How much money is it for the vet, dentist, farrier, etc fees for a horse.

Question

Ok I am getting a horse soon, and my aunts and grandparents are offering to pay for the vet farrier and dentist.

I already know my board is going to be $500. That will include two outdoor rings, a nice indoor ring, many large pastures, a nice stall, and feeding.

I will also be buying my own de-wormer for $25 a tube.

Are there any other fees that I will need regularly like Insurance, etc?

I am in Sarver/Cabot Pa.

Answer 1

well my horses's shoes are usually around 100$, vet: depends on what needs to be done. it could be 20, it could be a lot more. minimum  insurance for a 5,000 dollar horse is 450$ a year.  

Answer 2

None of these have a definite answer.  Farriers can run up to $200 every six to eight weeks if your horse needs special care or more if issues arise.  The dentist isn't quite so crucial in young horses and can be evaluated during their annual vet visit.  The vet however, is relatively cheap for routine stuff but can easily jump into thousands of dollars with an injury.  A few years ago I had a mare retain the placenta after foaling.  It was $1400 within 2 days but she was there for 7.  I hate to be a downer, but you'll have to be prepared for anything and that means not choosing a ceiling price.

Answer 3

$25 for dewormer??  I don't think so!!!  go to http://www.jeffersequine.com  and buy the $3-a-tube generic Ivermectin- it works just fine!!!  If your barn owner is charging you $25 to deworm, do it yourself and save $22 a pop!  That's highway robbery, even the super-premium tape-wormers only cost $12 to $15 a tube.

Last time I took my arab to the vet for dental work it was $350.  She had broken a tooth and part of the tooth had abcessed.  My TWH filly got her first dental work for about $125, which was a standard float to start correcting "wave mouth" and removal of 2 wolf teeth.  It depends on what your vet charges, how much sedation is necessary, what procedures need to be done, etc.  Plan for $200 a year for an annual dental checkup from a vet- if you use an actual certified equine dentist, plan for more like $300 a year.

The farrier can range from $30 or so for a trim to over $100 for specialized shoes.  You should ask the owner of the barn you're going to board at what their farrier charges for various services.  Then you'd know exactly.  My 2 cents- most horses do fine without shoes.  Keeping your horse barefoot is healthier for your horse, safer for the horse's pasture mates and handlers in case of a kick, and also much, much cheaper!

Vet bills range from inexpensive if you take the horse to the vet for something like a routine coggins test ($25 at my vet) to thousands of dollars for serious problems and emergencies.  Just regular preventative care will cost usually $25 to $35 a year for the annual coggins, plus a farm call fee if the vet goes to your horse.  With gas prices the way they are, farm calls are foten upwards of $50- you may want to look into splitting the farm call fee with other boarders who also need routine vet care at the same time.  Most vets are happy to do that.  If you compete the horse at shows or take it off the farm for any reason, you're going to need health certificates every so often- in GA I can get a 6-month event permit, it costs $35 every 6 months.  You'll have to ask your vet what the laws are in your state and comply with them.

Vet emergencies, in my experience, start at around $200 to $300 and go up from there- if you want to purchase equine insurance, you can get major surgery coverage- and it's not that expensive, last time I quoted it, for a horse valued at $3000, It was about $175 a year for life insurance and major medical coverage.

I do my own vaccinations, and there's a good chance your barn owner will administer vaccines herself rather than paying the vet to do so.  I order mine off the internet and adminsiter them myself, i probably spend $150 a year on vaccines.  If I were to have the vet do them, I'd spend $300+ a year for the same vaccinations.

Answer 4

First of all, why are you paying $25 a tube for de-wormer?  You should alternate between de-wormers and the only one I can think of right off that is expensive is a Panacur Power Pack ($50 for a 5 day total de-worming).  You should look into the de-worming thing if you are buying it from the stable because that's a rip off.

It wouldn't hurt to have insurance since your horse is being kept at someone else's facility and their insurance may not cover your horse, the damage he does to the property, or any injury he may sustain while on the property.

Will you be taking the horse away from the facilities to participate in any shows or trail rides?  If so, you may have transportation fees (unless you have your own trailer, etc).

It sounds like you've got your bases covered.  I would suggest having your own grooming and first aid supplies and keeping them with you instead of leaving them at the stables (at least until you kow whether everyone who has a hrose there is trustworthy).

I would also suggest that you have your horse's name put on his halter and lead rope (leather) just to be sure it doesn't get confused with someone else's stuff.

Enjoy owning a horse!

Answer 5

well it all depends what the horse needs, i'll agree with the first person that it seems like your rushing in. . . but at least you have someone else to pay for the bigger bills of owning a horse.

anyway, basic vet exam for the vet check can run up to 500 dollars, and that's what you should pay min for it b/c you want to know if the horse your buying is healthy.

if the horse has weak feet then your going to pay more for the ferrier, if the horse has strong feet your going to pay less. example: my arab pony had strong feet and didnt need shoes.  we only called the ferrier out every 8-10 weeks on her because her's grew slow and stronger.  my quater horse needed corrective shoeing and his shoes needed changed every 4-6 weeks.  it all depends, for the pony we only paid 25 for trims, and for the quater horse we paind 200 each time.

teeth need done about 1 time a year, and again it depends on the horse and what they need done.

so if your horse remains health *that's a big if* it'd still be alot.

good luck (and hope they dont get too bent when they see all the bills)

edit: my horse had a vet bill of 4,000 total one year, major surgery.  so you should already know that vet bills can run up high.

edit edit: NEVER said it was a bad thing to have someone else help pay for what you need, but you obvously feel guilty or something to be mad at me stating the obvous that your lucky to have someone to help you.

good luck in picking out happy go lucky answers.

Answer 6

i live close to you and my farrier cost $60 and vet for the horses shots like rabies and coggins cost $115 and and we do most of the stuff on our own though and our dewormer cost $10 from tractor supply co. thers one in kittanning  

Answer 7

you should already know if u are getting a horse...its sad really...another person rushing into horse ownership

Answer 8

The vet can cost ANYTHING depending on what you have to have done. Annual vaccinations, coggins, etc usually run me about $300. Dentist can be $50-200, more if your horse requires sedation. Farrier ranges from $20 for a trim to $200 for a full set of shoes (prices vary depending on the farrier). If you get insurance, plan to pay ballpark $400-1500 a year, depending on what you do with your horse and what level of insurance you want.