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

[ApolloStorm]

I try to not actively think about how much it all costs! In the North East

£190 PCM DIY livery including ad-lib Hay and straw
£85 every 6 weeks for shoes (£35 for a trim,£65 for just fronts, this is very horse dependent!)
£35 pcm approx for feed - it’s basic but he gets chaff and vitamin and mineral supplement and linseed
£150 annually for jabs and teeth
About £70-£90 for Saddler every 3 months (this is excessively often but he keeps changing shape)
£50 for physio every 8 weeks (again this is more often than norm!)
I don’t insure anymore but put away £50 a month for vet related just incases - this is what my insurance used to be.

Then you have consumables shampoo/fly spray/mane and tail which are all arguably “luxuries” along with tack/rugs as and when it breaks - though with rugs I have found the old adage of buy cheap buy twice doesn’t always stand anymore! I bought expensive and still had to buy twice. Along with this any competition entries etc.
It can be done cheaper I’m sure but it’s well within my means currently so I don’t mind spending a bit!

Add it up if you dare but please don’t tell me!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I track everything I spend on the horse to the penny in a spreadsheet because I am a massive nerd.

I spend on Dex:
£505 5 day part livery
£10.99 per shavings bale (one a week)
£14.99 chaff lasts about 3 months a bag
£26.99 balancer, lasts about a month
£15.99 fast fibre, only just started this so not sure.
£22.50 insurance
£36 barefoot trim
£60 a month various supplemental feed bits for the sarcoids he's cropped up.

Other relevant costs:
£50 dentist
£40-60 per hour lesson
£120 full day lorry hire, £60 half day
3 x injections visits at about £100 per visit (on a zone day or shared call out)
£20 sheath cleaning lady as he's a bit gross
£25 basic medical kit from Ebay

I have owned him since May 10th and I've not managed to spend less than £1000 per month on him yet...
I needed buckets, wheelbarrow, broom, shavings fork, feed scoops, fly mask, thrush treatments, rugs, lunging equipment, 2 x headcollar as I wasn't sure if he'd be caught, bit, bridle, reins, saddle, girth, hay box, 2 x haynets, grooming kit, fly spray treats....

 

[Widgeon]

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.

Sounds about right to me too.

 

[Orangehorse]

The BHS says having a horse is the equivalent to owning another car - but cars differ in purchase cost and running cost.

Look at the the figures above. I keep my horse at home and don't pay livery or hay or bedding, but I have noticed that costs have gone up a lot recently. Noticeably the farrier and veterinary expenses. My vet's worming programme is now £160 per horse per year.

If you have a pony, a native type, cob type that can live out and is healthy and keeps well on grass, hay and doesn't need much in supplementary feed then they don't cost all that much to keep. You do need to account for insurance (just in case), farrier, annual injections, worming/worm counts and a contingency fund.

Then there are the setting up costs but you can buy a lot of things second hand at tack sales.

Riding lessons?
Unless you have really good hacking country then you might consider getting a trailer and a car to pull it to get out and about.

 

[shanti]

I have mine at home so no livery fees, basic care costs me an average of $5k (AUD) per horse per year, excluding emergency vet bills/replacing tack and rugs/property maintenance.

 

[Horsegirl25]

I am in Central Scotland and this is what it costs me roughly for 2 horses a month.
Livery (DIY) - £305, the £5 is for lorry parking at the yard
Farrier - £210, one has 2 fronts the other has 4 shoes in the summer they are done every 5 weeks
Hay - we pay by KG so hard to work that out monthly but around £15/20 a bale
Feed - around £40
So roughly £575 - £600 monthly on essentials
On top of that there's also entry fees for shows, BS/BE registration fees, vets bills, lessons.

I suppose it can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it really

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I've kept my pony on full livery in Surrey, DIY in surrey and then DIY in Yorkshire and now grass livery in Yorkshire so got a good range of costs!

