Costs of keeping a horse

brighthair

brighthair

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Just mulling thins over, it's been a few years since I had my own now
Part livery inc haylage would be £180 a month
working on
wormers at yard rate approx £6
straw - £2.50 a bale
feed - basic hifi and nuts obv depends on horse
shoes - fronts only again depends on horse

would £250 a month cover everything I needed? I would be looking for a cobby type, approx 16hh which could live out in summer and in at night in winter
 
I don't really work to a budget, but the main importance is livery, everything after that is small really.

Insurance
Feed (mine is only fed a little after work, so it's literally about a tenner a month)
Feet (he's unshod, so £20 every 2 months)
Then just rugs and stuff, depends what you want or need.
 
I'm just thinking about it (for that read - desperately trying to afford it!)
DIY isn't an option as I work shifts. When I work days I work 7.30am - 7.30pm but on night shifts I have time and I only work 13 days a month. Summer would be easier esp if horse was living out
I have some stuff left over - headcollar, fleece rug, grooming kit, bridle, over reach boots and prob more stuff if I looked!
I would also be able to put away £125 extra a month into a savings account and so some of that could be a contingency fund
 
Sharing? What about finding grass livery, get something that keeps condition and you can put a rug on? Mine lived out for the first 3 years of his life without a rug in the bitter north and now he's just so easy to keep, I have rugs but barely use them.
 
And stick to synthetic second hand tack which goes for literally pennies on ebay?

I dunno, I think if you really want a horse then you can make it work (unless you're living on the bread line of course!).

Can you cut back on other areas in your life? Get a car that's cheaper to run and insurance, cheaper food, smaller rent etc. We recently moved to a house in a lower council tax band, saving about £1500 a year! And it's bigger, a house with a garden and shed (lol!) and about £15 a week cheaper.
 
hm, I've done sharing and am just really wanting something of my own again. However if I did find a horse, I wouldn't object to having a sharer
That money is pretty much the max I can afford - poss £300 a month. Thats without totally skinting myself. I want to make sure that I can afford it before I go ahead so am putting away the money it would cost each month into a savings account
 
I think its the emergencies that cost the most. Surprise vets bills, physio, teeth, saddle doesn't fit etc etc etc. Sounds lie you have it well planned and will be horsehunting soon!
 
well if £250 a month would cover basics
*consults piece of scrap paper covered in numbers* :-)
that would actually leave me with £150 contingency a month - obv not all for the horse - I put it away as my bills (water, gas, electric) are 6 monthly but always have lots left over as bills only come to approx £50 a month
 
Well you're very much more organised than me and that is commendable! I generally buy stuff and then shirk away from opening, let alone looking at my bank statements
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But I don't pay livery, if I start having to do so or if I get another horse I will probably, maybe be more reliable.

You could get a sharer even if it's just one day a week and they're only allowed to hack. When I advertised my horse it was for someone to ride 3-4 times a week doing anything for free, and I was inundated with replies because everyone else was charging a small fortune! Seriously, people were asking like £50 a week for 2 days
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and thats why I'm looking at my own after viewing a share horse that would cost me £140 a month
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Oh I wouldn't want money for a share - just mucking out etc would be enough help but I would have a formal agreement set up
Basically I've worked it out so I can afford my usual food bills, petrol etc and then still have £50 a month left over for a night out/clothes. I think I need to feel that I can afford it without totally depriving myself of everything
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Hiya. How are you?

I'm probably the worst person to give cost advice 'cos Chilli is an expensive TB but here's a rough idea of what I spend...

Livery = much more than £150 but I do have fab facilities & I am aware I prob' pay over the odds & could move somewhere cheaper. Livery includes a bag of shavings each week & ad lib hayledge.
Shoes = £60 (full set), extra in summer if I have stud holes (which I do)
Feed = £20ish per week. Feed is Calm & Condition (I use just under 2 bags a week), Barley Rings & Molichop
Supplement = £38 (tub of Cortavet which lasts about 3 months)
Insurance = £50ish per month
Competing = £40+ per outing (deisel + BSJA entry fees + food)
BSJA membership = extortionate (but I still pay it
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)
Lessons = £30+ per lesson

I compete as much as I can afford, have lessons when I can afford & occasionally manage to attempt a social life.
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£20 a WEEK for one horse?! Blumin' eck, I pay £10 mix which lasts 2 months, and £13 alfa which lasts 3!

How does one horse go through 2 bags of mix, barley rings AND molichop a week?!

Ok, so my horse is in light work, but still when I was BSJAing my wimpy TB a bin of feed would last about a month!
 
