Elopi
Well-Known Member
Is £1000 a month a good budget for horse owning?
How much does everyone set aside monthly? Not including emergency vet bills.
How much does everyone set aside monthly? Not including emergency vet bills.
Horsey budget
- Thread starter Elopi
- Start date
Shilasdair
Patting her thylacine
Whatever you earn, and whatever you have saved, your horse will end up costing more.
Lipglosspukka
Well-Known Member
Ha yes. That's way more than enough.
pistolpete
Well-Known Member
Depends if you have a colic surgery a rehab a strangles case a tendon injury a tooth problem insurance to cover some of these! Anyone ever found horse insurance that covers more than about £5k?
Michen
Well-Known Member
Completely depends on your livery package, vet bills etc. But that would cover one of mine, yes, but not if he was on £600 a month livery.
MuddyMonster
Well-Known Member
What type of livery are you looking for? What are wanting to do with the horse?
The cost of full or part livery will vary hugely from the cost of DIY or grass livery.
The same pony has cost me almost four figures a month on part livery and has cost me £250 a month on DIY and all manners of variations in between. We mainly hack with clinics and low key competitions thrown in. My expenses would be much more if I wanted to compete at a serious level competitively for example.
The cost of full or part livery will vary hugely from the cost of DIY or grass livery.
The same pony has cost me almost four figures a month on part livery and has cost me £250 a month on DIY and all manners of variations in between. We mainly hack with clinics and low key competitions thrown in. My expenses would be much more if I wanted to compete at a serious level competitively for example.
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SEL
Well-Known Member
I'm on DIY livery but I know some smart full livery yards around here where the rates would take a fair chunk of that budget. I also don't compete so don't have those overheads. My vet bills can be steep sometimes but otherwise £1k would be more than ok to keep my 3
Wishfilly
Well-Known Member
It is very much a how long is a piece of string question, but honestly I could probably keep two of mine for that budget! I am in a cheap area of the country on DIY, though and he is pretty cheap to keep (token feed, shod in front only etc).
I think that plus a budget for emergencies (whether that be vet bills, new tack etc) will cover you in most set ups!
I think that plus a budget for emergencies (whether that be vet bills, new tack etc) will cover you in most set ups!
Wishfilly
Well-Known Member
KBIS do up to £7.5k on leisure horse cover.
Renvers
Well-Known Member
Are you counting any lesson costs, clinics, competitions, transport in that too?
In my area with three Full liveries no that is not enough, but when I had 2 on DIY that would cover pretty much everything apart from the odd expensive rug or new saddle
In my area with three Full liveries no that is not enough, but when I had 2 on DIY that would cover pretty much everything apart from the odd expensive rug or new saddle
lannerch
Well-Known Member
My one on full schooling livery costs less than that so yes unless you live in a really expensive part of the country that is a healthy budget.
Annagain
Well-Known Member
Depending where you are in the country and what sort of livery you want, that's plenty for day to day costs. An emergency fund is always handy though. I pay £100 a month into a horse savings account. It's designed to cover vets bills and other unexpected costs like a new saddle if they change shape etc. Luckily, I've barely had to dip into it over the years so when I needed to up my budget to buy a new horse I used some of that.
A credit card for emergencies is also a good back up. When I knew I was going to pick up a big vet bill I applied for one with a 0% deal on purchases for the first three months. I paid the vet bill with it, cut it up and then paid the vet bill off over 30 months at £80 a month. This meant I didn't have to touch my savings. I'd definitely do that again - although you need a decent credit rating to be approved quickly and at the best rate. Generally, deals like that are only available to new customers and are time limited (usually what you spend on them in the first three months) so as long as you have a card to pay with if you really need to, it's best to apply when you need it. You should also never use it after you've put the big bill on it as some will use the repayments to pay off the 0% element first while charging high interest on other purchases.
A credit card for emergencies is also a good back up. When I knew I was going to pick up a big vet bill I applied for one with a 0% deal on purchases for the first three months. I paid the vet bill with it, cut it up and then paid the vet bill off over 30 months at £80 a month. This meant I didn't have to touch my savings. I'd definitely do that again - although you need a decent credit rating to be approved quickly and at the best rate. Generally, deals like that are only available to new customers and are time limited (usually what you spend on them in the first three months) so as long as you have a card to pay with if you really need to, it's best to apply when you need it. You should also never use it after you've put the big bill on it as some will use the repayments to pay off the 0% element first while charging high interest on other purchases.
mariew
Well-Known Member
If you have a horse on full livery depending on where you are, if the horse is shod etc that would cover it but not with masses to spare. If you start competing a lot or do lots of fun rides then you might go over that. Basically agree with whatever you earn then some lol.
ownedbyaconnie
Well-Known Member
Same pony has cost me £800 a month whilst on part livery and £350 a month whilst on diy (not including lessons/clinics/competing in either case). In winter when hacking and weather is rubbish I can easily add another £150 a month in lessons and clinics. Then in summer I pay for camps and tend to compete more.
