Can I afford a horse on part livery?

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Nickyhorse89

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Hi guys

I know this has been done so many times but am looking to buy a horse really soon and have been looking at my finances. I can afford to spend about £500-600 a month for everything:

  • livery
  • bedding
  • feed
  • haylage
  • shoeing
  • vacs
  • insurance

am I missing anything else? Probably have extra to set aside for a rainy day or replace any items but prices vary so much I'm in a panic that when I buy my horse I won't be able to afford to upkeep. I want to be 100% certain before taking the plunge, I'm in the north west so anyone else in the north west have a similar budget?

I'll need my horse bringing in and turning out in case I can't get there before/after work and given its food in the morning. I don't mind doing nets, mucking out, picking feet etc. so wouldn't need a full livery. Plus it means I can spend extra time with my horse (even if it is picking up its poop).

Thanks :)
 
IMO thats plenty. I spend that on average for full livery, shoes, worming, vaccs, insurance (make sure you get insurance!) and competing/lessons. Of course it all depends where you are and some months will be more pricey than others, so just maybe have an extra month or two's worth of the above saved for so you can buy things like rugs, repair tack, pay the excess for the vet etc.

Insurance incl vet fees will be the best investment you make, even if you never use it. For peace of mind. My personal opinion anyway. Mine is £50 a month including my horsebox and tack, I think it was £35 ex. box and tack.
 
I'm in the expensive commuter belt and spend the following:

Livery - £49.50 a week horse fed and turned out every day, poo picking done, holding for the farrier etc, and 2 full livery days. Extra ful livery days at £5 a day
Hay - 75p a day for 5kgs, bought from the yard
Bedding - £6 a week for on average 1.5 bags of pellets
Feed - minimal, probably £2 a month
Supplement - basic mineral balancer £10 a month
Feet - £20 every 6 weeks
Wormers/counts - About £10 a month on average
Insurance - vets fees only really plus 3rd party £25 a month

Hes cheap to keep as hes a good doer and unshod. I keep his insurance down by having a low value and a higher excess. I do spend a bit more than that if you factor in back/teeth/saddle checks and replacement/new stuff. But I budget £300 on actual every month costs that go in the horse account, and the others come out of my spending money. That way if we have a bad month and he needs he back person or a new rug etc, I cut back on general spending. You should be fine with your budget :)
 
Nickyhorse89 said:
thanks guys. I'm just panicking. Been waiting 15 years to get a horse and so close now I want to be as prepared as possible!

:)
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I was the same. I, perhaps foolishly, managed to buy a horse and a house in the same week and I did the maths over and over again to make sure I could afford him!

I'm still a bit nervous now but I've budgeted and budgeted so it should all be fine I hope!

I also got a credit card for emergencies, never had one before but it's preferable to going into the overdraft that I don't have!
 
Welcome to the skint club! You will make it work :)

Don't forget the dentist, back person and saddler. Prevention is better than a cure...

Oh and lessons

And someone to exercise the horse if you can't ride - here's hoping you find one that doesn't need riding every day. A good question to ask the seller too...
 
Nickyhorse89 said:
Good idea thanks, I'm in Merseyside. If anyone else has horse around this area what's your budget like on part livery? Thanks
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I'm Warrington so just down the road :) I currently have two but will soon be back down to one, hopefully! Here's what I'll be paying for one -

Livery p/w - £20
Turn out p/w - £5
Bedding p/w - £7
Hay approx p/w - £8
Insurance p/m - £25
Farrier p/m - £10 (pony is barefoot)
Wormer approx p/m - £10

For the 'essentials' it's around £220 a month then lessons @ £25, physio/back man/dentist/saddler etc as required, replacement tack, rugs, first aid supplies and what not. If you're budgeting £500-£600 per month, you'll be absolutely fine! Have fun horse hunting :)
 
Araboo27 said:
I'm Warrington so just down the road :) I currently have two but will soon be back down to one, hopefully! Here's what I'll be paying for one -

Livery p/w - £20
Turn out p/w - £5
Bedding p/w - £7
Hay approx p/w - £8
Insurance p/m - £25
Farrier p/m - £10 (pony is barefoot)
Wormer approx p/m - £10

For the 'essentials' it's around £220 a month then lessons @ £25, physio/back man/dentist/saddler etc as required, replacement tack, rugs, first aid supplies and what not. If you're budgeting £500-£600 per month, you'll be absolutely fine! Have fun horse hunting :)
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Thanks for this Araboo27, that's really helpful. Don't feel as panicked now haha
 
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