The cost of keeping competition horses

meardsall_millie

meardsall_millie

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The recent threads about whether you need money to compete at the top levels got me thinking about how much it actually costs me to keep and compete my horses. So, it being a quiet Friday afternoon and all that, I started to jot a few figures down. It's all a bit scary to be honest.

Now before you all go and shout at me for not being completely accurate to the penny, I will admit that these are 'back of a fag packet' figures, however it won't be a million miles out.

So - to keep 1 horse running, Novice BE, assume in overnight in the winter and out 24/7 in the summer, to include bedding, feed, haylage, shoes, vaccs, wormer, teeth, back checks, registration fees (BE and BSJA for me and horse), entry fees (1 Novice BE per month and 1 other outing per month during eventing season, 2 outings per month out of season), diesel, 1 lesson per month, allowance for other training (xc schooling, etc) and insurance..... How much do you reckon (not including new tack and other sundries, tack checks, clothes for me and yard maintenance (kept at home)).....?









Just short of £9000 per year :eek:

I have 2 horses - so accept that won't be doubled but I could easily add on two thirds of that for the second horse.

The real killers in there are, not surprisingly, keeping the lorry on the road (tax, insurance, maintenance and diesel), then entry fees are next, with feed coming in at third most expensive.

Ouch! :o
 
Ouch indeed!

That's a montrous amount....maybe we should take up knitting instead??

Still, if you love it, you work hard and mae sacrifices to make it work, right?

:D

I don't do BE, don't have the guts I used to have, when jumping 5ft timber fences was nowt.....! I baulk at 2ft 9 in my infirm days now!

I'll stick to Trec....
 
haha... my boyfriend couldn't understand why i didn't have more money saved up in the bank after 10 years of work, but this probably explains why ;)

quite scary!
 
Pah, you lot are all novices at this! I.... keep A SPREADSHEET!!!! Of everything. Meardall M, I am not surprised at your figures.

So, where do I go to sell a kidney round here?
 
Last night I worked out how much it cost me to keep my currently hack horse for a month on grass livery at it was only £220 on a month by month basis, was sitting there thinking that's not too bad, that is until my house mate reminded me I had to add in the £1000 in vets fees she's cost me this year, plus vaccinations, plus saddler, plus dentist, plus chiro, plus insurance, plus travel to vet etc. And I wonder why I can't afford a £30 climbing harness? :p Why do we do it? lol
 
I'm awful- I just don't add it up and it's probably best i don't! i had a quiet year on the competing front last year, but aim to get back out there this year doing a bit of BD- registration fees, yard rent, bedding,haylage, hay, feed, supplements, shoes, tack, saddles, vets, teeth,training,insurance clothes etc etc- the list is endless isn't it, theres always something that i think i need to buy as well! when you have a good day though it really makes it all worthwhile!
 
Think your figures are about right for your situation but lots don't have the benefit of keeping their "ponies" at home. With livery and the cost of fuel getting to and from the yard plus the purchase cost of horses/ lorry or trailer and suitable car to pull it and depreciation of same then you could probably add another 3/4 grand to that! I bet you wished you'd had a busier Friday and hadn't worked out how much it takes to keep our beloveds!
 
ok a typical winter month...

THE BASICS
£70 - set of shoes
£100 - stable and grazing livery
£80 - haylage (eating a lot during the snow)
£60 - hard feed
£35 - insurance

TRAINING/MEMBERSHIP
£120 - lesson x2
£30 - xc schooling
£200 approx - BE membership for me and horse
£100 - 1x Intro inc diesel, start fee, lunch
£30 - unaff comp x1

EXTRAS
£60 - new T/O/ rug
£37 - rug repairs
£488 - vets fees outstanding!!!!! have had a bill every month for the past 7 months!!!!!
£60 - EDT
£55 - Physio

So roughly per month 1 horse costs me £650-£700!!!
£7800 - £8400 a year - and that's the CONSERVATIVE FIGURE!!!!! :(
 
HotToTrot said:
Pah, you lot are all novices at this! I.... keep A SPREADSHEET!!!! Of everything. Meardall M, I am not surprised at your figures.

So, where do I go to sell a kidney round here?
Click to expand...

