Buying a first horse- start up costs

[ArklePig]

Okay so, as some of you might know I've currently got a lovely gelding on loan at a riding school. Sadly, he more than likely has to go back to work next month when lessons start up. It's just driven home how much I've got to buy my own. Not immediately, but soonish.

I'm having trouble working out what to budget for start up costs.

How much should I budget for tack/rugs other equipment? Second hand is fine for tack.

Vettings in NI seem to be around 250 for a stage 5,does that sound about right?

Million dollar question-if covid prices hopefully die down, how much would you expect to pay for the following in NI

14.2-16h
All the usual good to shoe clip load etc
Aged 7ish up but hopefully no older than 11
Safely take me around a Cross country course
Hacks alone and in company
Nice temperment- a bit of a pet
Forward going but forgiving
Sex, colour, breeding unimportant

Am going to pay my instructor to help me find a horse if he will (I think he will). He knows better than anyone what would suit me.

Any other start up costs I should think of?

Sorry for my millions of questions I often accidentally write essays! I'm just trying to get myself sorted as it's my main goal in life at the minute and it seems so overwhelming! As usual appreciate all thoughts and advice.

 

[SOS]

Absolute minimum list for buying a horse from scratch, off the top of my head/what I would do.

Livery deposit.
Instructor fee, as you stated in OP.
Horse
Vetting
If on full livery then, rugs, head collar, basic grooming kit, basic first aid kit.
If on DIY livery then, the above and mucking out tools, wheelbarrows (surprisingly expensive) and buckets.
If DIY, feed, hay, bedding.
Transport, either your own or hire.
Tack
Saddle fitter
Dentist
Physio
Farrier
Wormer
Vaccinations, possibly.
A few lessons to get you started.

They are seriously expensive to keep. I’d suggest if money is at all an issue then look for a more private loan. Your own horse costs double/triple/much more than the expected amount most months!

ETA: Buying the horse is the cheap part, and a genuine, sound, first horse that won’t put a foot wrong is going to cost mid-high ££££ in that age range. Don’t rule out golden oldies, they can be much cheaper, have seen a lot of life and can be much more tolerant. A lot of horse for less money especially for a low impact home.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I put aside £5k for first horse start up costs, on top of horse purchase price. (ETA I bought second hand whenever possible)

Add insurance to SOS' extensive list.

 

[ArklePig]

Thanks both!

Just to clarify, horse will be on full livery - pretty affordable in NI thank god I shudder at what I've seen some of you in Britain pay.

I've done the sums on livery, feed, insurance, vet, farrier, dentist, physio. I had forgotten saddle fitter so thank you for that SOS! I also plan to take a lot of lessons when we first find each other and then hopefully once a week after that. More or less is doable depending on what we need and how we're doing. There'll also be riding club which I hope to join. Insurance is hard to gauge but from my quotes it's looking at between 5-700 per year does that sound right? Monthly it's affordable for us, I'm just a bit scared/overwhelmed at the lump sum I'm likely to need at the very start so trying to set myself a target to figure out how much I need for the horse and how much I need on top of that! I wish I'd picked a cheaper hobby. ?

 

[Frumpoon]

1. Empty your bank account
2. Max out a credit card
3. Take all this money and burn it

The end.....

 

[fredflop]

Facebook and eBay are a good place to start for second hand things. Plenty of rugs to be had on there as well as saddle cloths and girth’s etc.

 

[atropa]

Kinda a how long is a piece of string question.
Saddle, bridle, bit, reins, stirrups and leathers, girth, few saddle pads, set of boots if required - likely £650-£1000 depending on your saddle.
Wheelbarrow, mucking out tools - £150 ish
Feed buckets, couple of haynets, water buckets, storage feed bins - £100ish to get you started with a couple spares
Headcollars and lead ropes - £30-40 for a couple cheap sets
First aid kit - £100 to start off, expect to need to replenish it often
Grooming kit - maybe £40-£50 for the basics to start with a box for storage, probably up to £150 if you factor in nicer/more brushes and some grooming products (shampoo, fly spray, hoof oil etc)
Rugs - depends on horse and when you buy it, but probably approx £300 to start off with a basic, entry level wardrobe.

Just a rough guesstimate based on my own experience, I've probably forgotten some essential items

 

[Season’s Bleatings]

£250 is prob about right for vetting over here, we paid €300ish last year for a horse we bought in Wexford and brought up to NI.

