What's the true cost of owning a horse?

Hi there
In the South East/London area if you DIY you can do it for about £300 p/m or less, this includes a stable so not field livery. However if you move to full livery budget at least £600 a month, I think it is wise to budget for the worse case scenario which is having to put your horse on full livery as life does change.
 
By the way my costs include everything, vaccs, dentist, shoes, worming, insurance. Does not include, petrol, cost to run a lorry, training, comp fees or any extra vets bills...x
 
Depends very much on where you are in the country & how you want to keep your horse. If you want grass livery then it will be cheaper. DIY can vary depending what facilities the yard has to offer. Full livery can be extremely expensive because there are so many variants on what is offered.

I am in the North Warwickshire, DIY on a small private yard with large brick stables, plenty of turnout, great arena that never floods or freezes, secure tack room, plenty of storage for hay etc. I reckon my monthly cost for one horse which includes rent, feed, haylege, shoes, insurance, bedding is around £280-£300. This does not cover other occassional bills like worming/worm counts, vet visits (most are under your insurance excess), back checks, vaccinations, dental checks & treatment. It doesn't include all the fuel you use going to the yard twice a day.

There are also the hidden sacrifices, your horse needs sorting out every day. If you are ill, hung over, knackered etc etc it doesn't matter your horse still needs doing so you go. The phrase 'having a lie in' doesn't exist, your horse doesn't know or care that it's Sunday morning. If you go somewhere you have to be back or make arrangements for the horse. It is worse than arranging a sitter for children. A large amount of your income goes on your horse's needs. Your car really needs replacing but you can't afford to. You could do with a holiday but you can't afford one & you would have to find someone to do your horse & that will cost as well.

Some people say that owning a horse/horses is a hobby............it isn't........It's a way of life!! :)
 
Well, this week alone ( on top of the everyday stuff), i have spent
£35 back check
£27 rug clean and repair
£13 biotin supplement
£40 feet
£ 15 top up for first aid kit
£ 30 teeth

I feel slightly ill
 
it ain't cheap, that's for sure :o
my oldie costs:
livery 380
shoeing 75
insurance 27

then there's saddle check, dentist, vaccs etc
and we now have three horses :p
 
Ladies please stop this unecessary and shocking admission. It is frightening me to even consider the costs let alone actually attempt to write it all down. I got to 350 in my head and then stopped.....
 
Ooo I forgot too add petrol to the yard, dentist, back lady and saddle checks! Billie its scary. I thought to myself in another ten years time I could have bought a house with that money!! X
 
I buy everything such as feed hay and bedding from my yard and my bill includes shoeing. I also have some assistance which I pay for as I use it e.g. bringing in and out for feeds, rug change fly mask on etc. I pay between £250 and £350 a month to the yard. Then vet, jabs and teeth, back checks, insurance etc on top. The DIY livery element is £108 a month.
If I were the OP I would cost the local yards out and see how much I would actually save by doing working livery as it would probably drive me mad. However it may be that the fact someone else will do daily checks, bring in/ out etc will be of great help and it may include feeds, hay bedding etc.
What will they charge if for some reason the horse is unable to work?
 
Abacus said:
Thank God to hear from other people who say it's a lot. I got shot down in flames and told I was being conned on this forum the other day for saying my winter costs are about £560 / month for everything including livery, feed, bedding, shoes and insurance. Seems a lot of people manage to do it for half that but I can't see how, unless they have their horses at home. Since then I have been practically counting the individual pieces of woodchip to try and save some money... help! Am I being conned?
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I suspect quite a few of those who claim to do it for less aren't being honest with themselves :p

You'll notice lots of people give figures for feed, livery, shoes etc, and then add a catch all "and that doesn't include ..." If they actually did add up all the extras it starts to climb very, very quickly!!!

Edit before I get jumped on: Yes, I know lots of people do manage it for less, I'm just saying I think lots of people pay a lot more than they're willing to admit to!
 
Ok - I have done it.

