I need some horse owning advice

Question

I am a very keen horse rider, and i would like to buy my own horse. Though i am scared because no-one in my family is horsey, so if anything went wrong i wouldnt be able to get help from them. Also i wanted to know how much on average a horse would cost a year, not including the actual purchase of the horse. Thanks for all answers (Y)

Answer 1

if you are unsure whether to get one its already answered your quezzie - dont

Answer 2

it sort of depends on a long term.are you in it fir the hard work....

it cost about 5-600 dollars to keep a horse

Answer 3

Presumably you have lessons from an instructor. If so, they would be able to help you as they will know what your abilities are at present and will have a good idea of the type of horse that would suit you.

Things you need to consider are, apart from the horse itself, are where you will keep it. Livery costs vary enormously from yard to yard, but to give you an idea, DIY can be anything from about £100 per month, but you will have to buy hay, bedding and feed on top of that, to full livery which will be more like £400 or more a month. If you have a horse that lives out all year round it could cost you as little as £50 per month plus hay (in winter) and feed.

If your horse is shod, it will need it's feet done approximately every six weeks at a cost of about £60. Then there's vet fee's. Best advice here is to get insured. You will need to pay for annual Flu/Tetanus injections which again will be about £60, depending on what your vet charges for call out fees.

Tack, rugs, grooming kit will all need to be considered too, and you can shop around for these, but again, tack  doesn't come cheap although you can get some good synthetic saddles starting at about £350.

It might be a good idea for you to consider sharing to start with, and again if you have an instructor, they might be able to help with that.

One last thing, there's an old saying, "Never buy or sell a horse at blackberry time". The reasoning behind this is that when blackberry time comes round, we're heading towards winter and the most expensive time of year to keep a horse. And if you're a seller, the horse doesn't look as good as it might do earlier in the year because it's starting to get it's winter coat.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

If your an experienced rider and know how to look after a horse, then you should get one if you can!

My family isn't horsey either, but I've got my own horse now and nothing's gone wrong so far, I've had her for about 7 months! We only had to call the vet out once, and that was to file her teeth.

Maybe you should try to get a horse on loan first? Then if something goes wrong, you have the owner to ask for help.

I'm not sure how much it costs a year but here's the prices I pay, I keep my horse at my house... the farrier is about £40 every six-eight months, bedding is roughly £5 a week, hay/haylage £5 a week, hard feed is £6 a month. Then there's vet fees, which can be over £100 for something simple like getting your horses teeth filed. Vet fees can vary depending on whether your horse gets sick or not obviously. And you have to worm your horse too. If you keep it with a lot of other horses you should worm about every 8 weeks but if your horses is alone in a field or with only one or two others you dont have to do it so often. I'm not sure how much the wormer is. There are probably more costs to add in but thats all I can think of...

Dont forget that if you keep your horse on livery, its about £70 a month, I'm not sure if that includes food and bedding.

Hope that helped!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Answer 6

one horse don't cost much and they pretty much take care of themselves. U have to have plenty of room and lots of lush grass. if you just want a freind and a good ride then i suggest a saddle, or riding, horse.

Answer 7

Horses cost ALOT!!! No one in my family is horsey, but I get help from the people who board at the same barn I do. Boarding were I live costs 400$ for a stall full care... I have no idea were you would keep your horse so I dont really know. I work at the barn to pay off the board, but recently my vet bill was 250$!!! And shoeing horses in the rea I live costs 120 every six weeks, or you could get just a trim, wich is 40$.

Lets see:

4800 for board a year

1800 for shoes each year

vet bill is unknown but I would say average is 800$ a year

other supplies such as mineral/salt blockes like 30$ a year

jolly ball 20$

saddle 700$ (ranges from 200$ to 1000$)

saddle pad 80$

leather cleaner 15$

shampoo 15$

bridle 25$-70$

treats 15$

Grooming supplies 30$

Halter/ lead rope 25$

fly spray 40$ a year



and other little stuff....

it adds up to 8440$ for the first year, but it goes down in price the next year because you dont need to buy a saddle and stuff. I think it is worth it!!! My horse is the most rewarding thing!!! he loves me sooo much and I love him!!! he's adorable!!! and expensive, but worth it!!!

Answer 8

Since your family is not horsey and you do not specify whether you are keeping the horse at home or not, I will assume that you will be boarding the horse somewhere.  I think that it is a great idea that you want to buy your own horse.  At boarding barns  there will always be someone around the barn that can help you with the little problems that you come up with being a first horse owner.  For the big issues, it is best to talk to the trainers or Barn owners or the vets or the farrier.  It will not take long and you will get the hang of things.   The cost of owning ones own horse varies so greatly it is hard to nail it down to an average price.  I have 3 horses and keep them at my own barn, they eat grass all summer and very little other feed except for the oldest one.  I also am not shoeing them this year because I have to stay home and not ride...soo that saves some money there. Farrier and vet calls vary too in price.  Hay prices vary also in different years as well as different areas...Florida can be $16 to $18 for a small bale of alfalfa, then there is the grass hay that can be cheaper,,I know someone who bought small grass hay bales for $2 a bale this summer.  Boarding is also a price that can be anywhere from $100 a month to way up into $800 or more a months depending on what you get in that board.  Some like their horse pastured, that is the cheapest one...then there are those that insist on arenas, turnout, certain feeds and  hay.  Big city areas can be the most expensive barns because of the demand and shortage of acerage.  Whereas your ranch and farm areas can be the most reasonable.  You have to do some homework to find what best suits you and what you want for your horse and your pocket book.  good luck with it all

