How much does a horse cost monthly ? Please answer!!!!!!?

Question

my mom's friend is planning on getting a horse and she has her own barn and a small pasture to keep the horse in...her relative has agreed to buy the horse if she will pay for food ,vet bills...ect. she is a first time horse owner and any advice would be helpful if you could put the exact prices for like saddles feed,brushes and stuff it would be REALLY helpful!!!! thanx alot!!

Answer 1

An old cowboy once told me "The cheap part is buying the horse" And that is so true. Since she has her own place to keep the horse. You need to anticipate on spending:

$100-$150/mo on hay

$50-$100/mo on grain

$120 every 2months on shoes

$100-$150 twice a year on vet bills (That's if the horse stays healthy)

$200-$300 on teeth floating about every 1-2 years

$200/year for Fly spray

To start initially:

(Depending on where you are from and what tye of horse)

Winter Blanket $150

Brushes and picks $50

Saddle and girth/cinch ~$500-$2000

Bridle ~$200

Saddle pad(s) ~$50

Buckets (water, grain, tack cleaning) ~$50

Halter and lead ~$20-50

These are the bare necessities. If you live in the southern states ie. CA-FL Your horse probably will not need a blanket or as much grain.

To find inexpensive stuff go on craigslist or ebay. Those websites will probably have more competitive prices than your local tack store.

Answer 2

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starting out i'd say budget (at least) 10,000 dollars for the first month of getting everything and the horse, and then after that budget about 1,000-2,000. . . budget higher b/c you never know when you'll need a vet if the horse gets hurt.

the other answers have broken it down but that's at the very least what you should budget.

Answer 3

Saddle: can range from 300-2000, can buy a bundle package (saddle, bridle for 450.00)

brushes: $5 per brush

Vet bills: annual shots 100.00 2x a year (this does not include if the horse gets sick)

Shoes: around 100.00 per every 6-8wks

Hay: $4 per bale (your horse could eat anywhere from 6-10 flakes a day; per bale is about 8 flakes)

Grain: depends on where you live

stall shavings: again depends on where you live

Hope this helps

Answer 4

The start up is the most expensive part of owning a horse (unless you happen to get an accident or illness prone horse).

Saddles -$150 - $5000 (check out auctions in your area...sometime you can find a decent saddle for a great price.)  Also look on-line as there are a few places that have starter saddle packages starting at about $250.

Saddle pad - $7 - $65 or more

Bridles with reins - $60 and up

Halter - $18 for nylon (don't ever leave a nylon halter on un unattended horse) or $25 for leather halter

Lead rope $15 or so

Several brushes and curry combs and hoof picks - $60

Clippers - $30 - $300 (for keeping bridle paths and ears in shape)

Water bucket - $12

Ground feeder - $12

Water trough - $65 - $100

Salt block - $7 for a 50lb block (make sure the horse has free access to a salt block in the field and in his stall)

Salt block for the stall - $4

Sweet feed or grain - $8 - $30 for a 50lb bag (the amount used will depend on how often and strenulously the horse is worked/ridden)

Hay $6 - $18 a square bale (the low end is just a basic grass hay and the high end is straight alfalfa...most pleasure ridden horses can be fed grass hay without any problem)

First aid supplies (Furazone, vetwrap, animalintex, duct tape, roll cotton, thermometer, stethoscope, blood stop powder, betadine, needles and syringes, penicillin, DMSO, etc.) $200

Vaccinations - $120 (this will vary according to what shots your vet recommends and such)

Farrier - $35 for a trim; $75 or more for shoes all the way around (this is done every 6-8 weeks)

You can find sales on-line at several different places for all the things listed above:

www.drsfosterandsmith.com

www.kyhorse.com

www.jeffersequine.com

www.unitedvetequine.com (good source for first aid stuff and such)

www.dblrsupply.com

www.horsemansdepot.com

www.statelinetack.com (higher end stuff)

www.valleyvet.com (good source for first aids supplies and such)

www.shanestack.com

I hope this helps!  Once the main supplies have been bought, the monthly price for keeping a horse will usually go down...unless you have an accident or illness prone horse.