Decent saddle fitter costs us £50 for a visit on site.
Saddle £500-750
Bridle £100
Girth, leathers, but, stirrups, boots, saddle cloths - £150-250
All in probably looking at up to £1000 for tack, if not more.

Rugs
Probably £200 to get you started - the Turfmasters rugs sold at TRI at the Meadows in Lurgan are decent quality and not too pricy

Your horse wish list is a wee bit of what everyone wants, probably £5k+

If I was feeling really brave I would add up all we spent on kit for our big lad, we bought him in Jan last year and although we have 2 others, we basically had to buy everything because he is a giant compared to the others. Not sure I am ready for that yet ?

 

[little_critter]

Ref rug buying, don’t go nuts and buy a full wardrobe. No point buying a horse in spring, buying a set of rugs including heavy winter rugs, then finding he’s a ‘hot’ horse and will never need a heavyweight. Start off buying the essentials (can be bought cheaply 2nd hand) until you get a feel for what rugs you really need.
Ditto, to get started you can buy a 2nd hand bridle for less than £50.
It’s fun and exciting to go shopping for new stuff for your horse but you can save money by only buying the essentials to start off with and buying 2nd hand. You can upgrade to nice new stuff as you decide what you really need, and that will help spread the cost too.

 

[Red-1]

I would not be able to estimate the cost of the horse, they are so variable.

Don't forget a first aid kit. You will need several poultices, bandages, cotton wool, Epsom salts, scissors, electrical tape, several Vetwrap, thermometer, I usually keep sedation in case they get into a predicament. If you have a cob you will needs loads of lotions and potions for their skin, until you find out what they actually get on with.

In our area you need fly repellant and a fly sheet, different areas have different levels of problem.

Shampoo, buckets, sponges, tack cleaning kit, more gloves than you think. Washing a whole Rigsby takes 6 buckets of water, so you need extra buckets.

Always have a spare halter and rope, so when they pull back and break one, you are not standing like a fool.

A couple of feed buckets. You may have auto water, if not you need water buckets or a trug. I use a large trug, cleaned and filled daily.

Mucking out tools, barrow, brush, fork poop scoop. I also have shavings fork and shovel.

The grooming kit doesn't have to be as comprehensive as you think. Most people use a hoof pick, hoof brush (can be all in one), harder flick brush, softer flick brush, magic brush (for mud) and a hairbrush. A good tack box is a godsend to keep muck off the brushes. I like the ones you can also stand on.

Saddles tend to work out more expensive than you hope. I have a saddler coming tomorrow with a selection of reasonable used saddles, between £400 and £600, but I am not holding out much hope! IME, saddles cost more than you think, and even if you get a saddle with the horse, the fitter is unlikely to think it is suitable

You have to pay to have the passport changed.

I would start with a worm count as well as the full vetting, and the dentist and also a physio after a month to have an eye over how the horse is working in the new place/rider/saddle.

Starting a new bed costs £££, I use 8-10 bales at £7 a bale. You may need to buy a stock of hay too, although some charge as you use it or in with a price.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Lots of good advice and I'm pleased that you are factoring in lessons, a lot of people dont but I think early help can make a big difference.
I would add in every trip to a feed/tack/diy place will cost £££ as you discover you need fly spray/sun lotion/saddle cleaning/something random.

I would budget for teeth/vaccination/worming/physio as so many horses are in need and agree with the saddler costs. My last horse was coming with a new saddle, it didn't fit and finding one that did took time and money.

Basically have a good contingency fund

 

[poiuytrewq]

Rugs and equipment wise you can get some incredible bargains on Facebook.
How exciting to be thinking about this, bit sad your old boy is going back to the RS work though.

 

[sportsmansB]

I think that horse you are looking for in todays market will set you back £6-8k+ if you don't want to take on any issues. Its basically what everyone wants!

I would urge you not to rule out an older horse if the right one came along, there is no subsititute for their knowledge if you are still learning lots (we are all still learning, btw!). Great you have an instructor already to help, hopefully they will hear of a word of mouth horse, thats the ideal scenario really

Yes about £250 for a vetting over here is about right
Around £700-800 for a decent secondhand saddle and about £150-200 more for bridle / stuirrups / girth if you go for standard ones. Then the likes of saddle cloths etc its your choice you can spend £70 on each or £20... For some of these bits, facebook / ebay is your friend, don't feel you have to pay top whack at the saddlers just because they get you the saddle itself.

