What is the average anual cost for keeping a horse?

Question

i would really like to buy a horse. i have calculated the start up costs but would like some inside information on the approximate annual cost for feeding, shoeing, worming and vet costs etc.

also if i keep him on my friends property what would be an appropriate amount to pay for board?

thankyou!

Answer 1

$500 - $3000 for the horse, depending on your location and quality of the animal.

$75 - $200 a month on board.

$150 every six months for vaccines.

$40 every six weeks for trimming (alot more if you want shoes)

$100 yearly for dental work (yes, you need it)

$10 - $15 for a bag of feed, which will last you a little over half a week if you feed twice daily

hay isnt cheap, largely depends on where you live

$500 - $1500 on tack

and you cant forget a trailer...

all this plus more if your horse needs frequent vet visits. and ofcourse youre going to want to buy all kinds of useless and very pricey toys and gadgets, treats. my only advice... dont get TWO horses :p

Answer 2

My parents needed the costs of everything up front, so i hope this helps! Everything together should cost around $2,000 a year.

Boarding: $250 to $550. It should be cheaper since it is at your friends house. It will cost less if the horse you get only needs hay, but it will be more money if he needs food too.

Farrier: I pay $100 shoes, but were you live it can be cheaper such as $50 OR LESS!

Vet: every month about $100 for shots.

Worming: $15 to $30 a month.

food: That should come with the board, but if not: $20 - $30 or less a month.

You also need tack. I don't know if you already have it or not, but that will be about $300 for the saddle, $100 for the bridle, any price for the saddle pad, and about $30 for the girth. You can get things used witch will make things cheaper. That is what i did. You want a saddle that is used anyway because then you don't have to break it in.

You are also going to buy things for the horse as well such as treats, shampoos and such things like that.

I hope this helps you!!!  

Answer 3

It depends on the area, and the kind of horse you buy.

Find out the cost of a bale of hay in your area. You will probably need about 6 bales of hay per month, supposing that you feed 2 biscuits a day.

Medical things probably cost about $100-150 a month, but I'm not entirely sure about that.

Prices for boarding can vary greatly. I have a friend who pays only $3 a week to keep her horse in a friend's paddock, but thats extremely low. As long as you friend isn't doing any work for your horse I would say anywhere from $10-$40 would be a good deal. Talk o your friend about it and discuss what is reasonable.

Answer 4

I want a horse too! I have a house with a pasture and barn but not a horse! It can, not WILL get VERY expensive, thousands of dollars, about 5,000? What I do is my neighbors have horses come in my pasture and I take care of them and it costs me nothing! The bad thing: I can't ride them because they have back problems. If you are planning to ride, it could get more expensive than non-riders because of costs like saddles!

Answer 5

This is a tricky one, because it varies depending on where you live etc.

If you have access to lush pasture you will not need to feed as much; if the grazing is poor you will have to spend more on hay and bucket feed.

I'm in the UK, so this may not be very accurate for you, and there are many other variables, so this is only an example, but here goes;

You will need to worm 4 to 8 times a year (depending on wormer type) at a cost of £15-18 each time

Shoeing every 6 weeks (minimum) - my farrier charges about £50 each time (this is a usual cost in the UK)

Hay can be anything up to about £5 per bale depending on quality and availability -averaging 1 bale per week; you should ask a local supplier what they charge, and if they charge for delivery

Bucket feed will vary widely depending on your horse, it's workload and the pasture - some horses don't need any concentrate but most do. Mixes/cubes vary in price from £6-12 per sack, and 1 sack would usually last 1-2 weeks. If you feed a mix or cube you will also need to feed a chaff with it - approx £5 per sack (usually quite large, so may last a month). Talk to a feed manufacturer about how best to feed your horse - they should take breed, size, workload and age into account and may provide you with a cost estimate.

If your horse is stabled at all, then you will need to take bedding into account. Straw is about £3 per bale at about 2 bales per week, other bedding can be much more expensive - you would need to ask a local supplier. If the horse has a respiratory problem you will need to use dust free bedding (£5-9 per bale)

This comes to a minimum of £1200 a year without peripheral or livery costs. Vet costs are umpredictable, you will need to ask your local vet about costs for immunisations, call out and the charge for vetting the horse before you buy it. You may also need to consider egg counts (checking droppings for levels of worm eggs), dentistry (all horses require tooth rasping once a year), and putting money aside for emergencies - horses are prone to any number of minor injuries or other problems that may require veterinary attention. I just spend £200 because my horse had an inexplicable lump under his jaw that was preventing him from grazing - eventually it went away on it's own but I still had to get the vet out in case it was something serious like an infection or strangles.

You will need to have your horse insured as well (this is essential in my view) - shop around for quotes (this will partly depend on the value of the animal), but be aware that any time you claim for vet fees, the part of the horse that was treated will no longer be covered by the insurer, so you may want to put money aside for less serious ailments.

Also consider cost of 'throwaways' - there will always be equipment that will have to be replaced sooner or later (sooner if your horse has a tendency to destroy rugs etc.), plus fly spray, hoof grease, saddle soap, etc. Also first aid supplies are essential for small injuries or as a stopgap 'til the vet gets there - gamgee, wound wash, self-adhesive bandages, poultices, cool packs, thermometer, melanin, iodine etc. I'd budget about £20-30 for these and they will need to be replaced immediately as they are used (find out how much they cost at your nearest horsey supplier or saddlery).

The cost of board will partly depend on what your friend expects. If it is simply a matter of keeping your horse there, and you will be taking care of it, this is the equivalent of DIY livery - investigate what stables in your area charge for this. Where I am it varies from £20-50 per week depending on the facilities available. Make sure that your friend's property has running water (very important) and water troughs in the fields and lighting will make your life easier.

Owning a horse is rewarding for everything except your wallet, so good luck!

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

Why don't you advertise locally for someone who wants a rider for a horse? This way you get a horse to use, without the expense of all the extras.

I needed someone to ride my horses due to an accident and finally got onto  a great person who had own horse but couldn't upkeep it.

Many people have horses that they need to keep upkeeping, ie: shoeing, feeding, shelter, rugging, ect - but for many reasons cannot give the horse regular work. These people are more than appreciative to have a suitable person using their horse in a discipline that is suitable - and often also willing to be involved in floating to Pony Club, Shows, ect.

Many times, you will find that it is a much loved horse that kids have outgrown either emotionally or physically but owners still want to own and just want someone to continue the exercise for the horse, rather than just let it stand around doing nothing in a lonely paddock.

Check out these options - there are so many available.

I am SO glad to find suitable riders because I would still be doing all the expense regardless if the horses were ridden, or not.

This way you get a great horse without any expense!!! Often - as in my case, the owner even feeds, rugs, organises shoeing / worming/teeth program and all the other necessary things, as long as their horse is getting appropriate riding management for the time periold.

Just advertise your needs - you may be surprised by the response you get!!!

Answer 8

It is quite a bit to keep a horse. You got, vet bills, feed, hay, shoeing,worming, saddles, bridels, bits etc. then you want to add another 100-200 at least. I'd say probably 100-200 a month. Is she going to feed him? Or is he going to be out to pasture? if she feeds him and all that then 200. If she just keeps him in the pasture or you have to feed him, then 100

Answer 9

Figure $4,000 - 5,000.

Board can be $200-450/month depending on care = 2400- 5400/year

Shoes: 9X year at $50-100 = $450-900

Worming: $200/year

Vet: $500+ year

Plus additional tack, misc. stuff.