Would like to own a horse, need advice!

[Julia.Dominika]

I'm currently 14 years old and have been riding for around a year, I'm currently loaning a horse which I love with all my heart and have been giving the option to buy her in the near future.
I've never owned a horse so I'm not aware of the costs. I live in a flat in London with my parents and I would like to get a job of my own when I turn 16 and get myself a horse without burdening my parents!

Would like to know what would be the costs of owning a horse per month with livery! And how much food/hay would cost.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You will need to discuss this with your parents. It is now the norm to stay in education until you are 18 and your parents may expect you to do that. I am afraid that any job that you might be able to get when you are 16, is unlikely to pay you enough to keep a horse anywhere near where you live. Who pays for your loan horse?

 

[Julia.Dominika]

My Dad pays for my loan horse. And thanks for letting me know I'll wait a bit longer, my parents wouldn't mind helping me out and agreed to me buying a horse, but I just didn't want to burden them with big finances! And I'm curious to how much people averagely pay for their horse per month

 

[be positive]

I assume you are sharing or part loaning as you have no idea of the costs involved with livery, feed etc. or that your parents are happy paying and do not discuss it with you.

As you are in London I expect the costs are not only high but the practicalities of caring for one on a daily basis are difficult as there cannot be that many yards within the area and getting there will be limited to public transport or the parents driving you, at 16 you will be busy with exams, to work and have a horse as well will probably not be easy so you need to run it past your parents, if they can afford it they may prefer to help so you can concentrate on school, if not they may think it best you continue as you are.

If you do want to find out about the costs involved ask at the yard you are currently at which will give you a good idea, I would say probably at least £100 per week for basic livery with assistance to turn out in the morning, feed, hay, bedding plus extras on top, farrier, insurance, vet bills that are not covered by insurance such as vaccinations, dentist, lessons, rugs, tack other bits and bobs all add up, so do really think about whether you want to be so fully involved at such a young age.

 

[VikingSong]

Hi Julia, welcome to the forum.

My advice would be to wait until you have finished your education and have a decent paying job before buying a horse. Owning a horse is very expensive and how much it will cost you per year will largely depend on what type of livery you have him/her stabled on and what your planning to do with the horse, this is not including the farrier bills, vet bills, worming bills, feed and haying bills etc., etc. I do think it's very thoughtful that you don't want to burden your parents with the cost though.

You're lucky that you have a horse on loan, there are many horse mad girls your age who don't have even that or riding lessons (I was one of them, although I did muckout stables at my local riding school). Have patience. The shortest years of your life are your school days. Then you will have many years of horse ownership.

 

[Julia.Dominika]

I've looked into it a lot and it's different everywhere, I pay £120 per month for loan and I'm aware it's not even half the price of owning a horse
and you're definetly right, I doubt I'd be able to own a horse with everything going on at the age of 16.
Diy livery I heard can be £100 per week but in some places you can have grass livery for £100 per month, however I know I'd have to pay for haylage/hay and other things.

Would Leasing my loan horse help me become aware of the finances?

I've calculated the cost of general feed, livery and general supplements per month which added up to £500 per month, but I'm not feeling confident about the sum. Also I'm planning to move to Hampshire after I've finnished high school.

 

[Julia.Dominika]

Okay thank you! I was also one of those girls a year ago thought it was impossible for me to even come near as loaning a horse until I met a good friend.

But the horse I'm loaning is my everything and I'm just worried that if I move I would have to leave her behind and it would be impossible and hard for me to move on to a new horse/loan. I was told I could buy her if I move. And I've been planning for two months about buying her but I am just a child who isn't aware of the costs in life and if I'd be able to afford her when I'm old enough.

Thanks for the help everyone!! X

 

[be positive]

I would stick with what you have, £120 a month is sustainable, maybe you could arrange to take on an extra day a week, leasing will usually mean you pay all the expenses plus a lease fee so all the responsibility financially but at 14 probably no real control if you lease from the yard where he lives.

There are so many variables with keeping a horse, grass livery can be cheap but it doesn't work for everyone, in winter if there are no real facilities you would be limited to riding at the weekends and holidays, if a plan to move to Hampshire is in the pipeline then that may be the time to go forward with buying your own.

