# How much does it cost to keep a horse?



## crystal drops

Hello

I am interested in buying my daughter her first horse and wanted to know the average cost of keeping one eg feed,bedding,worming,shoeing etc...

If anyone could help i'd be very grateful.

Thanks


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## shortbackandsides

Hi,how long is a bit of string?? this is one that gets asked a lot,very difficult to say as all breeds/areas/places are different,you need to have fairly deep pockets when you go into horses


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## crystal drops

Thanks for your reply, just wanted an average price on what people pay for livery and what they get with it so i know what to expect and get my moneys worth to what care my horse will get. Because if diy adds up to almost or the same amount as full i think that would be the one i would go for :001_smile:


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## shortbackandsides

Diy is cheaper,this varies considerably depending on area.


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## lastangel

the above post is right, DIY is the cheapest option and the price does vary depending on where you live. But as an example, in Devon, where we are, the cheapest livery is £15.00 per week. That's for a stable and grazing but no extra facilities ie an arena. and the highest DIY price (that I know of) around here is £28.00 per week. But I've just googled some livery yards in Surrey and Kent and the price came up at around £40-45 per week. I chose those areas as they were likely to be on the other end of the scale (and they were!) If you're in those areas, how about moving?! lol

Cathy x


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## JSR

Don't like thinking about this!

DIY Livery £20 a week(this includes yard owner bringing him in at 2 so he can have hay and first feed as he's been ill so needs extra feed right now. )

Feed at the moment is around £20 a week due to his illness, previously I was spending approx £5 per week.

Bedding £5 a month (because he's not stable kept only comes in for feeding), but I do use rubber matting so initial outlay for that was approx £100. 

Shoeing £55 every 6-8 weeks- assuming he doesn't throw a shoe which is an extra £15. 

Insurance £16 a month.

Worming £50 a year approx.

Vaccination £50 a year.

Vet so far this year has cost me approx £100 so not claimed off insurance due to excess.

You have to remember event or show fees. Transport costs.

Tack..well so far this year I've had to buy 2 new saddles, 2 new saddle pads, stirrup leathers, reins, boots for the horse and stirrups. Approx £1000

Boots for myself £100+. New riding hat as I had a fall £70. Body protector £80.

And that's just what I can remember, cos I'm sure I've spent MUCH more than that already this year!!

Always makes me laugh when people say you must be rich to own a horse....it's because I own a horse I'm NOT rich!!! But I wouldn't be without him and he's worth every single penny!


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## toddy

One thing is horse owners never do is add up the bills over the year.If we did this we would not keep horses.
It is easier to just throw money in giant wads straight onto a fire lol.
Having said that I wouldn''t swap mine for the world


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## Vixxen

blah mine is a native pony...easy to keep and lives out and still costs a lot...

diy livery is £70 a month, im going onto part livery which is £160 a month soon.

worming costs £20 every 8-10 weeks

feed in winter costs around £40 for my two bags of what i need

barefoot trims cost me £50 every 12 weeks

annual vaccinations, health check and dentist cost around £200, but his dental check next month will be a lot as he needs a dentist out to do extensive work.

hay costs £25 for a large bale

insurance costs £36 a month

tack, rugs and equipment has cost well over £1000

i hardly use a stable but when i do i use straw, but if you used shavings that puts costs up.


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## nic101

like the others said - depends on whre you are - type of horse etc....

one place to keep mine near me was £300 a month (this is everything - feed,hay, vaccinations - averaged out over a year) DIY!!

another was half that on grass livery lol! - guess which option im going for when i get my next one?!


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## bexy1989

i agree it depends where you keep it for the price.

we already have a fair amount of stuff from my last horse, and have just started looking into a new livery yard, as the last one i was at was rubbish. we are looking at about £75 a week for full livery, that includes them bringing the horse in/ taking out, all food, stable, hay, straw, and use of the indoor and outdoor arenas and xc course.

then you have to think about things live everyone else has said like shoes, vets, dentist, insurance. it can be very costly but i would rather have a horse than anything else  my problem now is finding the right one for me


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## nic101

^^ same here lol

what you looking for???

full livery round here vares from £85 - £110 pw

i prefer DIY thank goodness lol!!


