Can I afford to finally have a horse

[Edith90]

Hello,
I'm after some advice as finally after being a horse mad child and teenager I am finally able to consider the life long dream of having my own horse.

I'm 27 years old with a job that pays an average wage. I rent a house with my other half and have a dog.

I have had many years away from riding as gave up my job at a riding school and the horse I loaned through them to go to uni. In the time I was at uni the yard I loved closed down and "my" horse was retired to a sanctuary as his tendons had had enough and his cataracts were blinding him As far as I'm aware he is still going strong living out his days in a feild with other partially sighted horses in Norfolk at the Hillside animal sanctuary.

Anyhoo... Iv recently started having lessons and although I'm rusty I'm staying on and cantering without stirrups and remembering more than I thought I would! It has however reignited that love and dream of having my own and I kind of feel its now or never!

I don't have children I have a secure job and a long leese on my house but I'm sure finding something else in the area will be possible if we do move.

But I'm getting cold feet.

Can I really afford it?

What do people pay a month for a horses upkeep?!

I'm thinking of loaning or ideally sharing but finding the right set up for a share situation is like gold dust (I'm in Bar Hill in Cambridge if anyone knows someone!)

Obviously loaning comes with all the cost of buying just without the initial cost of buying but it can be taken away at anytime and you are restricted by the owners demands but at least it's a starting point. (advice on this appriciated).

As I kind of feel if I do it I want to be able to do things my way to keep costs down and have freedom to do shows and beach rides ect.

Finally I know there is also a huge time commitment I don't have horsey family, my boyfriend is allergic in fact so it will all come down to me. I have a busy job as a veterinary nurse and work shifts sometimes 7am-3pm so would need help in the morning and sometimes 2-10pm so would need help in the evening plus many shifts in between! (8.30-4.30,9-5,10-6,12-8) So I have to be flexible. I have a 40 min drive on the A14 to work each way so time is precious

I also have a dog and a boyfriend and a house to clean and a car to run and a family to see ect ect is it possible to balance it all!!?

In everyones oppinion could I have my dream or should I stick to lessons and get my horse fix that way and just accept that somethings are not meant to be.

Sorry for the massively long message if you have come this far your input would be so appreciated.

 

[Rumtytum]

Nothing to offer Edith, others will give you lots of valuable advice, but I was interested in your post as a little while ago I was pondering the same. I absolutely adore my riding school horse and started tentative enquies re buying him. But after much thought, the same as you are thinking, I realised it wasn't feasible for me to own. I have the money but not the time. Turns out my RS wouldn't sell him which is a blessing as I know he'll be there for me, I spend as much time as possible with him, 2 x private lessons per week, (get to stables early and an hour grooming after), obviously want more and I miss him so much, but I've been realistic and know it's for the best.

 

[milliepops]

would strongly suggest that you try and find a share to start with, OP. Simply because of the worries you have around fitting it in with your job and home life. That would let you dip your toes in, in a manageable way. if you find yourself wishing you could have more time with the horse then you know you can fit it in all by yourself

Given your time pressures you probably need either to have a horse on assisted livery of some kind or get a freelance groom to support you. That will push the costs up compared to someone who can do all the care themselves.

I'm not familiar with yards in your area, I'm in Herefordshire on one of the cheapest yards and I do it all myself... but until someone local comes along,
here DIY livery is £100 pcm per horse,
I pay £12 per month lorry parking,
hay costs... well it will depend on how much people manage to make this year but I'd expect to pay about £40 per month in the winter as a minimum.
Shoes - £75 every 6 weeks would be cheap for many areas.
Bedding depends on what you go for, I'm currently paying about £24 per month for chopped rape straw partially deep littered on rubber mats. Will be more if we have another wet winter.
Feed - I feed cheap basics to my good doers and it amounts to about £20 - £30 per month or so depending on workload.
Insurance £40 - 50 per month.
then obviously the costs of worming/vaccination/teeth and other basic health stuff.
Holiday cover, if you plan to go away... I pay £10 per horse per day at the moment for any days I'm away for work.
Replacement tack/rugs and grooming consumables - limitless!

