How much does it rwally cost to own a horse??

Kirstineridesagain

Kirstineridesagain

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In the past couple of years I've shared horses, but my latest share just came to an end due to the owners giving my space to another person while I was on holiday. Such a shame, as I had agreed I didn't have to pay for the month and a half I was away, and they still gave away my spot without any warning or opportunity for me to secure the spot by paying. It was a lovely horse and I was so looking forward to riding her again.

I'm wondering if, instead of sharing a horse (which costs about £20 a week) I should save £40 each week and buy a horse instead in a couple of years time. The only problem would be that my skills would suffer and I might lose confidence. I've ridden loads om holiday this summer. Lots of mountain rides, really tricky but great for my confidence. Also a great hack on an Icelandic in Germany which made me fall in love with the breed.

My husband is convinced it's super costly to keep a horse. We have friends who have smaller ponies who have offered to keep it there, but not for free obviously. I'm just planning to hack and do fun rides etc, perhaps the odd lesson. I realise insurance, feed, dentist, farrier, vet etc does cost a fair amount. But I'm just fed up being at the mercy of horse owners who treat sharers as muck (this is my second bad experience...). I'm an adult (mid forties) and a mum but feel like a 12-year-old girl when horse owners talk to me. I also hate having to leave horses that I've got to know and bond with. Having my own would mean I could really allow myself to care for the horse and not having to leave it after a few months.

Any advice?
 

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Barton Bounty said:
It doesn’t cost that much really. My boy gets treated like a king and I waste a lot of money spoiling him.. 😂

Summer is obviously cheaper as you dont feed as much and no bedding etc
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I think it's easy to spend a lot on horses (and riding gear...I've got about five pairs of breeches myself, and don't even own a horse!). But if the horse is healthy, what are the monthly outgoings roughly for a pony who lives out?
 
when i first got lily, she cost me about £500 a month to keep, but since moving yards and buying diva i manage to keep both of them for only a small amount more - i put them both on straw, and my livery is insanely cheap.

worth noting that i also waste an awful lot of money spoiling them (me), and as much as i don’t NEED those things for me it’s part of the enjoyment😂
 
I'm not really up on costs these days but I'm sure others will come along with some ball-park figures soon. My advice would be to save what you think it will cost - if you can't manage that, that will give you some indication.
You need to budget for:
Livery (DIY/assisted/part or whatever) (have a look at yards near you and see what they charge)
Hay if not provided by livery
Feed if required - a balancer at the least is worth including
Bedding if stabled
Farrier/trimmer
Insurance
Annual jabs
Teeth
Physio
Saddle fitter
Worming programme
And a slush fund for extra bits/emergencies.
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
I think it's easy to spend a lot on horses (and riding gear...I've got about five pairs of breeches myself, and don't even own a horse!). But if the horse is healthy, what are the monthly outgoings roughly for a pony who lives out?
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I am about £300 in summer and a bit more in winter.. only 5 pairs lol
 
smolmaus said:
Its so very very dependant on location!

A horsey influencer has a smart little website where people submit their costs that you might find useful https://www.ridingwithrhi.com/equestrian-money-diaries

Personally it isn't so much the financial cost that is stressful, its the time. Minimum an hour a day, usually its 3 😬
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Thank you, that's useful. Yes, the time element is considerable. If my ten year old daughter is as keen on horses in a couple of years it will be a share (although I'll obviously be responsible). It's a 20 minute drive to my friend's field so will be a lot of driving and time spent. But by then my youngest is 8, so getting easier in terms of childcare...
 
It hugely depends on where you are in the country and how you keep the horse. At my previous yard I paid:

Per month:
Livery (DIY with services): £240 per month
Bedding: £64 (based on 2x bale shavings per week)
Farrier: £40
Feed: ~£30
Insurance: £56

= £366

Then you have teeth every 6 months which is about £65, replacing tack, saddle fitting cost which is anything from call out charge to 1k for a new saddle, supplements at about £20 a tub, your own riding gear etc.

