Could you keep a pony for under £150 a month?

[Montyforever]

Right I have a welsh section a, livery is £90 a month, hay anywhere between £40-£60 depending on the time of year so that's already the &150 there! Feed is about £12 a bag, supplements are £22 and £26. A trim from the farrier is £25 but only every 8 weeks. Insurance can be anywhere between £10-£30 a month and that is only the tip of the iceberg! Vets bills will be over £100 in pretty much every case worming is £20 + at least 2 times a year so it all adds up pretty quickly!

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

In summer yes but not in winter. I was about 220 PM for one of mine last winter. At the moment I am under 150 pm with my boy but he's getting nothing but his supplement and a handful of fast fibre and a handful of dried grass to get it into him, not shod, no hay or bedding and no lessons or competing and his insurance is 20 quid a month so I'm averaging about 50 per month at the minute adding hay and bedding ill probaby be about 100 a month keeping him, he is living on a friends land at the minute so I have no livery costs but if I did cheapest grass livery round her is 15 per week so I would be over the 150 mark adding that in.

 

[JoannaC]

If you've got livery at £20 per week including hay then yes you definatley can do it if you're getting a native. Especially if you are loaning as more often than not the owner will continue to insure the pony I do with mine. The pony should come with tack and rugs and although a lot of people find it necessary to buy new stuff every winter my two are in the same rugs i've had for years and they do the job perfectly adequately. A native can live on good grass and hay without hard feed so really the costs can be minimal. Good luck.

 

[touchstone]

My only caveat with a native is that they can live off very little grazing, but if they then develop metabolic or laminitic problems, as so many are prone to, it can become an expensive exercise!

I keep mine off the decent grass and have to feed hay all year round, currently commercially bagged haylage which costs me about £8 a bag, I could easily go through three bags a week in the depths of winter! Obviously hay would be cheaper, but the one thing with horses is that there are no guarantees, even 'cheap to keep' ponies can become the opposite for one reason or another.

I'd honestly think long and very hard if finances are an issue, having to part with a much loved pony because you couldn't afford it would be worse than not owning one until later on.

 

[Cobber]

I have a yearling cob who costs me less than that. Granted when she is ridden and i have to look at tack etc it will be more but as it is she costs me £60 a month grass livery, £15 a trim every 12 weeks or so, No hard feed ( I did have some though but grass is so good she doesnt need it), Worming costs, BHS gold membership for public liabilty. A friend and I went halves on a massive round bale two of which will last through winter so hay for a year or so will only cost me bout £50. I have a horse account i pay into that i only put £150 a month into and that more than pays for her plus leaves a back up for unexpected things. I only buy what she and I need or use which isnt much, I have nothing that sits about being idle. (Except first aid kit touch wood!).