Firewell
Well-Known Member
I think sharing for now is a great idea 
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Can anyone actually afford their own horse?
- Thread starter hobnob
- Start date
Firewell
Well-Known Member
I'm like SummerStars, I enjoy buying clothes and spa days far too much to spend everything on my horse .
.FairyLights
Well-Known Member
I don't blame you for wanting a life outside horses! Good on you for wanting to spend time with friends and OH, I would too - I think it's essential really, and horsey women's OH's seem to put up with a lot
Unless your OH is horsey too. Mine always mucks out a the weekends so I can have a lie-in[ and he works full time whereas I am a full time housewife. I love my OH.
hobnob
Well-Known Member
kc100
Well-Known Member
I'm 25 and have a well paid full time job, but because I rent my own house with my boyfriend and have a car, plus a small amount of debt from uni I cant afford to buy a horse, even though I've wanted my own for 18 years!
I think unless you live at home, have a native type, or have a very well paid job (and well paid partner!) then no, you cant afford it.
I am fortunate enough to share a fantastic horse, I pay £120 per month and get him 4 days a week, I can compete him and fuss over him as much as I want, just like if he were my own. Sharing is ideal if you cant afford a horse but want more than riding lessons. Equally if you are struggling to afford your own horse then getting a sharer to help out financially makes a difference, but still doesnt help if you get hit with a huge vets bill!
There are ways of making horse ownership cheaper, like buying a native, not shoeing the horse, having the horse live out 24/7, working at the yard in exchange for livery etc. But as I said, big vets bills can happen with any horse so they are always going to be a costly hobby.
I think unless you live at home, have a native type, or have a very well paid job (and well paid partner!) then no, you cant afford it.
I am fortunate enough to share a fantastic horse, I pay £120 per month and get him 4 days a week, I can compete him and fuss over him as much as I want, just like if he were my own. Sharing is ideal if you cant afford a horse but want more than riding lessons. Equally if you are struggling to afford your own horse then getting a sharer to help out financially makes a difference, but still doesnt help if you get hit with a huge vets bill!
There are ways of making horse ownership cheaper, like buying a native, not shoeing the horse, having the horse live out 24/7, working at the yard in exchange for livery etc. But as I said, big vets bills can happen with any horse so they are always going to be a costly hobby.
Aztecflyer
Member
Having owned my horse for 8 years i finally took on the responsibility to pay and look after him when i turned 18 back in 2009. that was paying for livery, hay, feed, shoes, and the up keep of my horse box. i started working full time at 18 and training to be an accountant. and to this day i have done every morning before work and every evening (bar a few, really nice livery's) i pay my rent to my parents my car insurance my phone bill all myself. it is a struggle as i like to buy things and go out but i would not be with out my horse! forward planning ad forward thinking is a massive part of financing him!
Don't give up! I didnt!
Don't give up! I didnt!
*Maddy&Occhi*
Well-Known Member
I'm 19, work in london and have my own horse. I earn a good wage so am able to afford a horse and to have her on full livery which is obviously more expensive, but gives me more time to spend grooming/riding etc.
On a monthly basis I pay:
£370 full livery (5 day full liv and weekends is total DIY)
£45- Insurance
£25 every 6 weeks for trim
£100- paying off vet bill from previous horse
There are always extra costs on top of this like saddler, dentist, jabs etc (obviously these aren't montly bills but need to be taken into account and budgeted)
I think it all depends on the horse really- some are more costly to run than othes- my current mare is a good doer, barefoot and quite cheap to run, whereas my previous mare was very expensive to keep going- full set of shoes with pads (£90 ever 6 weeks), suppliments (£20-£30 per month), extra hay (£20 per month), extra bedding (£20-£30 per month), Regular physio (£60 a go)- she was always ill too so for as long as I can remember i've been paying off my vets bills at a monthly cost of £100 (I only had her 1 year and 2 years later I'm still paying it off)
Also you need to take into account what kind of yard you would like to be stabled at, e.g. a good yard with good facilities is always going to be more expensive than a yard with not so good facilities. DIY is also cheaper than say part/full liv, but then there is more time that involves with doing this, and for some people it's just not do-able with long hour jobs etc.
On a monthly basis I pay:
£370 full livery (5 day full liv and weekends is total DIY)
£45- Insurance
£25 every 6 weeks for trim
£100- paying off vet bill from previous horse
There are always extra costs on top of this like saddler, dentist, jabs etc (obviously these aren't montly bills but need to be taken into account and budgeted)
I think it all depends on the horse really- some are more costly to run than othes- my current mare is a good doer, barefoot and quite cheap to run, whereas my previous mare was very expensive to keep going- full set of shoes with pads (£90 ever 6 weeks), suppliments (£20-£30 per month), extra hay (£20 per month), extra bedding (£20-£30 per month), Regular physio (£60 a go)- she was always ill too so for as long as I can remember i've been paying off my vets bills at a monthly cost of £100 (I only had her 1 year and 2 years later I'm still paying it off
)Also you need to take into account what kind of yard you would like to be stabled at, e.g. a good yard with good facilities is always going to be more expensive than a yard with not so good facilities. DIY is also cheaper than say part/full liv, but then there is more time that involves with doing this, and for some people it's just not do-able with long hour jobs etc.
