cost- people with grass kept horses....

[missy_g]

ok i know ive done simalar posts like this but please bear with me. I might get a horse if i know the basic cost of keeping one at grass per year. I mean how much it costs for a bag of food and how long it lasts, how much a bale of hay and how long it lasts. How much vaccinations are and how frequent do they need to be used, how much for the farrier and dentist. How much are the vet checks and insurance.
If i do get a horse it will probably be around 16hh.
thank you
ally :D

[Jay.o]

i have two horses ! one is 42 inches and the other 14.2hh so probally make up over 16hh !!!!!

it cost me feee for livery - its davids land hes a friend of my mums.

i dont show either of them but that would cost £40 - £50 evry 6 - 8 weeks - but if he/she doesnt need shoing thats great !!!
mine have sterdy little feet and have them filed but davids does that so thats also free !!!!!!!!!

£3 for a bale of haledge - last for a week

hard feed - £10 in summer £15 in winter !

wormer - 1 is around a tenner but i use 1 and a half !

vaccinations is once a year anything up to £40 i think each !

saddle i got a nice one for £299
but ask around you can get good ones
ask you riding school if they get rid of any horses could you have their saddles to try out and then buy one ! get a saddler first to check the size !

bridle i got new for £14 in the sale !

the bit, stirrups and leathers and girth all for around £50 !

water i pay about £10 a month al together on an average i suppose !!!!

hope this helps a bit !

p.s. and also you have to but the horse !

bow the 14.2hh was £20 and we rescued him from a bad home he was starved !
timmy was £50 hes the shetland and was rescued too as a baby - he was only 4 months when we got him !!!!!

but some horses come with the tack so that could be ok for you !!

[missy_g]

ok thank you!

[missy_g]

Ooh one questions, you know you said £10 hard feed in summer and £15 in winter, is that weekly monthly or for the whole of winter?
thanx
ally

[Jay.o]

it lasts for 2 weeks
£20 a month in summer
£30 a month in winter
roughly !
depends on what your horse needs aswell !

that is happyhoof feed and pony nuts !

[Cochise]

I am in a totally different part of the world, and different currency, but basically the pound is 3x the value of the NZ$.

my horse is out at grass 24/7. He is a 16hh, appaloosa X TB. He is 7 year old (today!)

My paddock rent is $14 a week. This pays for about 3/4 of an acre and I have the choice to move him to other paddocks to rest it if I need to.
I buy about $50 worth of food for him a month. This includes sweetfeed, lucerne chaff, and minerals etc.
His feet are done every 6-8 weeks. He is ridden approx 6 days a week.
He gets extra hay in the winter (snow is very rare here) and when the grass dries off too much in summer.
My farrier costs $70 for hot shoeing. I worm him every 2 months or so and this costs $25.
I am sure that there are a few other costs that have slipped my mind, but Im sure that you get the general idea from this.
By the way I am sure that even if you did divide the ammounts that I have mentioned above by 3, the costs will be different where you are. But its a general guide :)

[Jay.o]

hi i think you mean that the NZ dollar is 3x as much as the pound !

$25 for a wormer - that would be £75 in england

but...

$25 divided by 3 is about £8.50 which sounds right !!

[Cochise]

oops yeh divide the costs that I have mentioned by 3. the NZ$ is pretty weak lol
and the US$ is worth 2x the amount of the NZ$

[ilovebacara]

well i h8 to think wat mine adds up to! but u cant really take from wat other people spend as to wat u are gonna spend cos different horses have different needs!!

[missy_g]

ok thank you for the replies!

[ponynut]

In winter pay £20 a horse with hay and water included. And £15 in Summer. My horses also get a small token feed. A sack lasts about 3 weeks.So abot £10 in food.

[H & Bailey]

Alot depends on the type of horse too as Ive found out.I used to have a 16.2hh TB .She was terrible for weight loss so it cost something like this.£7 pw field rent.summer feeding about £5-10 per month.Winter rent same.£14 pw hay ie bale a day.feed about £7 + a WEEK.shoes £35 a set.wormer £15 equest every 13 weeks.
Bailey who I have now is a cob type and is easier at gaining weight.In summer he gets a handful of pony nuts or mollichop as a token feed.so about £5 a month Field is about £7.Winter rent the same.He gets about 4 wads of hay( about 1/2 bale) a day .winter feeding is about £15 a month!Wormer equest at £15 but I can use 1/2 and save the rest for next time.Big difference.
My Tb was rugged well and as of yet Bailey isnt rugged but will be when the weather gets worse.SO I can cut his feed down a bit too.Hope this helps a little

[marge]

I have three horses and a pony on about 7 acres of pasture. I don't have to feed them hay during the summer, but I do during the winter, which runs me about $300. @ $3.00 per bale of hay. I worm then every three months, order wormer from a catalog and shoe only one horse @ $50 and trim the others @ $20 per horse every six weeks. I keep good care of their tack, so it is holding up over the ten years I've had them. Bug sprays, new brushes, hoof picks and treats have to enter into to this also. But it is all well worth it I'd say.

[missy_g]

aww thank you for the replies

very useful! :p :D

[Arabmare]

I rent my field for £33 a month and I have 2 Arabs one shetland foal and one welsh colt foal! Thats all it costs for rent so divide that buy the four horses and its so much cheaper than livery! My bag of feed lasts prob a month for the two Arabs and longer for the foals! The hay i get 30 bales and that lasts some months and the horses feet are only trimmed as they don't have shoes so that is bout £15 or less a horse!! Its very affordable!!! But i must admit I hate the fieldas they are building 450 houses oppersite!!! So its so noisy now!!!

[Emma_G_NZ]

I allow $15 NZ for Lenny, and $5 NZ for Ben :D

[Cheko]

My livery bill is £60 a month excluding hard feed, hay etc. My pony's kept out all year round. He's happiest that way. When he was brought into a stable and forced to spend a week in, he was most unhappy. Stabling is definitely not for him. He likes the 'wide open spaces'.