Can I buy/keep a horse with a £28.5k salary in 2025?

Velvet turner said:
I earn a similar wage and manage to keep 2 horses (tb's) on an average of £585 per month including livery which is £300 for the pair.

I calculated how much i spend in a month mid winter and then calculated how much i spend in a month over summer (much less), i multiplied the winter cost by 6 and the same with the summer and added them together. I then divided the total amount by 12 to work out the 'average cost' per month. I got a seperate bank account for horse funds and transfer the 'average cost' (£285) i calculated every payday into that account. Everything i buy for the horses is done with that card and it means over summer i 'save up' to be able to bulk buy bedding etc which saves money. It also means i do not have a huge amount extra to pay in the winter as its already half paid for from summer.
Click to expand...
This is a great idea with separate bank card xx
 
I'm a single income household though in my younger days could get father's help if needed. I've never insured apart from bhs gold. Fortunately in 50 years apart from one sudden death of a youngster from colic, have never had any serious vet bills, nothing over £250, and only a couple of those. Worst thing was when mortgage rate shot up in the 80s taking over half my wages.
 
I wouldn’t have managed it in the SE, but it’s much more affordable where you are.

One thing to consider is the different “living standards” between you and your partner if you’re living together. He may want to go on more holidays, go out to eat once a week, go for a night out with friends etc. which you may not be able to afford to do because of the horse.

My husband never minded covering our dinners out etc. but I know that some may do so it’s something to consider!
 
Last edited:
I think that it is possible to own a horse when you have that salary, but you may have to be prepared to compromise. I have a field-kept barefoot native pony kept at DIY livery in an inexpensive part of the country and I don't compete but I hack a lot of miles (completed the 1000-mile Your Horse challenge last year ;-0) and that is probably well within your budget. But as Timbobs says, when you have a partner you can rarely treat your own salary as 100% yours to spend! Some lucky people even get subsidised by their partner but I imagine that most of us have to guard our "pony fund" with care :rolleyes:
 
Yes, with 600 per month and a livery under 300 its doable. You'll be spending less than the 600 so just put the leftover money as savings and always keep a few thousands of savings just in case.
I am assuming bedding and forage is included in your livery.

For the costs of professionals, you need to look locally because it can vary a lot.

Wormer 4 times a year, vaccination once or twice a year.
Farrier once a month,
Saddle fitter twice a year,
Hard feed it depends on the horse, but plenty of forage is the best way to keep a horse healthy, hard feed is usually included in part livery.

Tack costs are a one off.
 
Tarragon said:
I don't compete but I hack a lot of miles (completed the 1000-mile Your Horse challenge last year ;-0) and that is probably well within your budget.
Click to expand...
Small world - we've probably seen each other's photo's over the challenge! Well done for completing the full mileage👏
 
if you still want a horse in November then maybe …. it’s so much more attractive in Spring!
Why don’t you practice living on the restricted budget for few months and see how you feel … but I think it will be very limiting if you are young, it will be your whole life pretty much?
 
MuddyMonster said:
Small world - we've probably seen each other's photo's over the challenge! Well done for completing the full mileage👏
Click to expand...
It was only just achievable - I had a week to spare. It rather overtook me! I realise that I am more competitive that I thought and when I realised it was achievable, but only just, I got rather too focussed on getting those miles in, and all the other stuff took a back seat. 2025 is going to be the year for schooling, trailer loading practise and poles ;)
 
amelia_megan said:
28.5k is just my salary. My partner is on similar but he wouldn’t be contributing haha!
Click to expand...
Fair enough, but living in a dual income household getting £28.5k x 2 is a very different prospect to living in a single income household getting £28.5k x 1.

Much more doable as yours is not the only income, but I’d still build up a good financial buffer first.
 
I earn just under that salary and have the luxury of still living at home with the parents (no desire to move out - I'm a Hobbit at heart aha!), so my monthly outgoings are relatively low. My boys (retired 20 year old and 2 year old cost me roughly £430.00 per month (that includes livery (£230.00), bedding (£90.00) , haylage (£40.00) and feed (£65.00) ), so from my experience it is doable - however some important things to note are that :

1) I don't insure my lads - the 20 year old has nothing left to insure (the insurance companies actual words!) and the 2 year old is extremely careful and avoids anything that involves maiming with a passion. I do however have a credit card with a set limit for emergencies
2) I don't compete and when I do, we are talking entry fees are only £20 (I only tend to enter the 2 year old in shows for experience) and I can walk to the show ground and back
3) Lessons aren't really my kind of thing at the moment as I don't have a ridden horse but these can easily cost upwards of £40.00 plus
4) Every 6 to 8 weeks I have the barefoot farrier at £70.00 for them both
5) Worm counts every 3 months cost me about £30.00 for them both and then the wormers on top (if needed) come to about another £50 ish.
6) The massage therapist for both boys every 6 months costs £130.00 for the pair of them

I have happily given up a social life (I was never really a social butterfly anyway!), don't get my nails done, don't drink, don't party, don't often get my hair coloured (a rare treat for myself if I fancy a change but not a common one), I don't buy expensive luxury brands unless on a major sale, don't tend to buy new clothes until they're practically falling off me and generally every waking moment is spent with my doggies or the horses - so the horsey lifestyle can be quite a demanding one, but I had an awful time growing up in primary and secondary school (bullied to the point where I thought that life would be easier without me in it) , so the horses became my escape and I happily let them take my life over aha!

