How much does your horse cost you per month? (Just out of interest)?

I live in South Africa and have been riding for just over 15 years. I was wondering what the cost is of keeping a horse overseas (anywhere really). I bought my TB Gelding for R30 000, he is Graded in Jumping, EM Dressage and has a great showing record. He costs me around R2500 per month, for stabling, farrier, vitamins and fly spray. He gets Flu vaccinations twice a year (R150 per injection), Strangles vaccination (R200) once a year and African Horsesickness injections once a year (R150). He is dewormed four times a year (R100 per dewormer) and gets his teeth checked once a year (R450 - R500). He also gets a check up from the chiropractor every second month (R300 per visit).





On average, my horse costs me around R35 000 per year (Excluding Vets bills if any). What are stabling costs etc like in the US and Uk?

How much does your horse cost you per month? (Just out of interest)?
Well my horse actually goes to work everyday as a lawyer, so he earns enough money to support himself.
Reply:my horse at home costs me £25 a week in winter where he's stabled at night, turned out during the day. that includes a bale of hem core a week for bedding and a bale and a half of hay. feed isnt included and we often need extra bedding an hay. he doesnt do much work anymore so on top of that is just shoes at £40 a throw and flu/tetnus jabs.





at the yard where i worked it was just £17 a week for box and turn out including all haylege and straw and sawdust for bedding. it cost about a further £10 to have your horse mucked out, rugged and turned out and brought in. all vet bills, farrier costs and feed is charged on top of that!!!! this is all in north of scotland where it is much cheapr to keep a horse than say, south england!!!!
Reply:Well, at my stables it's $600 a month. That includes feed, mucking, and also a deep bed of shavings. I live in Southern California, which is probably why it's so expensive since everything around here is...however, they do have good service and maintenance at the barn, which is one reason for the high costs.
Reply:Here is a breakdown of the basic minimum costs assuming you are keeping your horse or pony on your own property. These costs do not reflect the value of the property, land taxes, insurance, or property maintenance including barns and fences. The price of feed and professional services varies from one region to another so these costs will need to be adjusted for your area.





One half bale of hay $1.50 per day


Six month supply of loose mineral supplement $25.00 or 0.07 per day


Salt block $14.00 or $0.04 per day


Two two cup servings of inexpensive concentrate per day $1.00


Farrier every six week at $25 per trim or $0.60 day


De-wormer every 3 months $0.20 per day


Dentistry once a year at $75 or $0.20 per day


Annual basic vaccinations of vabies, tetanus, equine influenza, and rhinomune vaccines at $95.00 or $0.27 per day





Minimum cost per day to keep one horse $3.88 per day or 1416.20 per year.





The costs quickly increase with:





feeding more expensive concentrates or supplements


immunizing for other diseases such as West Nile Virus


a horse that requires shoes.


competing with your horse,


a horse that is ill or injured.


breeding your horse to produce a foal.


your normally good pasture is hit with drought or the price of feed is driven up by bad weather or other circumstances.


Boarding a horse can cost anywhere from $100 per month for pasture board, with no inside stabling to over $500 per month in barns with stalls, individual turn-out, arenas and other amenities close to urban areas.





You will also pay for extras such as farrier and veterinary care, special feeds or care such as removing and putting on blankets and fly masks. In self care facilites the monthly board is less expensive but you will supply your own feed and bedding and travel to care for your horse daily.
Reply:I don't know what the *R* stands for, but if it just means a money sign, then WOW! It cost us to board my horse $400 a month. Then we have to pay for vet bills. But we don't get him chiropractors (at least i dont think we do), and stuff like that. But we do take good care of him. We really can't afford stuff like that regularly. well, hope you all can affor it. I live in the U.S., in Kentucky.
Reply:We have two: On in stall and on in pasture (4 y/o in pasture to wear his happy butt out before my kid rides him) soooo:





BOARD: 650.00 for both (400.00 full, 250.00 pasture-this inclues hay and feed)


FARRIER: 125.00 (trim for one, full shoes for the other)


SUPPLEMENTS: 68.00 every two months for both


SHOWING: 200.00-400.00 a month or so depending on whether one or two day shows-my daughter has quit showing for the time being.


LESSONS: She quit her trainer right now BUT normally 160.00 to 300.00 a month depending on how may lessons she took.


VET BILLS: Mine are not accurate because my husband is an equine vet so I get everything at cost.





Of course, you can add in supplies, new tack, etc and that would probably run on average about 50.00 to 75.00 a month depending on what one needed.





TOTAL (NOT including any kind of vacc or wormers or vet bills and including lessons when taken):





989.00 a month. OMG I never realized how much I was paying out. Of course, my daughter works off part of the board so deduct about 250.00 from my bill.
Reply:Midwestern USA Illinois


Keeping ponies on my own property.


Pasture kept about $490 a year -only feed hay in winter


Barn kept about $2000 a year -hay and grain and bedding





includes farrier trim only and deworming (1/2 tube 4x a year) and annual dental exam





I do my own vet care on the most part Oh and I forgot an annual Coggins test at $40 each horse.
Reply:I have a 9 year old mare that cost about $40 a month but I'm not showing her right now. And I have a gelding that's 30 and costs about $80 a month because it takes a $14 bag of feed a week plus hay and shoes ect.
Reply:well i half lease a horse so i dont pay vet bills but where i board i pay 125 for half board and 105 for 2 shoes and 2 wedges.
Reply:Hay runs me about 60 a month, dewormer about 10 a month, supplements (vitamins, salt) about 10 a month, my vet does my work for free, I do my own farrier work, so that is free. I keep my horses at my own house, I don't use feed.... So, my horses cost me about 80 a month each. Sounds like I am about the cheapest off.... so each horse costs me a grand total of about 1000 a year.
Reply:I live in Canada in one of the most expensive horse regions but it's not too bad. I got my horse for free after he was appraised for $25,000CDN and our board is about $405CDN per month, so it's not super expensive. The farrier bills are $150CDN and they come every 6 weeks, so on average I spend about $500CDN per month plus any vet bills, special feeds, dewormers etc.