Based on my costs over the last year....
£110 - Livery
£30 - assistance (was only in Winter and holiday cover but have averaged)
£32 - shavings
£30 - Hay
£50 - Insurance
£20 - feet
£25 - feed
£30 - 'stuff'
£25 - lesson (only started part way through year but have spent enough for it to average at £25 per month)

Costs below I then divided by 12 and added to monthly cost...

£50 - Back
£120 - Saddler
£40 - Teeth
£25 - Wormer

I then worked out very roughly that it costs £15 a week in petrol to and from yard - although I have just moved a considerable distance away so that will go up dramatically...

So I came to the very scary and somewhat rough around the edges sum of £431

Full livery might work out 'cheaper' in a way when I consider time and stress. How nice to turn up for lots of cuddles and lots of riding. Although with a semi broken foot I am doing neither at the moment while my lovely friend takes care of fatty mare!

Have I forgotten anything in my adding up? My husband is told that she costs around £200 a month all in - as is my friend who I am trying to persuade to buy her own....
 
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Toby_Zaphod said:
There are also the hidden sacrifices, your horse needs sorting out every day. If you are ill, hung over, knackered etc etc it doesn't matter your horse still needs doing so you go. The phrase 'having a lie in' doesn't exist, your horse doesn't know or care that it's Sunday morning. If you go somewhere you have to be back or make arrangements for the horse. It is worse than arranging a sitter for children. A large amount of your income goes on your horse's needs. Your car really needs replacing but you can't afford to. You could do with a holiday but you can't afford one & you would have to find someone to do your horse & that will cost as well.

Some people say that owning a horse/horses is a hobby............it isn't........It's a way of life!! :)
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This^^ I would KILL for a lie in, but sadly ponio has an in built body clock! :rolleyes:
 
Billie1007 said:
Ok - I have done it.

Based on my costs over the last year....
£110 - Livery
£30 - assistance (was only in Winter and holiday cover but have averaged)
£32 - shavings
£30 - Hay
£50 - Insurance
£20 - feet
£25 - feed
£30 - 'stuff'
£25 - lesson (only started part way through year but have spent enough for it to average at £25 per month)

Costs below I then divided by 12 and added to monthly cost...

£50 - Back
£120 - Saddler
£40 - Teeth
£25 - Wormer

I then worked out very roughly that it costs £15 a week in petrol to and from yard - although I have just moved a considerable distance away so that will go up dramatically...

So I came to the very scary and somewhat rough around the edges sum of £431

Full livery might work out 'cheaper' in a way when I consider time and stress. How nice to turn up for lots of cuddles and lots of riding. Although with a semi broken foot I am doing neither at the moment while my lovely friend takes care of fatty mare!

Have I forgotten anything in my adding up? My husband is told that she costs around £200 a month all in - as is my friend who I am trying to persuade to buy her own....
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Billie gets a gold star for being brave! :D

You might well find part livery starts to look attractive - I pay £273 per month which includes all feed, hay, bedding, chores, visit supervision, and saves me at least one visit a day which saves fuel, and all my time with my horse is doing nice things. You're paying £227 for all that plus anything extra in fuel for - presumably - a second visit a day ... scary, isn't it?
 
Theocat said:
Billie gets a gold star for being brave! :D

You might well find part livery starts to look attractive - I pay £273 per month which includes all feed, hay, bedding, chores, visit supervision, and saves me at least one visit a day which saves fuel, and all my time with my horse is doing nice things. You're paying £227 for all that plus anything extra in fuel for - presumably - a second visit a day ... scary, isn't it?
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Thank you for my star :) I am amazed at the cost I just came to. I honestly didn't think it was that much - hand on heart I probably would have said £320 all in and then my mind started ticking over and I just thought 'right let's add it all up!'. Yes, I can see another livery option may well be the way to go. I do love our little yard though!
 
Theocat , it all depends if OH is on the forum or not !!

We have 5 ponies,some bought for just £100, only one has front shoes the rest are trimmed probs 3 times a year. We have ours at home and took 320 bales of haylage off at a cost of £370. This will keep them all year round. We buy straw over the winter about 100 bales at £2 per bale.