A lot of your pricing will be decided on whether you set a budget and stick to it, and are happy with sturdy but non-branded items, or whether you get lured by fancy stirrups etc. So it is good to plan it out in advance as thats less likely to happen!
If you do get the TRI rugs I find they come up quite neat (but they do last pretty well) so consider sizing up for the turnouts.

Definitely budget for shoes / teeth / physio immediately. They almost always need done and definitely for teeth you can't realy tell yourself, and for physio its better if they have a baseline for your horse anyway

 

[honetpot]

If you are not in to what is fashionable, the saddle is the most expensive item of equipment, but even a good quality saddle , can be found for ££350 secondhand on FB , you just need to know what you are looking for.
The main cost is the horse and vetting, and its easy enough to pick the rest secondhand, so I would budget £600 for that.
Apparently talking to a tack dealer there is a north south divide in secondhand tack sales. The south like to buy new, so there is hardly any market so they buy it cheap, and then sell it in the north.
There are quite a few small businesses that sell secondhand and new that only advertise on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/thetackshack2016
https://www.facebook.com/tack.holics, and are linked with a fitter,http://tackaholics.samjamieson.co.uk/saddle-fitting
Before your loan goes back, measure everything so you have a rough idea of what sizes you could be looking for.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

God I remember just shelling out cash every day for the first few months.

At the time I spent £500 on a new saddle but got an end of year selling off stock bargain, it should have been £900. I have since replaced that saddle for one that fits my flat backed barrel shaped native like a glove for £1,700. If I had known about these saddles at the time (and been a bit more experienced) I would have paid this at the time.

Bridle - my mare has quite a sensitive poll area so I spent £150 on an anatomically shaped, soft leather bridle.
Bits - finding one she liked was a nightmare so £50 for bit person and same again for the bit.
Girth - £100
Rugs - £200
Vetting - £250
Physio - £40
EDT - £50
Transport - think something like £150
Livery deposit - £200
Lessons - a lot

There was a lot more but that's just the basic stuff.

It's hard to budget when you don't know exactly what horse you are getting. I go for a type - natives (connies) so I know any future connie I get will also have an AH saddle (what I have now) so I know I'll be paying £1,700 a time. But if you have an "easier to fit" back then you probably can get away with picking up a Kent & Masters/Albion etc for £350ish second hand.

 

[southerncomfort]

Just to say that it is actually possible to keep a horse on a smaller budget. And bargains can be had if you know where to look.

For instance, someone above estimated £40 - £50 for a grooming kit. I paid £15 for a grooming kit set and £5 for a plastic tray to keep it in. (I've tried grooming bags but spiders keep getting in!).

If you need rugs, and not all horses do, their are various websites where you can get them quite cheaply such as Fast Tack Direct. They are particularly good for fly rugs in the summer.

Really for me it's the monthly running costs that are more damaging to the pocket I.e farrier, vaccinations, dental visits, wormers. Hay and bedding in the winter can really dent your bank balance.

Someone on here once suggested working out the average monthly cost and putting the money away for a few months to make sure it is going to be affordable long term.

Good luck with your search, exciting times!

 

[Tabs]

I did this a few years ago and at the start it feels like your doling out money hand over fist. But all those things you listed may not be needed immediately. Vetting fees are about right .Vet check before purchase is very important eliminating the need to get physio straight away.
I bought a second hand saddle and had it fitted at the same time (I went to the place) and it cost about 450. I also bought a shires basic bridle that cost me 40. You dont need to go all out, second hand and cheap and cheerful (and lots of borrowing) at the start, its easy to get overwhelmed by the financial side of things but make a budget plan.....How much do i want to spend on a saddle - bridle - groomkit etc? Make a list of essentials and things that are important to you to have, and price online and at the saddlerys here (but shop around as you will soon figure out which are the expensive ones to go to). Ask about your yard too, more than likely someone knows where to pick up good bargains. Good luck.

 

[ArklePig]

Rugs and equipment wise you can get some incredible bargains on Facebook.
How exciting to be thinking about this, bit sad your old boy is going back to the RS work though.

If I could keep him.... I must post pics later but he's like a whole new horse the last few weeks. Sadly at the minute rider is lame, but he let's me walk him like a big obedient dog so we're having fun ?

 

[Brimmers]

Having recently started completely from scratch (again ?) I feel your pain!
My savior was a second hand section in a nearby saddlers, and horse charity shops. They have heaps of stock at bargain prices, so my first port of call would be there. You should be able to find most your basic stuff in one go, so it saves running around different places.