I have a spreadsheet too. With monthly budgets, online banking downloads, categorisation of spend, pivot tables, variance analysis, an iphone app to track cash - and an enormous overdraft. Yes, I'm an accountant :o. Turns out knowing exactly how much you spend doesn't stop you spending it ;)

Costs me an average of about £700 a month to keep the two at home. This includes feed bedding shoeing haylage, wormer if required, grass rent (own stables), insurance, BE membership for me, one vet visit a year (vaccs + worm count), annual dentist and massage, a girl to take them in at night for half the year, £75 on lessons and £50 on entries. So that excludes their membership, transport costs, more expensive competing or clinics, any other vets fees. I guess I'm lucky in that my dad is a mechanic so at least my vehicle maintenance costs are limited to cost. Other than the vet though, the "unbudgeted" stuff is all controllable spend, so if I'm skint I don't have to do the expensive competing.
 
Chloe_GHE said:
ok a typical winter month...

THE BASICS
£70 - set of shoes
£100 - stable and grazing livery
£80 - haylage (eating a lot during the snow)
£60 - hard feed
£35 - insurance

TRAINING/MEMBERSHIP
£120 - lesson x2
£30 - xc schooling
£200 approx - BE membership for me and horse
£100 - 1x Intro inc diesel, start fee, lunch
£30 - unaff comp x1

EXTRAS
£60 - new T/O/ rug
£37 - rug repairs
£488 - vets fees outstanding!!!!! have had a bill every month for the past 7 months!!!!!
£60 - EDT
£55 - Physio

So roughly per month 1 horse costs me £650-£700!!!
£7800 - £8400 a year - and that's the CONSERVATIVE FIGURE!!!!! :(
Click to expand...

No don't panic - you don't pay the BE membership every month! Or your EDT, Physio, rug repairs. Plus no BE over winter. And breathe....

(PS your lessons are expensive, mine are £25 each!)
 
I keep a spreadsheet and it is very, very scary but I have to know what I am spending or I worry even more.

The costs are sickening tbh (particularly as my 2 are on full livery), so much so, I am looking to sell one of mine this spring.
 
I kept a tally one year and managed to get through on £4.5k for the year for a horse at novice but I pay no livery, hay or straw. I do have additional costs as have no arena so end up travelling more. It is scary though.
 
noevil.gif
is my philosophy...! ;) I have never added it up accurately and I don't think I would want to. Obviously I can hazard a rough guess and would probably be cheaper with equivalent highs & lows taking up drugs... :p But they're worth it, right?! :D
 
now_loves_mares said:
I have a spreadsheet too. With monthly budgets, online banking downloads, categorisation of spend, pivot tables, variance analysis, an iphone app to track cash - and an enormous overdraft. Yes, I'm an accountant :o. Turns out knowing exactly how much you spend doesn't stop you spending it ;)

Costs me an average of about £700 a month to keep the two at home. This includes feed bedding shoeing haylage, wormer if required, grass rent (own stables), insurance, BE membership for me, one vet visit a year (vaccs + worm count), annual dentist and massage, a girl to take them in at night for half the year, £75 on lessons and £50 on entries. So that excludes their membership, transport costs, more expensive competing or clinics, any other vets fees. I guess I'm lucky in that my dad is a mechanic so at least my vehicle maintenance costs are limited to cost. Other than the vet though, the "unbudgeted" stuff is all controllable spend, so if I'm skint I don't have to do the expensive competing.
Click to expand...

Oooh that is not A Spreadsheet, that is A Posh Spreadsheet. Mine doesn't do all that. It is an extremely good deterrent; when I want to splurge, I open up The Spreadsheet and step awaaaay from the credit card....
 
Figjam, that's my approach as well. I do know roughly, just don't actually think about it. I do sometimes think back to the 1980s when I was show jumping affiliated regularly and my DIY livery was a basic £33.00 a month and class entries were probably a couple of pounds and I wonder how it ever got so expensive (yes, I know, inflation amongst other things).
 
God I did this the other day. I went through my statements for the past 12 months and made up an excel spreadsheet of my costs. I spent on average £700 a month on my horse which includes everything from insurance to diesel, it includes on average 2 competitions/clinics a month and I only ride at RC/low affilliated level with 1 horse!
 
FigJam said:
noevil.gif
is my philosophy...! ;) I have never added it up accurately and I don't think I would want to. Obviously I can hazard a rough guess and would probably be cheaper with equivalent highs & lows taking up drugs... :p But they're worth it, right?! :D
Click to expand...

