# General cost outline for horse ownership.



## KMSolomon (Nov 15, 2013)

Hello everyone, I normally hidden away in the 'DOG SECTION' however I do love horses to.

I ride in lessons and on hacks at my local stables and it's great fun. Of course you never stop learning. Ever since I was young, I've wanted my own horse, like any girl does.

My parents told me yesterday that they would be happy to put money towards me getting my own horse for my 21st Birthday (March 14th) and this completely shocked me as I never expected it.

What are the general horse ownership costs?

I would keep him/her at the stables round the corner from our house (5 min walk) in a DIY LIVERY which is £22 per week.

I know the rough costs for Tack/Feed/Bedding/Transport but have idea about cost of farriers, insurance, worming, teeth and other bits so any help would be appreciated in giving me a clear estimate.

This is not something I will half heartedly/lightly jump in to as I know there a big commitment. All research will be done but I know there are a few horse owners here.

My ideal horse would be: 
15.3hh - 16hh Gelding. 
Happy to hack at different venues, countryside,roads, beach, woods and estates. (BIG FACTOR)
Enjoys jumping, with the possibility of me doing some fun show jumping competions.
Any breeds of horses that jump out to you that would be great for my preferences?

Thank You,

This is a beauty I rode in Portugal.









This is Harrisson I ride at the stables, old boy now.









This is Trinny, an ex Hunting Horse I ride aswell.









Riding in Portugal









Riding in Portugal


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

Basically any cost you can think of and double it! Unfortunately things happen which tend to blow budgets...for example when I first got my pony I kept him at grass diy - very cheap. He now 8 years on is very laminitic so he comes in at night to a shavings stable, costing me double!

Farrier for me is relatively cheap as he doesn't have shoes so it's about £25 a trim but a full set of shoes can be £60 and above. Insurance can be from £200 a year and up, worming we do faecal egg counts which is £8 a go then wormer on top if needed. Teeth is £30 a go. Also depends whereabouts in the country you are!

Hope that helps, anything else you need to know then ask


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Hello and welcome.

How exciting, your own horse.

I own a Thoroughbred Gelding called Paddy. He's bay and 16 hh.

I pay £33 per week basic livery, £7.50 per bale for shavings and it costs me about £5 per week for his feeds. It also costs me £10 per week to have him fed and turned out in a morning. He's shoed every six weeks and that's £60.

There can, of course, be other costs. Winter rugs sometimes need to be cleaned and re-proofed, which is around the £15 pound mark, tetanus jabs and tooth rasping too.

If you want to jump your horse, a Thoroughbred/Irish Draught cross can be a good combination.

Best of luck to you.


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## KMSolomon (Nov 15, 2013)

Chippers said:


> Basically any cost you can think of and double it! Unfortunately things happen which tend to blow budgets...for example when I first got my pony I kept him at grass diy - very cheap. He now 8 years on is very laminitic so he comes in at night to a shavings stable, costing me double!
> 
> Farrier for me is relatively cheap as he doesn't have shoes so it's about £25 a trim but a full set of shoes can be £60 and above. Insurance can be from £200 a year and up, worming we do faecal egg counts which is £8 a go then wormer on top if needed. Teeth is £30 a go. Also depends whereabouts in the country you are!
> 
> Hope that helps, anything else you need to know then ask


Ok, that's good guide lol, just double it lol! haha.

It's with same with all animals, anything can happen at any stage so I would have to be prepared with that.
Wow, had no idea about the cost of shoes, quite surprised,that they are roughly £60 approx.

How often do teeth need to be done, is it it like a case of dogs nails, some never need doing, and some need doing every month or so?

I'm in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire x


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## KMSolomon (Nov 15, 2013)

Sweety said:


> Hello and welcome.
> 
> How exciting, your own horse.
> 
> ...


I know, I'm not going to rush into anything. Time is of the essence and I want to be well prepared I can give it the life it deserves and needs etc.

My stable is £22 per week so hats good, although I'm not sure if that includes anything so would have to,look into that in due course. Shavings is the same here to as I buy big bales for all the rabbits.

Good to know about the rug re proofing as never thought of that.

Thanks for you help and also tips on breed!


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

The general rule for teeth is every 6 months but every year is ok too, especially if the horse is out at grass as they will wear their teeth properly.


