How much are you spending....

Dice

Dice

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Sep 29, 2001
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Cleveland area, OH (originally Anglesey UK)
... per week on horses and keepin the hobby going.

Although I don't own a horse, I take lessons which are setting me back about £15 per week for 45min lessons or 1hr hacks, which is my only 'regular' expence with this hobby.

So how's about everyone else, horseless or otherwise? :)
 
I've actually never added it all up but I'm sure it's absolutely ridiculous the amount I spend! Well here's a basic idea:
I have 2 horses and both are bedded down on a thick bed of shavings which are $6/bale and I add about a bale between them daily - They are both fed the same basic "complete" grain but one is on a hoof supplement and joint supplement (ex-racer), the other gets some higher fat content feed in addition to his grain to keep weight on and they both get a quarter cup of wheat germ oil in their feed twice a day - As for hay, they both get 3 flakes in the morning and two in the evening along with one flake of grass alfalfa. Then there's my trainer - I pay $30/ hour lesson for my younger horse (lessons on the flat), and $35/lesson for my more experienced mount (lessons over fences) and I alternate which horse I take a lesson on every week. Then there's the price of gas to trailer them too and from my trainer's barn every week, and we also trail ride sometimes on weekends.

So that's just a basic idea of what I spend weekly, not including all the basics like the blankets/leg wraps/boots/tack/grooming equipment/stable equipment/entry fees at shows/all my riding gear and of course the price of all my time spent with them!!!
 
Right now, the cost for me is $69 (US) per week for lease and lessons. I did a little calculation to estimate how much my routine expenses will be if I keep my own horse at my lesson barn and it would be around $150 (US) per week for full boarding, weekly lessons, and routine care (figuring simple shoeing, worming, checkups, and insurance). But that doesn't count the cost of supplies and showing, which are a bit harder for me to estimate at this point.
 
Well..
I pay $10 a week for grazing (about 3 pound). This is an average cost for grazing here. Have the use of yards. Reasonably big paddocks each. Dont hard feed or anything like that,Just meadow hay in the winter or if the grass has dried out in summer. I dont shoe-Simply because my pony doesnt NEED shoes.Her hooves are very strong and there would be no benefits in shoeing her. Basically if i added everything up,I dont take lessons and if I do decide I need one a friend teaches me at no charge (shes great!). All in all in winter I would spend about $15 a week on my pony. (Around 5 pound).
 
Funny as I only just got my pony. I decided to keep track of all the costs for 1 year to see how much I spend.
What with feeds, injections, farrier, insurance, livery, worming and all the rest it must cost a fortune.
Im doing it on the cheaper side though as Im on a really tight budget and Im saving up for rugs.:)
 
Ok, here goes! - these are approximate figures and some will vary from month to month! (I'll probably end up scaring myself!)

DIY livery- £24 per week
Hay - £10 - £15 per week
Hard feed - £10-15 per week
Bedding - £10 per week
Shoeing - £50 every 6-8 weeks
Worming £10-15 per month/8 weeks
Clipping - £25 per session (normally 2-3 times in winter)
Other stuff - new brushes, first aid kit, tack, cleaning stuff, injections, vet fees - unable to put a cost!!

In summer, my horse lives out, so he only really costs me the weekly livery fee, a little hay and hard feed, shoeing and worming.
 
i pay £20 a month for my ehm...horse i ride 2 or more times a week.

i pay £24 a month for 4 lessons on my icelandics.

and that is it.

oh and ehm i guess you would have to include petrol to drive me to my horsies but i dont know how much that would be.
 
£65 per month DIY livery.= £780 per year.
Approx £350 per year hay and straw.
Approx £40 per month in winter for hard feed = £240 per year.
£400 per year shoeing. (£45 every 6 weeks)
£60 per year worming.
Roughly £100 for routine jabs and teeth rasping.

Total £1930 per year BEFORE you get any vet emergencies or presents for friends who help out when you go away for a couple of days. So you could get 2.4 rides per week where you are, for what it is costing me to keep my horse (and I do it very cheaply as I am on a friend's land and get my hay and straw through farming contacts of theirs).

Starting out, you will also need to allow around £150 for rugs, and another £400 - £500 for tack and grooming kit (that is assuming good quality second hand leather saddle, new bridle and new headcollars and grooming stuff).

Good question - at least I now know where all my salary goes each month!
 
