Q&A for How to Make Money for Your Horse As a Teen

Ask your riding instructor if you could work at the barn! At my barn, you can come do chores like sweeping and cleaning up and you get a discount on boarding horses there.

Before you purchase those 'stupid things', think about what you are going to do. Will this make your horse happy? Will it help your horse? If not, don't buy it.

Lots of barns are in need of help, so I suggest trading work for lessons. I did that for the longest time. I worked 4 hours mucking out stalls and runs, feeding, haying, and even turning horses out. I traded 8 hours of work for a 1 hour lesson, but if I finished my chores early on the days that I didn't have a lesson, I got to ride until my mom came. I totally recommend this as you will become a better all around horseman/woman instead of just a better rider.

Well, it depends on your parents and what they say. There is no easy way to get a horse. Some stables allow people to pay a certain amount, like a membership fee, in order to ride their horses. The good thing about that is the stable pays for the hay, straw, food, and all of the things a horse needs. I also know that there are camps you can go to where you can ride and/or care for horses. These can get pretty pricey, though!

Volunteer at a riding school or equestrian center to prove you are experienced and confident enough to take on the responsibility of a horse.

I would recommend creating an Etsy store and ordering a bunch of cheap saddle pads in any color you want. Buy white if you plan on dying them. If you know how to embroider, that would be a big help.

Take lessons at an eventing barn. You need to learn basic horsemanship before you jump in, though.

You can make social media accounts and set up a website to sell homemade things like rope tack and bracelets and stuff like that, all you would really have to do is get some materials.

For the majority of jobs, you have to be 16-18, but you could still do some of the things in this article like shoveling snow, lawn mowing, opening a lemonade stand, etc. You could also make crafts and try to sell them at farmers markets or local small businesses.

It depends on how responsible you are and how supportive your parents would be. Do they have the finances to board and care for a horse? Will you have the time and willingness to visit your horse as often as needed to care for it and train it and keep it company? Lots of things to think about.

Talk to the people who run the stables to see if they think you're ready to do so, and if so, what sort of schedule would work out well for them.

Do yardwork for people in your neighborhood! Offer to pull weeds, or mow lawns. You could put a poster up or go door to door asking if people would pay you to help their lawn or garden. You could also offer to walk dogs.

A good idea would to sit down with your parents and have a serious talk. Make a list of stables you could ride at, and talk to everyone. Then, go visit the few that stand out. Make sure your parents know you're serious, and this isn't just a phase!

Your mom is right. Maintaining horses can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 USD per year at the cheapest. Perhaps you should wait until you are a little older.

This really depends on how experienced you and your parents are with horses. If you don’t know how to care for a horse, a lot of problems will come up. Also, make sure you really have enough money for a horse. Having the money for a horse is one thing and having money for the horse and the means to care for it is another. Horses are also a huge time commitment in day to day life, and can live up to 30 years or longer, so you’d still own your horse when you’re forty, if you get a foal.

You could always ask your parents if they'll pay you for doing chores around the house and yard. Depending on where they will let you go, you might try pet sitting/babysitting for neighbors or dog walking. If your parents let you go outside, you could also mow neighbor's lawns, etc.

If you have a stable in your town, ask your parents for their permission, and then ask the manager if you could arrange something where perhaps you could muck stalls after school, or clean the tack once a week in exchange for lessons.

You cannot learn to jump until you can comfortably trot and canter. Jumping is an intermediate level skill. Talk to your instructor about when you will be experienced enough to jump.

First start by trying to take lessons more than once a week if possible, to show your parents how dedicated you are. If the price of buying a horse is too high, consider leasing or partial leasing a horse if that is an option! This is usually much less expensive and is a good start. Talk to your trainer and others at the stable to help you out.

If you do riding lessons at a stable, ask them if you can clean the stables, take care of the horses, etc. Or try asking your parents if you can do extra chores and get paid for them.

Yes, leasing is best if you’ve never owned before or you cannot afford to own a horse.

Try asking the barn if you can do chores in exchange for reduced cost/free lessons or find another part-time job to help pay for them yourself another option would be to find somewhere to volunteer with horses.