So how comes we are always skint ? Well there is the upkeep of the lorry, they have regular lessons usually £ 32 per week on avarage, take them to a show and the entry fees if we take all the ponies can be £100. They are on the showjumping , dressage and mounted games teams with all associated gear and training, but they are having a great time and really enjoy being out and about ( eldest is 16 next year so not too much longer I suspect ).
It is totally our choice to not go out, have older cars, no holidays and several jobs to keep it all going. They will be off in a few years or at least they will be paying for themselves and then i can finally get a lovely pair of driving ponies and have some selfish fun !!
 
Abacus said:
Thank God to hear from other people who say it's a lot. I got shot down in flames and told I was being conned on this forum the other day for saying my winter costs are about £560 / month for everything including livery, feed, bedding, shoes and insurance. Seems a lot of people manage to do it for half that but I can't see how, unless they have their horses at home. Since then I have been practically counting the individual pieces of woodchip to try and save some money... help! Am I being conned?
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No, you are not being conned. My liveries pay me between £385 and £700 a month depending on how many extras they have. Extras are lessons, schooling and laundry.
 
It worries me somewhat when people say how little they keep their horses for. It makes me think the horses must be wanting in some way. I run my own livery, but even so, my winter costs for each of my own horses is Haylage £82, bedding £54, feed £34 = £170. Then I have insurance, shoeing, worming, vet fees, dentist, physio, paddock maintenance (grass isn't free!). Electricity, water, refuse removal... Tack, rugs, laundry...
 
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Wagtail said:
It worries me somewhat when people say how little they keep their horses for. It makes me think the horses must be wanting in some way. QUOTE]

Sweeping statement, much!? I keep my horses 'cheaply' in comparison to some, and obviously your yard, but they don't want for anything. The reason that I keep them cheaply is because I keep them at cheaper yards, which cuts livery costs, but don't worry, I always make sure that they are perfectly safe and suitable! I source the most cost effective options, i.e I like shavings better, but horses are perfectly safe on straw, so I use that instead because it's cheaper. I don't think they lie there at night 'wanting' for a shavings bed and not straw!

I think there's a massive variation, cost wise, geographically and in lifestyle choices, but I think for you to infer that if somebody doesn't pay the kind of prices that you charge would make the horses 'wanting' is a little bit presumptive and ignorant, IMHO :rolleyes: As long as the horse is happy, the owner is happy, so what how much it does or doesn't cost?
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horsesatemymoney said:
Wagtail said:
It worries me somewhat when people say how little they keep their horses for. It makes me think the horses must be wanting in some way. QUOTE]

Sweeping statement, much!? I keep my horses 'cheaply' in comparison to some, and obviously your yard, but they don't want for anything. The reason that I keep them cheaply is because I keep them at cheaper yards, which cuts livery costs, but don't worry, I always make sure that they are perfectly safe and suitable! I source the most cost effective options, i.e I like shavings better, but horses are perfectly safe on straw, so I use that instead because it's cheaper. I don't think they lie there at night 'wanting' for a shavings bed and not straw!

I think there's a massive variation, cost wise, geographically and in lifestyle choices, but I think for you to infer that if somebody doesn't pay the kind of prices that you charge would make the horses 'wanting' is a little bit presumptive and ignorant, IMHO :rolleyes: As long as the horse is happy, the owner is happy, so what how much it does or doesn't cost?
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The prices I quoted are what each horse costs me. Not what I charge. In the winter, each horse costs an average of £170 a month to feed and bed down. I take your point regarding straw, nothing wrong with that! But I see many people who keep horses on a shoestring and their horses drop quite a bit of weight in the winter because they are not fed enough hay.

I buy in bulk and it still costs me £170 per horse per month. I use wood pellet bedding and buy the best quality haylage. Of course, I could buy cheaper, but prefer to buy from suppliers that I can 100% trust not to have any ragwort in the haylage. For that reason, I do not shop around for the best price. It's just not worth it.
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I could keep mine a lot cheaper. But tbh I don't want to. I like him being a pampered boy. Don't have any kids and I don't go without to keep him, so doesn't really bother me.
 