Take whatever you think it will cost you and double it at the very least!
 
It can kind of be as much or as little as you like really, depending on your set up & location! Bare minimum one of mine costs per month

Rent (2 acre paddock): £80
Insurance: £60
Feed: £30
Hay: £30

But then you have all the additional things like farrier, worming, vets, saddle fitter, physio etc.

We also built stables, have paid out for countless electric fence posts and reels of tape. Replacement wooden fence posts, field maintenance, muck removal etc.. maybe it isn’t as cheap as I initially thought it was 🙈

Oh also, renting a field seems to take up a lot more time than being on a livery yard. There’s always something that needs to be done!
 
sassandbells said:
Oh also, renting a field seems to take up a lot more time than being on a livery yard. There’s always something that needs to be done!
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Good point. Not having any facilities and limited help as a first time horse owner, I think, would be absolutely miserable. I couldn't have coped without the kindness and help of people on the yard.

Make it as easy as possible for yourself when you start out OP, you can focus on save money later when you're on your feet! You CAN put a price on your sanity.
 
It depends a lot on where you are and the pressure on land. It's cheap enough on DIY livery with few or no facilities until the horse has a serious problem that your insurance doesn't cover, or one that is covered that requires lengthy box rest as treatment, or one that blows your insurance limit (easy done).

Fuel to get backwards and forwards once or twice a day really adds up.
Paying for holiday cover can be expensive, especially if a 6 week break isn't unusual for you.
 
smolmaus said:
Good point. Not having any facilities and limited help as a first time horse owner, I think, would be absolutely miserable. I couldn't have coped without the kindness and help of people on the yard.

Make it as easy as possible for yourself when you start out OP, you can focus on save money later when you're on your feet! You CAN put a price on your sanity.
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Yes, this. Keeping horses cheaply and well can be done but it is really a game for the experienced. Plenty of support at the start is really helpful. Your saving time can also be used to learn as much as you can about management as well because believe me even when you've been around horses for years owning your own is a big culture shock.
 
It varies depending on the horse too. When I got my fjord she was barefoot, so farrier costs were minimal. After arthritis set in she needed remedial shoeing which stiffed the price up massively. She's also got sweetitch, and the only rugs that fit without rubbing are Boetts, which just happen to be the priciest. 🙄 Add in her supplements for the arthritis and hay year round due to laminitis risk, and she costs a fair bit for a good-doer.
 
I'd say about an average of £550-£650 a month on DIY is about right for me. Sometimes more, sometimes a little less.

That's for a native pony that mainly hacks with 1 or 2 lessons a month, an arena/farm ride hire every 6-8 weeks on average and about the same frequency low level competitions thrown in for about half the year.
 
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Kirstineridesagain said:
In the past couple of years I've shared horses, but my latest share just came to an end due to the owners giving my space to another person while I was on holiday. Such a shame, as I had agreed I didn't have to pay for the month and a half I was away, and they still gave away my spot without any warning or opportunity for me to secure the spot by paying. It was a lovely horse and I was so looking forward to riding her again.

I'm wondering if, instead of sharing a horse (which costs about £20 a week) I should save £40 each week and buy a horse instead in a couple of years time. The only problem would be that my skills would suffer and I might lose confidence. I've ridden loads om holiday this summer. Lots of mountain rides, really tricky but great for my confidence. Also a great hack on an Icelandic in Germany which made me fall in love with the breed.

My husband is convinced it's super costly to keep a horse. We have friends who have smaller ponies who have offered to keep it there, but not for free obviously. I'm just planning to hack and do fun rides etc, perhaps the odd lesson. I realise insurance, feed, dentist, farrier, vet etc does cost a fair amount. But I'm just fed up being at the mercy of horse owners who treat sharers as muck (this is my second bad experience...). I'm an adult (mid forties) and a mum but feel like a 12-year-old girl when horse owners talk to me. I also hate having to leave horses that I've got to know and bond with. Having my own would mean I could really allow myself to care for the horse and not having to leave it after a few months.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
So if you had a formal agreement to share a horse who do you think paid for its feed etc while you were on holiday? And if you had a horse and wanted to go away what would you do then?
 