Calm & Condition isn't a mix, it's like nuts but needs water adding to make it swell. It's ment to be a complete feed but I just add a handful of Molichop & a handful of Barley Rings for a little extra omph.
I'm actually feeding about a scoop a day less C & C than what the bag recommends.

When I bought him Chilli looked like a hat rack. I tried various feeds & this combination works for him. His feet & coat are also better with this feed than when he was on Blue Chip. He's a fussy eater so if he's eating it & looking/feeling well then I'm happy. If I could get away with a simple mix I would. My previous horse (TB mare) was fed a handful of pony nuts & a handful of alpha & always looked fat but I (unintentionally) picked a skinny, high maintanence one this time. Opps!
 
That's seriously a lot of feed though, sorry I don't mean to pry or cause any offence, I'm just suprised. Have you had his gut tested incase of ulcers or anything, because being unable to extract nutrition from feed is a symptom of many things. Especially fizzy TBs who are even more liable to digestive issues. It could be that he is intolerant to something, has an ulcer or just an underactive gut.

Sorry I understand you may already have investigated these things and spoken to your vet.
 
No offence caused. If it wasn't my horse I would also think it sounded excessive. He is, however, fit & healthy with no issues. He's actually quite a calm, happy horse who is checked over regualy. I was recommended this feed by a friend who rides, trains & is a BD listed judge but even tho I trust her advice/opinion I was a bit suspicious a first. It was only when I saw how well one of her horses was doing on it that I actually decided to try it.
 
its the constant costs that kill you like-
shoes im £60 every 4-5 weeks
dentist £120 (if alone) every 6 months
Hay £4.50 week
shavings £7.70 week


if you buy a horse with tack then there is no fees on tack but what about brishes, boots? Yard tools? feed buckets, storage buckets as a start up cost its expensive
 
I really would not be able to afford to keep mine at a yard i have three so rent a few fields with a friend but it is still a drain on my wages. I work 3 p/t jobs a day so can ride and look after them in between jobs .Also they are all natives and are reasonably cheap to keep i did recently invest in a stable and adjoining shed which is loverly as my hay was kept at home which i could only store small quantities, and my garden was a total mess but now i can have larger deliveries straight to my field so no pushing the wheelbarrow any more. Sounds like you have thought about what you need to do so happy horse hunting.: )
 
I just did some adding - shouldn't have!
DIY livery with adlib hay, 2 bags bedding and allowing £10 p/w for feed/supps/carrots etc works out at £65 p/w in the winter!
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Then shoes another £10 p/w
Insurance another £8 p/w
Plus all other things that seem to need paying for! There is no way I could do it for £300 p/m but it is expensive round here
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I think after 'a few years break' you're going to find the biggest price increase is in feed and bedding. Hay & straw have gone up a bit but the biggest hike has been in shavings type beddings which are as much as £9 a bale in places. oh, and wormers are about £10...

My boy costs me about £150 a month on DIY through the summer but he is unshod and living out. when stabled he costs me a bit more because of hay and straw costs which come to about £60 per month - hay at £3 (cheap) and straw at £1 (again v cheap)
 
[ QUOTE ]
its the constant costs that kill you like-
shoes im £60 every 4-5 weeks
dentist £120 (if alone) every 6 months
Hay £4.50 week
shavings £7.70 week


if you buy a horse with tack then there is no fees on tack but what about brishes, boots? Yard tools? feed buckets, storage buckets as a start up cost its expensive

[/ QUOTE ]

well haylage is included as part of the livery, I would be looking to keep a horse on straw, and I've budgeted for shoes. I'm still pretty aware of what things cost even with a few years break as I'm still around horses
Yard tools are available
 
In honesty, I don't think it's that expensive. I live in Edinburgh and I pay £100 per month plus £40 insurance, 1 1/2 tonnes hay for winter (£180 for six months, £30 per month) £40 per month shoes and £50 per month for hard feed and supplements...all in all, roughly £260 per month per horse : )
 
I would opt for DIY livery with job service as this may work out cheaper, also make sure you go to a yard with daily turnout and/or a floodlit all weather school, so your horse can have some exercise no matter what shift you are doing.

My horse costs the the following a month:
£74 DIY livery
£45 job service
£35 insurance
£5 wormer
£17 Back/saddle/teeth checked twice yearly and annual jabs
£20 feed/fly spray
£30 shoes
£19 (megazorb) or £12 straw
£32 hay
= £277
Which is without extras such as lessons and competition fees.
 
do remember to cost in your time petrol and tyre wear on a DIY. (twice a day) and the time to go and collect feed etc and be there for vet farrier dentist and any other emergency! part livery although a big payment in one direction, does free you up to have a life, a lie in and a holiday without worry! and without being permenenantly knackered!!!
 
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