If you keep your horse/s at grass 24/7, how much do you spend PCM?

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Epona78

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Hi, I am sure that this sort of question has been done to death here, but still, I would be very grateful if you could give me an idea of what you spend on your grass-kept horse per month. My husband must spend £250 a month running his car. I am sure you could keep a horse for this amount, well, the sort of horse I would want anyway (just a pet really, for hacking and cuddling!). Many thanks for any replies!
 
Epona78 said:
Hi, I am sure that this sort of question has been done to death here, but still, I would be very grateful if you could give me an idea of what you spend on your grass-kept horse per month. My husband must spend £250 a month running his car. I am sure you could keep a horse for this amount, well, the sort of horse I would want anyway (just a pet really, for hacking and cuddling!). Many thanks for any replies!
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Welcome :) If you let us know whereabouts in the country you are we can probably be of more help - it varies massively by area!
 
u can DEFINITELY keep a horse for 250pcm, unless u need full livery or something like that - granted it depends where in the country u are. but a native pony living out 24/7 can easily be managed on this money, just make sure u are insured for vets bills, as sadly they go over that amount very easily! :D
 
You surely could here in S Wales. Grass livery (basic) is £15 p/wk moving up to £20 at most round here. By the time you've factored in everything else, I'm pretty sure you could do it for that.
 
Mine costs less than £250/horse and I'm in ExpensiveLand :p Routine costs for me are simply livery (no hard feed or hay this time of year) and insurance.
 
I'm in Cheshire, about 8 miles outside of Chester, in a nice village but not one of the posh villages where the footballers live (imagine livery would be sky high there!). I would keep my hypothetical horse at grass all year round, 100% DIY. This is a "just for fun" question to settle an argument between me and husband! I think he thinks we'd have to win the lottery for me to have a horse, but I reckon the upkeep must be on a par with his car expenses. Who's right?!?
 
alderly edge?

Well ive been looking (cheshire) from a field (£10 a week wit h nothing) £120 retirement livery in crewe and £250 retirement livery knutsford!!! (again areas)!..

im trying for £20-25 a week max for diy grass livery !
 
Epona78 said:
I'm in Cheshire, about 8 miles outside of Chester, in a nice village but not one of the posh villages where the footballers live (imagine livery would be sky high there!). I would keep my hypothetical horse at grass all year round, 100% DIY. This is a "just for fun" question to settle an argument between me and husband! I think he thinks we'd have to win the lottery for me to have a horse, but I reckon the upkeep must be on a par with his car expenses. Who's right?!?
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you are right :D even if u were wrong i'd say u were right cos us women have to stick together, especially where horses and husbands/OHs are concerned!
 
Easy!! £10-15 per week grass keep, unshod or fronts only £40 every 6 to 8 weeks. Even if you supplement a bale of hay per week or some hard feed in winter it will be way under..
 
£250 would be fine.
Grass livery per horse, I paid £50 p/m. (that was cheap, I usually pay £100p/m)
Hay £50 p/m over 6 months.
Feed £10p/m.

Insurance £50p/m.
Farrier trim £20 every 8 weeks or so.
Dentist £47 every 10 months.
Saddle check £50 once a year or as required.
Annual vaccinations and call out fee £70 .

Budget for lotions and potions, first aid and common remedies.

Keep extra money by for emergency costs, like vet, box rest costs with bedding and hay and transport.

If your horse is shod, shoes would be around £70, ideally every 6 weeks.
Inital outlay of tack, bits, rugs and mucking out equipment.
 
catwithclaws said:
you are right :D even if u were wrong i'd say u were right cos us women have to stick together, especially where horses and husbands/OHs are concerned!
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Haha, brilliant!
Thank you very much for all your replies, I am showing this thread to DH later. That hypothetical horse may well become a reality...

Keep them coming!
 
On Grass livery, approx £117 per horse per month includes livery, insurance, hoof trim, supplement and chaff. Winter have to factor in hay at £4 a bale where I am (Warks).
 
Mine live out 24/7 but our farmer insists on taking a stable for each pony 'just in case'...

livery £90pcm
water £5pcm
1 set of front shoes for cob & trim for pony £60 every 7-8 weeks
basic feed stuff £10 -£15pcm

Unfortunately my costs soon rocket with cushings meds for 1 pony and supplements for the arthritic cob!
 
Grass livery round here is £25 per week, I pay £75 for shoes, I'd say 2.5 bales hay a week in winter, 1.5 max in summer (2 x exmoors on restricted grazing), feed about 1 bag a month, if that (not much difference between seasons and yes, that's for both), so about £20 per month if you round up supplements and linseed (a 20Kg sack lasts me 6 months for 2 ponies).