Ditto, am too chicken :o, but M_M that is seriously scary!! :eek:
 
silu said:
Think your figures are about right for your situation but lots don't have the benefit of keeping their "ponies" at home. With livery and the cost of fuel getting to and from the yard plus the purchase cost of horses/ lorry or trailer and suitable car to pull it and depreciation of same then you could probably add another 3/4 grand to that! I bet you wished you'd had a busier Friday and hadn't worked out how much it takes to keep our beloveds!
Click to expand...

You're right - those of us who are lucky enough to keep our horses at home don't have livery costs to pay but unfortunately neither do we have the benefit of someone else being responsible for all the yard and field maintenance. By the time I've paid all of that (plus the extra mortgage payments) I'm actually paying out more than I used to spend on livery (although I do accept there are benefits that you can't put a price on).

I'm kind of relieved that everyone thinks these costs are about right - although I really wish I'd got on with actual work at work, rather than doing this!! :rolleyes:
 
i worked out my total outgoings 1 year while eventing, nearly had heart failure, and deliberately forgot the total.
keeping horses at home does help a lot, but the costs are frightening. with the high cost of diesel now, it's going to get really prohibitive... :( :(
 
Having been out of work for the last 3 months and little on the horizon other than lousy temp work earning the sort of money in a week I normally earn in a day I am having to make hard decisions about horses in my life full stop. I managed to put one on loan to a lovely lady on the yard and the other is likely to go soon a friends daughter for 6 months to event and be seen at PC with a view to selling by the summer hols. The lorry can then go freeing up some capital. Even if I kept him all my reserves are now gone so he would not be competing this year so I think its time for a break, get some money back in the bank and spend the time I free up sorting out the crumbling pile that is my cottage and its jungle of a garden :(
I may be offering my services as a weekend event groom if I need my "fix" when the novelty of gardening and decorating wears off ;)
 
meardsall_millie said:
Are kidneys essential for normal existence - is it possible to sell both? :confused: ;)
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I dunno :confused:. You'd have thought there would be someone round here with some medical knowledge..... :p

I do hope to be rich soon. I sent my last remaining savings to a really nice-sounding chap who emailed me from Nigeria with an opportunity too good to miss. Hoping for a windfall any day now - just off to check my bank account again :p
 
Gamebird said:
I dunno :confused:. You'd have thought there would be someone round here with some medical knowledge..... :p

I do hope to be rich soon. I sent my last remaining savings to a really nice-sounding chap who emailed me from Nigeria with an opportunity too good to miss. Hoping for a windfall any day now - just off to check my bank account again :p
Click to expand...



That sounds interesting. You are certain of a large reward soon, with absolutely no risk at all of having your money stolen or a short spell at her majesty's pleasure :p. I do hope you didn't forget to give him the pin and password for your bank account too ;)

<disclaimer: due to my job I sort of feel responsible to point out that both of us are joking and the above is a scam. In case you didn't know. :rolleyes:>
 
It's very alarming but I wonder what on earth I'd do with the money otherwise?! Perhaps egg donation is the solution. I hear the going rate for a university incubated egg with no family history of allergies is good in America?! ;)
 
I've just totted up my average - I have 1 horse which I event (BE90/100) and 1 youngster (NFxTb) on my own land - do not pay rent, but I do have someone help me with mucking out, turnout etc.. 3/4 x week so here we go. Live out 24/7 in summer and in at night in winter, occasional school hire from down the road, but otherwise don't compete or train much through the winter:

Stable help - £150
Farrier - £43 (average from every 6-8wks)
Vet (routine stuff only) - £23
Worming - £7
Hay - £25 (obviously not much in the summer - but is averaged over 12 months)
Hard Feed - £60
Bedding - £50
Competitions - £120 (incl memberships for BE)
Training/lessons - £50
Fuel - £50 (travel to and from stables and events)
Insurance (Horse - youngster is liability/3rd party only) - £24
Insurance (Trailer) £12
General stable/field maintenance (harrowing, weed killing etc.....) - £11

TOTAL = £625/month

Ok, so this may not seem as bad compared to some of you - but not included, the £5.5k I spent on brand new stables last year, new trailer the year before and all the extra bits and pieces (tack, rugs etc..) and vet bills for a few things last year. It all adds up, but I wouldn't want to live without it!
 
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