Horses – Cheap to Buy, Expensive to Keep

November 16, 2009 · Posted in horse riding

First-time horse buyers often look closely at the cost of buying a horse and will by influenced by a few hundred dollars difference in the purchase price of different horses. What they don’t realise is that keeping a horse is far more expensive they buying one.

In part, this is due to the fact that people involved in the horse business (breeding, selling, training) do not want to scare potential buyers off by telling them just how expensive horse ownership is. After all, if someone is unsure if they can spend a few thousand dollars to buy a horse, the seller will likely lose the deal if they explain that it may cost 000 to 000 over the next 10 years. Although there may be honest horse people that do go out of their way to explain the cost of a horse, in our experience they are in the small minority.

Consequently, if you know someone who is buying a horse, you can help them by sharing the facts with them in advance. Of course, one needs to take their specific circumstances into account in order to determine what their costs would be. Here is a rough guide.

To start, ask if the horse will be professionally stabled or if one is stabling the horse oneself. In the former case, costs (including box, bedding, food, labour) can vary from 0/month to 00/month although 0-0/month is typical. It depends mainly on where you live (urban areas are more expensive) so you will need to phone around to check the local costs.

On the other hand, if one stables the horse oneself, the main costs are bedding, food and labour. A typical price for bedding is 0/month but in some areas it is much more expensive. If you are using straw, figure on a small bale (25 pounds or 12kg) per day, then check the local price. For food, a medium sized horse needs about 30 pounds (15kg) of hay per day (or equivalent). The price of this quantity of hay is typically about 0/month, cheaper in some areas but much more expensive in others. Of course, labour is free if you do it yourself, but be prepared to spend at least half an hour per day mucking out and other basic tasks.

In additional to the regular monthly costs, there are a number of periodic costs: salt, minerals, wormers, annual dental check, annual innoculations. Medical insurance costs start at about /month. Of course, you don’t have to buy insurance but keep in mind that a serious illness (e.g. colic requiring surgery) or injury can cost thousands to correct.

Aside from the costs associated with just keeping the horse, there are also the costs of using it, such as saddle, tack and riding clothes. On top of this, if you show or compete with the horse there are a range of further costs such as training, transport, show fees, and so on.

All of this adds up to a considerable amount of money. For many people, the joy of owning and riding a horse more than makes up for it. However, before purchasing a horse, it is wise to look beyond the cost of buying to the cost of owning.