I am definately part of the 11%—incomes below $25,000.
I have had horses for over 25 years. They are well cared for, but I don’t have to board them out & have professional trainers. I have them on my own property & I do most of the training of them, along with the breeding & raising.
The horse industry in the USA is much larger than most people realize. The last time I saw figures, it was over $6 BILLION a year, and that figure did not include the betting on horse races nationwide. You might follow NFL, or MLB, but you only buy tickets for about 20 games a year. My horses get fed 2 meals a day EVERY SINGLE DAY of the year. Their water gets changed & tanks cleaned. They get veterinary care & farrier attention. I have acquired alot of tack over those 25 years, and I take care of all of that, also. Those costs don’t change, even if I don’t ride now as much as I used to. My horses on the property represent 3 generations, with grandma being the oldest at 28. She is still the 1st one I grab for a ride. The youngest is 5 and is her grandson.
When I was riding more, I kept up a truck & trailer, spending money on gas-tires-event entries-food & supplies to go to events. The money I spent helped a fairly large part of the community, since most economists say that any money spent hits about 7 places in the chain of services & goods. One year, I chased nationwide points in my discipline & put over 30,000 miles on my truck/trailer.
My hay bill alone this summer for the next 12 months or so will be just under $4000. That money supports my hay grower, along with the people who sell him machinery, seed, fertilizer, fuel, the money paid for irrigation supplies & water, & the tires & maintenance on his truck & flat bed trailer he delivers with.
I know it seems easy to attack someone for having horses, but the vast majority of people I know & have competed against are hard working & often self-employed. They put in lots of extra hours to support such activities & to do their training & conditioning.
When I have talked to others who have boats, they spend more than I do.
It is said there are 3 things you can do from the cradle to the grave: Swimming.......Golfing...... and riding horses. Having your kids attention on horses instead of drugs & gangs & other trouble is a very good diversion.
The vast number of people who are involved with the Therapy horses for people of all ages is staggering.
If the Liberals can only find this kind of item to attack the Romneys about, they surely are getting desperate.