Averaged over the year, my monthly costs for one horse are roughly:

£110 Livery (DIY)
£40 Hay/haylage
£28 Shavings
£30 Hard feed
£71 Shoes
£50 Insurance
£20 Random supplements/sprays etc
£40 Back lady
£15 Vaccs/Teeth/Worm count or wormer
£100 fuel costs to and from yard (32 mile round trip)

£504 TOTAL

This doesn't include my lorry costs, lessons, shows etc.

My horse is a large warmblood naturally inclined to be a bit stressy/skinny so not the cheapest! And then I wonder why I can't afford a second! :rolleyes:
 
I pay about £600- £700 a month averaged out over the year.

She is on 5 day livery, I love the yard, it has excellent facilities and brilliant trainer.
I do her myself at the weekends and just ride in the evenings during the week.

I always had her on DIY until Dec last year when I got a job where the hours dictate that I won't be able to get to the yard reliably. I don't miss DIY at all and am happy to pay the extra cost.
 
But wagtail your liveries pay you 385-700 pounds a month...where I live the most expensive full livery yard with the best facilities is 100 pounds a week... this shows the geographical disparity of prices due to many factors...the same will be true with things like cost of hay, bedding etc so depending where you are, you are likely to be getting similar quality for vastly different prices, I live in a cheap area generally ... there's no chance I'd cut costs by feeding rubbish hay, but there's plenty of other areas where I can save cash, eg not being in a yard that has facilities I don't need, not buying new headvollars because I fancy utility etc, with the price differences means it might look 'cheap' doesn't mean the horse is wanting for anything
 
I worked it all out the other day and it'a £250pcm and that's including shoes, but no extra i.e. rugs, tack, lessons etc. Only includes livery, use of menage, bedding, haylage, feed and of course shoes.
 
£250 a month and I get free livery and I save in every way possible wood pellet bed, large hay bales, buy everything in bulk and just get feet trimmed so its expensive whatever you do
 
I went through my bank statements over the last 12 month period, totalling all direct debits such as insurance/worming programme/livery, plus anything I've spent in the local tack shops and my hay bill etc. Turns out my two horses cost far more than I thought. I don't know how people manage to spend much less though.

On top of the financial cost, as others have said there is also the social cost. Horses are a way of life and not just a hobby. Also an emotional cost. There are smiles and tears and everything in between!

Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
I am going to be brave, off the top of my head ...

Roughly per month:
DIY Livery - £130 a month
Assistance - Currently, about £2 a week at this time of year. But much closer to £20 a week in winter for bringing in when I am at work (and turning out Saturday morning if I am hung over :D )
Straw - £18 for a large bale, which lasts roughly a month. But, this is for maintaining a deep bed, not setting a bed up.
Hay - £38 for a large bale, but this will last me about three months.
Insurance - I think, it is about £25 a month.

Extra's
Hard Feed - I feed Simple Systems chaff and a bag at approximately £13 will last me approximately six months. Simple Systems nuts are about £10, a bag lasts about three months. General purpose vitamin and mineral supplement - approximately £20, lasts about four months.

However, I have a very good doer of a native pony :D

Lessons - with my local instructor, they are £20 an hour and with my not so local instructor they are £40 an hour. I tend to see my local instructor every two weeks and my not so local instructor every 4-6 weeks ... but this is flexible., so if I'm having a hard month financially, then I just miss a lesson!

Bi-annually:
Dentist - £50
Saddle fitter - £70 if just checking and slight adjustments
Physiotherapy - £50 . If we are treating a problem, this might be more regular.

Annually:
Injections - I paid £130 for injections and micro chipping.

For me, the biggest money saving is having a hardy, good doer of a pony that doesn't need something from the tack shop every week so temptation doesn't strike :D

For somethings (.e.g. tack and rugs) I have found it more cost effective to pay for the best quality I can afford - my pony only needs lightweight rugs even in the winter, but by 1200 denier as anything else gets ripped so quickly! However, he doesn't give a stuff if he is wearing a cheaper Shires saddle cloth or an uber expensive branded saddlecloth ;)

I could keep him for less, but equally he could cost me a lot more if I spent more time in tack shops or on-line tack shops buying the latest trends!
 
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