How much does YOUR horse cost to keep?

Board: $400/month, which is EXTREMELY cheap where I live. We got a good deal becsaue it is a private barn without a trainer that not a lot of people know about. The next cheapest barn is $550 a month and the horses sit in dirty pens. The good places are $1000+

Grain: $10 a bag but is included in board

Hay: $90-150/month, it depends on where you get it. From the feed store it's about $11 a bale but if you get it delivered from New York or Canada it's $6-8 a bale.

Supplements: $40 for a year's supply of Manna Pro Sho Glo

Wormer: $200 a year for Strongid C2X, paste wormer is $10-25 depending on what type

Farrier: $45 for a trim because my horse is barefoot. Farriers in the area usually charge $150 for two shoes.

Vet: $400 for initial vaccines and floating, about $200 for boosters. You pay $30 for teeth! Here it costs $100.

Lessons: I don't take lessons but in this area it's about $60 for a half hour private or an hour semi-private.

Saddles: $475 for my Saint Lourdes that we got cheap because the dealer needed to make a certain number of sales per month and needed to sell them quickly.

Bridles: $40 for my Gatsby that I got at the feed store. It has held up extremely well I used it all the time for two years and it still looks new. $50 for my Plymouth bridle from Smartpak and I paid an extra $5 to have it laser engraved. I like the Gatsby better.

Halter/Lead: $25 for the really nice Hamilton halters at the feed store, $12 for the cheapy brand. Leather halters are about $50 at the feed store and $80 for the nicer ones at tack stores. I got a really nice Treadstone one for $35 (50% off baby!)

Winter Blankets: brutally expensive at the tack stores, but I paid $90 for my Pessoa. I got it on a closeout sale On StateLine.

Board: $300/month, self board

Grain: $25/month, she's an easy keeper. I have her on a little beet pulp and small scoop of complete feed.

Hay: $150/month. The hay bill is $975 for the year, but I'm doing payments.

Supplements: Depends... I had to buy electrolytes this month, which cost me $14.50

Wormer: ~$10 per dose

Farrier: $93/eight weeks. Trim and front shoes.

Vet: Depends.

Lessons: $70/month; plus 12 stalls a month

Saddles: $200 used Wintec all purpose

Bridles: $30 used including snaffle.

Halter/lead: $10 used for nylon halter and cotton lead

Winter blankets: Still need to get, but someone has offered me some for $40 each (used).

Madison, WI

Pasture board, with shelter and 24 hr good quality alfalfa/grass hay- $175 a month, stalls run about $280, includes a large outdoor arena, decent indoor arena, plenty of pasture/grazing room, and a few trails.

Grain- $12/month- one bag of SafeChoice or Compete

Supplements- biotin, joint- $30/month

Farrier- $35 every 6 weeks for a barefoot trim on a draft- would be $30 if she was a light horse

Shots- I do them myself, 5-way, west nile, strangles, and it is about $35 a year

Vet- teeth floated every 2 years or so, as needed, $80 including barn call

Saddle- $450 new Thorowgood dressage saddle, $300 Henri Di Rivale jumping saddle from a 4-H tack auction, lightly used.

Bridle- $15 from a horse fair

Bit- $15

Lessons $40/hr when I can afford them (once a month or less)

Everything else- blankets, wormers, grooming supplies, etc is normal prices- I get them online

The high end, ritzy ones that have very valuable horses ($50,000+ horses) runs about $450 a month for a stall and feed in this area.

I want to mention that timothy/alfalfa/fescue hay is about $2.50 a bale here, sometimes $1.75. Pure alfalfa hay runs around $3.00 a bale, and all of these prices include delivery to your house, though you unload and bring the wagon back

I'll give you my "2-cents"! My mare is retired so any equipment I have like saddle and halters and bridles and such I acquired so long ago that the cost then was more then likely a lot less then it is now. If I may, I recommend to someone just starting out that it is best to purchase quality equipment/tack. The better the quality, and care you give it, the longer you have it-see it as an investment. Also, I will note that my mare lives in another state then me due to a stifle issue, her vet does not recommend her being shipped to me so the cost is from the state she lives in!

$300 a month including hay for board-I board at a friends back yard with a huge stall turn/out plus an arena. She is fed grain hay at around $18-$22 a bale (small square)

Supplements: Triple Crown Senior (50# bag) at around $20 to $24 depending on where she gets it. This is included in the board. SHe also gets beet pulp pellets at approx $10-$15 for a 50# bag

Wormer: $6-$12 depending on brand and what ingredient is due I order these for both her horse and my horse and have them shipped to her. (I live in another state)

Farrier: $55 for a trim every 8 weeks

Vet: depending on what is needed as far a vaccines go, around $50 and we split the ranch call fee.

Saddles: Keiffer Vein dressage bought used approx 15 or so years ago maybe longer:$1000.00

McPherson custom made trail saddle that I got new from a couple who ordered it but got divorced before it was finished $800.

