Parents splashing out £45,000 a year for children’s equestrian hobbys

Nothing is too much for our pony princesses! Meet the very indulgent parents who don’t mind splashing out £45,000 PER YEAR for their children’s equestrian hobby (and that doesn’t even cover the price of the horse)

  • These five mothers divulge exactly how much they spend on horse expenses 
  • Natalie Newman even splashed out £50,000 on a 4X4 to pull a £5,000 trailer 
  • Jenny Howarth spent £32,000 to buy her daughter’s horses and £8,000 on gear

Rickie Zayee, 46, is mother to dressage rider Libby, 12. The product manager lives with partner Dan Skinner, also 46, a photographer, and son Oliver, 19, in Bury St Edmunds. Rickie says:

We’re not horsey people but we used to live near a paddock and, as a baby, Libby was fascinated. 

We should have run away at that point but instead we took her to the stables. It was probably one of the worst — and most expensive — decisions we could have made. Her obsession has grown horns and a tail. 

No longer is it £15 a week for a short lesson. I’ve never actually totted it up before but estimate it costs us well over £20,000 a year. Seeing the real figure is pretty scary.

12-year-old dressage rider Libby Hart and her mother Rickie Zayee from Bury St Edmunds. The family have spent £27,180 on Libby’s hobby

When Libby’s not with her horses, she’s surly and miserable. Christmas was a particularly bad time; it’s like she’s suffering withdrawal symptoms.

She’s scarily competitive and would love to ride for the GB Pony Prime Squad before she’s 16.

We’ve had to make huge sacrifices — no new cars or expensive holidays. She spends 20 hours a week with the horses, and a lot of that time involves me standing in the cold.

My partner Dan doesn’t know one end of a horse from the other. When he came to a qualifier it was tipping down and he said it was the worst experience of his life. He went on to write a blog called Skint Dressage Daddy then a book — probably bought by loads of parents who shared our pain. 

We both work, but Libby’s hobby takes the majority of my salary after tax. We’ve discouraged Libby from going into a horsey profession — most of which are not well paid. But for now, we have to accept we have to support the hobby she loves — even if it costs a fortune!’

How much they spent 

COSTS PER YEAR 

Horse: £6,000 lease

Livery fees: £7,000 including feed, hay, bedding

Training: £5,000

Clothes: £500

Gear: £1,500, including £960 for horse shoes and £300 for rugs

Medical: £1,680 including £800 for a horse chiropractor

Fees for competitions and affiliations: £1,000

Travel: £3,400 including fuel, rented trailer and hotel stays

Insurance: £1,100

TOTAL: £27,180 

Natalie Newman, 45, is mum to showjumper Claudia, 13. She works part-time in wealth management and lives in Loughton, Essex. Natalie says:

I admit I’m living my horseriding dreams through my daughter and sometimes I’m more stressed by competitions than her.

I’m a single mum and nearly all my money goes on her and her horse. But it’s worth every penny. 

It’s great for her to have a hobby that gets her outside. Claudia first sat on a horse aged two and was thrilled when I bought her first pony, Poppy, for her fourth birthday. 

Natalie Newman and her daughter Claudia, 13, with her horse Shadow. Natalie is a single mum who works in the City and has spent £82,180 on her daughter’s hobby of eventing

We bought Nacho, a gorgeous Palomino for her to start competing. We now own Magic and Shadow, although she’s outgrown Magic. She’s a brave little girl and likes the thrill of showjumping and cross country — her events this year will take us all over the country. 

My parents help fund it all. She’s their only granddaughter, so they’re happy to contribute. 

She rides two or three times every week and all weekend. On a Friday night, she often has pony club jump tuition and has a weekly lesson with her coach. 

She’s at a fee-paying school so there’s a lot of homework but she manages to fit it all in. She loves her pony and teaches it tricks — he even knows how to unzip her coat.

How much they spent

INITIAL OUTLAY  

Horse: £7,500

Transport: £50,000 4X4 vehicle to pull £5,000 trailer

COSTS PER YEAR

Livery fees: £4,800

Training: £2,080

Clothes: £2,500

Gear: £2,500

Vet bills: £1,000

Fees: £3,000

Travel: £2,600

Insurance: £1,200

TOTAL: £82,180

Chelle Winson-Rigby, 45, is mother to dressage rider Jasmine, 16. She works with husband Jayson, 48, in their mechanics business. They live on the Isle of Wight with their other children Joshua, 18, and Sofia, nine. Chelle says:

Sometimes my husband jokes: ‘Do you have any idea how much this horse is costing?’ I cringe and say: ‘I don’t want to hear!’ Allowing Jasmine to follow her dreams is an expensive business — in money and time. But if you can’t spend your hard-earned money on your children, what’s the point?

