Riding As A Hobby

I have been considering doing something different for some change in my life. DH suggested to take up riding which I'm still mulling over. Riding lessons are expensive here and so is the equipment that comes with it. A friend used to do riding and she used to tell me her breeches alone already costed a few hundred dollars! I guess it is still considered an elite sport and hobby here which is why lessons and equipment are expensive. In countries like Australia where riding is very common, riding specialised stores are easily found everywhere.