Surrey - DIY £175 a month (this was very, very cheap for the area). Full livery - £700 a month including feed, bedding and hay.
Hay - £5-7 a bale (lasted me about 5 days in winter with horse in for 10 hours, 14.1 connemara pony).
Farrier - £80-90 for a full set every 6 weeks, £35 for a trim, £50 for just fronts.

Yorkshire - DIY £290 a month including hay and 1 bale of shavings a week. Grass £150 a month
Hay - £5 a bale
Farrier - similar to Surrey prices, maybe £5 cheaper.

All other costs don't vary depending on location really.

These are my current outgoings

Livery - £150pm
Hay - £20pm
Feed - £35pm (2 bags of grass nuts and 1 bag of chaff) this lasts more than a month though as she is fed a very token amount just to get supplements in and stop her kicking off when others get fed!)
Physio - £65 every few months, sometimes more frequent if going through rehab or I've done a lot with her
Saddler - £100 twice a year
Vaccs - £60ish I think, I don't pay call out as we have a set yard visit day
Insurance - £80 per month
Lessons/clinics - when I'm not pregnant/horse is sound I probably spend £50+ a month but obviously this is not essential

Then ad hoc things like winter rugs getting washed and reproofed, probably £20ish per rug, supplements, electric fencing etc.

I've honestly had some months where I'm spending close to £1k and others I spend £300. But I'd say an average is £400. My main saving compared to others is where I've been barefoot and cause she's on barely any hard feed. Hard feed alone has gone up 50% for me in the last few years due to fertiliser costs etc.

Sharing is definitely cheaper than owning, plus when things go wrong you can walk away. My pony has been on rehab/recovering from surgery for about 40 out of the last 52 weeks.

 

[PotofEarlGrey]

Your soul.

The most accurate answer.

 

[Winters100]

I think that the important thing to remember is that horses can easily become a huge stress if you are going into it only just able to support them, because things do go wrong, and when they do they can be costly to fix. Until you are in a position to say that the horse is easily affordable, with a nice amount of cash held back for emergencies, then I would personally not do it.

Edited to add that I am sorry that you have bad experience of sharing, but I think it is possible to find a good arrangement. I have a lovely couple who ride mine 2 or 3 days a week, it works perfectly for everyone, I value their help and would not dream of treating them with anything but the utmost respect. We do not have a formal share arrangement and I do not ask them to contribute to costs, or to do jobs as horses are part livery, but it helps me to have some extra time, and if I go away they will ride them and check them. Maybe worth trying again?

 

[poiuytrewq]

Marry or get yourself a farmer, I couldn’t really do it without!
Mine are really cheap to keep and as a result I can also keep my retired oldies and companion ponies which is a huge result and I am very aware a huge luxury.
It also very much depends on the horse, even on a dirt cheap diy (If they still exist in your area!) one horse can cost way more than another.
I had one TB in particular who cost the earth to keep. Feed bills per week were just huge, he needed shoeing monthly and seemed to need the vet weekly.
Current ridden horse lives on fresh air and is shod 6 weekly.

 

[Oldernewbie]

Honestly whether you find it expensive or cheap is almost entirely dependent on your personal finances.
To some people basic diy would beca stretch and to others five star full livery (for multiple horses!) is easy!

I keep my cob on a track system livery yard and my costs are as follows:

Livery- all feed, poo picking, daily checks, basic rugs etc is £450pm

Dentist- £140 a year

Vet- bare minimum around £120 yearly for jabs but as my horse is essentially uninsurable I could get hit with a v large bill anytime.

Feet- for a trimmer is around £40 a month

Worm counts £80 a year plus wormer if needed

Bodywork- approx 60 x4 times a year

Herbs and supplements-£50 a month

I do inhand and various bits and bobs with her but only onsite- estimate £50 a month ish to keep morale going!!

 

[Lexi 123]

Might get shot down for saying this it depends how much you care about your horse. Some people get physio teeth done every 6 months and feet every 6 weeks and feed a lot of when their horse doesn’t really need it. Which can get very costly. I think you can budget when owning a horse the most expensive monthly cost is livery if you don’t have your own land but that does depend on if you doing dly or full livery.

