How much does your horse cost you?

risky business

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I know it's a slightly personal question just some Sunday musings.

How much do you spent on your horse a month would you say? I'm going to narrow this down to how much does it cost to keep your horse, so livery, feed, hay etc. So forgetting little bits and bobs you may buy but sticking to essentials.

I haven't kept horses in 3 years now so prices my well have changed! Area makes a big difference too.
 

c2b

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The simple answer £3.73 a day last year.

It's one of those how long is a piece of string questions.

The longer answer, hairy native lives on fresh air.
Lives out, have stables but rarely use them.
Doesn't have shoes. Use hoof boots for routes that are very stony.
Yard is rather run down we do our own minor repairs, school is in the process of being refurbished but it's a very slow process.
DIY livery and very cheap even for our area.
Don't compete so no travel or entrance costs.
Do have dentist every 6 months.
Annual physio MOT
Annual saddle check
 

HashRouge

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Currently I pay £25 per week for stable and grazing. The stable is rarely used, only in exceptionally bad weather so bedding costs are so minimal I won't include them! Hay we pay £1 per net and it is fed intermittently through the winter - probably from late December to March I feed one large net a day, but that is between two horses. Sometimes more if it has snowed or if the weather is really bad. We have decent grazing all year. Feed is only required in the winter as she won't eat it in the summer. And she has 1/2 prascend tablet per day. I would imagine my total costs including the farrier are about £150 a month averaged out. She is quite cheap to run!
 

WelshD

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Joking aside.

Average months are probably £300 for two small ponies, that's a privately rented place and everything done A1, never scrimp if I can help it

At the moment I'm paying rent on 'my' place plus schooling livery and all the extras and new stuff that goes with that so probably around £800-900

Now....does anyone have cake?
 

Pearlsasinger

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I am not prepared to work it out!
I just don't want to know but I can tell you that I buy 5x £35 bale of every month, throughout the year. They are on a fibre only diet and the only real expense is a bottle of Aloe Vera juice every week from Holland & Barrett which costs about £12 but I usually get another in their penny sale, so works out at £6 each. Oh and linseed oil isn't cheap but lasts quite a while........., no sorry I refuse to work it out!


ETA they are at home, so no livery costs
 

Red-1

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I did the sums when we moved here, wrote everything down, and totted it up.

It was about 12K, in 1999. I have not done THAT again!!!

It was for one horse and a shetland, kept at home, included everything. I mean, insurance at over £1,000, vets (only routine stuff), affiliation to BE, BS and BD (although they had different names then!), feed, supplements, impulse purchases, fertiliser, ongoing fencing costs, arena maintenance, weedkiller, bedding, muck disposal, lorry service/tax/insurance/test/diesel, entry fees, tack, lessons, stable maintenance, everything......

It was a painful process!
 

LeannePip

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I refuse to add it up properly, but at a glance;

Livery per month: £340
Shoes 6weekly: £75 (inc stud holes)
Feed p.m: £10
Lessons/ entry fees pm: £150
+Lorry, Diesel, vets bills, sports massage, physic, dentist, extras . . . .

Thats enough of that for a Sunday morning!
 

AShetlandBitMeOnce

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I have one 17.3hh Warmblood and I spend (this is the first time I have added up, nervous :D )

£325 part-ish livery
£20 average on full livery days
£32 insurance
£60 for av 6 lessons a month
£35 shoes (£70 a time)
£10 per month for 2 x dentist pa
£5 per month for 1 x saddle fitter pa
£150 per month 'willy nilly I-want-this-for-no-real-reason' budget

So all in all £672 total... Now I am going to have to buy a fair amount of drink to forget I ever added that up :D
 

Bav

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Oh good god!
Well thank god I've got a new horsey so much less then before!

Livery and hay: £150 approx pcm
Feed: £20 a month roughly, depends if it's the month when all my supplements run out xD
Bedding: £24
Extras like t/out and bring in: £12 approx
Competitions and clinics: £44 approx

In a way it's not toooooo bad. But I won't include shoes, dentist every year, back checking and saddle fitting every 6 months, etc etc...
 

AmberThePony

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They're kept at home so no livery, but per month in winter:
I can't work out how quickly we get through hay, but about £30
£15 feed
£90 farrier every two months
£40 insurance
£15 bedding
I feel like I have missed something because it normally adds up to near 300 in the winter!
 

