horsey set

[imchongjun]

Hi, teachers.
I am a bit confused with the term "horsey set" in the following passage.

"So tell me about your town. This is the playground for the horsey set, isn't it?"
"Not really," Mark replied.
"We're above the money belt." "The what?" "The wealth. It's more down around Saratoga."

According to the dictionary, "horsey set" means "a set of people sharing a devotion to horses and horseback riding and horse racing". But here it seems to mean "rich people". Is "horsey set" somehow associated with "wealth"?

Chongjun

[Pete]

Originally Posted by imchongjun

Hi, teachers.
I am a bit confused with the term "horsey set" in the following passage.

"So tell me about your town. This is the playground for the horsey set, isn't it?"
"Not really," Mark replied.
"We're above the money belt." "The what?" "The wealth. It's more down around Saratoga."

According to the dictionary, "horsey set" means "a set of people sharing a devotion to horses and horseback riding and horse racing". But here it seems to mean "rich people". Is "horsey set" somehow associated with "wealth"?

Chongjun

Yes. This term refers to people who can afford to keep horses for recreational purposes. Generally these people are considered "wealthy". You would not use "horsey set" to talk about people like, for instance, farmers or ranchers, who own and use horses as work animals.

[teleostomi]

The words "horsey set" remind me of "jet set", which would be another related example of "set" used like this.

Would you point me to other examples of "set" (set of people)? I can't think of any other than "jet set."

[Pete]

Originally Posted by teleostomi

The words "horsey set" remind me of "jet set", which would be another related example of "set" used like this.

Would you point me to other examples of "set" (set of people)? I can't think of any other than "jet set."

-- A "set" can be a specific group of people. Often the word "set" is modified by a preceding noun or adjective. Partly from the OED I got:

> moneyed set; artistic set; leisured/leisure set; international set; Chelsea set.

-- It can also be used without such a modifier:
- He belonged to one of the best sets at his university.
(This last use seems possible, but it certainly isn't common.)