Burmilla
Well-Known Member
The bottom line is that horses just aren't cheap to keep!
There are ways to do it more cheaply though, I think there was a book out years ago for people who kept horses on a shoestring.
Keeping a hardy native type that goes unshod easily and rarely needs pampering/expensive feeds is a sensible way to keep costs down, especially if you can rent/own your own land. Then you can spend money on them if you want to rather than when you need to as regards rugs etc.
I'm sure if you are determined enough you will own your own horse.
The book you mention may have been my bedside companion in the 1950's! R.S. Summerhayes' "Riding on a Small Income"!
Major Summerhayes recommended getting the cheapest smallest native breed that could carry you soundly and safely. Not to bother too much with "fashion" - he recommended Land Army girl breeches and ex-Army knee socks, with 'stout leather farm boots, treated with Dubbin'. You get the drift!
These days, all spare cash goes on horse - in fact he's the reason I'm still working! And he's worth every penny.
GinaGeo
Well-Known Member
I'm eighteen and work all the hours I get offfered to pay for my horses- am picking up three more hours a week come January which will help. I'm lukcy enough to have myself and my horses at home - rent free - great parents!
We've got three in total, two are technically my mother's, one of which is retired and I ride mine and school and compete the one of her's which is in work (she's only interested in hacking him but still wants him to reach his full potential and feels that he's wasted if she's the only one that rides him) I've done all the work with him as we bought him unbacked so it's saved her sending him away to be backed.
Our arrangement is simple, she pays for hay, summer worm counts, her horse's comp fees and all towing diesel. Whilst I pay for hard feed, wormers, lessons (which I have on her horse as part of his education) my hunting cap on my horse, plus my horse's comp fee's, my horse is the only one that's shod, but I pay for this as well as her horses' trims. We don't insure them anymore, but instead we both pay into an account monthly - my mother pays more than me into it.
I also buy the tack I need, insure my car myself and only have a cheap Pay as you Go Phone which I only replace when it dies! I also do most the family cooking. And of course we share the mucking out although she works more hours than me so I do more of that than her
When all is taken into account we pay pretty similar - but I couldn't do it without her help. Although, I reckon I could run one ny myself, on basic livery it would be tight though. I don't spend money on clothes, make up etc now.
We've got three in total, two are technically my mother's, one of which is retired and I ride mine and school and compete the one of her's which is in work (she's only interested in hacking him but still wants him to reach his full potential and feels that he's wasted if she's the only one that rides him) I've done all the work with him as we bought him unbacked so it's saved her sending him away to be backed.
Our arrangement is simple, she pays for hay, summer worm counts, her horse's comp fees and all towing diesel. Whilst I pay for hard feed, wormers, lessons (which I have on her horse as part of his education) my hunting cap on my horse, plus my horse's comp fee's, my horse is the only one that's shod, but I pay for this as well as her horses' trims. We don't insure them anymore, but instead we both pay into an account monthly - my mother pays more than me into it.
I also buy the tack I need, insure my car myself and only have a cheap Pay as you Go Phone which I only replace when it dies! I also do most the family cooking. And of course we share the mucking out although she works more hours than me so I do more of that than her
When all is taken into account we pay pretty similar - but I couldn't do it without her help. Although, I reckon I could run one ny myself, on basic livery it would be tight though. I don't spend money on clothes, make up etc now.
travelmad
Well-Known Member
i think some people spend way too much or buy unnecessary things - but its their cash so of course if thats how they want to spend it and it makes them happy they should!
I keep mine in such a way that i put about 10-15% of my salary towards them each month, OH does the same, and for that we can cover grass livery, feed, hay, annual vaccines, wormers, shoes and save a little each month towards big vet bills or surprise costs. Then for insurance, new tack or competing i pay from my own savings - if i cant afford to compete then i dont.
I bought most of my tack second hand as that was what i could afford when i first got the horse, and slowly and building up to buy new stuff and sell this - i dont understand when i hear someone buying a new saddle for £1000, but then I think I'm a bit too sensible and someday it would be nice to splash out on something
i dont think i could afford my horses to be on full livery and they dont need to be - i bought them knowing how i wanted to keep them (grass liveries, front shoes only), and for me it would not be sustainable to keep them if they were costing 30% or more of my salary as I couldnt afford transport/ rent/ a life outside horses!!
I think its good to go into buying a horse having a cut off point of what they will cost you if you can.
