How much does a horse and... (Read On)?

Question

Ok, let's say you buy a $5,000 horse. What would the horse plus vet checkups, farrier, riding lessons, ect. ect. just the usual stuff. How much would that cost for 1 year? What would be the total amout of money spent?

Answer 1

Depending on what you do with your horse (pleasure, show), your disciple (jumping, western horsemanship, etc) and where you keep it (your property or boarding), it would all vary.  The listing below is roughly what someone would spend their first year of owning a horse.  It would likely be less in the following years, when many items would not have to be bought until they are worn out.

Grooming/other supplies $300

Tack $2,000

Tack care $100

Trailer $12,000

Your riding clothes $750

ROUTINE health care $200

EMERGENCY vet care fund $3,000+

Insurance (varies)

Dental care $200

Feed and bedding $2,000

Farrier $500

Lessons (2x/wk) $3,000

If it's on your property, you'll also need:

Stable supplies $2,000

Arena supplies $1,500

Fencing 5 acres $30,000

4-stall pre-fab barn $80,000

If you show *locally*, add the following to their categories:

Show supplies $500

Your clothes $1,000

Tack $2,000

Entry fees (varies)

Gas and mileage on truck and trailer (varies)

Trainer fees (varies)

You can skimp on the showing and on your clothes, but it would be very unfair to be cheap with things like food, bedding, veterinary care, hoof care and unsafe tack.  Lessons, although you can get by with maybe one a month once you become a very advanced rider, should NOT be skipped until you have more horse experience.  Theoretically, you *could* keep a horse for about $5,000 a year, but you would be missing out on a lot.  Costs may seem lower to those who own their own property, but once you take all of that into account, it ends up pretty high.

Here is what I worked out for the first year of my situation:

3 horses = $8,300

10 acres = $37,500

Building and fences = $108,500

Arena = $150,000

Grooming and hoof care = $700

3 Saddles = $3,500

3 blankets = $400

3 bridles = $500

5 Halters/7 leads = $150

3 horse trailer = $12,000

My supplies = $1,300

Other tack (boots, etc) = $500

Tack care = $150

Stable supplies $3,200

Arena supplies (jumps) = $1,700

Shipping supplies = $500

Show supplies = $400

Health care (worming, vax) = $500

Feed = $1,000

Hay = $1,500

Farrier (trims and 1 w/ front shoes) = $800

Lessons = $1,000

Clinics = $500

Monies in emergency fund = $10,000

I figured out that it costs me about $150 an hour to ride for pleasure (5 hours/week), with a total first year cost of $383,500 (minus the property items, it's only about $50,000) with the consumables (health, feed, bedding, farrier) an extra $12,000.

Answer 2

Say board is 600 a month and riding lessons are 45 a lesson...then all of it for a year is like ...20,000-25,000 a year and that is without shows or any emergency problems

Answer 3

please tell me you are not buying a horse buying these beginner questions! please please! read up on horses because your going to kill your self money wise if you buy one and are not prepared.  My friend got a horse and didnt know much about the vet and how much stuff was just for stitches near her horses eyes 600 dollar plus the emergency visit. So first question is do you have the money? 2nd is are you sure your ready!

Answer 4

You've left something out. Are you planning on boarding this horse or do you have land to keep it on? It also depends on the area you live in. If you live in an urban area or the suburbs, expect to spend a lot. Riding lessons alone are expensive. A rural area tends to be cheaper for everything. My friend spent about $10,000 the last year she had her horse, in 2006 (but she wasn't riding). If you are planning on boarding and really want a good idea, visit the barns in your area and you can find out the boarding rates, the costs for lessons, and how much their vet and farrier charges, plus you can figure out how much you'll pay in gas to get back and forth from the barn.

With the economy the way it is, I really do not suggest buying a horse unless your finances are secure. If money's no object, then great for you. But if you're an average Joe, then you want to think twice. The best thing I can recommend is leasing a horse. A lot of owners are struggling to keep their horses and would probably love having someone willing to share the burden. Post an ad or see about putting a sign up at a local barn. Many owners never even think about leasing out their horses. You can have the pleasure of lots of riding without a lot of the costs and responsibilities.

Answer 5

My horse was $75000 to get, and about $3000 a  month plus additional vet and tack costs. From prior experience, it costs from $35000-$40000 a year, but I can be a bit of an eccentric spender... ; )