A question for those of you with more than one horse...

J

jumpingginger

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I'm just being nosey now!

I've noticed that most people on here seem to have more than one horse/pony? I was wondering how you can all afford it?
Do you all keep your horses on your own land, have insanely cheap livery yards, have really well paid jobs, no kids, or get them paid for by rich Daddy/husband?

I'd love another horse but don't think I would have the time or money to do them both justice, so was wondering how so many other people seem to do it!??

If I had my own house with land, maybe, but since I haven't yet found a rich single farmer, I'll just have to keep entering the lottery!!
 
I have 2 on livery one is on loan but she only pays for the sable i cover all other cost, i only work part time but my OH is very generous and we live in a crap house.
 
i have a part time job as a barmaid at my local , i pay £8.50 a week payed quaterly field rent for all year round grazing and half my friesian gelding is half my partners so he pays half of everything and we have two kids and i do them in the time there at school
 
I've got three. Keep them at home on a farm, so free grazing, stabling, hay and straw. I work part time as a cleaner to pay for them as my OH doesn't do horses! Mind you as I have the horses he has to pay for everything else. All my money goes on them, my clothes are all ancient!
 
own land, and 2 out of 3 are natives.. which don't need lots of food! also my sister married the farrier, so free shoeing! he is also friends with the vet, so lower 'mates rates' vet bills! and i'm member of the pony club so 12 free lesons a year and extra free team training.
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I have 5 horses. I can only manage this for the following reasons:

1. Rent own land and the horses live out 24/7/365 (although I've also got 2 stables should I need them).
2. Work full time, and also have 2 part time jobs (freelance, so flexible).
3. OH earns less than me, although has the potential to earn more (if he can ever get off his backside to do so). The horses are mine, although he loves them too. I don't ask him to contribute to the horses, only towards his share of the household expenses. Hence my working all hours I am able to, to pay for my horses.
4. We don't have kids (and I'm unlikely to either, due to various reasons).
5. Our "newest" vehicle is a "K" reg car and our Landrover is an "A" reg. Despite their age, both are brilliant vehicles. So you can see we don't go spending any money on new, flashy cars (I'd rather have an old but good 'un!).

I am always, permanently skint and our house is tiny, but I have my horses and don't regret it. I must add that, due to my very long working hours, having the horses living out is the only way I can cope - but that works out perfectly for me - and keeps the horses healthier and happier too! I certainly couldn't afford/have the time for more than one horse if I had to put them on livery, rather than rented land.
 
DIY livery and work hard to pay for them I do not buy new clothes or shoes. I alternate nights that I ride them before going home to the other job of looking after the husband. I also think you might be quite young, I had to wait quite a few years before I could afford the time or money to have them - but worth the wait.
 
I cut down on numbers earlier this year but somehow have 6 of my own on the place at the moment. The stallion has a few outside mares and I take in holiday and youngstock on full pasture board so that helps a bit. None of my horses are shod, they live out and have one rug each and I don't think I have bought any new clothes for a year.

We have a small but OK house (+ mortgage) and a few acres so technically don't pay keep, we grow our own hay (just pay 50c a bale to the contractor for baling, we cut and row it ourselves)

OH works, I don't, but I do have a small private income from properties in the UK. No way on this earth could we have what we do if we still lived in Wales.
 
i have 2 that i keep at a diy yard, i get up at stupid o'clock in the mornin 2 do them b4 work + i didnt think i would be able 2 afforfd a second horse until she came along + somehow i just manage lol
 
I always 'just managed' one horse in DIY livery while working full time to pay for it - its the little things like the diesel to the yard and back every day, the need to have a vehicle which tows a trailer, entry fees etc. I reckoned even on DIY having a horse cost me approx £300-£400/month once all these things were added in..
Now I am lucky enough to have OH who is a pro and has dozens of horses for me to ride (and look after!!!) so at least no more livery for me....The only problem is that if there is one that I like and get on with, just as I am getting used to them and getting my confidence, he sells it!!!!
 
I have 2 ponies and 2 mini shetlands.

They all live out 24/7 on a cheap DIY farm. I work full-time, OH pays all household bills. No children.

I have no spare time or spare money but worth it
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I have 2. Inclusive of both animals: Livery is £130 a month, hay is £20 for our first hundred or so bales as that is off our own field, then we buy in 150 bales at about £225. Bedding is aquamax which I buy in bulk and works out £4.85 a bag - use 2 bags a week when they are in. Feed - about 75 a month. Insurance is 600 a year for both. Farrier works out at about 85 a month, but will go down now big boy isn't in work and so isn't being shod. Vets works out about 250 a year for their jabs and teeth. Then any back, saddle and teeth checks that I deem necessary.Any grooming products and new tack about £500 a year I guess. The I should have lessons and school hire, but I don't have a horse to do it with now, so won't need to do that.

