To buy or not

[tina60]

Hi I have returned to riding after about 35 years! which has been a bit of a shock but I am loving it so much. Currently I am having 2 group lessons a week which costs me about £35 a week. I would love to own my own horse but I am completely out of touch with cost etc. Can anyone give me an "idea" of what costs I could expect? I am looking at approx 14'2. I do realise that it will only be a rough guide. Thank you for any advice!

 

[splashgirl45]

glad you are enjoying riding again after such a long break. I cant give you an idea of costs, just know its always more than I can afford!!!!!! owning a horse is a huge commitment with both time and money so why not try sharing first to see if you enjoy all of the aspects of horse owning.....your local tack or feed shop usually has a notice board and people sometimes advertise for sharers on these. if you say roughly which part of the country you are in someone on here may know of something...

 

[Fides]

As a rough 'average' guide allow yourself between £200 and £250 a month to factor in shoeing, vacs, dentist etc.

 

[Joanne_Stockport]

It depends if you are going to keep it at home or have your horse on full livery, part livery or DIY...check your local stables to find out their prices as it varies a lot depending on your location. On top there is the vet, dentist, saddle checks, farrier, insurance and you will probably need more lessons ! Also you will need tack, rugs, first aid , grooming kit,etc.. to start with !
Good luck!

 

[Fides]

Yes also what Joanne said - just because you have your own doesn't mean the lessons stop. In fact, you will probably need them more at first. I pay £120 a month for lessons.

 

[tina60]

Thank you everyone, that's really helpful there is a lot to think about!

 

[Dunlin]

Don't forget about sharing either, I was paying £70 a week for x2, 1 hour lessons. I got a share sorted at £50pw for a great horse who I could do almost anything with including competing, I had him for 3 days a week but it was often more if I wanted at no extra cost. I didn't stop the lessons but I found I was re-learning a lot quicker so cut it down to 1 a week and then 1 a fortnight.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

It depends where in the country you are. I have a 7yo irish cob (he was sold as 14.2hh but is actually 15.1hh). He's kept on grass livery at £190p/m, shoes are every 7 weeks and are £85 unless we've not done much in which case he has refits at £65. He's incredibly green so we have lessons once or twice a week at a cost of £25 per lesson. He came with tack that didn't fit when I bought him cue a new saddle (£350) and 6 weeks of physio at £65 per session. He's insured (£37p/m) and I also have BHS membership which is £6p/m. His yearly vaccination was about £87 last year I think. Then there's all the bits and pieces that crop up. He's super hairy in winter so needs clipping (£50 per clip) so he doesn't get too sweaty when worked and has a nasty habit of trashing rugs, last winter he went through 5 rugs in 10 days so that was easily around £400 in replacements. I try to put aside an extra £100 or so a month for any vets or other surprises that crop up too. Personally I'm going to avoid adding up the monthly costs as it'd scare the crap out of me but feel free to do the maths if you like