How to convince your parents to buy you a horse

How to Convince Your Parents to Buy You a Horse

This is the question that thousands of girls and boys across the nation have desperately wanted to know the answer to for years! Your parents seem to have a raft of reasons why you can’t have a horse. Read Kim’s pointers below and keep them in mind when making your case…

Be prepared

Be prepared for every possible question you think they’ll ask and what’s more, have an answer to all them! Make lists of possible reasons that they’ll use as objections and then do extensive research to prove that you’ve thought your decision through completely. If your parents see that you are thinking about the negatives as well as the positives they’ll understand that you’re taking the idea of becoming a horse owner seriously.

Impact on You

Make sure you have very clear reasons why you want to get a horse and what the benefits for you will be.

Consider what you wish to do with a horse before talking to your parents. Are you interested in just hacking or do you want to compete? If you want to compete, you need to think about how much time and effort will be involved.

Think about how it will fit in to your life. This is especially important where your schooling is concerned. If you can show them that owning your own horse will not necessarily dominate your life, they’ll be more willing to consider it.

Costs

Have a complete breakdown of what every aspect of horse ownership will cost. Don’t forget to include any additional expenses for activities like competing.

Assess your financial situation and your family's. You probably won’t have enough money to pay for a horse and will you’ll need your parent's help for it. Owning a horse is very expensive, and you need to make sure that your family has enough money for it.

Experience & Knowledge

Get as involved with horses as you can, this does not only mean riding, but also mucking out, cleaning tack, etc. as this will show them that you really mean business. You’ll also gain some useful experience out of this as well.

If you know someone that has a horse, offer to take care of it for a weekend to get a feeling of what it would be like to own a horse. Doing this will also show your parents that you can take care of a horse on your own and won't be asking them to do all of the work for you.

Learn all you can about horses, the more you know, the better chance you have of owning a horse.

Enlist the help of others before you discuss it with your parents, such as your current trainer, friends who are horse owners or anyone else who has experience of working with horses. It may provide your parents with a little extra proof that you are serious

And finally

Don’t whine about it to your parents! Instead present your points in a convincing way they will appreciate. Be calm when you discuss it with them. Don’t force them to talk about buying a horse every time you are together.

Looking for more information?

Why not read our blog post about Buying Your First Pony for more tips on buying a horse.