If you're not fussy on colour to start off with, this is what I roughly paid;
Head collar and lead rope - £6
Over reach boots - £3
Brushing boots - £7.50
Cotton numnahs - £3 each
Stirrups - £10
Girth - £9.50
Medium weight turnout washed and reproofed - £35
Lightweight stable rug - £10
Snaffle bit - £5.50
High vis exercise sheet - £10
Shavings fork - £5

I have found some absolute bargains and really good quality items, and saved literally hundreds by doing this.

Echo above - save your money for good quality teeth, saddler, dentist, vetting etc. In time, you can replace brand new with better quality/colours of your choice or specialist equipment, but until you know exactly what you want, I would save the cash!

If you're in the South East, let me know and I will happily PM the names of the shops I used.

Good luck x

 

[honetpot]

God I remember just shelling out cash every day for the first few months.

At the time I spent £500 on a new saddle but got an end of year selling off stock bargain, it should have been £900. I have since replaced that saddle for one that fits my flat backed barrel shaped native like a glove for £1,700. If I had known about these saddles at the time (and been a bit more experienced) I would have paid this at the time.

Bridle - my mare has quite a sensitive poll area so I spent £150 on an anatomically shaped, soft leather bridle.
Bits - finding one she liked was a nightmare so £50 for bit person and same again for the bit.
Girth - £100
Rugs - £200
Vetting - £250
Physio - £40
EDT - £50
Transport - think something like £150
Livery deposit - £200
Lessons - a lot

There was a lot more but that's just the basic stuff.

It's hard to budget when you don't know exactly what horse you are getting. I go for a type - natives (connies) so I know any future connie I get will also have an AH saddle (what I have now) so I know I'll be paying £1,700 a time. But if you have an "easier to fit" back then you probably can get away with picking up a Kent & Masters/Albion etc for £350ish second hand.

I can not see these as normal tack expenditure, I have had a variety of equines over the years, even the very oddly shaped TB, I managed to find good quality second hand tack for. How many posts are there on here where they have bought a new saddle or had a saddle fitted and the saddle causes problems, or the horse changes shape. As 20% of the new sale price is VAT, as soon as it leaves the retailer it loses that in its resale value, at least.
I have brushes so of which I hate to say it are over 50 years old, from the very expensive leather backed, to cheap ones that cost very little at the time, and as you clean and dry them properly they last forever. I have a plastic blue curry comb, that's thirty years old, and lots of now vintage odds and ends that I was given. The quality of older equipment is often better than new, it's possible to buy a top make bridle with bits for £50. I bought a CWD bridle that retail at over £200 complete with reins, unused for £70.
Every time I see a bit that may be of use or is interesting, I buy them often for less than £10. These often give a starting point of fit, and suitability, even if I end up using something else
Old pony has recently acquired a young friend to ride him, as I have no hi viz to fit him, and did not want to spend £20 on hi viz sheet that would probably drown him, I bought a hi viz vest from Screwfix for £3.99, there is enough material in it to make a quarter sheet and leg wraps.
At one point as a family we were riding and competing up to six horses and ponies, from 12-16hands, and a mixture of types, if I had been paying large amounts for equipment that just would not have been possible.

 

[exracehorse]

1. Empty your bank account
2. Max out a credit card
3. Take all this money and burn it

The end.....

and drink
Loads of booze for the stress

 

[HollyWoozle]

I think it's really good to be prepared and to have assumed additional costs, absolutely, but equally it also comes down to how you keep your horse and what they turn out to be like. Like @southerncomfort said, horses can be kept on a smaller budget without scrimping on essential care and maintenance.

My horse is now retired and has always lived out at home, which of course takes out the biggest routine cost of livery and also anything to do with mucking out, but I never spent loads on equipment either. Not all horses need rugs, boots, hard feed etc.* and if you're savvy you can pick up lots of secondhand gear at fantastic prices. Things like buckets, grooming kits and so on can be sourced very cheaply. We have a very good first aid kit but we very rarely have to use any of it, maybe we have just been lucky, and we don't use much in the way of lotions and potions and none of ours are worse the wear for it.

I think it's quite possible to start out with the basic equipment on all fronts and then you can replace things for newer/improved versions as time goes by, if you need to, or you can ask for things for birthdays, Christmas and so on if you want to upgrade something. As long as everything fits, is safe and functional then it doesn't matter if you have a secondhand bridle or an ancient brush.