Answer 5

Okay, I was reading some of the other prices and they seem a little excessive. It seems like some of these people are guessing and don't really know. Those seem like prices on keeping a competative horse up. We own 7 trail horses now and keep them in good health, but have to keep the budget down, so don't spend money excessively, like on the tests you only need if you travel with your horse if we don't plan to take that horse any time soon or shoes every 4 weeks or on expensive gimicky horse things. The first month is going to be the most expensive, because your going to have to add in the cost of the horse and basic supplies. However, this is a good time to get into horses because the market is poor now. If you can afford to keep the horse up the horse should be cheaper. It also depends on your area as to the cost. Some things cost different amounts from area to area. So the first month your going to have to buy the horse, feed and water buckets, a manure rake, brushes, hoof pick, and feed and hay if needed. A wheel barrel for manure is helpful as well. You may not have to feed the horse hay and grain if the pasture can keep him up, but if it's small then you may have to supplement his feed. If it has good grass and is large enough then he'll be fine without the hay, grain, and feed bucket. This will cut your first months bills some, though you'll end up buying these things anyway, because he'll need them for winter. You can call your local tack stores and compare prices on the grooming supplies, but the cheapest way to do feed and water is to get a couple of metal milk crates and use the staple like nails to nail them to the walls. You can use four nails or two and build a support underneath, but four will work fine. I put these in two diff. corners and put a feed bucket in one and an old 5 gal. bucket that I've cleaned out well in the other. You can get these from different places. As friends that get polyurethane or horse supplements or any number of things that use 5 gal. buckets. Just make sure you clean them out good. You can let bleach water sit in there for a half hour, just wash it out good and let it dry in the sun and do that a couple of times and it'll be fine. You can just throw the hay under the feed bin. That way he can't step in it or use the bathroom in it and horses are made to eat off the ground anyway, so it'll be more comfortable. Something else that is a must is a halter and lead rope. If you don't know how to fit one, you can ask some one, but the nose band should be pretty close where his cheek curves back twoard his nose and it needs to be just tight enough that you can't move it around more than two or three inches. You can have your choice of lead ropes, though I would pick a nylon rope about 8' that has one of the clips where you slide down the little button. They are easiest and the rope won't rot or fray easily. A good pasture looks poor. If the grass is too lush and green then the horse could founder or colic and die. Both of these are really bad situations and our rich neighbors found this out the hard way by losing two horses. If it's too poor though, you'll have to supplement their feed with around a half a scoop to a scoop with a regular sized scooper and one flake of hay. You really need to base it on the horses weight though. Just play with the amount of food till it gets the right weight and maintains it keeping in mind that it takes a while for a food change amount to show. You'll also need the vet and probably the farrier out depending on it's feet. They need to do all the blood work and shots even if the person who sold it to you says it's had them, because they may not be being truthful. After that you'll just need to maintain them. Around here grain, and we use sweet feed, which is a mixture of corn, grain, molasses, pellets, etc..., is around $6.50 a bag and a bag will last a horse a week or two. Hay is between $3.00 and $5.50 for coastal which is a good kind for a reasonable price. Timothy is high priced and I don't like bermuda hay. It has between 8 and 10 flakes in it. It breaks into these flakes by it's self. They are about four or five inches thick and if you cut the strings off a bale it'll flop open to these flakes so you can see what someones talking about when they say flake. Some are thin and you'll need to add another flake or pull some off a large flake, but it's more hay than you think. If you throw it out in the pasture and it hits the ground hard it fluffs out into a big pile. You'll need to increase the feed to a scoop of grain with the slice of hay, but the pasture will supplement this so that they get enough. Some people may say this is not enough food, but my uncle rides his two horses in the mountains every day, switching between them every other day, and he gives them one scoop, some vitamens, and a slice of hay. They are in a stall all day unless they are being ridden, and when they are being ridden it's up and down a mountain. Well they are doing well enough that he had to decrease the one scope he was giving to the little easy keeper paso fino because it was getting fat. It just depends on your horse but ours have been getting a scope and a slice twice a day during the winter, and the occasional scope or slice during the summer. They'll need more if they're working, but other wise they won't need as much. Winter rations when they're working hard. Vet bills are about $100.00 a year and we get the farrier out every 8 weeks unless their hooves are in bad shape and then we'll call him out sooner. He is reasonably priced at $20 for a trim and $60 for an all-round shoe. Not sure how much for front shoes, but somewhere in between. You'll also need fly spray. Bronco is good and it'll last you between 2 to 4 weeks depending on how bad the flys are in your area. Spray them down liberally though, a light misting really won't do it. Spray all over. Spray the head from behind, never into their face. You may also need other things from time to time such as shampoo(orvus paste is economical. just a dollop in a 5 gal. bucket of water), if it's dry or their hoves are cracking for some other reason then absorbine hooflex(get the paste and put it on their hooves once a week. Totally cures cracked hooves.), etc... I've given you prices for things individually. I'll let you do the totals. You'll need to hay and grain them from around november to febuary or march, after the grass is grown up or they'll eat the shoots. This is in south carolina though. If it gets colder quicker, then you'll need to start winter feed earlier and go later. Basically it's when the grass isn't growing anymore till after it has matured and the beginning of spring. It's better to get a few small pastures and rotate the horse every 4 to 8 months to let the grass grow. If they eat the shoots then it won't propogate and the pasture will die from over grazing. Farrier is every 8 weeks unless they get bad before that, vet once a year unless they get sick before that, and basic grooming stuff like fly spray. Also, if you live in a sandy area, you need to sprinkle some metamucle powder on top of their feed everyday to prevent sand colic, but that's only for really sandy areas. Good luck. If you have any more questions or something is not clear then you can go on my profile and send me a message. Good luck.

