How much...........?

[jessiepuppy]

Well since you all were so lovely and helped me decide apony was a good idear- can I ask for your help again?

Im trying to work out how much a 14.2HH(ish) would cost to keep, only had big horses(16.2 + ) before and that was about 4 years ago now so am unsure how much costs have changed.

I know tis might sound silly but want to check and make sure I can affored pony and still be able tofeed my family,lol before buying.

[Megpeg]

That really depends on the individual pony - whether he lives out or in, what he needs feed wise, whether he's shod or not and many other things which also apply to horses.
Most yards charge less for pony livery fees than they do for horses, so I'd ask your local yard about that.
It's impossible to say how much it will cost without knowing what type of livery you'll be using and what the individual pony's needs are.
Some ponies will be less expensive to keep than horses, others will be more expensive.
All in all, the same rules apply to both ponies and horses.
Do a bit of research into how you'll be keeping him and what sort you'd like (I don't mean breed - I mean what his reuqirements and use will be) and then you'll have a much better idea of costs. :)
xxx

[LinzCos]

I have a 16.3 TB and two Welsh ponies - the difference in upkeep is staggering.

The ponies don't need shoes and rarely even need trimming (about £15), they go at least every other 6 week farrier visit compared to the horse. They live out 24/7 with no rugs even in the coldest weather (South of England so not that cold). They only have hay, no hard food or supplements. The only extra expense has been electric fencing, they need to strip graze as soon as the grass comes in to stop them piling on the weight. Flu/Tet is the same for all of them about £50 per year and the ponies even share a wormer between them as their combined weight is only the same as the TB!

Altogether the ponies cost us next to nothing as we have our own land. The TB on the other hand costs more to feed than my teenage son;)

Choose wisely and your family will be able to eat - occasionally:rolleyes:

[jessiepuppy]

OMG! Hadnt realised I had left all that out,lol!
Right, I am looking into buying a native ,aprox 14.2 (probebly a welsh or dales type).Want pony to live out(cant see any point in boxing horses when you dont need to and IMHO they benifit from a more natural lifestyle)and will be DIY livery.Im a housewife and have the time to do pony so dont want to hand it over to someone else and miss out on all the bonding time.Unshod if poss but will figure in cost of full set of shoes in case they are needed.
Will be a happy hacker,5/6 slowish hacks a week, with the odd local show.
.
Of course I understand that you wont be able to give me a completly aciurate estimate to costs as this varies from pony to pony and depends on areas, but a rough aproximation would be helpfull.I then plan to save that amount towards buying the pony to make sure I can afford it

[c2b]

I have a Dales and my best friend has a welsh C. Both get fat on fresh air, neither have hard feed at any time of the year. Both are hacked out 4/5 times a week mainly walk and trot for about an hour a time.
Both are shod. My Dales was barefoot where we were before where it was mainly road work but has had shoes on now that we are on very stoney tracks. That's another story but I know of many Dales that are unshod on even the stoniest ground.
My only thoughts are about living out 24/7 when the dreaded spring grass comes through. We are on a yard where we cannot strip graze, have seen a nasty incident with grazing muzzle so ours sadly are in during the day out at night. Because we are on a yard rather than our own property we have to bring them in at night in the winter .
Their weight is not low enough to share a wormer. My Dales is currently approx 500kgs. My Dales isn't clipped and doesn't need rugs. Friends Welsh is clipped and therefore rugged in winter.
DIY livery on the 4 yards I have had any dealing with are the same no matter what size equine you have. The cost of DIY livery varies a great deal round here.
So right pony, right yard and you could be onto a winner :D.

[jessiepuppy]

Well I dont expect it to be cheap- horses just arnt!
But it would be usefull to have a rough idear of costs, so far have a rough guess for
winter hay
insurance
farrier(asuming full set of shoes for that one)
field rent
wormers
yearly jabs

I know im missing something(prob a few) been a long time since I last had a horse, want to do it right.

thankyou for your help everyone.

[c2b]

The only things I can think of off the top of my head are

Dentist. I have just paid £15 there is a thread around somewhere on dentist costs. http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77744

Back checking again I have just paid £29.
Other small costs are for gunks and goos. Fly spray, pig oil etc.
All the one off costs equipment to set up. And a huge trust fund for all those "must have's" when visiting the tack shop :D .

Barefoot doesn't always mean cheaper some specialist barefoot trimmers can cost as much as a full set of shoes!!!