 

[Julia.Dominika]

Okay thank you! I'll finish my education and carry on loaning her with hope! I'll keep everything in mind.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

I've looked into it a lot and it's different everywhere, I pay £120 per month for loan and I'm aware it's not even half the price of owning a horse
and you're definetly right, I doubt I'd be able to own a horse with everything going on at the age of 16.
Diy livery I heard can be £100 per week but in some places you can have grass livery for £100 per month, however I know I'd have to pay for haylage/hay and other things.

Would Leasing my loan horse help me become aware of the finances?

I've calculated the cost of general feed, livery and general supplements per month which added up to £500 per month, but I'm not feeling confident about the sum. Also I'm planning to move to Hampshire after I've finnished high school.

Just to add, I live in Surrey, not far from Hampshire and when I had a horse on grass livery it was £190 per month plus any hay/haylage/feed etc. On top of that you need to factor in shoes, the invariably ripped rugs that happen at the worst possible time, wormers, tack checks/replacements and annual jabs.

 

[View]

Owning and full responsibility for a horse is very different from a part share. Unless you go into a job that offers training equivalent to an apprenticeship or an apprenticeship you will need to stay at school or college until you are 18, so honestly, I would just stick with a part share, learn and gain as much experience as you can while not neglecting your school/college studies.

I don't mean to be harsh, but given the other thread that you have started, it may be a bit early in your life with horses to be looking at ownership. Give yourself the best chance for success by learning as much as you can and building up our horse fund so that you can find the right horse for you when the time comes.

In the meantime, perhaps there is a riding school that you could volunteer at for one day a week?

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Just to add, I live in Surrey, not far from Hampshire and when I had a horse on grass livery it was £190 per month plus any hay/haylage/feed etc. On top of that you need to factor in shoes, the invariably ripped rugs that happen at the worst possible time, wormers, tack checks/replacements and annual jabs.

I was amazed to see this, here grass livery is usually about £40 a month!!

 

[tristar]

the worst bit is that you can`t say a set amount, there will be unexpected expenses, and unless you are well insured the vet bills can be very big, its like when it all goes well its great, but sometimes it goes wrong big time and costs a lot.


not trying to put you off but most of us on here have been through hard times with horses, illness etc, what you have at the mo sounds ok, its sustainable and i hope you continue to enjoy it and make a plan for the future.

if your parents buy the horse for you they need to be aware of the commitment of full ownership, however if you move elsewhere it might be cheaper for the basic livery etc so it just might work out, but think about if mom will look after the horse when you go to university, its like difficult to do it all on your own, if you have backup that would be ideal.

 

[Julia.Dominika]

Thanks everyone! I am still a novice but it's a dream I'm currently pursuing, and I really do realise what hard work it is to own a horse, and my parents have lived on a farm before so they are also aware of the costs
I'm not planning to go to university yet, just college! I'm not planning to get a horse yet as I wouldn't have a clue. I'm a hard worker so I'll be willing to go through anything and the owner of Faith always talks to me and makes me aware or the difficulty of life and owning a horse. But I doubt anything would put me off, it's a passion and something I'll be willing to dedicate myself too. But it's for future years, not right now

 

[Julia.Dominika]

Don't worry you weren't being harsh! I'll take your advice
For my loan horse I visit her 3 times a week, it's a 30 minute drive from mine, and 40 minute straight after school. I wouldn't want to burden mum with me going to another place during the week, the nearest riding school is 40 minutes away
I'm still planning to stay on share for another two years before I have to move. Which is the reason why I started this thread. I didn't want another horse for loan as my heart is with my current horse and I just would be really depressed if I left her. She's lightened up my life and is the only thing that keeps me going <3

 

[FestiveFuzz]

I was amazed to see this, here grass livery is usually about £40 a month!!

Sadly there's not many yards that offer grass livery around this way so those that do can charge a premium. I'm on full livery these days so £190 seems like peanuts. I can't imagine only paying £40 a month for livery!

 

[criso]

Sadly there's not many yards that offer grass livery around this way so those that do can charge a premium. I'm on full livery these days so £190 seems like peanuts. I can't imagine only paying £40 a month for livery!

I know north london and Herts a bit and grass livery if you go out to the cheaper bits of Herts start at about £15 per week. However that's basic and for that you would not necessarily get any facilities at all and would probably need to supplement the grazing with hay in the winter. The few yards I know that offer grass livery with access to facilities are nearer the £190 price.

