Love Horse
Member
I am looking to buy a pony to keep on grass livery all year and I am wondering how much it would cost to keep a pony on average year or month
Our costs are as follows (calculated over year and divided by 12)
Livery - £130 (includes all bedding/hay/haylage/straw) out April to October then stabled at night October - April
Shoes - £17 (fronts only and re-shod every 10 weeks)
Insurance - £25
Hard feed - roughly £5 (if used at all)
Wormer - £6
Vet - jags £3.33 (part loaner is a vet so she does vacc)
Teeth & visit - £9
In addition to the above there are new rugs/equipment/clipping etc - my parents are 'silent' part loaners to the pony and our part sharer pays £65 a month but also pays half of the farrier/new equipment/clipping etc.
We help each other put at the yard so we look after/exercise some people's horses when they're away and they reciprocate with us - so no charges there.
Every 10 weeks for shoes? That really surprises me. Mine is done every 4.5 - 5 in summer, and 6 in winter. Much longer than that and the feet will be getting very unbalanced. Even my last horse whose feet didn't grow quickly still needed to be re-shod every 6 - 7 weeks.
My costs while on grass livery, but with access to a stable:
£28 pw grass livery, £1 extra per day for water filling and £1 for a check if I am not around.
£72 for a full set of shoes (with stud holes though I don't think it costs any less for shoes without stud holes), every 5 weeks. £20 for a check/ trim when he doesn't have shoes (winter). £40 for fronts and checking the hinds, every 5 - 6 weeks.
£40 dentist every 6 - 7 months
Vacc's cost about £20 when we had a friendly vet livery who only charged for the jabs but when you get a vet out to do it and pay full price, more like about £80
Insurance around £450 a year
Hay costs £2 a bale from YO, and shavings are £7 a bale when stabled
Hard feed - he only gets it when working hard and doesn't get a huge amount. Depending on what I feed maybe £10 a month through spring, summer and autumn. He isn't getting anything now as basically on holiday, and will only get a tiny handful once he is stabled over night in the new year (if everything else is being fed, to keep him quiet)
Plus the cost of buying tack and having it fitted. Expect to pay at least £500 for a decent saddle, maybe £60 for an average bridle, plus £50 - £100 to have saddle fitted every 6 months.
Then there is the cost of lessons - say £20 every time. If this is your first horse then I would expect you'd be having quite a lot of lessons so I would budget maybe £80 - £100 a month.
Plus all your fuel for getting to and from the yard every day.