How much do you spend per month? whilst keeping horse on own land

midi

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 December 2009
Messages
710
Visit site
I'm curious to those who keep horses on their own property how much they spend per month per horse?
 
Minimal really, especially in the summer. Fabio's a fairly good doer, so at the minute he just gets a bit of chaff or beet for his supplement and linseed to go in. On average i think:

Shoes - £68 every 7 weeks
Vit supplement - £12 every 2 months
Linseed - £28 a big bag, lasted 3 months for 2 horses but only one at the moment
Chaff - £6 a month


Over the winter its more due to the haylage which we get big bales in - works out about £25 per week which feeds 2 horses and the shetland pony.

But.......this is minimal costs as i do spend more on treats, tack etc - some of which aren't really necessary!
 
One good doer on free grazing at the moment so cost 0 trim £20 (shoes were £45...and I only got them done every 10 weeks when he was being ridden..dont do the religious 6-8 weeks). Hay was £5 a bale ie 3-4 bales per week in winter in severe weather.
Due to good doer I order lots of hay and it lasts me couple years it was £600 over 2+ years.
Summary.
£20-25 hay a week winter
Trim £20 every 10-12 weeks
Mineral block £2.50 about 5 times a year.
Bag pony nuts £8 every 4months just to give bute in.

In last year vet £141 and now Bute £80 every 3 months. Otherwise it was cheap. Oh a bit of petrol for quad bike for chain harrowing about £20 a year.
BHS £60? Gold a year too

I keep as cheap as I can!
 
though I rent land my actual costs atm are minimal for three horses
farrier every 6-8 weeks £75
one bag of pony nuts will last about 3 months
hay, less than a bale a week in summer, maybe as much as 2 a week winter and the same for straw,
my big costs are magnesium zinc and copper, so possibly £30 a month for the three but I think it's less
so at a rough guess three horses for three months under £288 plus worming
then annual costs, injections teeth,
 
Last edited:
I worked this out once a couple of years ago and it was bad......I included everything, day to day stuff as well as insurance, average amount spent on tack (necessary and unnecessary!) average vets fees, back checks, taking muck heap etc so all the regular costs, and it came to £5.5K a year for 2 horses, so just under £500 a month.

Mine are shod and stabled all year round btw

I obviously divide it by 2 again before sharing the details with OH and family :D :D
 
Two neds, one in work, one out of work. Kept on small acreage (2 acres). Both live out summer, stabled at night winter.

9 shoes-and-trims/9 trims per year = £540
150 small bales of hay per year = £600
12 sacks of feed per year = £120
12 sacks of chaff per year = £120
6 litres of cider vinegar = £60
4 bags balancer = £60
100 sacks of carrots per year = £200
6 salt licks per year = (can't remember how much Rockys cost..)
6 wormers this year = £80
6 worm counts this year = £60
2 vaccinations = £100
2 dental rasps = £60
1 saddle check/reflock = £50
20 bags shavings = £140
3 litres of flyspray = £30

Field maintenance:
Time mainly as we do it ourselves
Petrol for the strimmer
Replacement posts/rails when and as needed
Annual hedge trim £50.
Wood preservative for shelter £30.


That totals to £2300 per year for 2 neds' keep-at-home costs. If we had more land, we'd feed less hay so people with more land will spend far less per year.

BigNed is ridden 4-5 days a week so that's 250 rides per year for £2300 so £9 a ride or £40 a week. Plus there's inhand stuff with LittleNed which is fun. Some bigned rides will be half-hour rides, some will be all-day endurances (oops, I haven't added outing costs!!).

I have no guilt about my expenditure on my pastime. £40 a week could also buy 7 packets of fags for a 20 a day habit, or 12 pints/shots of drink. Plenty of people do either or both of those. I do neither so my passion/poison is my neds. ;-)
 
Last edited:
1 bag of FF every 6 weeks =£6 a month
1 bag of Hi Fi Molasses free every 6 weeks = £7 a month
Magnesium around £10 a month
£8 a month for Linseed
£40 a month for trimming
£40 a month for hay ( spring/summer as they are in during the day )
No hay in winter as out 24/7
Insurance £55 a year ( BHS Gold ) = £4.60 month
Bedding £30 a month spring/summr
Worming £80 a year? = £6 a month
Not bought any new tack for years :)
No vets fees for 11 years either!

So about £150 ish a month for two ponies, quite a lot considering no livery fees!

Oh and teeth! £70 a year
 
Oh my forgot worming too I only worm about 3 times a year as poo pick daily and about 4 hemcore for the winter field shelter...which he doesnt go in!
 
More than I spent when I was on livery! Not just mortgage payments but cost of fencing and management takes it over what I used to spend.
 
Field maintenance, fencing repairs, harrowing, rolling, weed killing, topping when needed, time hand pulling any ragwort, cost of hardcore for repairs to field gateways and pathways, fertilizing when needed, muck removal, maintenance to stables............the list goes on and on. Way to scary to add up the cost!!!

Oh and forgot the cost involved with the care of the horses.
 
Last edited:
More than if she was in livery I'm pretty blooming sure sometimes!

£121.50 on average for my riding horse. That's the price of her maintenance (trimming, worming, insurance, feed, supplements) it would be more were she ridden.

Then we have the incidentals, the constant fence re-jiggs/replacements/fixings. We do our own chain harrowing, topping, (would do fertilising if it needed it) etc etc so that is free apart from diesel for the tractor.

I would say it would be sensible to budget around £150-£200 for keeping at home. The companions are less than that, say £50 each per month no average.
 
Big Fuzzy & little fuzzy cost per year:
Hay - 100 bales between the 2 say at £5 delivered & stacked in barn = £500
Worming approx £50
Shoeing (1 shod the other unshod) at around £70 the pair, around every 6 weeks is 8.6 times per year at £602
Feed, minimal as they are good doers but upped for BF in winter for energy so approx £100
Vet: Routine for Jabs & teeth, budget is £100, tho £3k kept aside for dire emergency bills & credit card to follow that if required. This years bills in 7 months since 1st Jan have been £1500 so far......
Spares/repairs/maintenance for yard & fencing: unlimited costings, annual budget is £500, saved to add up each year & last year I replaced 1 complete long boundary fence. (amazing how fence bars, electric fence post replacements creosote, nails, staples etc add up tho & there is always something that needs to be replaced)
Insurance for the property £248
BHS gold membership, I dont have them insured tho

So - the scarey figure so far is......£2167pa on 'standard' costings, no extra's or budget busters..... or £175pcm if you like :)



Now, this does not include 'nice things' such as:
Repairs to tack
Replacement rugs
Jollies out - shows, pleasure rides and the like
Clipping
Handyman to fix things I cant/wont - like cutting branches from big trees
Shopping for the latest 'must have's in grooming kit, fly sprays, jodhs, winter boots etc etc

oh - and my travel to & from the yard twice a day, every day..... :D
 
Well it's the same as it would cost to keep a horse on diy livery but obviously Don't have to pay for the livery (25 to 30,per week)

However I have just forked out about 10k on upgrading the fencing and puttin in extensive drainage systems after last winter which was just too wet
 
I think Wandamare is closest. Then there is lorry, lessons and competitions. Its endless but I'm sure we all get more fun out of choosing a new rug for our horses than clothes for ourselves. And £70 for a pair of shoes for a person is positively extravagant - can you imagine if they lasted us only 6 weeks!
 
Top