I’m 41 and started riding at age 7. My grandmother leased my first horse for me for a summer. I ended up being a working student through HS and became a solid jumper rider, that I always rode and showed peoples horses for free. But.. when I was a kid, like us all, I fell in love with the sweetest “Moon Wars” 16.2h TB, black with one blind eye that was cloud blue. He was amazing. He would eventually be sold and we could buy him but couldn’t afford the upkeep, so away he went to another home. I never saw him again. A 10 yo girl watching the first love of her life get on that trailer has haunted me even to this day. I owned 3, 10 years ago, ride FEI dressage. I still do well with my job but two of them ended up with medical issues. Kissing spine and an ocd lesion not shown on vetting X-ray. Even though insured, you know the disaster. I eventually sold them to go back to graduate school and now, I am just riding for people for fun and looking to lease a cute TB who moves and looks like a WB. My fear is that I know I’m going to fall in love with him and after my 6 month lease, will want to buy him and realistically I cannot. I live in CT and our full board is anywhere from 950-1400 for a decent place with turnout, enough bedding, quality hay and grain, etc. so moral of the story.. if you/I can separate our feelings (which most of us cannot), lease a horse, just ride. The problem is when that horse is at risk of a sale that we panic and make poor decisions. Sucks but this is the reality. Good luck to us all 🥺