Answer 6

well.. if you look hard enough you can find really nice saddles for a couple hundred.. $250 is typically the lowest you will find for a decent saddle.

If you go to TSC you can get some nice headstalls/chin strap/reins/bit for about $100-$200 depending on which ones you choose..

Brushes are pretty basic really.. again, go to TSC get a curry comg, dandy brush, comb and/or tail brush depending on how long your horses tail is... you dont have to get every brush on the market.. just enough to get the dirt out of their coats.. about $20-$30 if you are a reasonable shopper for the basics.. about $50-$70 if you buy extragigant[sp?] brushes and get all of them..

you want to get a nice halter and lead, plus back ups.. about $30-$40 for two halters [i would suggest that one be a rope halter.. come in nicely when teaching ground manners] and leads are about $20-$25 for two if im thinking correctly..

as far as feed, you want to find a complete feed and at tsc its usually about $10-$25 -ish per bag.. which are usually 40-50lbs bags..

hay typically costs $3 this time of year. i would buy between 250-300 in bulk while the price is down to store in your barn...it should last until next summer.. so that will be between $750-$900 but it would last a year... per month would be between $60-90, but its usually best to buy it now when its cheap if you have the room..

also, you want to trim their hooves... i usually do it every 6 weeks in the winter and every 3-4 in the summer.. around here you can find a REALLY nice barefoot farrier [which i would suggest you find one that speciallizes in barefoot trimming. its better for their hooves] for about $25-$50.

Vets and Dentists usually have barn calls for about $50ish, depending on who is doing it, but some charge different for different distances.. annual shots/vaccines is about $150.. Dentists should come every 6 months to a year.. it costs about $60-$200+ per visit depending on what that dentist charges and if sedatives need to be used.. youre also going to want to invest into some first aid items.. about $50-$100 can get you a basic first aid kit.

A couple books I would suggest you have her get [I sound like a commercial for TSC but seriously.. they have just about everything you need and some of the best prices.. and you can get these books there] are:

101 Horsekeeping Tips: simple strategies for a safer and more efficient stable by Jessie Shiers... its a little-ish book that is white and rusty orange color.. picture of a chestnut in its stall on the front.. i read it front to back and covered it in highlighter.. it helps you save alot of money by giving you tricks of the trade... it was $12 when i bought it.

2nd Edition, Expanded and updated version of:

Dr. Kellon's Guide to First Aid for Horses by Eleanor Kellon, VMD... covers all types of injuries and more that could happen to a horse... its a pretty fat ringbound book if I remember this from three years ago, it was $25, but im not sure.. anyway, I hope it helps!

Answer 7

As for equipment, it depends upon what discipline she chooses to ride as to bridle, saddle and pad costs.

As for the rest, here's a list of costs:

I'm including boarding out in CASE she has to board while stable is getting situated for the horse.

Boarding out can run anywhere from $100.00/mo to $1,000.00/mo depending upon the facility. IF you live in a populated city like San Francisco or Los Angeles, boarding close to home will more than likely run on the higher end. This provides stalls, cleaning, bedding and hay twice a day.

The lower end, is probably out in the rual areas and can be with hay or without (You'd have to go out twice a day and feed your horse (s).

I suggest that you call around to the boarding stables in your area and get rates and facilities (Does it have an arena, round pen, hot walker, wash rack, etc.).

The costs of shavings vary from place to place. In LA right now, a 5 cubic yard bag of shavings runs $4.00 from the shavings company and can run as high as $7.00 in a tack store. You also need sand, decomposed granite and sweet lime to keep your stalls bedded correctly. The sand and dg you'll have to call and get pricing on.

Then there's the additional costs:

Hay in CA right now is running $17.95/bale for 3 strand alfafa which weighs 100LBs plus. Oat hay, runs a couple of bucks cheaper. Your horse will need between 5 and 7.5 bales a month, depending upon how easy a keeper your new horse is.

Shoeing (Which can run anywhere from $50.00 for just shoes in the front and barefoot in the back on up.) Done about every 6 to 8 weeks.

Trims: About $35.00 Once again done every 6 to 8 weeks.

Grain: Depending upon how easy a keeper your horse is, a bag of grain will run you about $15.00 and bran about the same, once a month.

Vet: Now normally without any accidents, once, twice a year for shots which run $40.00 per shot and the 'call charge' which can range depending upon your area from $40.00 all the way up to $250.00!

Misc. Tack: This is the one that not only can get expensive, BUT addicting! You see something that your horse just MUST have! DO NOT go to ebay! This can be VERY costly and addicting, trust me on this I have a friend who's still paying off credit cards from ebay horsey things she bought.

Having someone trailer or haul your horse with the cost of gas would probably be $2.00/mile nowadays...

Okay, now you have your catagories, work up a spreadsheet for your area and then see if you can afford to own a horse.