Sugar_and_Spice

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For one: 305 per month. Thats for DIY livery including hay, in at night in winter on 1 bale chippings per week. Hard feed all year, supplements for vitamins/skin/joints. Vaccination, fly spray, wormers. No lessons, competing or shoeing.
 

Walrus

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I thought the cost of horse ownership was a bit like fight club, rule number 1 you never add it up and rule number 2 you never speak about it!

Mine is a fairly economical native on DIY, for livery, foot trims, insurance and feed plus the odd day of assistance with livery if I'm away with work I'm probably looking at £250-300 per month. Add in lessons, competing, BD affiliation, keeping the horsebox on the road, multiple bits, physio sessions, stuff we don't need etc. I can easily double that most months!
 

sunnyone

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When I needed to work out a budget for keeping a horse I always looked at the price of 20 cigarettes a day. That generally covered field rent, hay, feed and shoes. BHS gold membership also an essential and whole life insurance for the horse, after that I self insured. Anything else is optional once basic tack is purchased.
 

Whizza

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I have a 16.1 warmblood mare, she's out 24/7 with a field shelter...

£80 DIY Livery
£27.50 hay
£20 farrier
£20 feed
£50 supplements (that could be cheaper I'm sure)
£47 insurance

Have only had her 2 months so have t had to do dentist etc

I also have a lesson on her every week that is £25

I might also need a new arm and a leg....ouch! ££££££££
 

HaffiesRock

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My Haffy has recently been diagnosed with Cushing's so his management has had to significantly change and my bill has rocketed!

£188.50pcm for livery (Stable, huge grassy fields, school, lunge pen, showjump paddock, xc course, staff on site and hay/bedding included)
£32pcm insurance
£30pcm approx on feed/supplements
£40pmc on medication for cushings
£25 farrier trim ever 6 weeks (bad feet due to the cushings)
£55 physio (3 or 4 times a year)
£35 saddle fitter (as and when but easily 6x a year)
£20 for worming as an when my yard dictate
£80 annually for vaccinations
£50pcm in my misc pot (Just about to spend a chunk on a vet bill)
I usually buy stuff most weekends too, that I do need, honest...
 

atropa

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Essentials for just 'keeping' my 16.1 WB in winter:
Livery £88/month
Additional Services £45/month
Hay £45/month
Bedding £40/month
Feed £30/month
Insurance £70/month
Farrier/physio/dentist £50/month
Total £368/month

I also have to add in the cost of worming, lessons, competing and I have an awful matchy shopping habit so I generally spend a further ~£300 a month on her but this comes from my own personal 'spending' allowance rather than the horse budget. Supposed to be cheaper in summer but someone obviously hasn't told horse that yet this year.
 

PollyP99

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I put £500 a month in a separate account, only started this for the last few months, it's an interesting perspective, on the one had I know exactly what I've spent at a glance, on the other I know exactly what I've left so want to spend it! So far im surplus average £150 per month - that was until I went to badminton and felt the need to spend. It's going to be good for me to budget this way I think.
 

Nicnac

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Over the years enough to have bought numerous properties or to be able to retire years ago.

TBH I don't know. As they are at home I don't factor in my time to maintain things, running the horsebox, entry fees etc. which all need to be included to get a true figure. I tend to order feed, shavings, hay in bulk so don't work it out on a monthly (or yearly) basis.
 

skint1

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There's a funny meme I wish I could find about horses costing all the things, that is perhaps the most accurate description I coul find :)

Mine cost around £220 a month each for livery, feed, farrier, insurance, but usually a lot more than that with vet bills which I seem to be having a lot of at the moment
 

ROMANY 1959

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Taking all into account inc running the lorry and driving to and from yard I worked out it was costing me over £600 a month!!! So I sold the horse!!! Sold the lorry, and sold all surplus tack, which would have stocked a small tack shop!!
All this happened within a month time frame, as teenager lost interest just like that!!
I now have my life back... Teenager will concentrate on uni in sept and we will be able to afford a holiday next year!
 

planete

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I spent a total of £3300.00 last year on my retired gelding at grass livery (all I have to do is go and pamper him whenever I feel like it). It will be more this year with vet bills for a sheath infection, tests and dental work (cavity fillings), about another £1000.00 so far.
 

DD265

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Per calendar month roughly £550 including everything bar any shopping I do at the supermarket for carrots, mints etc.
 

JennBags

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Including everything (lessons, clinics, competition entries, clothes for me and the horse and running the lorry) about £500-£600/month. That's on diy livery
 
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