*Just as a side note you obviously shouldn't assume that your horse WON'T need these things either, so it's good to budget them in, but I think it's also fine not to terrify yourself totally and imagine that you need to shell out hundreds and hundreds on rugs and so on.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I can not see these as normal tack expenditure, I have had a variety of equines over the years, even the very oddly shaped TB, I managed to find good quality second hand tack for. How many posts are there on here where they have bought a new saddle or had a saddle fitted and the saddle causes problems, or the horse changes shape. As 20% of the new sale price is VAT, as soon as it leaves the retailer it loses that in its resale value, at least.

I didn’t say they were normal prices, just giving my experience of what I had paid as someone who a few years had gone through what op is hoping to do and bought everything for the first time. As I said the saddle that fit the best for me was an AH saddle which rarely comes up second hand so that is what I had to pay but budgeting for tack is hard when you don’t know what type of horse you’ll end up with yet.

 

[Lady2021]

It’s really depends I was able to get everything including the horse for 3500 . I only bought a medium rug most horses don’t heavyweight rug . You can get a cheap grooming kit and second hand saddle for cheap.

 

[Wishfilly]

Budget for at least one failed vetting, plus getting the horse transported to you (unless you know someone who will do this for you for free!).

Now is a better time to buy as you'll need to spend less on rugs initially.

I've bought since October for my pony:
2x Medium weight rugs (one with a liner system)- £150ish each.
1 x rainsheet- £50 on sale
2 x stable rugs - £30 each
1 x heavy weight- bought off a friend at the yard for £10 as it was old and no longer fits her horse.

3 x numnahs- £20ish each (one clean, one to wash, one drying).
Hi viz- £60 in total
Stirrup leathers and stirrups- £50
Spare girth- £30
Breast plate- £40
Bridle- £70 + £15 for bit.

Yard tools etc probably about £100 in total + about £30 on storage for the yard (feed bins etc).
£15 on buckets
£70ish on electric tape and poles to section the field.
£20 on some chains for his field gates.

£50 on basic first aid kit.

£20 change of ownership on the passport.

He came with a saddle and a fly rug, which was useful, and then I already had a head collar and basic grooming kit lying around. I haven't bought all of this in one go, and there have probably been loads of other bits and pieces that I've bought or picked up from people. I think having at least £1000 available to get you started is essential.

This obviously doesn't cover any day to day costs of things like feed, bedding, livery, just stuff that's fairly "one off" to purchase. But to get you started with all of that you are probably looking at at least another £200, if not more.

It's worth bearing in mind that most insurance won't cover you straight away, so you also need some spare cash should you need the vet quickly.

It's also worth considering how horse hunting itself can be quite costly- I reckon I spent about £1000 on failed vetting + petrol + overnight stays when horse hunting.

In terms of price for your horse I would have thought £6000ish should get you what you are looking for.

When I started horse hunting, I had £10k set aside for initial costs etc including purchase price, and I have gone through a fair chunk of that.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

As well as vetting you’ll need to factor in transport costs.

If you are on full livery they should have a well stocked first aid kit so check that out and just buy a few things, hibiscrub, cotton wool, a little tub for mixing antiseptic wash, maybe a couple of vet wrap and some animalintex. You can replace any used by the yard and build up from there. You also don’t really need any tools.

Once purchased essentials would be:
- saddle fitter even if the horse comes with a saddle. With that is also cost of new or replacement saddle and paraphernalia if needed.
-dentist to ensure the horse is comfortable in the mouth.
-Vaccinations if no record or required soon.
Possibly micro-chipping too.
- insurance

Pretty much everything else can be bought as and when. It’s not worth spending on the absolute best and expensive because for a start you don’t even know it’s going to work out at the beginning. If two months down the line it’s not working out you’ve not wasted a lot more money.

My last horse came with a jumping saddle and a manky old bridle but saddle definitely didn’t fit so ASAP I sorted that out. I used a Lavinia Mitchell fitter but I was able to get an ex-demo model for £800 instead of the usual £1450 new. I bought a Fairfax anatomical girth second hand for £100 (£240 new) off a livery friend. Both are lovely quality but I’ve not paid full price.

A month or two later I found on sale for £80 a Stubben bridle instead of normal £170 rrp. I only bought two rugs and not straight away. A no fill and a 200g turn out. Mid range cost Rhinos. I’ve since replaced those with a Rambo Duo as they were a bit too small and he’s now definitely a keeper so I don’t mind investing.