I've moved out of London itself to get turnout and hacking but the yards I knew I think these days are about £160 pcm for no frills to £250 for a smart yard for DIY. That would not include feed, hay or any services at all. You would probably need to add about £100 for services at one end of the day assuming that you do the mucking out ( turnout or catch in could be £3.50 per day). Then hay and bedding, maybe £50 for hay and £20 for bedding if you can use straw.

You then need to add insurance, vets, shoeing, dentist, additional feed and supplements and vets bills.

I don't know about prices west or south of london but I can't see them being that different.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

I am so glad I have my own place. Livery costs are extortionate.

 

[Julia.Dominika]

The current yard I'm look at would be £55 per week + cost of hard feed. Which I'm guessing is around £35 per month depending on the horse. That would make around £260 per month. Plus every 6-8 weeks get their feet checked/shoes on either front or all. I'd do turning in and out, mucking myself. And if it's summer I'd use a rubber mat for stables and spend £20 for adding straw to their stable in the winter, and of course I'd have to buy more hay as they'll have to be supplied more as they will be stabled in.
Insurance quote I was looking at was around £20-£30 per month.

That would make around £320 per month. And keep extra just in case for emergencies.

Would that be nearly accurate? I mean my dad would be able to help me out until I got a stable job

 

[Julia.Dominika]

I've really looked into it and tried to add the finances of my daily life to it. This isn't a half hearted choice I made, and I do realise I won't have all the money in the world and I know it will be hard, but it will be worth it in the end!

 

[FestiveFuzz]

With weekly costs remember to multiply by 52 and then divide by 12 else you might get a surprise if you've only factored in 4 week months. For feed its hard to say without knowing the horse, same goes for shoeing but in terms of budgeting I would assume a full set of shoes every 5 weeks (around here that's £95 for a full set or £50 for just fronts and back trim). Also don't forget they'll invariably lose a shoe at the worst possible time...some farriers will pop a shoe on free of charge but others will charge you for it. You don't seem to have factored in hay or haylage either which you'll probably need to think about in the winter months.

You mention mucking out and a stable, generally grass liveries live out 24/7. If you're looking at DIY livery you'll need to consider weekly bedding too. How much you'll need will depend on how clean/messy the horse is.

I'd also question your insurance costs. I pay double that a month, and they've been worth their weight in gold paying out for a serious injury on a horse I'd only owned a month. It's honestly not something I'd scrimp on as having an injured horse is stressful enough without worrying whether the insurance will pay out.

Sorry, not trying to be negative but I see far too many people going into horse ownership without factoring in the full costs and sadly at the end of the day it's the horse that ends up suffering.

 

[Julia.Dominika]

Faith'a farrier comes every 8 weeks as her feet are in really good condition, it would be £60 for front pair of shoes, I've included hay but I'm not exactly sure how much a horse consumes so I guessed £40 per month also depending on weight/size, and currently Faith gets a lot of hay as there's no grass growing in the feild currently, she's a clean horse and we usually don't do bedding as she has a mat unless it's during the winter.

I was given an insurance quote, and they cover up to £5,000 injury. However I'm saving up money to have extra just in case of an emergency.

 

[Leo Walker]

Julia you might want to contact admin and ask them to change your user name. If you use your real name its far to easy to track you down on other social media and its not a good idea if your only 14

 

[Maesto's Girl]

I would definitely keep loaning for now as it will very likely be unmanageable on an U18's salary. I am really lucky where I am, DIY livery with all hay and straw included for £150p/m, the farrier is £25 for a trim every 6-8 weeks and she isn't a massive eater so other feed is only £10 p/m - however when you include incidentals, insurance etc, I need £250 p/m minimum.

Then there is the buying. I have just bought a mare - £1,500 - but then you need to buy everything else which really does add up....I'm up to £1k so far with rugs, grooming kit, tack box, stable equipment, 5 stage vetting, transport......

I'd say start saving so you can comfortably afford to do it yourself. I wanted a pony at 4 and have ridden at RS and had 2 loans - 1 I am still sharing and have just bought my own 26 years later and I can 100% say she is amazing and so worth the wait

 

[Julia.Dominika]

The owner is willing to give me the Horse for free with her tack, she's a really nice person! I'll carry on saving defo, my parents would help me out until I get settled in! .