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## bexy1989

we aren't too sure at the min as its for me and my boyfriend...i want something that jumps and that i can show and he wants to end up eventing but he was seen a very nice grey gelding on horsemart...just waiting my boyfriend to hear from his new job and go from there. 

i like DIY because its a good way to bond with your horse but with the times i work and my boyfriend will be working it's going to be easier for full livery


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## sema01

The costs depend on 3 main factors:
- Where you are. Professional stables cost about $200 per month in some areas, but 3 times that in others.
- How you keep the horse. Starting from highest to lowest: professional stable, self-stable, field.
- What you use the horse for. The more you ride, show or compete, the more costs there will be.

For an explanation of all the costs and an online calculator, check out Horse Cost Calculator.

I would suggest you approach it this way.....

First calculate one-off costs. These include horse, saddle, tack, rugs, riding clothes.

Then calculate the cost of keeping the horse. Stall, food, bedding, insurance ($40/month), farrier ($30 6 times a year, double if you need shoes), annual inoculations ($100), annual dental ($100), mineral/salt/insect sprays/assorted (allow total $40/month).

Then add on costs depending on what you are using the horse for. Riding lessons, shows and exhibitions all cost. Look at all the costs associated with these, including transport, wear on saddle/tack/clothing, overnight stabling.

Then add 25% for things you didn't think of.

Reference vet bills, they can range from almost nothing to thousands, depending on luck, insurance and how quickly you spot injury/illness.


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## sema01

As one can see, the answer varies a lot depending on who you ask. That is to say, it depends on:
- How you keep the horse (e.g. self-stable or full livery)
- Where you live. Stabling, hay and other items vary a lot from one region to another. Even items like worming paste if 4 times as expensive in Europe as USA
- What you do with the horse. One standing idle in a pasture is a lot cheaper than one you use for shows and competitions
- Skill and luck. If you get a bad case of colic (through bad luck or by doing the wrong thing) it can set you back thousands.

One approach is to get a full list of costs (see horse costs ), phone around to get the local prices for each item (especially the major ones) and then total (the above location has a convienent online horse cost calculator). I would suggest that you then add 25% for contingency.


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## apache

crystal drops said:


> Hello
> 
> I am interested in buying my daughter her first horse and wanted to know the average cost of keeping one eg feed,bedding,worming,shoeing etc...
> 
> If anyone could help i'd be very grateful.
> 
> Thanks


anything cob type is cheaper than warmblood etc.i had 7 and they all varied in size and breed,i had some that just lived out with plenty of rugs and 2 that were stabled at night.the best yard to look for is diy but no restrictions on turnout.its commen knowledge now that a turnout/lived out horse is a healthier and happy horse than one that spends to much time in.even competition horses can stay out aslong as their is plenty of grazing,water and hay.also if you are not competing just keep them on a fibre diet.i had a nutty 16.2 and was desperate and spillers offered me a challenge.basically i fed him spillers horse and pony nuts with a little chaff plenty of hay and my little child could ride him around.leave the sugarbeat and anything over 9% protein for the show types or 24-7 turnouts.mine all eat the same winter just fibre diet and big bins of ready grass.for 3 in the winter hard feed and treats was around 15-20 pound[but apparently has gone up] hay you need to find a nice green meadow type u can find this from farmers and is much cheaper.i put out 3 bales which was£3.60 that was maximum it would last 1 day or day and half.snow i had to put hay reels out which ranged from £10-20 which lasted a week but if i had to have shared a field i would have stabled them which would have cost me 4 3 £36 a week but on a posher type yard i would have had 2 pay anything around £25 upwards.ask around whether some1 gets wormers bulk buy as they will then cost half price than a vet and you will also have to follow a programme,for different seasons give you different worms.i paid £7 per syringe,i managed to worm the pony with what was left from the big ones i bought 3.but then another time it could cost £40 for the 3.different season.as for shoes i believe now farriers are just charging silly prices.ask several people as you have the old time farriers that wouldnt put prices up and u could get full set for around £40 but you more than likely would be looking at around £70.if u dont do much hard work if for example just a little hack out with no jumping you could get by with just a trim every other time but there is a risk of splints,if your not sure what that is get all the information u can bout illnesses and health etc i had very good veterinary books which i learned enormously as if you do something wrong or they injure themselves vet bills are horrendous for horses..i insured mine with south essex insurers nfl used to be a good 1.around £30 per month for 3.mine were worth lot more than i paid for them and that is how much i insured them 4.the more you pay the higher the insurance but it wont be to steep and belive me its worth every penny,


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