However - I do allow myself treats and some little luxuries here and there - for example - the boys have a massage coming up in the next few months that will cost me £130.00 for the pair of them - so that is their treat and my treat to myself is going to be adding some more trading cards to my collection (Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh) and maybe purchasing a game for my Steam Deck. I'm also incredibly lucky that I live at home so bar a small financial contribution to household bills, I pretty much have free rein over what I earn. I am a bit of a weirdo though and do regularly plan outgoings and act as if I have a lot more outgoings than I do, to make sure that I stay financially smart and able to step in at any time if needed to cover some extra bills/ unexpected bills.

I appreciate that my viewpoint is quite a lucky one but thought it was worth sharing anyway as I live on a similar salary to you :)
 
I think keeping a horse on £600 a month is do-able tbh as long as you know how you will pay for a sudden vet emergency or longer term treatment - either via insurance or savings. Competing on any regular basis would probably not be doable within the £600. If you want to transport your horse with a trailer and suitable vehicle that will add to both initial purchase and ongoing costs, but you may not need that. Training can be expensive but at least you can pick that up and put it down as needed. Competition day costs can be reasonable for some sports or totally eye watering if eventing! Things tend to go wrong together: horse and vehicle/boiler etc so it's really vital to have an emergency fund or clear strategy.

Horses usually end up being a way of life so it's really hard to quantify that financially but if your heart is set on it, good luck in every way!
 
I should probably put here that I had a horse (then two) on a tiny budget when I was a young adult. I compromised - small horse, unshod, grass livery, paid off car, second hand tack and rugs etc. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I made friends at yards I was on that have lasted a lifetime, I got lifts to shows or hacked there, I had a lesson once a month. Most importantly I got to enjoy my horse before kids and increasing work responsibilities cut into my time. That horse was my world and I had her for nearly 20 years.
 
I've routinely kept multiple horses for less than £600 pcm. It works better if you have money in the bank for emergencies and to give you options, but I've known people do it without (and their lives were a bit alarming from my perspective!). I spent more when I was competing, but a lot less when I was just hacking / playing games with ponies.

Horse expenses expand to meet the budget. The biggest risk on a tight budget is that you get stuck in the "attached to broken horse" cycle, where you can only afford one (or x number of horses) and it's broken, but you don't want to put it down because it's charming and happy in the field, yet still costs you the same to keep.
 
I currently have 3.
300 livery
105 every 6 weeks for trims
50 ish food
105 hay in winter. One bale per horse per month so 35 for one horse
560 ish a month for mine in the winter

I have vaccinations, dental, worm counts as extras. Plus competitions and lessons which I try to do once a month.
Mine live out so no bedding expenses.
I think you'd manage fine with your budget.
 
Tiddlypom said:
You will definitely need a substantial financial buffer before you buy even if the monthly running costs are comfortable.

‘Stuff’ happens, and it tends to happen at the most inopportune times.
Click to expand...

This. Looking at horse prices now in the market it’s scary. I know I’m going to have to do some saving myself whenever the time comes for me to buy another horse as my boy is in his mid 20s now. I can do the keeping it will be the buying I struggle with.
 
amelia_megan said:
Thats interesting. How often do you visit your horse/s?
Click to expand...
Don’t underestimate the amount of time it takes to care for a horse. Most people I know who can do it within your budget are full DIY, so that’s twice a day, every day and not just to ride. Obviously it depends on if they are living out or not, but mixing feeds, filling haynets and water, mucking out, poo picking etc all take time. Plus travel to & from the yard twice a day.
 
IrishMilo said:
I've literally never heard of this, and their books would be completely mismatched...
Click to expand...
i’ve not done it the way it was suggested, but when i’ve paid for things up front and later claimed the money back the vets were happy to leave my account in credit and take any excess etc out of that
 
absolutely doable, particularly if you find one that’s cheap to keep - issue is there is definitely always something with horses! i’ll share my costs below, but both of mine are natives and 1 costs me a lot more than the other!

Livery - £38 a week per horse, £10 a week for the horsebox to live there
Farrier - £60 every 6 weeks, £30 every 12
Bedding - £80 ish on shavings, £50 on straw
Feed - i put aside about £50 a month, 1 of them has a balancer at £30 and i keep the extra aside for when supplements/chaff/mash needs topping up
Insurance - i pay about £65 a month per horse, but that’s with policies that mean i pay 17% of each claim plus the excess
fecal egg counts - £6 per horse, every 8-12 weeks
£50 for a round bale of hay for 1 of them, this lasts me ages though - the other is on haylage included in the livery

saddle fitter every 6 months is £75 per horse

i think that’s everything i pay regularly, not including competing, training, and the horsebox!

they should both be cheap to keep, but 1 of them can’t be on straw as she eats the whole damn thing in a night, and she needs front shoes on now due to having thin soles and being sensitive over stones etc.

they don’t need to cost the earth to keep, but there is literally always something - you’ll think you’re having a good month, and then they’ll trash a rug, break the electric fencing, or empty their water bucket in the stable so you have to start the bed again! and then once you’ve paid for all that, you’ll realise that you’ve run out of fly spray, hoof oil and purple spray all at the same time🤣🤣
 
amelia_megan said:
Think this is my favourite response in this thread 😀
Click to expand...
Just do it.... recent events in life have made me realise that if you want something that much, get it, you don't know how long you have on this earth so at least spend time doing / owning something you love.

I've wanted a dressage saddle for months but kept putting it off because of the paying towards my wedding........but yesterday I thought sod it and so I ordered it!

If you cant have things to enjoy in life then what's the point!

You will make it work, if you need to sacrifice other things that aren't so important then you will. If you overthink things too much, you will never do anything!

Being Happy is the main goal in life!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top