I'm keeping two horses, so this makes it a little cheaper (but not much).

DIY livery £15 per week per horse = £1560 for both
Hay 5 bales/week winter & 2 bales/week summer = £500 for both
Feed + supplements = £12/week = £624
Wormers = £120 (and I get them cheaper!)
Insurance = £600
Routine vets fees = £100 (I vaccinate for EHV as well)
Shavings = £400 (and I use less than average because I have rubber matting)

Lessons for myself and my niece will average out about £30 per week = approx £1500/year

I compete in affiliated dressage so there is £160 in affiliation fees as well, plus travelling costs (wagon upkeep, road tax, diesel, insurance) and entry fees.

There is also non-routine vets fees, rugs, tack etc to take into consideration.

Scary when you add it up!
 
Here goes, I pay the following:

£80 pw part livery
£45 every 6-8 weeks for her shoes
£10 worming
£10 a week for lessons
£17 per month insurance
£100 (vet for jabs/horse dentist)
£20-60 a month for entry fees to various shows
£25 a year membership to riding club
£25 once a year for clipping (I only ever have to do her the once!)
£30 a year for rug washing/repair, etc.

This excludes all the little things (and big things) that I buy for her when I'm a tiny bit rich. I've just spent nearly £100 buying her a cooler, a net cooler, a dressage numnah and a surcingle.

I keep a 'shopping list' of things that I want to buy for her and tick them off as I go along.

This is just for my pony I've excluded any stuff that I have to get for me. Last year I had to buy a new body protector because mine was not of the required standard. I usually get round to buying stuff for me once my pony is kitted out.
 
I spend £27 - £30 a week at the moment, on one two-hour hack and a 1/2 hour lesson (which is £9 if shared, £12 if private).

I am looking into part-loaning one of the school horses at my yard. I'm hoping to then be able to ride 3 or 4 times a week, but I have no idea how much they are going to charge me yet as I have not discussed figures! Does anyone have a similar arrangement and if so how much do you pay?
 
For Hels

I had a part loan and it cost me £162.50 a month excluding worming and shoeing. I loaned the pony for 3 days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Sundays).

If you are thinking about it make sure you sign a contract.

There is a thread on the siteabout this. Its on the General board on the 14 Feb 2002 by lolaelsa.
 
Last edited:
hmmm, well I don't have a horse, but I pay £13 for an hours lesson, and sometimes I have to get a taxi down there, which is about £11, so thats about £24 if I can add............;)
 
Looks like I'm paying more than anyone for lessons.

I pay between 50 - 60 squids each week for a 1 hour lesson and a one hour hack.

Is this a competition - do I get a prize.

I don't really care though as I really think my instructor is great and they have some really nice horses.

Anyway, I'm a middle aged professional, so I can easily afford it - it's flippin cheap in comparison with my other hobbies.
 
Here goes:

DIY - Winter £70 including hay Summer £60 not including hay Month

Shoes £40

Worming approx 2monthly - £2-£10

Feed - £6.75 last a few month due to the little feed she gets as to enable her to lose weight. She only has to look at grass to put it on.


Shavings - £30 month

Clipping - £5 once a year

Insurance £11 a month

This is without her jabs which she has not finished yet. Last one in June or dentist.
 
I reckon i must be spending about £150-200!!! :eek: so you understand why i am in debt?! :rolleyes: Thats just basic costs - feed, shavings, hay, petrol to drive up the stables! why oh why did i have to fall in love with an expensive hobby! :rolleyes: :D
 
hi,

i pay 30 or 35 canadian for an hour lesson, they usually run over, like our one was 1 and 1/2. i cnt remember if its 30 or 35!

at our barn, it costs 150$ i think to half board, you can go and ride whenever youwant as long as the arena is open. you get a locker of your own for your stuff.

lol, i gtg,
 
Originally posted by Elfin
so thats about £24 if I can add............;)
Click to expand...

So you are paying some attention in your maths classes then! ;) :D

Sweety - I knew that it was going to be expensive, hence the reason for this thread. It's not something that I would consider doing (owning/renting a horse) at this stage in my life and at my level of expertise with horses! :D Appartently we're mostly just a nosey bunch ;) so I was settling everyone (elses) curiosity! :D

Floppy - if you want to be that fussy, it's a round journey of about approx 10 miles, which would add another 75p to my £15! :D ;)
 
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