How much does is cost.....?

Loopyness

How much does it cost to own a horse?

So you buy your horse but after that? Livery. food. shoes. Vits. vet. What else is there?

So per month. What do you pay out for owning your horse.

I so want to buy one but i dont think my salary is even nearly good enough to let me have a life after paying out horsey bills :mad::(

skink

i pay 400 a month for livery, about 50 to 100 on diesel depending on where i am going(including non horsey jobs)

every 5 weeks or so, farrier is 75 euro for a full set

wormer works out at around a tenner every 7 weeks

entry fees for sjai shows are 20 quid a pop, so maybe 40 euro a week

don't forget horsebox insurance, my dad pays that though so i don;t know how much it is

i get the vet for free aswell(for me anyway, dads a vet)

kerrysgold

Livery depends, about €10 a week to rent grazing, about €50 a week for DIY livery and up to €100 + a week for full livery.
hay is anything between €15 and €25 for a big round bale which lasts a good while, depends on size of horse/pony really.
bag of feed is €10+
farrier depends on whether horse is shod or not, if you're not doing much hacking on roads you should be OK leaving your horse barefoot but best to ask farrier and see what he thinks I suppose.
other stuff is regular worming, vaccinations, teeth etc.
you may also need to get a saddle custom made and/or professionally fitted to prevent back issues which costs about €700.

A horse isn't that expensive to keep as long as you have a regular income.

kerrysgold

kerrysgold wrote: »

you may also need to get a saddle custom made and/or professionally fitted to prevent back issues which costs about €700.

You can get solid gold horseshoes, titanium weight reducing studs and have a bunch of Olympic of riders looking after your horse as well.. but thats probably over the top.

A good second had Berney Bro's saddle will do you fine.

fits

Deleted User wrote: »

A good second had Berney Bro's saddle will do you fine.

If it fits the horse

I must be the only person who doesnt like Berney's saddles. Any I've ridden in seems to have put me in a good old 'stick your legs out in front of you' kind of hunting seat. And the fitting guideline on their website is prehistoric (at least it was the last time I looked).

@OP the variation in costs can be huge. Really the biggest decision from a cost point of view is whether you wish to keep the horse on full livery or diy it. Also there are endless amounts of money to be spent on gear you dont really need, and lots of people willing to sell it to you. It sometimes amazes me the number of rugs, for example, that people will keep for one animal.

kerrysgold

the saddle needs to fit the horse perfectly, an ill-fitting saddle can ruin his back and cause bucking etc due to soreness/pain. If I wasn't going for a treeless I'd pay the extra couple of hundred for a custom saddle.

fits

fits wrote: »

If it fits the horse

I must be the only person who doesnt like Berney's saddles. Any I've ridden in seems to have put me in a good old 'stick your legs out in front of you' kind of hunting seat. And the fitting guideline on their website is prehistoric (at least it was the last time I looked).

@OP the variation in costs can be huge. Really the biggest decision from a cost point of view is whether you wish to keep the horse on full livery or diy it. Also there are endless amounts of money to be spent on gear you dont really need, and lots of people willing to sell it to you. It sometimes amazes me the number of rugs, for example, that people will keep for one animal.

Really? I always found them very good and the level of service was excellent.

I learned to ride in a Berneys Saddle and over the years I have seen some top quality saddles that are in great nick years after they were bought.

fits

Deleted User wrote: »

Really? I always found them very good and the level of service was excellent.

I learned to ride in a Berneys Saddle and over the years I have seen some top quality saddles that are in great nick years after they were bought.

I've never bought one, only ridden in them, and I hated the position they put me in. I find they really put the rider in a chair seat, but perhaps not all their saddles are like that.

kerrysgold

kerrysgold wrote: »

the saddle needs to fit the horse perfectly, an ill-fitting saddle can ruin his back and cause bucking etc due to soreness/pain. If I wasn't going for a treeless I'd pay the extra couple of hundred for a custom saddle.

I am not disputing that but you can get that from an off the rack saddle.

We have horses that have competed at pretty much all levels and the majority if our gear is off the rack. Berneys (and most equestrian stores) will offer alternations so they can be tweaked.

OP - seriously; there are a million and one ways to waste your money on horses, maybe it would be best to hang around a few riding schools/yards and get someone who knows what they are on about to go over everything with you.

You will see people spending lots and lots of money on gear that, IMO (I was never a gear-head), is not necessary. I never had flashy gear but I do have plenty of red rossettes.

Jemmy

Loopyness wrote: »

How much does it cost to own a horse?

So you buy your horse but after that? Livery. food. shoes. Vits. vet. What else is there?

So per month. What do you pay out for owning your horse.