Answer 9

well it depends on how much riding/ horse experience you have... maybe before you buy a horse get one on loan? as you would then know whether your life style is pratical for a horse.

costs- it mainly depends on where you go.......

livery......

well it depends whether you are going to keep the horse at your home (you would need at least 1 1/2 acres of good grass land to keep the horse on during the summer and maybe the winter- it depends of the type of horse and whether you have a field shelter) if you are unable to keep the horse at yours then you would have to put it in livery (this could be full livery [where every thing is done for you by the stable hands- costs alot], part livery [ where you get some help but you do most of it by your self- cost less than full livery], or DIY livery [ Do It Yourself livery- very cheap] or you may be able to keep it at a friends?) if you choose one of these options (full/part/ DIY livery) then the price varies on where you go and what you choose (so you will have to search around!)

another cost is food.... but this again depends on the type of horse and what you want to do with him. eg a TB eventer is going to need ALOT more food than a good doer cob that your going to be hacking with, so you will need to research this and ask the horses owners, of whom your buying the horse from, and find out what they are currently feeding the horse.... but you may need vary it slightly - but it depends on what you are doing with the horse.

shoes....

will the horse need shoes? if so then the average cost of shoes is £60- but it depends on the farrier (mine charges £80! but he is very very good! my previous farrier charged £60) and they have to come around every 5 weeks (but it depends on the horse) however the horse may not need shoes (once again it depends on the type of horse and what you are doing with him- research this and ask your farrier about it... work together so that you can get the best out of your horse)

insurance.....

well it depends where you go and what deals you can get, but make sure it covers everything you need (im not very good at this part- im only 15 so my mum and dad deals with this)

vet bills.....

check ups and injections do cost but once again it depends where you go.... so search around and find one that suits you

back person (i dunno their professional name! hehe).....

it depends on who you have .... we have ours out every year (they charge about £60... but once again my mum and dad deal with that)

dentist......

usuallly around £45 but look around......

it all varies but there maybe extra cost say if you horse was to get sick, loose weight, needs extra worming etc

worming......

needs doing every 6 months... it depends of what you worm the horse with..... prices vary

tack.....

the horse may come with tack, if not you will have to buy a saddle (there are many good second hand saddles that fit horses just as well as new tack but its cheaper! you will have to get a professional saddle fitter out for both!) you can get some great bridles that only cost £30! (ours is a Shire's bridle and it only cost £30! its fit my mare perfectly!) so just look around... you also may need to buy brushing boots etc but it depends on your horse.....

shows/ transport....

are you going to take your horse to shows (once you have built up a big enough bond and are capable of doing what is required of you both at the show then are you going to buy a lorry, horse trailer or are you going to rent or borrow one... these are all going to cost as you have to insure them, tax them etc....

every thing above vaires so its just a case of searching and finding good deals that dont compromise the horse's welfare, and so i cant give you an exact answer, sorry

i hope i helped abit though lol

good luck!

Answer 10

Owning a horse takes a lot of time, room and money. On average you can spend up to and over $100 per month on feed alone. Vet bills and farrier cost are a whole different story. The cost of the horse will depend on the horse. Things like age, experience, temperament, abilities, training, etc. are all factored into the cost.

For right now I would suggest that you see if you can find a horse for lease where you pay for all of the cost associated with the care of the horse. And also where you go and take care of it yourself daily. This way you will have an idea of what to expect if you buy a horse.

If you are dead set on buying a horse, go to a reputable local trainer. They will be able to help select a horse to fit your needs.

Answer 11

You can get help from your local 4-H club, and you may not even have to buy a horse or pay to keep it to work with it. 4-H can also be a great place to meet other young people interested in horses and livestock. Hold off on jumping into things, horses are a big commitment and you need to meet someone that knows about horses and can help you learn to train them and take care of them.

Answer 12

I sort of went though the same thing with my family when I got my horse. There are lots of nice people in the horse industry that will help you out if you get stuck. Its a big commitment, and its scary but exciting at the same time. I bought my own horse when I got to college with no help, and its important to have a steady job and to tuck away some money for those emergencies, because believe me, they do happen. If owning a horse is something you really want to do, then do it, and you will find a way to make it work.

I can answer any specific questions you have about horse ownership if you want to email me. There is just so much to type out here. Price depends on where you live, I'm lucky to have cheap board, its only $60 a month for me to keep my horse at my stable, and I spend about $20 on extra grain and supplements a month, and to get his feet done every 6-8 weeks is $65. These costs can vary a lot on where you live and what sort of care your horse needs.

What kind of riding do you do? What sort of horse were you looking for?

Good luck, send me an email if you have any more questions, I know what it was like to step out there on your own :)

[e-mail]

Answer 13

Find a good trainer.  

Food, alone, costs a little over $100/ month.  

Answer 14

Well if you know a lot about horses and want to own one that is fine..just find a trainer that can help with any bad habits the horse might have...The price depends on what feed you use...If the horse has a bad accident...if the horse has bad feet...all of these things! Usually the first year of owning a horse is the most pricey! and sometimes the least! If you have anymore questions feel free to contact me!