How much does it cost to keep your horse?

rainni_day

rainni_day

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 December 2019
Messages
119
Visit site
Following on from the thread about horses and lifestyle, I am really interested to know how much it costs you to keep your horse / what you budget / what you spend on top?
My costs are the following PCM (note, I add up the costs of shoes, jabs, physio, teeth etc over the year and divide by 12 for budgeting purposes - some months I spend more, some I spend less:
Livery - full: £520
Insurance: £45
Shoes: £35 - thank goodness for good feet and only being shod on the front
Wormer: £8
Jabs: £10
Physio: £12
Dentist: £5
Supplements: £10 - thank goodness for only needing basic gut balancer

I save £650 a month for the above costs. I then have a lesson most weeks with my amazing YO who also happens to be a fab coach and only charges £25 for 45 mins...I allow 4 of those a month. So really, I spend around £750 a month without lorry costs, competing, rugs (!) etc. Such an expensive hobby but I just love it.
t
 
I don’t dare add it up but when competing and/or having lessons and course hire twice a week probably around £850 a month. But that’s literally livery+activities. Not including insurance for truck, and trailer and running them, fuel, physio/dentist/vaccinations/insurance for horse. So probably closer to £950:eek:

And that’s without the cost of shoes as my boyfriend kindly does mine.
 
Mine vary a bit.

If they are not working (either young, retired, on holiday) I budget £150/month and that is mates rates as I lend a hand here and there at stud.

Horse in full competition livery, competing around the country is approx £1400 pcm through the active competition season assuming no 3DE/travel abroad.

Horses in pro training but not out competing then around £900 pcm

ETA - when I was doing DIY on a reasonable yard and regional competing /training myself then I’d budget £600pcm, or £1000 on a high standard part livery.
 
Last edited:
Livery (DIY) - £150
Farrier (trim) - £15
Jabs - £3.50
Dentist - £7.50
Feed - £9
Worming - £5
Lorry (storage/tax/insurance) - £70
Lessons - £45
Total = £305 PCM

Sure there's plenty more that could be added, I haven't included physio/saddle checks etc. as I do them on an adhoc basis rather than a fixed routine, same for comp/hire as that's ad hoc too.
 
558 for 2 horses (winter costs-summer is cheaper-.... or not... Extra comps! ) this also does not include all the endless extra Toot I like to buy ?
Break down-
Rent - 200 or 250 (depending on 4/5week)
1 haylege bale - 40
Hay- 64 (i don't buy my Hay everymonth but I use about 4 bales a week so probably works out to that)
Bedding- 14
Feed- varies but probably 30
Supplements-17
Shoes - 115 full set with road nails and trim for pony
Jabs-8
Wormer-4
I either do a lesson/hunt or something once or twice a month - 50ish
 
I keep a spreadsheet of budget vs actual spends - and can usually adhere (can you tell I'm an accountant :p). Things that are quarterly eg: wormer are split into monthly amounts, and the farrier is every 6 weeks pro-rated.

Screenshot of budget below! Lessons and additional things that are for horse use but aren't essential come out of my daily spending budget as they are really a luxury and not a necessity - so that's a whole different sheet on the spreadsheet!

Annoying just how expensive Sarc-ex is!

Horse Costs.JPG
 
Last edited:
Full livery - £455 a month
Feed not provided by livery - £30 a month average
Farrier - £24 a trim every 6 weeks (horse is barefoot)
Worming - £6.50 per month for testing with Westgate Labs then additional £ depending on what’s needed
Jabs/vaccinations £65ish (can’t remember what I paid last time ?)
Dentist £40 twice a year
Physio £45 approx twice a year, more if needed
Saddle checks £30 a time, min twice a year
Insurance £42 a month - to be honest I could bring this down an activity level but not sure it would make it much cheaper!

Other unassociated costs ££££££££ ?

I used to budget more when DIY as I had to consider hay/bedding etc. With full livery that’s kind of gone out of the window so things are more expensive but thats to be expected!

Even when on DIY I still had unexpected costs and frittered money away on shiny saddle pads and rugs ??‍♀️

I suppose I average at about £500 a month. Atleast that’s what I tell my husband ?
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I keep a spreadsheet of budget vs actual spends - and can usually adhere (can you tell I'm an accountant :p). Things that are quarterly eg: wormer are split into monthly amounts, and the farrier is every 6 weeks pro-rated.

