Pastimes And Price Tags 

Image above: Evie is wearing our Moon Fairy riding hat cover 

Parents devote a lot of their free time to helping their children enjoy their hobbies. 

When our children were much younger, my husband and I spent many hours at swimming pools, football matches and riding schools.

Being a chauffeur was also part of the job. 

Having two cars was essential, as the timing of hobbies often clashed, and we had to be in different venues with different siblings at the same time. 

A recent report from Aspire Money,“Pastimes With A Price Tag,” highlights how parents may feel not just pressure on their time but on their finances. 

All those lessons and the kit required for those hobbies costs money. 

However, the three most popular hobbies for UK children aged 4-18 are relatively low-cost. 

Irrespective of cost, children spend an average of three hours per week on their chosen activity. 

Their “chosen activity” might be a bit misleading because 35% of children do things because a parent wants them to.  

The survey ranks the most expensive hobbies vs the least. 

Not surprisingly, Equestrian ranks high on the list. Parents, on average, pay £68 per month for horse-related activities (Motorsport ranks higher at £75 per month). 

Those figures would exclude the cost of ownership of a horse, go-cart or racing car. 

Girls spend £45/month on their hobbies, compared to £37/month for boys. 

All of the above figures relate to the direct costs of a hobby. 

The survey also does a great job of highlighting the amount of time parents allocate to enabling their children to participate in activities. 

You can see all of the above and many more interesting stats in the survey (see it here). 

We do our best to help you keep costs down for pony-related clothing and gifts. 

For example, our colourful riding hat covers are among the most keenly priced you’ll find but are also excellent quality. 

Wherever you live, I hope you have time for a hobby of your own. 

Best wishes,

Tracy

PS. If you live in Northern Ireland, you and your fellow parents spend the most on your children’s hobbies and by quite a considerable margin. You probably didn’t need me to tell you that!