But you have to remember, you'll always be her second favorite. The horse comes first.

Yep. Land where I grew up was notoriously cheap if you didn't get the mineral rights. You could be poor as fuck and have a tar paper shack on 10 acres and have zero time to produce anything useful on the land. Horses aren't expensive to buy. You can get used tack and hay and oats were inexpensive where I grew up. Maybe a hundred bucks a month to own a horse (this would have been over 30 years ago, definitely more expensive today)? This was not for racing, heavy work, or horse girl stuff, but you could take care of one for not much if your hobby was riding or if you just liked having a horse around. Or you have zero land and help your neighbor with chores and your horse lives next door.

I do pretty well for myself but I've got an arrangement like that right now. I go help out on my buddy's small ranch every year during the summer. I help enough that there's a horse out there that's mine, on paper at least. He gets the same treatment as the rest of the horses and I own all the gear. Costs me some time, but in all honesty it's time I want to be outdoors anyway.