I so want to buy one but i dont think my salary is even nearly good enough to let me have a life after paying out horsey bills :mad::(

Well i think they are all wrong! It all depends on a number of different factors.

There is the costs that are a given with any animal, vets, wormers, feed and general care of the animal. And of course equipment, but it you dont have to pay the moon for that either.

Where you live and the facilities you have make a difference, and the level you want to compete at. If its just a hobby at home, a hack out for the enjoyment it wont have to cost the world.

Jemmy

Jemmy wrote: »

Well i think they are all wrong! It all depends on a number of different factors.

There is the costs that are a given with any animal, vets, wormers, feed and general care of the animal. And of course equipment, but it you dont have to pay the moon for that either.

Where you live and the facilities you have make a difference, and the level you want to compete at. If its just a hobby at home, a hack out for the enjoyment it wont have to cost the world.

Jemmy - that is correct but there are certain fixed costs that you can't get around.

skink

kerrysgold wrote: »

you may also need to get a saddle custom made and/or professionally fitted to prevent back issues which costs about €700.

A horse isn't that expensive to keep as long as you have a regular income.

I would like you to find a good quality made measure saddle for 700 quid, they are alot more expensive than that!

your last bit makes no sense whatsoever, keeping a horse is as expensive as you want it to be, a regular income mkaes no difference, if i get 1 euro a week for work every week that is a regular income. Keeping if your are on a low income though, will mean you will be making alot of sacrifices, so you want to be sure you are ready for the commitment, before you plunge yourself in, also a horse is alot harder to get rid of than a dog!

Jemmy

Deleted User wrote: »

Jemmy - that is correct but there are certain fixed costs that you can't get around.

Such as?! Sorry not being smart your prob right and ill have forgotten something trying to think what else!

But others on this thread are making out like you have to be a millionaire almost to own and keep a horse.

I know your all going to think just shut up but...

I was a kid when i started riding so it wasnt MY money it was my parents but they didnt have a whole lot either.

My first pony was a rescue case he was 200pounds at the time and i even got a little pony games saddle and his bridle with that but anyway he turned out to be a little jem got 2nd in the working hunter in the RDS a few years ago and all. And at the time we kept him in a little paddock with a stable my dad built he had one rug and wasnt pampered!

My point is you dont need the best of everything all the time to get by and enjoy owning a horse, and even competing.

Off the top of my head (and its late and I'm wrecked!)

Costs:
Horse (normally quite high!!)
Livery (expensive, depending on type)
Tack (you can get this second hand and get good gear and value)

Misc:
Vet (things go wrong)
Farrier (better shod then not, gives you more scope)
Horsey Food/Treats

Various little things like lead ropes / headcollars / etc. You would be amazed how these add up.

Horses are expensive - there is no getting around this, but you don't need to be loaded to keep them as long as you are sensible.

Jemmy

Deleted User wrote: »

Off the top of my head (and its late and I'm wrecked!)

Costs:
Horse (normally quite high!!)
Livery (expensive, depending on type)
Tack (you can get this second hand and get good gear and value)

Misc:
Vet (things go wrong)
Farrier (better shod then not, gives you more scope)
Horsey Food/Treats

Various little things like lead ropes / headcollars / etc. You would be amazed how these add up.

Horses are expensive - there is no getting around this, but you don't need to be loaded to keep them as long as you are sensible.

Livery - like i said depends on facilities ive never needed it (but im lucky that way)
Tack - like i said possibly second hand

Vets i said standard with any animal, just as i said with food and equipment, im just repeating myself here.:rolleyes:

Its cost a few pound at the start, headcollars and leads arent crazy money.
You can go out and buy every brand name you want and pay crazy money but you dont have to.

Right im done im not arguing. Each to there own and all that. My point was once you get on your feet and sorted then your grand. If you have a budget getting started its possible to stay to it. You guys must shop for gear in the wrong places! Well for headcollars and leads anyway!!!

If you go for it, then best of luck it will be worth it. Enjoy.:)

Loopyness

Thanks all for that

I was wondering... Insurance? Do you insure your horse?

I remember when i had a cat and sitting in the vets with it there was posters up for insuring your pet.

I was looking at signs where i ride and its €600 a month for livery in the school :eek:
My instructor said hers is €400 in a provate yard

Jen Pigs Fly

I just got a horse there last saturday.
So far it's around 400 a month for Livery,
80 for the vet
65 for a full set of shoes
1000 for complete tack (got a great deal,everything is included, a saddler came too me!)

and that was all spent within now and last saturday .. of course not forgetting the horse! And I still have to get rugs and all sorts yet, but at the moment she's grand!

Hmmm don't know about insurance yet, havn't looked into that yet ... I probably should though! Fairly accident prone here!