I think a visit to Horsemart is in order for you, young lady.... :D
 
Fransurrey said:
I think a visit to Horsemart is in order for you, young lady.... :D
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Oh, I am already looking, I assure you!
I used to ride when I was a kid but only started up again last July after a massive break. I was thinking of doing the BHS Horse Owner's Cert and maybe looking to buy a horse in perhaps two years time, just for a pet really. I have the option of buying a car you see, but I would much rather take the bus and have a horse instead!
 
I pay £15p/w for grass livery. We don't have a school or electricity, but the hacking is good enough not to care, and we school in empty fields.

Shoes £65 every 6 weeks
Insurance £23 a month

In Winter I also buy feed and hay.

Also need to factor in dentists, saddlers, vaccinations, new rugs etc, but these are usually only every 6-12 months.

I definitely don't spend £250 a month on my horse. I wouldn't be able to pay my mortgage if I did!
 
I am on an expensive yard in Surrey but have great hacking and facilities. Grass livery £130 per month - excellent grazing post and rail fences etc etc. Really well kept yard with no restriction to school/electricity etc. Plenty of storage. Secure private yard. Field shelters available. Shared or individual turnout on well drained big paddocks. On top of that prob 2 or 3 small bales haylage per week at £5 a bale in the worst of the winter months and balancer with fast fibre as needed for feeds - £20 a month. Trimming by farrier £30 every 6 to 8 weeks. Insurance £28 month. Occ wormer etc annual vaccs from vet, rugs, - should all come in well under your budget :D
 
My two have their own account and I pay £250 pcm into this and it pays for everything.

Shocking fact is that 10 years ago this same amount kept 5 horses with enough left over to build up a lump sum for emergencies.
 
i charge my livery £10/week but she pays for anything extra inc hay etc.
she rarely sees the horse - i do all day to day care - suits me just fine ;)

ETA - there is use of a stable if needed - and field has field shelter. also use of tack room, feed room etc - but no area - its non-ridden anyway
 
Cor, some of these prices seem cheap! I'm Hertfordshire way and the only yard I've found that does grass livery is £120 a month! This includes use of school and running water, but there's no hacking and no use of stable in an emergency. Another yard I found is £260 a month, which is everything done, (feeding, mucking out, etc) bar riding and grooming, but you have to pay for feed and hay on top, as well as shoes, insurance, etc. I think I need some tips from everyone!
 
I'm in North London - life is expensive here but thankfully I rent from someone who is not particularly money motivated. I pay £60 a month for grass livery in what is essentially two fields combined, a fenced off part for tying up and a shed. My 2yo lives out there and his insurance is £17 a month as he's essentially a lawnmower, he gets a foot trim every 8-12 weeks for £20. He gets a double handful of chaff (£8 a bag - lasts four months) and Topspec lite (£25 a bag - lasts three months).

Other than that he's very cheap to keep - bar the vet bill that will be coming through shortly for an infected eye thanks to flies. You'll also have to contend with the ever changing british weather - I'm not too bothered about rugs for the time being as its still warm but the sun comes and goes and even when its been raining all day and I'm stuck at work I'll realise its suddenly super sunny and by the time I've reached him after work he's got sunburnt!
 
I keep my pony in herts and he lives out though he has a stable. I pay £140 a month and we have school, tea room, toilet, tack room, feed shed and hay shed and some nice hacking.

Then I pay shoes £40 every 5 weeks fronts only
hay £5 a month in the summer £35 a month in the winter
feed he is a good doer so only about £3 a month
supplements £30 a month
worming he is only intelligent worming so about £8 a month
insurance £39 a month
vacinations and teeth rasping about £120 a year.

Lessons, competing, lotions and positions, random vet bills though push the cost up.

There are some more basic yards locally though without stables which cost £46 a month or £100 a month
 
Could you not find a horse to share first? That way there'd be some help or advice to hand as well as lower costs and help you to meet lots of other horsey people?
I'm in north Cheshire and keep all 6 of mine at grass 365 days a year, although we do have stables. Although I don't insure any of them, have BHS membership, and they are on my own yard my costs are a darn sight less than £250/mth each. I used to have a livery until 2 year ago at £15/week with own stable, unlimited grazing, free use of arena,jumps and storage until she decided she needed to move to share a private yard with someone who would do daily checks to save going three days each week and offered her free show transport as well :-/
Try cheshire horse co uk for bits of info and competition dates.
 
You need to factor in ALL costs. The monthly layout might not be a lot but theres unforeseen [ and foreseen] expenses such as veterinary costs maybe fence repairs weedkiller and so on. There is also travel to the yard, will you need transport for this ?
In winter my horses eat half a small bale of hay a day each and I use 2 small bales of straw per week too. Good Luck I hope you achieve your dream.
 
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