Unexpected expenses hurt the most

Remember my discouraging day a couple of weeks ago, that started with Panama wrecking his blanket and ended with him breaking a lead rope?

Well, it turned out that was an expensive day, too: Between having the blanket cleaned and repaired, and replacing the lead rope, I just spent $47.68.

It's a lot better than it would have been had the blanket ($80) needed to be replaced, too, but it's still a bunch of money that I wouldn't have needed to spend if my horse had kept his brain in his skull. The timing was awful too: not only am I still recovering (financially) from Christmas, but I'm also preparing my fourth quarterly estimated tax payment, which is due January 15!

When you own a horse, it's not the regular expenses that hurt the most, even though they are usually where the biggest chunk of your money goes: boarding, hay, regular vet visits, etc. It's the unexpected expenses (even the $50 ones) that remind you that, yes, owning a horse is expensive!