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## KMSolomon (Nov 15, 2013)

Chippers said:


> The general rule for teeth is every 6 months but every year is ok too, especially if the horse is out at grass as they will wear their teeth properly.


Brilliant! Thank you! x


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

I just try not to look how much I spend on him really, I'm sure it will scare me! It's totally worth it though


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## Chippers (Jun 16, 2015)

Oh and don't forget vaccinations, just had mine done they were £33


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## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

My Monthly costs for one horse:

DIY £108
bedding £50
hay £25
supplement £50
feed £15
Wormer £6
teeth £10
jabs £2 (1 - 3 yearly @ 60)
insurance £45
shoes £50 (every 6 weeks @ 70)
chiropractor £10 (every 5 or 6 months @ 50)
fuel £70 (around £30 a week)

Add all that up, times by 12, divide by 52 and you don't get much change from £100 a week and I've probably forgotten something. I don't actually get my horse shod, but our way it's £70 a set and if I did I wouldn't go any longer than 5 or 6 weeks. I feed a specialist forage supplement based on forage analysis, so that is more expensive than what most people would use. Of course I spend a fortune on pretties too. Just bought a bling browband to match my new bridle. Decent tack and decent rugs aren't cheap. If you buy a treed saddle it will need looking at and reflocking regularly too. Buy a younger horse, or change their work and hence their shape and you could be looking at a new one more than once. Then if you're on diy you usually need to buy everything, muck fork, wheelbarrow, grooming stuff, nice shampoos, fly repellents, mud repellents, tack cleaner, the list is endless.

On the other hand, if you buy a horse who is an easy keeper who can live out most of the time and if you can find a nice place where they'll let your horse live out most of the time, costs can be cut considerably. My old boy is on retirement livery and lives out, he's much cheaper to keep. If the place is nearer you can cut fuel costs too. But what I list is pretty much what it costs me to keep my girl.


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## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

Oh of course, I'd forgotten lesson costs because I rarely have a lesson, but if this your first horse you'll probably want to keep up your lessons too. And if you want to compete, there's competing costs, transport etc to think about. 

I just realised. I can't afford a horse.


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

Agree with all the above plus you need to think of vet bills, always have a couple of grand stashed for vet bills, insurance companies can be a nightmare for getting them to fork out, and if they do they stick the premiums up by a ton, I gave up insuring mine! 
You also need to plan for the possibility of your horse injuring itself, which most horses manage to do at some point!, can you afford to have a horse at grass/box rest for months or a pasture pet and not rideable, can you still afford riding lessons etc. and a pet horse? Also if you go to uni or get a job who will look after the horse if for some reason you can't, you need to budget full livery into that, and £22 for livery per week sounds like that's just the hire of the box, feed, bedding etc will be on top.
If I were you I'd either loan or keep riding lots of other horses for the moment, will give you tons more experience for when you do eventually get one yourself, you don't have to worry about going to uni etc and having to pay someone to look after your horse while you're busy, will also mean you're more likely to find the right horse for you in the long run as word of mouth is the best way of finding a horse.
Owning a horse is a total minefield compared to riding other people's, don't get me wrong it is great fun but can be very stressful and very very expensive!! My first cob was the sort who you would think would never get a thing wrong with him, he was 8, and a big chunky hairy job, a year after I got him he developed a respiratory problem, it got so bad my vets were at a loss and we had to take him to the Dick vet school in Edinburgh, cost over 2 grand to have holes drilled in his head and cameras stuck everywhere etc, came out knowing exactly the same as when we went in! He was pts a year after as the drugs he was on stopped working and he was struggling, so my £800 cob cost me about 5 grand or more in only a couple of years, just on vet bills alone! They are very expensive pets!! My second cob slipped in the field we think and hurt her hip, she was then a pasture pet for the rest of her life, we only lost her a couple of weeks ago to colic, she was well in her twenties! So be prepared for anything with horses!


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## AnimalzRock (Jul 2, 2014)

I have kept accounts for my horses for the last few years. Have them at DIY livery on a relatively cheap yard (£22 rent per week per stable) and the cost per horse has worked out around £3,000 per year. This is for stuff directly for the horses and does not include petrol for travelling to and from the yard. I don't go to shows or have lessons. This is purely for rent, hay, straw, feed, vet bills, farrier, dentist, rugs, rug laundry, etc. They have everything they need for their wellbeing without being OTT.


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