 

[Fire sign]

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 f your 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?

Hi there

I would say that you would need approx £400-£500 a month to keep a horse comfortably without sleepless nights worrying

You could do it for less if you are resourceful and lucky … if you have time and energy for DIY livery, if you can find a yard that will let you do 24/7 grass livery or a field for rent , if you don’t need an arena , if your horse can go barefoot , if you don’t mind riding a hairy pony covered in mud , if you have minimal insurance , don’t need lessons and don’t want to compete much then the costs could be much less but it would take self discipline and commitment and you might have to go without things for yourself to pay for a saddle or a rug or a vet bill …

 

[Backtoblack]

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!

Yes all this plus however much petrol cost is to get too and from the yard.

 

[expanding_horizon]

It depends on the type of horse too..a good doer or a horse that needs several feeds..esp in winter..

It does but if good doer gets a metabolic issue or at risk of laminitis they can suddenly cost a whole lot more if they need to be off grass!

 

[honetpot]

Its tough to know because the over the years you learn things that help decide if something is worth paying for, and that only comes with experience. I have five, soon to go up to six again, and my biggest fixed cost is a the farrier every eight weeks, and the hay bill which is about £500 for the year.
When they were all at DIY livery, a long time ago, it was £230 a month for all six, in comparison the hay and foot bill is not much more really.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Its tough to know because the over the years you learn things that help decide if something is worth paying for, and that only comes with experience. I have five, soon to go up to six again, and my biggest fixed cost is a the farrier every eight weeks, and the hay bill which is about £500 for the year.
When they were all at DIY livery, a long time ago, it was £230 a month for all six, in comparison the hay and foot bill is not much more really.

You can feed six horses for a cost of 500 a year in hay?!? Are you mainly feeding grass?

 

[honetpot]

You can feed six horses for a cost of 500 a year in hay?!? Are you mainly feeding grass?

Mine are mainly nativeX, even the bigger ones. I will have grass till the end of November as its so dry, and then they live on large rounds. They are kept like cattle. That is what I mean about experience, you learn what is really important, and needed, and what you can cut out

 

[Petalpoos]

Sorry to be a party pooper, but if you are only going to be able to save £40 a week now then you are not going to be able to afford to keep a horse.

 

[Micky]

It does but if good doer gets a metabolic issue or at risk of laminitis they can suddenly cost a whole lot more if they need to be off grass!

Yes that is true..I had one! A good doer, developed ppid, he did cost more but still not as much as a horse that needs 2 feeds a day on poor grazing..it’s all about getting what is needed, not what is wanted..matchy matchy isnt a need.

 

[Goldie's mum]

A lot of interesting information above. One other thing that hasn't been mentioned - how much storage space do you have?
I just phoned through an order for a winter's worth of hay and straw. It costs me about 2/3 of the 'small amount price', & I get it delivered for that & put in the shed by the merchant.
Hard feed is hugely cheaper if you buy a ton on a palette, compared to the price of a single bag. Not horses but to give an idea, last spring I needed 32 bags of sheep feed but it was cheaper to buy 40 and give 8 away!
Other things can be cheaper depending how many of you are involved. For example, my vet comes to see me and my neighbour & we pay half the call-out fee each, plus whatever individual things were done. Some yards have a regular farrier visit that you can join in with.

 

[Surbie]

A lot of interesting information above. One other thing that hasn't been mentioned - how much storage space do you have?
I just phoned through an order for a winter's worth of hay and straw. It costs me about 2/3 of the 'small amount price', & I get it delivered for that & put in the shed by the merchant.
Hard feed is hugely cheaper if you buy a ton on a palette, compared to the price of a single bag. Not horses but to give an idea, last spring I needed 32 bags of sheep feed but it was cheaper to buy 40 and give 8 away!
Other things can be cheaper depending how many of you are involved. For example, my vet comes to see me and my neighbour & we pay half the call-out fee each, plus whatever individual things were done. Some yards have a regular farrier visit that you can join in with.

