Cost of keeping pony

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riding_to_the_stars

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Hi i might be getting a small horse (14.2hh to 15.2hh) and sharing it with my friend and spiltting the cost of keeping him/her. I know that my livery would be £130 per month thats diy with being fed every morning. I need to know how much hay/feed/shoes (for 2 or all feet)/ straw or shavings (which one is better?) etc. We would be looking to get a good doer so not too much feed is needed. So what does everyone pay? Im in the the south east of england (sussex) thanks!
 
Tbh feed is the least of all my horse expenses! Set of shoes cost me £60, good quality hay/haylage £4 a small bale, I use miscanthus bedding which costs about £7 a bale and I use 1-2 bales a week once the bed has been established.

If you are sharing then you need to factor in insurance, going to be starting at about £30 a month, vaccinations cost me about £80 per visit/booster.

Then you enter into the realms of tack/rugs/equipment/tools and then lessons/entries/transport - the sky's the limit!
 
I am in the North East, so probably slightly different costings, but shoes are around £60 a set about six weekly, hay is around £4 a small bale, and I'd expect to get through roughly half to three quarters of a bale a day depending on how much grazing you have. A large round bale would usually last mine (14hh) around five to six weeks, and cost about £30 - £40. Small bale haylage I get through 2-3 bags of a week at about £6.50.

Feed will vary enormously depending on what and how much you feed, but a £12 bag of chaff will usually last about three weeks, less in the depths of winter.

Don't forget to factor in insurance, wormers, vet bills for routine care, teeth etc!

Forgot to mention bedding - I use rape straw (equinola) at £6.50 a bale, but only use a few bales a month as mine lives out, I'd expect to use a bale a week if in overnight.
 
Don't share costs with a friend. I'm sorry but it very rarely works - one eventually wants out and then you are stuck with a horse you can't afford, or are stuck with all the work.
 
My biggest word of caution would be to get everything in writing. Who pays for what and when. Who does what and when. What happens if the horse gets sick or injured or one of you wants to take it away to a competition? You might be better one of you buying and the other sharing then one of you has the final say on things
 
equi said:
Don't share costs with a friend. I'm sorry but it very rarely works - one eventually wants out and then you are stuck with a horse you can't afford, or are stuck with all the work.
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This! I'd also factor in a savings account for any unexpected costs. 2 months in to owning H he ended up having 6 weeks of physio at a cost of £65 per session plus the need for a new saddle. Then there was the time in the middle of winter when he trashed 5 rugs in less than 2 weeks. With horses I'd add up all the expected costs and then double it.
 
I wouldn't share with a friend personally- things could get nasty.

Roughly for me- (These are winter costs as my pony lives out 24/7 in summer.)

£120 pcm Livery
£40 every six weeks for half set shoes+trim
£30 pcm Insurance
£35 Pcm Feed
£40 pcm Lessons
£10 pcm bedding (wood pellets)
£25 pcm Hay


Then obviously you have worming, vaccinations, teeth checks, back checks, tack checks.

I will just say now that every single month there will be something you need to buy that you didn't calculate in your budget, so definitely put money away each month and don't touch it until you need it.
 
OK, here are a rough idea of my costs. These are average prices as I feed hay all year round as I keep my ponies in a small paddock as they are natives.

Hay - £60 a month
Feed - £30
Insurance - £25

Don't then forget the following:
Farrier - £20 for a trim every 8 weeks, but if you have shoes it could be anywhere from £50 -£70 every 6 weeks
Dentist - £35, twice a year
Saddle fitter, £35 and I personally have my saddles looked at 3 - 4 times a year
Physio £40 Twice a year, sometimes more if there is a problem
Vaccinations - £75ish a year, but if not already vaccinated and you need to start the course, you can triple this
Worming/egg counts. I egg count 4 times a year at about £15 a go, then worm where necessary, another £30 odd.

Then there is an endless list of things you will need including tack and rugs etc.

You MUST have an emergency budget set aside. A perfect example is my pony. He has been off recently so I have had the vet and farrier and found deep rooted thrush. This cost £150. Then this weekend his saddle needs adjusting and I'm worried I've caused him pain so he has the physio and saddle fitter, so another £80. "almost £250 additional in less than 3 weeks so you MUST be prepared and have money set aside.

Then you need to add on cost of lessons, competing and anything else you want to do.
 
My absolute basic costs when horse was at livery (all per month):

Livery - £80
Shoes (full set every 4-5 weeks) - £65
Hay - £40
Bedding (2 shavings bales a week) - £56
Insurance - £40

So that's £281 before I even factor in riding or emergencies.

Add to that:
Lesson - £20/lesson, I was having 2 a week at one point
Saddle fitter - £20 every 12 weeks
Dentist - £50, twice a year
Vet - £45 for jabs
Worming - £20 every 6-8 weeks.

And adding to that the fact that horse has been through 7 saddles since November and you have a hefty bill. That's not including the stuff that breaks like headcollars and haynets and things that need to be replaced because they're worn out.

I'd agree with everyone else that buying a horse to share with a friend is a very bad idea and that something will happen to cause bad feeling sooner or later.

My advice to people who are thinking of getting a horse is to triple what they expect it cost and then add some on top for emergencies.
 
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