Loopyness

Im Sooooooooo Jealous Jenny !! :mad:
Is the Vet monthly though or was that just for checking him/her out?

When a horse is in say full livery / half livery - does that include feed?

Jen Pigs Fly

Loopyness wrote: »

Is the Vet monthly though or was that just for checking him/her out?

Just a check up to make sure she was ok, which she passed with flying colours!
I was told by my yard that it would only be around a tenner for worming, and that is every 6-8 weeks depending, they keep and eye on the horses though and if there's a epidemic all the horses get wormed!

It also depends on wether you're gettin a horse or pony, pony rates are cheaper than horses.
In the yard that I'm keeping my mare in, it's 87 a weeek for pony and 100 a week for horse. That is full livery, with free lesson, horses mucked out, fed through the day an full use of their facilities, I'm even alloud to use their tack!

Loopyness wrote: »

When a horse is in say full livery / half livery - does that include feed?

It should, I'm on full livery and she has food all though the day (although I do think that it's very shoddy in my yard, I've often found her with no food, so I get some myself) But yea it should supply food.
Even with half livery, the food should be there, so you can take as you please, the livery price usualy covers food and such.

You'll have to buy your own supplements though, such as pony nuts and such. The stables I'm in have barley and haylage but that it!

Loopyness

Thanks Jenny. Very helpful!

I work full time, still live at home but pay rent. After horse is bought, tack rugs etc, it would be approx 500 - 600 euro a month full livery . assuming horse does not get sick or whatever. That would leave me with not being able to go for drinks at the weekend or buy pretty shoes and clothes. I think i wuld be fine for the first while but then miss my booze Im not an alco , i swear

I would love to find someone who wants to share their horse/pony but i cant find anything about it online

convert

fits wrote: »

If it fits the horse

I must be the only person who doesnt like Berney's saddles. Any I've ridden in seems to have put me in a good old 'stick your legs out in front of you' kind of hunting seat. And the fitting guideline on their website is prehistoric (at least it was the last time I looked).

I've had a Berney Bro's saddle for the last 14 years, and it's done me fine. I bought it new (which is something I wouldn't normally do, but the second hand saddles available weren't suitable for my mare (who had a really high withers). I've not had any problems with it and I've used it on at least 5 or 6 horses since.

I'll admit I found the saddle quite different initially, but I had been using a really old saddle with a low tail, no knee or thigh rolls. I found the knee rolls on the Berney saddle took time to get used to, but I never found it made my lets stick out in front of me, or anything like that.



Jemmy: You have a point that owning a horse doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, but as zaraba and other posters have said, the cost of keeping a horse depends on one's situation:

Do you have sufficient land to keep a horse or has it to be kept in livery? If you need livery, do you want grass, half-board or full livery? Will you do all the work with it or will you need the people in the livery yard to feed, exercise, etc? If you're keeping the horse at home, you have to account for the cost of food and bedding. Round hay bales can cost upwards of €15 per bale for good hay, though, as KG said, it should last a while. Straw is probably more expensive for a round bale, and, when you work it out, bags of shavings and paper aren't that cheap either. Then you have to take into feed into account. A 25kg bag of 11% horse nuts can cost upwards of €7.80, depending on where you buy them, and whether or not you want a higher/lower percentage feed, or whether you want nuts, mix, etc. If you're keeping the horse at home and want to turn it out it's also necessary to consider the fencing. Is the field safely and securely fenced? Do you need to buy white tape and stakes if you want to manage the field(s)for grazing.
Then come all the extras: Do you have tack already or do you need to buy it? (yes, second hand tack can be bought at a reasonable price, but it is still quite expensive). Headcollars, leads, rug(s), grooming kit, buckets, etc. as well as your own gear - helmets, whip, boots, chaps, jodhpurs, gloves, etc. - all add up, even if you only buy the bear minimum.
On top of that, you also have to provide for the welfare of your horse - vaccinations (pretty important if you want to compete), worm doses, teeth, farrier expenses (whether shod or not), and vet expenses (if something unfortunately happens to your horse).

While some of the above expenses are one-offs or rare occurrences, it all mounts up and you need to be aware of exactly how much it costs to keep a horse, even if you choose the cheapest option which suits both you and your horse.

Your financial position will dictate what you can and cannot afford and it's best to take everything into consideration before even attempting to buy a horse. I've heard a huge number of people comment on the perception that everybody who owns a horse must be rich and have lots of money: their response is that they had money until they owned a horse! .



Loopyness: I hope it works out for you and that you manage to buy your horse. Don't rush into it: take your time and make sure to find a horse that suits you and one with which you can have fun!