Screenshot of budget below! Lessons and additional things that are for horse use but aren't essential come out of my daily spending budget as they are really a luxury and not a necessity - so that's a whole different sheet on the spreadsheet!

Annoying just how expensive Sarc-ex is!

View attachment 40483
Click to expand...

That is a huge amount each month on feed, well over double your hay costs, I know the horse is big but I feed 4 twice a day on 1 bale of readygrass, around a bag of grassnuts, linseed and supplements, my hay costs are my main expenditure in winter if my feed was anywhere near yours I would despair.
 
be positive said:
That is a huge amount each month on feed, well over double your hay costs, I know the horse is big but I feed 4 twice a day on 1 bale of readygrass, around a bag of grassnuts, linseed and supplements, my hay costs are my main expenditure in winter if my feed was anywhere near yours I would despair.
Click to expand...
My giant cost similar the first winter I had him. Growing, starting work. Ad-lib haylage plus 6kg (3 x 2kg meals) of premium conditioning feed a day!!!
Now he has seemingly stopped growing he’s on less, and it’s covered in his livery ?
 
be positive said:
That is a huge amount each month on feed, well over double your hay costs, I know the horse is big but I feed 4 twice a day on 1 bale of readygrass, around a bag of grassnuts, linseed and supplements, my hay costs are my main expenditure in winter if my feed was anywhere near yours I would despair.
Click to expand...

I was gunna say the same - wow, local feed store must love you @AShetlandBitMeOnce :D

Op, can't imagine spending £520 on livery, thats nearly our cottages rent. Mind it would be nice to be able to afford full! haha!

Monthly
Livery - DIY: £180 (Inc. haylage currently)
Bedding: £40 (sometimes more)
Insurance: £56
Shoes: £45
Jabs: £8
Physio: £10
Dentist: £5
Feed: £20

Roughly about £400 all in for one horse, when I had 2 it was obviously twice the cost of everything. My bank balance is appreciating only having 1 currently and time wise, so much more time on my hands.
 
Last edited:
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I keep a spreadsheet of budget vs actual spends - and can usually adhere (can you tell I'm an accountant :p). Things that are quarterly eg: wormer are split into monthly amounts, and the farrier is every 6 weeks pro-rated.

Screenshot of budget below! Lessons and additional things that are for horse use but aren't essential come out of my daily spending budget as they are really a luxury and not a necessity - so that's a whole different sheet on the spreadsheet!

Annoying just how expensive Sarc-ex is!

View attachment 40483[/Oh sh1t fund :-D
Click to expand...
 
ihatework said:
My giant cost similar the first winter I had him. Growing, starting work. Ad-lib haylage plus 6kg (3 x 2kg meals) of premium conditioning feed a day!!!
Now he has seemingly stopped growing he’s on less, and it’s covered in his livery ?
Click to expand...

I have had a few that needed feeding but not all fibre based feeds, a bag of chaff per week is an expensive way to feed when it really is just chopped hay with a few extras added, the pointer had a bag of racehorse cubes every 5 days,, a few handfuls of alfalfa daily, some linseed along with adlib haylage for the fibre, he was in hard work so needed 4 high energy feeds a day, luckily most of mine do well on a mainly hay/ haylage diet.
 
I kept a spreadsheet for a couple of months as I was curious. I recorded everything.
With my 2 mostly field kept native ponies on DIY livery, I reckon it costs me about £2000 per year per pony. This includes livery vet, trimmer, all feed, a trailer and a few outings a year.
 
I have 3. The figures below are total values, but it would be disingenuous to presume 1/3 of the total is the cost of having one horse!

Livery: £200
Trailer parking: £20
Hay / feed: averages about £50 maybe (don't get any at all for more than 6 months of the year)
Supplements: <£5 (MgO, brewer's yeast)
Vaccinations / teeth would average around £15 (more if I move to 6 monthly if I compete regularly next year)

Total: £290

No shoes, no bedding, no insurance (I shove money in an account instead, I'm not counting that as it's still money in my possession even if it's ring fenced for emergencies). I do pay trailer insurance and servicing but I can't think how much that would be per month off the top of my head.

I don't often compete these days, do occasionally hire an arena with jumps (£10/hour) and last year I was doing archery so £35 once a month over summer.
 
I put aside £350 a month but some months I have money left over and other months I use more than £350 but it all balances out over the year.