Thing about horses is it’s very very different price wise depending on location and set up
If you’re on livery everything immediately gets a heap more expensive
I have mine at home and they’re pretty much free in summer bar a barefoot trim (€30) and the occasional vet call (20-100 unless it’s serious)
 
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I live in Edinburgh. Although we might move to rural Kent in a couple of years...don't know if the costs are higher in Scotland or Kent?

Planning to letting it live out (with shelter) in a field, and pay my friend to feed and check it when we're away.
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
I live in Edinburgh. Although we might move to rural Kent in a couple of years...don't know if the costs are higher in Scotland or Kent?

Planning to letting it live out (with shelter) in a field, and pay my friend to feed and check it when we're away.
Click to expand...
Scotland should be cheaper
 
gallopingby said:
So if you had a formal agreement to share a horse who do you think paid for its feed etc while you were on holiday? And if you had a horse and wanted to go away what would you do then?
Click to expand...
The horse is part of a herd with multiple sharers. Mine didn't have any other sharers before I arrived on the scene. I started in June and asked before I started if it would be OK to have July off, and they agreed. So only paid for June in cash and planned to set up my direct debit this month. But they hadn't even bothered to tell me my space had been given away. Was only when I asked if I could ride tomorrow that I found out...
 
Land is becoming scarcer and scarcer.
Cost are rising noticeably.

I think you would need to budget at least £250/month for an unshod native on diy grass livery with minimal facilities. But be prepared for more if you need any specialist input (which is not unexpected for new owners).
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
I live in Edinburgh. Although we might move to rural Kent in a couple of years...don't know if the costs are higher in Scotland or Kent?

Planning to letting it live out (with shelter) in a field, and pay my friend to feed and check it when we're away.
Click to expand...

I would budget for the horse needing to be stabled part of the time (so needing bedding, hay or haylage etc) and if he or she doesn't, then great. But than finding the horse needs to be stabled and being unable to afford the costs.

My hardy native 'should' be able to live out. He hates it in reality 🤣 And that's before getting into the difficulties of a managing a good doer on grass livery.
 
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My sister and I have kept our horses/ponies on her and her OH's field for the last 29 years. No stables but have very occasionally created a temporary shelter in our barn. Current three (non ridden) live out all year round, rugged only when absolutely necessary. Costs for us are trimming, £25 a time and a small amount of feed to carry supplements. I think our biggest costs are the supplements. We only feed hay in the winter if there is snow on the ground. In the summer they are on restricted grazing so get a bit of hay then. However we have been with horses for around 60 years so have plenty of experience, would be different if we were just starting out.
 
I kept mine on DIY and I stopped adding up when it came to £400 per month and don’t forget to factor in travelling to the yard twice a day every day, and time spent doing all of the jobs. It might sound lovely just chucking them out in a field but if you don’t have your own land it can still cost quite a bit …. You need to put away more than £40 a week to work out if you could afford to keep a horse and unless you already have savings horse prices are still very high. A confident experienced rider can take on more of a project and therefore it will be cheaper but for many of us a safe, sound hacking horse is like gold dust and at the moment you would be lucky to get one for less than £6000 and more like £8 to £10000…
 
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It was always my intention to buy a horse and over the years I did endless calculations. Even with a paying sharer 2 days a week, it was always more expensive to own a horse than to share one or to ride at an RS.
My reasons for not buying were emotional. I fell for the RS horses I rode. I adored a Connie mare at our local RS and hacked her 2 or 3 times a week for 8 years from her arrival at the yard till her retirement. I then shared and hacked solo on our RIs elderly horse and when she died, and I was again looking to buy, I found instead my present share who is safe as houses and about 13 years old. I suppose I love her too, as I call her the honey horse.

I dream of owning a grey Connie mare, 14. 2 to 15 hands. So who knows? Any girl who read Wish for a Pony is entitled to dream.
 
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