Her current horse is Condor although she calls him ‘my big baby’. When she was younger, Jasmine had little understanding of how expensive riding could be — she was always asking for ‘this jacket’ or ‘those boots’, never realising one pair could cost £300. 

Jasmine Winson-Rigby with her mother Chelle and horse Condor at the Island Riding Centre, Isle Of Wight. They have spent £29,180 on Jasmine’s dressage riding

Now she’s aware that we’ve had to make sacrifices for her such as fewer holidays. Even small things like rugs cost a fortune. 

She’ll put one on Condor and he’ll go out and roll and I’ll wince thinking: ‘That’s another £100 just gone.’ We’re able to afford it by working hard but it wouldn’t be possible without help. 

Luckily another family member helps us, and Jasmine has a savings fund.

Jasmine’s recently been picked from hundreds of riders to be a part of a sponsorship scheme which helps young riders. Her trainer Anita Nicholls, at the Island Riding Centre, has been brilliant. I know Jasmine has the determination to go far.

How much they spent

INITIAL OUTLAY 

Horse: £7,000

COSTS PER YEAR

Livery: £6,720 including bedding, feed and supplements

Training: £2,400

Clothes: £1,200 including boots, hat, jacket

Gear: £2,100 including saddle

Medical: £720 for a horse chiropractor

Fees: £1,000

Transport: £7,200 including fuel, ferries and hotel stays Insurance: £840

TOTAL: £29,180 

Jenny Howarth, 51, is mum to showjumper Isobel, 14. The property investor is married to Gary, 50, who works in banking. They have three older sons and live in Bramhall, Cheshire. Jenny says:

Isobel has been interested in horses since she was three. I’m not horsey and neither is my husband. But my late uncle was a stuntman in John Wayne’s westerns, so maybe it’s in her genes!

Maintaining her beloved horses is expensive. She hates mucking out — and I always get landed with that. But she loves riding so much and she’s good at it so I want to give her every opportunity to succeed. 

Jenny Howarth and her daughter, Isobel with one of her showjumpers. They have spent £77,430 on horse expenses

We bought her first horse, a mare called Carmanda, from Holland when she was nine and took her to our house in Spain where Isobel competed in the Andalusian championships. 

When we came back to England two years ago, we brought Carmanda but last year we bought her another horse — Doodles.

Isobel is lucky her dad earns a six-figure yearly sum so he pays for the horses’ expenses.

But he said if she wanted a second horse I had to fund it, so I took an additional six month contract working to save enough money to buy Doodles.

How much they spent 

INITIAL OUTLAY £32,000 to buy both horses

COSTS PER YEAR

Livery for Doodles: £14,400 on full livery

Livery for Carmanda: £4,200 for part livery and feed

Training: £4,640

Clothes: £5,000

gear: £8,000

Vet bills: £2,825 including horse clipping

Fees: £965

travel: £3,500

Insurance: £1,900 for 2 horses

TOTAL: £77,430 

Kate Hornsby, 42, is mum to showjumper Izzy, ten. The financial controller lives with husband Neil, 44, a risk director, and daughter Tammy, 22, in Stansted, Essex. Kate says:

LAST May Izzy had a terrible accident. Her pony, Cindy, tripped and Izzy was knocked unconscious. 

The next 24 hours were terrifying as she slipped in and out of consciousness in hospital. I never wanted her to sit on a horse again.

Two weeks to the day, she climbed back into the saddle and apart from the occasional flashback, she is as confident as ever.

I used to showjump. She’d watch me from her buggy and her first words were ‘Uh-oh’ when I knocked a pole.

Kate Hornsby and her daughter Isabelle from Little Bardfield, Braintree, Essex. Isabelle’s showjumping costs £15,000 a year – they have spent £19,917 so far

I first held her in a saddle when she was a few weeks old, so horses are in her blood. But I’d never push her into it.

When she was little I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with her, but when she was seven I had to go back to work part-time to fund Izzy’s hobby.

She wants to compete in the Olympics and while I hope she can follow her dream, we’re not rich enough to have the expensive ponies or lorries. 

It costs around £15,000 a year. We’re privileged to be able to keep Cindy but we both work hard to fund Izzy’s hobby.

How much they spent 

INITIAL OUTLAY

Horse: £5,000

COSTS PER YEAR

Livery fees: £5,200

Training: £1,800

Clothes: £500

Gear: £1,500

Vet bills: £200

Fees: £2,600

Travel: £2,700

Insurance: £417

TOTAL: £19,917 

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