High maintenance retired pony is around £250 a month. He has all kit he needs (and then some) so no stuff to buy. Dh and I have natives, live out all year and cost about 100 a month each in winter, 80 in summer. But dh horse did cost us £4.5k in vet bills when she got cancer just after we decided insurance was costing more than an average year.

I lay pay just under £600 a month full livery for my boy. I work long hours sometimes 6 days a week and he has the best care. His insurance is about £50 a month with NFU. He's got front shoes on and has his back feet trimmed, cost £35.
Horse is a 5 year old Irish draught.

£120 a month full grass livery. Cheap bag of nuts and ready grass every other month £20ish trim every other month £40 then hay in winter (well managed grazing we only started haying 2nd week of Feb!) is £18 a round bale.

I've got 2 so everything bar feed is doubled have the occasional rug or something to buy but that's it really

Thanks clattering it was tough (surgery and chemo). She's been fine for 4 years but we are now in a watchful wait month as it may have come back.

Does £4300 include things like transport and entry fees though? if it makes you feel better we pay at least £1k per month for dpony plus transport and entries during the competition season. Luckily that's not year round!

I keep two retirees on a shoestring really. When I worked in London and competed one of them cost me an eye watering £1000 a month, now two of them cost me about £4k a year (no land costs). They have got too much grass, a shelter with two 8ft gates and a partition. Rubber mats, very deep beds as they come in and are shut in at night in the winter (they love it), huuuuge shavings beds from October til March which I deep litter, hay and hayledge ad lib.

Worming now and then with worm counts a couple of times a year, feet trimmed every 8 weeks or more often depending on the time of year. Annual vet and dentist visit.

I could send them to retirement livery for £5k between them a year which would actually be cheaper when you consider the cost of maintenance.

No land costs here, vet fees or farrier fees as DH is an equine vet and BIL is a farrier. We also grow our own hay and have our own land and stables. Feed, shavings, and insurance for 4 horses is roughly £2k a year. I've not counted the tack/rugs in that, what DH doesnt know doesn't hurt him I don't compete these days due to a bad fall a few years ago. All horses are in at night from Sept - May/June weather dependant as they're thoroughbred ex racers and delicate souls I also haven't counted maintenance on field fences or the stables in the £2k as that's absorbed into the general farm maintenance costs.

mine are at home and I think cost about £150pm for feed and bedding for 3 who are in at night in winter - all out at grass from April to Oct so minimal in summer. Only one is shod now so that saves a lot. When they were on DIY the stable and grazing cost me £110 each pm

I pay a ridiculously small amount for the 3 we have.

£125 pw full livery for all 3. 2 are out apr to end of December tho. Old girl in from sep to apr. £30 per month for insurance for highland pony.

Then farrier every 8 weeks for trims. £60.

Balancer, fibre nuts and ready grass £45 a month during winter.

Vacs and teeth £50 per year per pony.

The biggest extra cost I have is old pony who has cushings so prascend and bute comes to about £50 per month. Plus check ups and bloods £100 every 6 months. She won't be with us come September tho as have decided it's her last summer.

Then probably a rug each every year, about £300 on odd bits like headcollars, sprays etc.

Haven't worked out an annual total as I darent. But am lucky as best mate has her own yard and they live there.

Is it DIY ? I am not sure where you are (we are commuter belt for London) and there is no way I could get DIY for that ....... my husband would be ecstatic if that was our livery bill...... her does gannet some sympathy as we do have 3, and I am considering a 4th......(ssshhhhh it's a secret......)

DIY up north was £80 a month then £15 a month during winter for haylage when he was in over night. He was unshod so £30 every 6ish weeks for a trim and insurance was £30 a month. In winter I paid for him to be full livery which worked out at £200 a month.

Hmmm livery £25 a week. That includes school and someone to turn him out every morning. All else added in i would say £250 a month total.

Retired 24 yr old pony on full livery £520 per month ( likes to be stabled at night all year) plus the occasional small vet bill and new rug .

Mine costs a fortune and I'm in a cheap area of the country. Hopefully this will make everyone feel better about their bills .

• £320pm for full livery
  
• £70 for shoes every 5 weeks (shod all round and crap feet so can't risk a shoe getting loose, falling off, and taking half her hoof with it)
  
• £60pm for special feet supplement and feed
  
• £200pm for lessons/competing/hunting (during winter months)
  
• £500pm for lessons/competing (eventing season! I usually run her May - Sept with August off if the ground is very hard)
  
• £150pm as emergency tack/rugs/general equipment fund. I build this up in months that it doesn't get spent and will 'borrow' from it towards her vets bills savings account if necessary.
  
• £80pm towards aforementioned vet bill buffer.