Jeez it adds up, no wonder i'm skint (I have 4 horses!! though 2 are retired) That's before you've paid for any lessons or shows etc. I make sacrifices everywhere else in my life to keep them, but it's definitely a lifestyle rather than a hobby and while it's normal to have a wobble when making any big commitment it would be awful for you to take a horse on and then regret it. Facebook, local tack shops, preloved etc are all good places to look for share horses being advertised

Not trying to put you off, there's nothing like spending time riding and enjoying your own horses, it's just wonderful. But you don't sound altogether convinced at the moment?

 

[whiteflower]

Definately sounds like a share would be a good place to start so you can get an idea of how much it impacts on your day to day life. Also it sounds like you would need part, or a good assisted DIY livery so may be worth seeing what the prices are in your area, maybe have a look at local Facebook pages.

 

[KittyH]

If you love it enough you'll make it work and if you don't it won't work. I'm a mum of 4, work part time and have been out eventing with 2 horses today. I have to fit the horses round my kids and job most of the time and occasionally those things fit around the horses. It's a mad lifestyle and I'm frequently (usually) on the go from 6am till 11pm. I can't really afford what I'm doing and have no social life and a wardrobe mainly consisting of eBay purchases. I do always make sure that the kids never go without. I absolutely love it and it's all worth it for me (although my husband might not agree...)
I'd see if you can find a LWVTB so it can go back if it's not for you, but you won't know if you don't try!

 

[FestiveFuzz]

Agree with KittyH, you can always find a way if you want it hard enough but as others have said, if you're teetering slightly a share might be a better place to start.

I'm super lucky to have a wonderful OH who happily helps out with the horse and plays groom/caller when I'm out and about, but still I feel like fitting everything in is a struggle some days and that's with my boy being on full livery. So I do think to a certain extent it helps to have an understanding partner/family who appreciates the horse is a full time commitment rather than just a hobby.

In terms of costs, it's a bit of a how long is a piece of string scenario. I'm in SE and keep my boy on full livery and try to get out twice a week, be it for arena hire, hacking or competing so all in I probably spend about £1000 a month 🙈 Equally I have friends who keep multiple horses on grass livery for about half that so it really does depend on how hands on you can be and how you plan to keep the horse.

 

[splashgirl45]

agree with others, try a share or loan first to see if you can manage time wise. i got my first horse when i was 22, i worked in london full time and had an hours commute each way and went straight to the stables after work and got changed there. i mucked out and rode every night and also worked at the yard 2 evenings and all day sunday to part fund my livery. if you really want a horse you will make time and find the money somehow. however my relationships suffered even though my OH was horsey we ended up growing apart because we only saw each other in passing, so be aware that this could happen ....i still have a horse but unfortunately not an OH anymore

 

[Surbie]

I was feeling the same as you about 'now or never' and have jumped straight in and gone for a loan on DIY. My partner also dislikes horses and is mildly allergic and I have no horsey family close by and minimal horsey friends.

I have an amended version of the BHS loan contract, which is pretty comprehensive and forces you and the owner to be clear about who pays for what. Mine also includes a break clause in case something goes wrong or circumstances change for either of us. No matter how well you get on, it is handy to have this written down from the outset in my opinion.

My costs sound very similar to milliepops, though DIY here is double the cost. The yard I am on is lovely, and offers a whole range of assistance, which is a godsend for when I can't get there to turn out etc. Holiday cover is something like £17/day where I am.

Given your commute and the shifts, could you find a yard close to where you work or en route?

If you are getting cold feet though, a share does sound more sensible. You can always progress to something more time-consuming once you've got the hang of it! Hope that helps. That's the rational side. But I tend to go with my heart and leap in!

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Hello

Well in a nut shell to give you an idea - I pay around £220 per month for DIY with extras (that's with staff bringing in for me in the morning in the summer as horse is out overnight - I turn out after riding myself in the evenings. Weekends I get the staff to bring in as I like a lie in as I'm up at 5.30am every weekday for work)

Hay is around £35 a round bale - I get through one every 3 weeks in the winter and 1 round bale every seven + weeks in the summer. Shavings are £7.40 a bale, around one every 6 days in winter and one every 14 days in summer. Straw is much cheaper.

