do it, go for it. Otherwise you’ll probably have better luck doing odd jobs.

If you’re really stuck, talk to your parents. They might know of avenues you don’t for making money and they definitely have lists of odd jobs worth paying for.

The Logistics of Saving for a Horse

One of the things that helps me most is to figure out exactly how much I’m saving for. Sometimes this isn’t always realistic. You might not be in a spot where you can have a horse at the moment, so the savings might just be a small fund toward that someday dream.

But if you can, do some maths and figure out how much you need. Do you want to save up for the cost of a horse itself? It’s care for a year? The startup costs of tack and grooming supplies? Grab some graph a paper and do your research to figure out how you can track how close you’re getting to your dream.

(I despise math, but this sort of math I actually enjoy because it feels productive. And you actually understand why your dad is always saying that algebra is in everyday life!)

Once you have those numbers, decide what you want to DO with those numbers. Make a fun chart to track your cash? Estimate a startup budget? Forget them? (As I’ve done many times). Ultimately, it’s up to you. I like to do a little more math and estimate the amount of time it’ll take to reach my goal, and plan out what I can do in the meantime to help myself get closer. For instance, if you want a horse but never rode before, you might look into riding lessons in the short term. Read up on horse care and plan out your ideal routine. Research vets and farriers in your area and locations you can keep an eye on for horse prospects. If you have something to do in the meantime, it makes the waiting a little easier.

***

Ultimately, horses are expensive and it really might be years until a horse is even in your sights. Saving up for something so distant is hard, and horses are a continual cost, which can often leave you wondering whether it’s even worth it to try.

To that I say… I think it is. It’s always worth trying to pursue a dream, even if different seasons of life dictate the priorities of that dream. Sometimes that fund might need to be used for something else, and that’s okay.

In this meantime, I hope this article was helpful to you and gave you some tools for pursuing that dream.

Riders and writers, share below: what are your tips for saving up for something (doesn’t have to be a horse) long term? Have tips for making money if you can’t get a job? 

(Note: comments are moderated, thus if it takes a bit to show up, that’s just me forgetting to check the moderation box XD)