I can afford mine when they are being good and not off getting injured, although the TB is very expensive to feed!
I keep mine in such a way that i put about 10-15% of my salary towards them each month, OH does the same, and for that we can cover grass livery, feed, hay, annual vaccines, wormers, shoes and save a little each month towards big vet bills or surprise costs. Then for insurance, new tack or competing i pay from my own savings - if i cant afford to compete then i dont.
I bought most of my tack second hand as that was what i could afford when i first got the horse, and slowly and building up to buy new stuff and sell this - i dont understand when i hear someone buying a new saddle for £1000, but then I think I'm a bit too sensible and someday it would be nice to splash out on something
i dont think i could afford my horses to be on full livery and they dont need to be - i bought them knowing how i wanted to keep them (grass liveries, front shoes only), and for me it would not be sustainable to keep them if they were costing 30% or more of my salary as I couldnt afford transport/ rent/ a life outside horses!!
I think its good to go into buying a horse having a cut off point of what they will cost you if you can.
I can afford mine when they are being good and not off getting injured, although the TB is very expensive to feed!
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mandwhy
Well-Known Member
I think for a lot of people the big cost is being on a livery yard, my field is about 40 a month compared to 100+ for DIY, and because she lives out she doesn't need bedding, the grass is good so obviously has forage on tap therefore I don't have to buy much hay. She is a good doer so the food she has is pretty much negligible and lasts ages! She has one LW rug which she so far hates wearing. The main costs for me are the field, shoes which work out 20-30 a month, and insurance at 20 a month, then the annual things I tend to just fit in as and when they are needed as wouldn't be more than buying myself clothes etc which I would have done loads before!
Before, I would regulary spend 100 a month on clothes, and easily another 100 on going out drinking which I don't really do much these days!
It all comes down to whether owning a horse is a priority for you
Before, I would regulary spend 100 a month on clothes, and easily another 100 on going out drinking which I don't really do much these days!
It all comes down to whether owning a horse is a priority for you
Amo
Well-Known Member
I think the main thing to think about in regards to horse ownership is can you afford them in the bad times not the good, unfortunately when things go wrong they normally cost a lot.
I have had my boy for just over 18 months and in that time he has cost me well over £6k in vets bills alone and still counting as we have had one thing after another, probably half paid by the insurance half not. It is pure bad luck on our part as I knew and rode him for 2 1/2 years before I actually brought him and he was fine in that time. Luckily before I brought him I made sure I had a decent amount in savings to cover for the what ifs, if I hadn't then I wouldn't be able to afford him in all honesty and it would kill me to be without him. Next year is going to be even harder as he is pretty much uninsurable now :-(
I now go without loads, no holidays, very few nights out but to be honest you get so much enjoyment from just being with them I wouldn't change a thing (bar winning the lottery) I have no children and lets be honest for those of us that are childless they do take the place.
I have had my boy for just over 18 months and in that time he has cost me well over £6k in vets bills alone and still counting as we have had one thing after another, probably half paid by the insurance half not. It is pure bad luck on our part as I knew and rode him for 2 1/2 years before I actually brought him and he was fine in that time. Luckily before I brought him I made sure I had a decent amount in savings to cover for the what ifs, if I hadn't then I wouldn't be able to afford him in all honesty and it would kill me to be without him. Next year is going to be even harder as he is pretty much uninsurable now :-(
I now go without loads, no holidays, very few nights out but to be honest you get so much enjoyment from just being with them I wouldn't change a thing (bar winning the lottery) I have no children and lets be honest for those of us that are childless they do take the place.
windand rain
Well-Known Member
Mine cost on average over the year £20 a week each they are all natives are all out 24/7. This doesnt include vet insurance I have a slush fund for that.
To see if you can afford it I would save a minimum of 300 a month into a savings account to build up a fund to purchase and to cover eventualities if you can reliably do that then you can afford a horse provided of course you d keep to the minimums
I dont have holidays, smoke or drink I do go out for meals and to the cinema from time to time I am too old to want to go clubbing
If you smoke 20 ciggies a day you are able quickly to save at least £5 a day anyway so that is half your slush fund by giving up smoking
It very easy to spend a fortune on horses, rugs, supplements and fancy bling that are not necessary but are fun. Simple life is much cheaper
To see if you can afford it I would save a minimum of 300 a month into a savings account to build up a fund to purchase and to cover eventualities if you can reliably do that then you can afford a horse provided of course you d keep to the minimums
I dont have holidays, smoke or drink I do go out for meals and to the cinema from time to time I am too old to want to go clubbing
If you smoke 20 ciggies a day you are able quickly to save at least £5 a day anyway so that is half your slush fund by giving up smoking
It very easy to spend a fortune on horses, rugs, supplements and fancy bling that are not necessary but are fun. Simple life is much cheaper