*!horseyness!*

I'm just wondering if all of you could reply to my thread because I am also doing research to see if I would be able to purchase a horse. I need to have an idea of the various costs etc. If you could go onto my profile and reply to my thread entitled, 'research on costs of horse ownership' it would be a fantastic help.
Thank You.

AngelicRaindrop

skink wrote: »

I would like you to find a good quality made measure saddle for 700 quid, they are alot more expensive than that!

your last bit makes no sense whatsoever, keeping a horse is as expensive as you want it to be, a regular income mkaes no difference, if i get 1 euro a week for work every week that is a regular income. Keeping if your are on a low income though, will mean you will be making alot of sacrifices, so you want to be sure you are ready for the commitment, before you plunge yourself in, also a horse is alot harder to get rid of than a dog!

old thread i know but i recently bought a berneys GP for €665 brand new that was custom made for my horse, i did pay 900 for my dressage saddle 2 years ago but i think for a GP your going to easily get one for under the 700 mark

skink

AngelicRaindrop wrote: »

old thread i know but i recently bought a berneys GP for €665 brand new that was custom made for my horse, i did pay 900 for my dressage saddle 2 years ago but i think for a GP your going to easily get one for under the 700 mark

I think I was implying a competition saddle, I can't remember making that post though, I use all berneys saddles myself, but don't have any gp ones....

Kamili

Have you had any luck yet?

convert

*!horseyness!* wrote: »

I'm just wondering if all of you could reply to my thread because I am also doing research to see if I would be able to purchase a horse. I need to have an idea of the various costs etc. If you could go onto my profile and reply to my thread entitled, 'research on costs of horse ownership' it would be a fantastic help.
Thank You.

If there are 2 threads that are very similar, you can't expect us all to post the same info twice on the same forum. It'd become very tedious and there's no real benefit to anybody by having the same advice all over the forum. As the threads are on the same page of the forum (at the minute anyway), it's not that difficult to click on this thread while looking at the thread you started. The same info/advise will be offered in the same thead.

Nonetheless, I hope you find the info offered in both threads helpful and that you find you'll be able to afford a horse and have great fun with it!

Ave Sodalis

hi. im looking to see how much a horse would cost monthly on average as im thinking about getting one. i know the price of the horse. i have a good size field and also an old stable. it would be ridden at shows but only at the local equestrian center but not professionally also at lessons and treks about our local area as we are very remote. does anyone have any idea??

thanks

togster

See this thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055356083

ali-popps

Loopyness wrote: »

Thanks all for that

I was wondering... Insurance? Do you insure your horse?

I remember when i had a cat and sitting in the vets with it there was posters up for insuring your pet.

I was looking at signs where i ride and its €600 a month for livery in the school :eek:
My instructor said hers is €400 in a provate yard

Hi Loopyness, I'm looking into getting a horse at the moment myself-did you find out anything about insurance? ie.how much it costs, who supplies it etc. I'd appreciate any info. Thanks!

kick-on

fits wrote: »

I've never bought one, only ridden in them, and I hated the position they put me in. I find they really put the rider in a chair seat, but perhaps not all their saddles are like that.

i love my berney!!!!!!!!!! dunno bout the chair seat because i ride real /too short:eek:.

Stroppymare

Hi Alipops and Loopyness, I have mine insured with Culletons is a bit pricey depending on what kind of coverage you want, but it is worth it!:)
By the way, re Personal insurance while riding if you are a gold member of the BHS you are automatically insured under their group scheme.

Kamili

kick-on wrote: »

i love my berney!!!!!!!!!! dunno bout the chair seat because i ride real /too short:eek:.

I used to ride really short in my berney until I bought a synthetic saddle, I've now started riding really long in it cos it gives me such a different seat and its a GP too!
Few of my friends have ridden in my synthetic and they say its waaay more comfortable than the berney.

Still you can't beat a berney, I keep mine for shows now as the synthetic looks very funny and isn't quite smart enough!

Eshaness

I bought my first horse 5 years ago-i live in Dublin and don't have any relations with farms nearby. the cost of livery over a couple of months easily equated to what I had paid for the horse. Was in full livery for a good few years- went in cost from around 80 a week a few years ago up to 120 and more recently in the yards near me; so moved horse onto grass livery now and paying 60- is good sand arena there and includes supplementary feed- not cheap for grass, but no land is near dublin.
One word of caution- within weeks of me buying the horse I had a bad run of luck and ended up paying the vet nearly 2,000 in 6 months - colic, followed by fall on road, followed by an unrelated infection- you need a reserve of cash for when things go wrong. Also you'll need tansport if you want to get out and about- a horsebox is not something you can skimp on as safety and a good floor and brakes are essential.
My advice is go for it, I never regretting getting into the horsey game as an adult and my mare is brillant fun - but get some savings together first; not just the cost of the horse itself.