[RC] The Cost of Riding - Bruce WearyI disgree with your rationale, Kat. To use some other examples, if someone buys a condo at a ski resort, so they can be near to the sport they love, and the price of ski lift tickets goes up 100%, from $75 to $150, does this mean they can't afford to ski now? Or if a guy can afford to buy a nice small yacht, but the price of diesel fuel goes up, he can't afford to go sailing? The analogy is that we all have invested tens of thousands of dollars over time in our sport and can continue to shoulder the ongoing increasing expenses of vet bills, feed, shoes, etc., but *not* the fuel costs? The percentage of increase in fuel cost isn't as important as the actual hard dollar increase, and relative to the big ticket items, it's still small.Although there are many people that love endurance riding so much that they are willing to scrimp and save and budget to do it, it is no more unreasonably expensive than any other hobby. A tuna fish sandwich may seem expensive to a homeless person, and an entire country may seem expensive to Warren Buffet. If something seems expensive, it may be a perception based on one's resources, not the actual cost of the item itself. We all have to be careful not to overextend ourselves, especially with home repossessions and bankruptcies skyrocketing. I think our appetites simply outstrip our pocketbooks at times.Dr Q, who has to call his mother now and ask for a raise in my allowance. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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