Cost of horsekeeping - help!

[bikina]

I am looking to buy a horse and have found stables nearby which costs £20 per week D.I.Y. I just want to know your views on costings. There is no turnout so the horse will be stabled most of the day, and bedding will be needed. I have found large round bales of hay for £25 which I can get delivered - I think one should last 3-4 weeks, but obviously I will need hard feed. The type of riding I will be doing is (winter) 3 times a week, walk, trot and canter, (summer) every day for 1 hour, longer at weekends, with some long distance treks. There is quite a lot of roadwork in order to get to the bridleways near me so shoes will also be taken in to consideration - however I am keen to learn more about barefoot treatment, so if anyone knows anything on that I would be glad to hear it! Insurance is also something I need to look in to. Any help greatly appreciated! nb I live in London so if anyone out there lives in the same area and knows good farriers, vets, etc, let me know! Cheers!

 

[LauraBR]

Welcome to the forum!

My horse typically costs me £250- £350 a month to keep DIY although that doesn't include random vet bills or competition entries/lessons.

TBH I wouldn't consider keeping my horse somewhere with no turnout unless I was desperate or the horse required it for some reason and I probably wouldn't be looking at going barefoot if you plan to do lots of roadwork?

What are you looking to get... all sounds v exciting!

 

[Blackhawk]

I would try to budget about £400 per month, and probably expect to pay about £300 pm without competitions.

Echo what Izt said about turnout. Plus you'll be spending a lot on bedding and hay/haylage!

 

[jemima]

Also if you have any plans at all for going barefoot then you need to ensure that whatever you buy will cope with it. Both my mares are fine barefoot, one of the boys feet crack up and the other just gets terrribly terribly footsore. We've tried hard to work with both of them towards going barefoot but have had to give up - they just can't cope on the road or on stony ground.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

You need to think about this seriously. One horse + hard feed + no turnout, and then you are wanting to ride it. It doesnt sound asif you're really really experienced, could you cope with something so full of energy??

To give you an example, my kids have a little welsh x. ATM he isnt turned out as he's overweight. He gets walked daily, and no 'hard feed' (just a sprinkling of chaff for his supplement to go in), and he is a HANDFUL. In the dark winter it's hard to get out and ride,especially if you work. Try to get somewhere with turnout.

Costs wise, you'll be looking at livery costs, cost of equipment (about a grand), then feet trimming /shoeing...about 20 - 60 quid a time, worming...a tenner a time, feed depends on what you have, hay (I go through a bale or so a week of each), bedding, innoculations, dentistry, chiropractor, rugs (they always need new ones and they're pricey), vets visits, insurance.
Asking how much is really like 'how long is a piece of string'. It doesnt matter when or how you ride it, each horse is different. You might find a horse worth 500 quid and end up paying thousands to keep it, you might find something worth thousands and it live on fresh air and rarely see a vet.

 

[jules9671]

so much.... i have kept my boy in a livery yard which at the cheapest in the summer was 25 quid a week, up to 90 quid a week with no exercise, i now have him at home which because i work away from home will cost £100 pw to have a groom coming in to look after them, which i dont tell my husband about, this is the reason we have bought a house with land. in the long run it will still cost us a lot of money, but wheb they are healthy and happy it is worth it.

 

[Tufty]

I survived many years ago when I was a real novice on no turn out in the winter and it is difficult. You have to be very careful with the hard feed and plenty of exercise or free schooling and lunging to get the fizz out of them. if you manage it well you will be ok , competition horses have very little turn out but just be prepared to put in alot of tlc. I think that a realistic figure for keeping a horse on DIY is about £400 a month if you do it right

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

If you can afford to buy and run another motor car then you will probably be able to afford to keep a horse, £300-£400 per month (depending where you are in the country). Stable, hay, shavings, feed, shoes, wormers, additives insurance, vet bills, fuel travelling to yard.

Personally I would not keep a horse at a yard where there is no turnout. It's bad enough when a horse is put on box rest for an injury but when it's permantent box rest? With the horse being permanently in your shavings bill will be vastly higher than if the horse has turnout. Also being stables virtually 24/7 can encourage cribbing, weaving etc. Managing the feed intake will be crucial, you could end up with a hyper horse which would take alot of handling.

I'm not necessarily saying it's wrong being permanently stabled but you need to give serious consideration to all of this.

 

[barneyandem]

Where on earth did you find stables in/near london for £20 a week???

 

[barneyandem]

Oh and i do know a few good farriers and a good et but whereabouts in London are you?

 

[sevenoceans]

[ QUOTE ]
Where on earth did you find stables in/near london for £20 a week???

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto.... i am shocked as you are... Barneyandem

Get somewhere with turnouts... u would be grateful for that...

 

[Chex]

Chex costs about £200 a month in winter for everything - £30 a week DIY including all haylage and straw, he doesn't get much hard feed, £50 shoes every 8 weeks and £10 insurance a month.

I wouldn't go to a yard with no turnout though, thats just not fair on the horses to be stuck in 23 hours a day doing nothing, not to mention its doubling your bedding and hay costs.

 

[Petrie]

I don't think you will be able to cope with no turnout and only riding it 3 times a week in the winter.

Believe me, it just won't work, and it won't be pleasant for either you or your horse.

IMHO, horses which have to be kept in 27/7 need 2 hours hacking a day to keep sane, and hunting once or twice a week!

 

[H's mum]

If there is no turn out how come "the horse will be stabled most of the day" - if there's no turnout and the horse is only being ridden 3 times a week - what will he be doing for the other part of the day? Just a little confused with your wording - is there a menage he can go in to stretch his legs?

IMHO I think that it's not going to be the best situation for you or your horse - I feel that as a novice owner you'd be better on a yard where people were there to help you out - where a knowledgeable yard owner can help you out should you run into any problems - good luck!
Kate x

 

[Vicki1986]

My advice would be get somewhere with turnout. And ensure you can set aside £300-400 per month minimum for regular bills. obviously vets, equipment etc will be a lot more

 

[AmyMay]

IMO a little bit of re-thinking is needed here. I assume from your post that there is no turnout full stop - even in the summer. Very, very unfair on the horse if this is the case. So this yard would not be an option for me. Only exercising a stabled horse 3 times a week is impractical - they need to have something done every day.

Buying large round bale haylage for one horse is also impractical. You need to be able to use these bales within around 3 days. So hay would be a better option for you.

Barefoot is an option for some horse - not all by any means, so don't count on this as a money saving option.

Sorry, but nothing about your plans thus far sound very practical.

 

[Twiglet]

Definitely turn out, it can't be underestimated. Not just for the sake of energy levels, sanity and essential socialisation, but also because it will save you a fortune in feed and bedding.

I currently spend about £50 a month in bedding, and £50 in hay, and that's with my horse turned out for a minimum 8 hours a day.


Overall costs are probably around £500, with full livery mon-fri. I'm in outer London/Essex, and my yard is cheap for the area at £100 pcm.

 

[matthew]

omg- dont mean to be funny but normally you can keep a horse for a lot lot less than £400 pcm-unless of course you are completing regulaly at a high level or your horse has soundness issues etc..
I kept a t/b and even with turnout all day/in at night he was a nightmare to ride in the winter and he only got a few pony nuts and hay!