DIY livery - £160
Hay - varies but I buy 15 bales every 12 weeks at usually £3.50-4.50 a bale.
Feed - £70 a year (whoop cheap native ponies although this is probably more like £150 once you add in supplements for seasonal headshaking).
Insurance - £35
Bedding - £30 (I bulk buy wood pellets and deep litter with that with a bag of cheap shavings a week on top for fluffiness).
Farrier - £45 every 6 weeks

Then the usual dentist and saddler twice annually, physio every 3-4 months, jabs etc.

There's also the huge time cost and cost of showering OH with chocolate when I'm home 3 hours later than I initially said every weekend.
 
Have you seen the TV
show ‘eat well for less’ (I think it’s called)? Where they go around and change people’s food- shopping habits?
I need someone to do that for me.

My 2 get micronised linseed, grass nuts, also currently A&P veteran vitality (though I want to ditch that and feed straights) plus supplements recommended by my trimmer (calm healthy horses premium and alleviate- C plus retired mare had shipshape but it’s run out). Started Mr H on a joint supplement (Omega ASU ) as a preventative.

I’m too scared to ignore trimmers advice and not feed the vits/mins in case their feet drop off.

I feed a lot of forage (no grass left) Retired mare gets bog standard hay but mr H is now on Timothy haylage at £8 for a tiny bale that lasts about a day and a bit (vet ‘s advice - dust allergy)

On the plus side I don’t pay livery.

Can anyone help???
 
Last edited:
I've never dared add it all up! But nobody so far seems to be budgeting for replacing trashed rugs, lead ropes or other small bits of tack, consumables such as fly spray, mane and tail spray, hoof oil, plaiting bands, mud fever cream, first aid items, treats, carrots etc. They can add up to a lot, as I know to my cost....
 
be positive said:
That is a huge amount each month on feed, well over double your hay costs, I know the horse is big but I feed 4 twice a day on 1 bale of readygrass, around a bag of grassnuts, linseed and supplements, my hay costs are my main expenditure in winter if my feed was anywhere near yours I would despair.
Click to expand...

ForbiddenHorse said:
I was gunna say the same - wow, local feed store must love you @AShetlandBitMeOnce :D
Click to expand...

be positive said:
I have had a few that needed feeding but not all fibre based feeds, a bag of chaff per week is an expensive way to feed when it really is just chopped hay with a few extras added, the pointer had a bag of racehorse cubes every 5 days,, a few handfuls of alfalfa daily, some linseed along with adlib haylage for the fibre, he was in hard work so needed 4 high energy feeds a day, luckily most of mine do well on a mainly hay/ haylage diet.
Click to expand...


The budget does err on the side of caution eg: I will use the majority, but not a whole tub of Sarc-ex a month, but I prefer to have too much budgeted than too little as anything left at the end of the month will be put into the oh sh*t fund. .

However, I am more than happy to accept advice on feeding him, my previous horses have always been on part livery so had them on whatever was yard standard - and I am doing that great 'new horse' thing of over thinking everything.

He weighs about 750-800kg, is in light work ( 1 x lunging, 2 x schooling and 2 x hacks of 2 hours on hilly terrain) and could do with a little more condition as he drops off over the winter. I give him (in each of two feeds he has a day):

- 1 stubbs scoop of chaff, otherwise he scoffs his food and any nuts/mix makes himself cough it out, I would therefore think he may be susceptible to choke
- 1.5kg of Spillers' fibre cubes (about 3/4 of a stubbs scoop) which is as per their feeding instructions for the vits & mins and a bit of additional fibre/calories
- 255g Micronised Linseed (a Bailey's measuring cup full) for a bit of condition without hotting him up and coat improvement
- The Sarc-ex as per the feeding guide

He'll get a token of small amount of the same once a day in summer, just to make sure he's happy to continue coming over to the gate rather than making me go and get him! He also had ad-lib hay, of which he eats a lot as the field grass is next to useless for him nutritionally.
 
Last edited:
Cowpony said:
I've never dared add it all up! But nobody so far seems to be budgeting for replacing trashed rugs, lead ropes or other small bits of tack, consumables such as fly spray, mane and tail spray, hoof oil, plaiting bands, mud fever cream, first aid items, treats, carrots etc. They can add up to a lot, as I know to my cost....
Click to expand...

I have £100pcm as an 'oh sh*t' fund for trashed things which is on the screenshot I posted up the thread, and non-essentials which includes the above consumables comes out of my daily life spending budget which is on another spreadsheet. :) They are definitely things that are easy to overlook!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top