Costs for keeping the horses should go down if the worst happens with big boy, as he will be kept minimally and will be at my inlaws for free.
 
Keep them at my parent’s house so no livery to pay (Dad also pays for the hay and the horsebox) and I have no kids (I'm 29). I also work at my parent’s so can nip in and out to the horses for my lessons etc.
 
This is where I am going wrong! I need a boyfriend/husband to help me out! We do have a very dishy vet, may have to get to know him better!! Plus I have retired parents who can't help me out
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Also will have to swallow my pride and get over my fear of 'old' things (cars/lorries) and stop buying new rugs!! I am looking into buying a lorry, and seem to be refusing anything that is more than 10 years old! Or if I went for a car and trailer, I have only been looking at 4x4's that are up to 3 years old, and am wondering why it seems to be so expensive!! Think I shall have to start looking at pre 2000 cars
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I have 2 and a donkey. Both mine were cheap to buy, they live out 24/7 on privately-rented land, and are very good doers so don't cost much to feed. I haven't bought a new rug for 3 years - I get them reproofed and repaired every summer and it's saved me a fortune. OH has now retired but I work freelance and what I earn covers the horses - just.

If there's any kit I think I need I always check eBay first, and take advantage of tack sales. I haven't had a new car for years - our latest is an 05 plate low-mileage Disco used primarily for towing. I don't spend much money on myself in terms of clothes etc. The horses get new shoes and a massage every six weeks - I can only dream!
 
I have 3 and keep them at home so no livery. 2 are yearlings and one is my sons pony, no shoeing fees. I know lots and lots of horsey people so get good deals on hay/straw etc. My OH helps a lot too, when he can.
 
i have two on DIY livery and i'm a teacher. my parents help me with £40 a week for one horse and my sharer pays for his shoes. i pay everything else for both horses. money is very tight (doesn't help that i like new things and bought a flashy car last year
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) but do wish sharer would offer to pay more- i don't think she realises what a good deal she's getting- freedom to ride whenever she wants in return for £80 every 5 weeks!
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i also live in a crappy small house, have a HUGE overdraft and never buy new clothes unless they are from asda.....wouldn't be without the horses tho!

timewise its difficult when i'm in work and have all my marking to do but i get up at 5am and stay up late. fortunately i don't need much sleep and OH helps a lot by doing most of the housework and cooking
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I have 2 at the moment which is the lowest number I have had for a long time (was as many as 4, but that was too much!).

They are at home on my own land and the only reason I can afford them and the mortgage is that I have a well paid (but hateful) full time job and run my own business as well. I end up working all hours and pay for someone to muck out/fetch in in the winter as I don't get back home til late.

The money means I can afford them, the job(s) mean I lack time to enjoy them as much as I would like... I guess life is always a compromise!
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I have two, but my mother pays for the one she rides. We rent our own little place with plenty of good grazing and although I have stables we keep them out 24/7 so spend very little on feed/haylage/no bedding.
 
We have 4 (at one time we had 7 but we tend to keep them til 'the end' so now we're down to less!). Both my sister and I have a horse and then we have my semi retired pony and a retired TB. We are very lucky as, thanks to my nan passing away back in 1987 and leaving mum some money in her will that went on buying some land in the village so - thanks nan!!!

I don't think there is any way I could possibly afford to have a horse if I had to pay for livery to be honest. We have 12 acres and have, over time, added stables and field shelters but, as yet have not been allowed to put any house of any description on the plot.

I don't have an OH so sadly have to put up with living with the parents still as I cannot afford a house in the area we live and all my money goes on horses and my car and also paying towards the wagon! I WILL win the lottery or find a rich OH one day though! ha ha
 
I've got two - they're both on livery and I earn cr*p money but we get by. OH doesn't like them so he doesn't help - as long as I pay my share of the bills he doesn't care
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The second one was supposed to be cheap
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but she could eat me our of house and home given the chance!! They were both cheap to buy and I get stuff from eBay/birthday presents etc
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We have 2 but one is on loan and I just pay 1/2 her insurance. However before that we paid 2 lots of livery and were poor
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Between me my OH and my daughter we have nine, one is out on loan two are my daughters and she pays for them, two are my OH's and four are mine, we rent a nine acre field (biggest expence) the ponies are on common land (cheap) and dont get fed, onley hay if if it snows or they drop too much weight. OH works for a farm so hay/straw is cheap, we also work for the local estate and rent a small old farmyard from them (cheap). I live in old run down cottage for thirty years so rent is'nt as high as it could be and hardley ever buy new clothes and am always on the lookout for a bargain, our biggest expensise are ,farrier, vet and field, oh and we hardly ever go out for a meal and i hav'nt had a holiday in about eighteen years . having said all that we will have to sell two because of the time facter and trying to get them all done.
 
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