I bought 3 stable rugs off a fellow livery in January - a 100g Amigo, a 200g Weatherbeeta and a Masta under rug for a total of £60 which I thought was a very good bargain. My old stable rug of 20yrs had disintegrated.

I’ve gradually replaced bits and bobs as and when it’s been necessary with good quality items. For example new Amerigo leathers and some Henry James bio-grip reins.

 

[windand rain]

To be honest its better to spend money and get the best horse you can you need very little equipment for at least a month a dandy brush, hoof pick, headcollar if it doesnt come with one and if on full livery not much else. You will need a saddle and bridle during the first few weeks but they are easily bought. Wormer will likely be insisted upon as will vaccination but it should be in quarantine for a couple of weeks anyway

 

[ArklePig]

Hi everyone, I've only really had time to skim these until now. Thank you all so much as usual for taking the time to give detailed responses

There was a couple of things I hadn't factored in, such as failed vetting and transport etc.

I'm deffo okay with second hand where possible and I'd rather put the money into making sure my horse is healthy and happy so deffo the money on a correctly fitted saddle, initial dentist, physio and vax etc are the top of my priority list. - and yes to emergency cash if it needs the vet in the early days before insurance kicks in. Stage 5 vetting is also non negotiable so I guess I need to be prepared for some fails. Also I have no horsey friends (it's why I'm such a torture on this site!) so deffo need to factor transport.

If it has any colour or style preferences for the likes of rugs and saddle pads though he may get over his sense of embarrassment quite quickly. ?

I'm a little overwhelmed right now, it's doable, but looking at it in black and white quite frankly makes me want to lie down in a dark room for a bit.

And yes, sadly I'm after the horse everyone wants-I know a true first horse safe but not a plod is gonna cost me.

As an aside can I interest anyone in a kidney?

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Hi everyone, I've only really had time to skim these until now. Thank you all so much as usual for taking the time to give detailed responses

There was a couple of things I hadn't factored in, such as failed vetting and transport etc.

I'm deffo okay with second hand where possible and I'd rather put the money into making sure my horse is healthy and happy so deffo the money on a correctly fitted saddle, initial dentist, physio and vax etc are the top of my priority list. - and yes to emergency cash if it needs the vet in the early days before insurance kicks in. Stage 5 vetting is also non negotiable so I guess I need to be prepared for some fails. Also I have no horsey friends (it's why I'm such a torture on this site!) so deffo need to factor transport.

If it has any colour or style preferences for the likes of rugs and saddle pads though he may get over his sense of embarrassment quite quickly. ?

I'm a little overwhelmed right now, it's doable, but looking at it in black and white quite frankly makes me want to lie down in a dark room for a bit.

And yes, sadly I'm after the horse everyone wants-I know a true first horse safe but not a plod is gonna cost me.

As an aside can I interest anyone in a kidney?

I actually think it looks worse written down than it is in real life.

You currently have a horse on loan right? Well just jot down everything you use on a usual day next time you go to the yard. There will be loads of stuff that the owner has that you don't use daily and first aid kit aside it's probably all stuff that doesn't matter if you don't have it there and then. You can just pick it up next time you're at the tack/feed shop.

There are often people that have sold/lost a horse that are getting rid of loads of stuff on fb so that can be useful to pick up the random bits and bobs like stable chains, feed bowls, feed scoops etc.

Also the failed vettings is a really good point. I did 3 vettings and got 1 horse.

Also there are things you can buy cheap to get you started, things like reins, saddle pads, stirrups etc. I had basic ones to begin with whilst i splashed out on the expensive stuff like saddle fitter etc then when all that died down and I got into a routine with my horse I then splashed out on nice pretty numnahs and fancy stirrups etc.

It's exciting! Don't let it get overwhelming.

 

[EventingMum]

Lots of good advice, be prepared to spend hours scouring the internet for bargains initially, it's surprising what you can find second hand if you aren't too fussy on brand or colour scheme. Things not to scrimp on are the vetting, a saddle fitting and subsequently a safe, well-fitting saddle. Rugs and saddle cloths can often be bought second hand. Bits can also be expensive if the horse has a preference for a particular type. If buying privately there may be an opportunity to buy tack and rugs from the seller if they don't need them for another horse but I would still get the fit of the saddle checked. Once you know what rugs the horse requires it's often possible to buy rugs at the end of the season for a reduced price ready for the next year. One thing your friends and family will never be short of ideas for Christmas and Birthday presents once you get a horse!