Shoeing is £75 every five weeks. Fly spray in summer around £15 every 10 days so what you save in bedding/hay you spend on fly spray! Insurance used to be around £48 per month but not insured now. Supplements about £60 every six or seven weeks, feed very cheap £25 and lasts me probably 2 months.

Wardrobe, you can probably get away with a fly sheet, a couple of cheap turnouts - lightweight with a hood in always good, and one or two medium weight with a hood. Probably set you back £220 for the lot.

Its the vets bills that you need to watch out for. Even if you are insured the excess is usually £160 ish depending on who you are with, so unless the final bill for diagnostics medicine and rehab is likely to exceed £300 its probably not worth it as you would get an exclusion slapped on afterwards. Even if you take extra care with your horse they are often self harmers - some more than others, so probably worth saving for vets bills if you decide against insurance. If you do decide to go insurance less then at least go Gold membership with BHS as a minimum.

Each horse is different, and each yard are different in prices. Some horses require more care than others but all have the propensity to cause trouble!

OP you do shift work so you could probably find a DIY yard with extras (which are turn out/bring in, feed, net etc) for the times you can't get up yourself, but you need to check all this out before moving to a yard with any horse you might buy.

I really am not trying to put you off, horse ownership is brilliant, but you really do need a contingency fund. I hope if you do decide to take the plunge you have many happy years of horse ownership ahead! I think you would probably be better though, going for a part loan/share until you have more experience and can go through a winter and see what hard work and cost it all is. At least that you will give you a firm footing if you do decide to buy your own. Good luck x

 

[Theocat]

If your "I can afford it" means you have a budget of AT LEAST £400pcm, then yes, you can cope financially. If your budget is less than that, then no, realistically, you can't, especially as you will need to pay for services. You'll always hear about people who keep their horses for less than £200pcm, but they're invariably talking about livery alone - which is nothing like the true costs - or they have their own land, or never compete or have lessons.

I would start with a share and see how it will fit in to your life.

 

[Abi90]

My horse costs me all my money, every month. I don’t even know how! She has also pretty much cost me my soul!

But I wouldn’t change it for the world! Erm, on a serious note I budget for about £400 pcm to cover all the regular costs, livery, shoes, bedding, food, insurance and then I do actually save £300 a month at the minute. I might actually get to go on holiday!

 

[SpringArising]

Cost of my livery for the last four months:

March: £395
April: £353
May: £428
June: £545

This is for one horse on assisted DIY (I do everything but bring in and turn out). Price includes hay but bedding is extra and totted up at the end of the month.

Farrier is £25 every six weeks (barefoot). Worm twice a year which is £24. Teeth once a year which is £55. Throw in two saddle checks at £45 each. Vaccination £40 a year.

Those are your very basics. And then you have the unexpected vet bills, need for new tack, cover for when you go away, and all the rest of it!

Budget for what you'll actually need, and then add another £200-300 on top of that and you might just manage!

 

[concorde]

What weight and height are you ?
PM me if you prefer !

 

[Highflinger]

As others have suggested I would try for a share to start with. FB is a good place - there are usually local groups for horse riders - my local one ( surrey) has quite a few people looking for shares and also try your local riding clubs . I think you will find once you get to know a few horsey people there will be plenty of people looking to share.
Sharing would be an ideal way of keeping costs relatively low and give you a half way house timewise.

 

[AFB]

It's a difficult one to weigh up as you need to know how much time you can invest before you can do the maths financially - if you the time for DIY then it's considerably cheaper than needed full livery.

I keep my relatively cheaply - he's a native, only has front shoes through summer, DIY livery close to home and I spend £250 a month on average on the 'basics' (i.e. that doesn't include tack, rugs etc. that need replacing as and when). I'm based in the midlands - this will have an effect when you're comparing costs.

Sharing would be a great way to test the water, or even a loan - it will be an eye opener and help you make the decision without committing long term.

 

[{108361}]

Im in Cambridgeshire, join the horse groups on Facebook - loans and shares do come up. To be honest its not just the financial cost - if you're working full time it will be hard to fit in unless you have some good people to help you at the yard. I considered buying for a year before I got my first horse and shared in that period to be certain. It is a HUGE commitment!