The storage space is absolutely key. I have only ever been on DIY, and my storage space has ranged from 1 pallet, tack room space for 1 saddle & bridle and a chest outside the door to half a stable. This is to store everything I use.

Even with half a stable I couldn't hold more than 16 bales of hay and 6 bales of shavings, so the cheaper options from bulk buying were never available.

Right now I am on a yard where the YO sources and stores hay in bulk and we buy from them, which makes us safer from price increases through winter.

 

[kayeandGin]

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?

I think it depends. I have a 23 year old mare who lives out with choice of stable and here are my costs:

Stable/Field - 100
Chaff - 15
Sawdust - 10 (for a tonne bag)
Farrier - 55 every 6 weeks
Dentist - 50
She also has an anti lam supplement, boswellia and salt which costs vary.

 

[kayeandGin]

15

Forgot to say Hay - £25 (4 ft bale)

 

[sarcasm_queen]

Ours are at home (3 of them) so no costs for that (apart from mortgage etc).
They’re also all good doer native types out 24/7, so that keeps costs down a lot

Haylage-£140 a week (goes down a lot when there’s actually grass!)
Farrier-£160 every 6 weeks (1 shod, 2 trims)
Insurance-BHS gold, £8 a month
School hire-£50 a month (very important!)
Bedding-£30 a month

(SE England)

That doesn’t include any of the rugs that need replacing/electric fence that needs replacing/vet visits/any other unexpected things which add up pretty quickly. Having the ‘spare’ funds to finance the unexpected is sadly a very important part of horse ownership.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Mine costs me a lot despite living out all year round. I pay for stable, field and access to big bale haylage all year round.

I pay someone to feed and check him the other end of the day six days a week (I live too far away and work full time).

He's 17hh and not the best doer.

I pay monthly to use an indoor and outdoor school about 25 minutes walk away.

Part livery would be cheaper, but I like the flexibility and control and he loves living out.

I have lessons, do clinics, run a lorry, compete in multiple affiliated disciplines. Box out to beach etc.

My horse has regular bodywork, decent rugs (is a tricky shape) decent tack (again tricky), 8 hoof boots (2 sets of 4), good diet (with good balancer).

I've put slow hay feeders and mud control mats in the field.

It all costs, but it is my passion and worth it.

 

[Birker2020]

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?

Depends on your livery bills, what bedding and feed/supplements you use, if you need to keep the horse on bute, if the horse needs regular physio treatment.

That's before you even look at farrier, dentist, wash/repair rugs, lessons, entry fees, etc, etc.

I say the real cost is the time, effort and psychological input.

 

[Mrs B]

DIY livery, 15.1hh, 19yr old multitasking skewbald of the Heinz57 variety, Devon/Dorset area, approx costs per month in winter (summer around £100 a month less ref. haylage and bedding):

Livery £130
Insurance £160
Shoes £90
Straw £40
Haylage £60
Meds (Cushings) £40
Lessons £45
Feed £20
Petrol £70

So, around £650 a month in winter, £550 in summer, plus saddle checks, teeth, physio, worm counts, jabs, fly spray, replacing old worn-out stuff etc etc

I wear my riding/yard clothes until they have holes in them, I own 3 saddle clothes and get 2nd hand saddles, one bridle in 9 years, so don't splash the cash on extras.

Personally, I wouldn't keep one any more cheaply even if I could: I've done the 'no leccy, field only, no running water' thing and wouldn't again. But it is why, after 50-odd years, this one's my last. I simply can't afford to buy a sane, sensible all-rounder at current prices and even if I could, I can no longer justify the ongoing expense. It's going to break my heart to stop, but that's how things are ...

 

[marmalade76]

Other than prior to buying my first own horse in my early 20s, I've never worked it out, I don't dare!

 

[Mrs B]

Other than prior to buying my first own horse in my early 20s, I've never worked it out, I don't dare!

I had a fair idea (well hidden, even if acknowledged in my brain somewhere) but spelling it out today was a bit depressing, as it confirms things