Calculating horse affordability

[spookypony]

I budget £100/month for grass livery (inc. hay and poo picking) + hooves. Add to that insurance and wormers and carrots and leadropes (he goes through them like I go through chocolate), and I total about £150/month on pony upkeep. I also spend about £100/month on lessons, and about £65 on entry fees.

So in total, the minimum I could spend would be about £150/month. Since I've had to buy most things from scratch this year (previous to the pony, I had 1 pair of jodhs, 1 pair of boots, gloves, hat, and schooling whip), I estimate I've spent ca. £400/month this year. Hopefully, that will decrease, now that we're both kitted out!

 

[pookie]

Thanks again for all the replies everyone! Sorry if it seemed like I was ignoring the thread - I've been "resting" (read: "lying on the sofa swigging Gaviscon like a filthy old wino")

The difference between what people spend each month is quite surprising. I know I'm hardly living in the cheapest part of the country though and I don't expect things to get much cheaper round here. One of the problems (minor though it is) is that there's a certain part of me that questions things that seem too cheap - e.g. part livery around here seems to start at about £95/wk, but I found one today at £45/wk.

I'd certainly never scrimp on insurance. When one of my dogs bust his cruciate ligament a couple of years ago the vet bill came to around £2250 by the end of treatment. Too scary to think about not having insurance!

Can I ask how people on grass livery cope with the threat of theft? I think it's pretty much the only thing that would put me off and make me go part livery.

The biggest problem with doing all this research now is that if I find out we can happily afford it, there's b*gger all I can do about it until a) I've had this baby and b) moved house! Grrrrr.

There's just no pleasing me, is there?