New Tucker Nevada Joe Limited Edition bought new $1200

Halter-leather at $40 and cotton lead at $15 ish I think

Bridles-honestly I've bought so many to fit various horses and do various things for the disciplines I rode that I can remember-sorry!! Ohh one of the English bridles was $75.00 and the dressage with a flash band was about $100.

Blankets: aprrox $100 new and $20-to $75 used-however over the years I have purchased many blankets and I am including fly sheets in this area.

Saddle pads anywhere from used around $15 to $25 and new anywhere from $45-$65 varied depending on discipline.

Board: $0 a month, they live at my place.

Grain: $85ish a month. They go through five or more bags of Safechoice grain a month as well as two bags of sweet feet.

Hay: $200 or more every two and a half months. We get 100 bales at a time and if we are lucky its $2.00 a bale.

Supplements: $26ish a month

Wormer: about $8 per dose for each horse. (Two horses)

Farrier: $35 for one, just a trim, and $60 for another, trim and two front shoes.

Vet:Not sure.. A lot haha.

Lessons: $0, I sadly dont have any

Saddles: One free junkie one that I dont use, one $80 handmade one from an Amish community and one $350 one that I got maybe 5 years ago.

Bridles: One Wintec that cost about $45ish, one Kincade that cost $55 and I know have to order one for my dorky TB that just broke hers haha. Probably another $40.

Halter+lead: $30 for one horses halter, $10 for the lead, $15 for another horses halter and $10 for that lead.

Blankets: $120 for one and $90 for the other.

Phew. Thats a lot of money haha.

I have a fat easy keeper that I keep at home for free. She costs me less than $40 a month in hay to feed. Sometimes less if I let her graze a little which I'm not really supposed to do (vet's orders) but she loves it so much. No grain (vet's orders). A Northwest supplement $60 for three months. Farrier $40 every 6 weeks. Vet says I only need to worm her every six months due to her fecal egg count so that is only about $20 a year. Had her teeth floated 2 years ago $199 (wish I knew who was floating your horses teeth) but she hasn't needed it since. Vet comes once a year to give a checkup (teeth etc.) and give vaccines $130. My saddle was used and it was one of the few that would fit my fat mare. I traded three saddles for it but they weren't that expensive. I have two bridles. One is a Dr Cooks bitless which I think was a little less than $100 but I can't really remember and one I bought off ebay. It was a steal. The headstall so comfy and all fleece was about $12 and I got a truly pinchless Robards full cheek french link snaffle both my horse and I love it. She goes better in it than any snaffle I have ever used paid less than $20 for it. My halter and lead rope were presents. We don't need blankets where I live in California.

if in uk, hay in winter for 4 mths, one horse a 1/3 to a 1/2 small square bale aday depending on size of horse. so say a 1/2 that's 3.5 bales a week x 4 weeks a month roughly at £2.5 a bale that's roughly £14 a month say £20 if weeks longer that month x 4 months £80 hay, then a bag of meal a week for one horse bout £6 again x 4 weeks = £24 x 4mths = £96, if stabled can be expensive saver wintering out with a rug, you you ride alot in winter but if horse has a good coat wont need rug but shelter. to get a good bed at start in stable you will need bout 4-bales shavings and now there up to £8 where i live, but once you get a good bed its just maintain it so 1 -2 bales a week, if you let horse out during the day shavings will dry and you can stretch them more. so shaving roughly all together for them 4 mths winter if stabling bout £160 so saver wintering out can be more if big stable and messy horse and stabling all day. vets well lets hope you dont need them but for vets standard shots, wormer, and farrier a year prob could be £650 upwards or less if not shoeing all year and just trimming feet, also wormers you can get cheaper on line at beeston animal wormers online, great. good luck but horses if you have plenty of ground can cost very little if vet not needed, but if ground not there, lack of grazing ect, that when prices go up.

Livery is £215 a month, that's for full livery (I'm not lazy, it's all that is offered at my yard)

Farrier is £30 and that's for back trim and front shoes.

Tack came with the horse, who cost £2,300

Headcollar and leadrope: about £15.00 but it's a nice one, the cheap ones were more like a tenner

Lessons: normally around £40 a month

Vaccinations: £15, 3 times a year for tetanus (would be extra for flu as well but not bothering with that)

Rugs: not actually bought him any yet lol all he has is hand-me-downs from the last horse, all bought in sales... ranging from £20-£60

Then there's all the little things like apples, numnahs, random stuff that starts to add up.

So in short: alot xD

I half lease a pony for $250. If I wanted to fully lease him it'd be $500. That's not counting shoes and vet bills, plus other miscellaneous things that his owner pays.

His lease includes:

Board

Grain (Purina Strategy)

Water

Brome Hay

Use of a pasture

Etc, etc.

My hunter/jumper lessons are $35 per lesson. I think a group lesson is $30. I live in North-eastern Kansas, btw.

About $10,000 a year....and I don't show my horse...yet :)