Lipglosspukka
Well-Known Member
Three months is rubbish. There are plenty that are interest free for well over a year.
MollyFell
Well-Known Member
For the basics, I budget £500 pm for my two on DIY. Including livery, hay, shavings, trims, feed etc. Probably a couple of lessons will be covered by that too. It's hard to give an answer as there are so many variables but I'd say £1000 excluding vet fees would be plenty!
Cowpony
Well-Known Member
There are plenty of places around here (Home Counties) where full livery alone would take most of that! But on a "normal" DIY yard it would be plenty. As others have said, it also depends on shoeing schedule, feed, supplements, lessons, competing etc. But also don't forget other consumables and whether your horse is a rug-wrecker. I know horses who tear a rug every few weeks in winter.....
Annagain
Well-Known Member
I meant that you have to spend the money in the first three months not that you have three months to pay it off. The deal I got was any purchases in the first three months were interest free for 30 months.
marmalade76
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure I don't spend that much but I would never dare work it out!
Widgeon
Well-Known Member
Similar to what others are saying, I think I spend about half that on an insured horse on assisted DIY, shod front and back and going on a couple of non-competitive outings a month.
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
There is a full livery yard near me in Hertfordshire that is £1,200 a month it is the Buckingham palace of livery yards though.
Lipglosspukka
Well-Known Member
Oh i see! Sorry. I misunderstood.
quiteniceforacob
Well-Known Member
I think I know the one. I heard that you tell them what time you arrive and the horse is groomed, tacked up and been under the solarium as part of the “warm up”.
also heard of someone being told off for grooming their own horse as it undermined their work!
PinkvSantaboots
Well-Known Member
Sounds like it I know someone who works there
Alibear
Well-Known Member
For HHO terms I think mines on assisted livery which would take half of that leaving the rest for shoes, supplements, insurance, lessons, etc so yes I would say your budget is fine 
bouncing_ball
Well-Known Member
I think depending on your circumstances it costs approximately £100- £1500pcm a month to keep a horse all in.
Everyone should have worming, feeding, vaccination, basic equipment costs though amounts vary
Variable costs that can apply depending on circumstances.
Feet - from self trimming to remedial shoes
Housing - land ownership to full livery
Transport cost if run transport
Body work costs
Insurance costs
Saddler costs
Lesson and clinic costs
Competing costs
Fun ride costs
Vet bills
Dentist cost
Supplements
Fuel to snd from yard
I’m on a Surrey 7 day part livery yard, with chalk turnout, indoor and outdoor school, and access to amazing off road hacking. I run a lorry, have regular lessons, compete regularly, do lots of fun outings and fun clinics, horse (and I) have regular bodywork. Pay insurance, pay for regular dentist, saddler etc. Horse has decent forage balancer. I’m a 20 mile round trip from the yard.
It costs a lot IMO, and I largely work to keep and enjoy my horse!
I don’t live close enough to anywhere with good hacking and decent winter turnout to do DIY.
Everyone should have worming, feeding, vaccination, basic equipment costs though amounts vary
Variable costs that can apply depending on circumstances.
Feet - from self trimming to remedial shoes
Housing - land ownership to full livery
Transport cost if run transport
Body work costs
Insurance costs
Saddler costs
Lesson and clinic costs
Competing costs
Fun ride costs
Vet bills
Dentist cost
Supplements
Fuel to snd from yard
I’m on a Surrey 7 day part livery yard, with chalk turnout, indoor and outdoor school, and access to amazing off road hacking. I run a lorry, have regular lessons, compete regularly, do lots of fun outings and fun clinics, horse (and I) have regular bodywork. Pay insurance, pay for regular dentist, saddler etc. Horse has decent forage balancer. I’m a 20 mile round trip from the yard.
It costs a lot IMO, and I largely work to keep and enjoy my horse!
I don’t live close enough to anywhere with good hacking and decent winter turnout to do DIY.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
I am paid weekly, a fan of internet banking so I always put aside at least £120 per week, transfer it right across into my horsey account and don't touch it, in fact I have no idea where the card is. Bails was very expensive to be honest, in bute, supplements and vets bills and I used to pay my vets bills every Friday as the vets were happy with me paying in this way as I was constantly paying vets bills over the past 5 years and his shoeing was £115 every five weeks which was torture.
At the moment now everything is paid off (was weeks ago) being without a horse has left me a lot of spare income so I'm buying weird things that I think I will need in the future when I have one like spare canisters for my air jacket, new jodphurs, another tarp for my hay, a new wheel clamp for my trailer, a new headcollar as I can't bear to use B's old one.
These are thing I will use in the future when I'm struggling to pay the bills!
I intend with a new horse to have the minimum feed, no supplements, hopefully no bute and on a six weekly pattern of 'normal' shoeing.