How much does it *really* cost

[carolinesbaby]

To have a pony or horse on loan, in livery?

Would need to be a cob or similar, around 15hh so could be ridden by me and DD.
Had a loan horse in my teens but parents were responsible for paying for it and I never gave the cost a second thought, as I was a normal teen!
We are not in an expensive area (midlands) and wouldn't be looking for a super fancy yard, just somewhere small and friendly.
But how much would it cost?

I could do with knowing really so that I can put the idea to bed; I guess I know really that it would be too much for me, but DD and I would love it so much.

How long is a piece of string ? that’s the answer . I’m SE and we now only have one retired pony on full livery she costs us £120 per week and probably another £3/400 per year on her supplements / feet trims etc obviously more if the vet needs to come out . If both yourself and your daughter are having a riding lesson a week it’s possible , depending on where you ride , that you could keep your own for less if you want to look after it yourself . Pre lockdown I was spending about £90 per week on riding lessons for myself ( 2 lessons generally) but I don’t want another horse of my own .

Too bloody much! 😂

It depends what type of livery you will have. DIY is the cheapest option and normally around £25-£40 a week down in the SW. Then feed and hay on top. That is more a how long is a piece of string as every horse eats different amounts but in general, I would budget £100 for hay and £30 for feed for mine. Some liveries include hay so that is worth checking.
Farrier is every 5-6 weeks and a set of shoes is around £70-£80.
Then you have the routine vets stuff like vaccinations and teeth that need to be done every year and cost about £200.
Insurance is really important and will include vet bills for accidents, injuries and illness. The horse's owner may want to do this and you pay for it but again, that is another £40 odd pounds a month depending on the amount of cover and the price of the horse.
Then you have the cost of equipment, lessons, wormers, rugs. The list goes on and on.
Personally, I would budget about £500 just to cover everything and maybe have a little spare for emergencies.

My cob type pony lives out all year and I pay £17 a week at my current yard for DIY grass livery, never paid more than £80 a month in the 16 years I've had her though.

Just to add ponies really don't have to break the bank, my girl has always lived out, barefoot so a trim every 6 weeks, less in winter, hay through the winter and her annual jabs and that's about it. Oh and insurance £14 a month. Obviously it's a luxury but actually comparable cost wise to my OH spend on playing football.

justpootlingalong budget £500 a month?
Hmmmmm.

Lordy I was hoping you'd all say I'd need to sell my soul but that could be doable, maybe. Ahhh.

Forgot to add bedding as well. Again, some livery yards include it but I would imagine if you do DIY that you have to supply your own. It can be cheap with straw or expensive with shavings. Some yards might even tell you what you have to use due to their muck heaps.

@Reachersloveinterest I would say that is the minimum.
If I were to add my lessons and BE events on top, you are probably looking at another £300 not including the diesel and lorry costs to get there and back.

[quote JustPootlingAlong]@Reachersloveinterest I would say that is the minimum.
If I were to add my lessons and BE events on top, you are probably looking at another £300 not including the diesel and lorry costs to get there and back. [/quote]
Thank you £800 a month is definitely out of our league.

Always more than you think, owning horses is a money pit and there is always something you will need/want. Even a cheap to keep native can add up if things don't go to plan, one of ours developed laminitis and could only be fed high fibre haylage in small bags that cost a small fortune, rather than the ample 'free' grazing; the cobby good doer types also seem more prone to seasonal allergies and sweet itch than finer bred horses ime. Then budget for unexpected vets, insurance (third party/public liabilityis essential even if you don't cover for vets fees) saddle fitters, lessons, show entries and transport, annual vaccinations and dentals, again one of mine needs sedating for dental work so adds to the expense, wormers, tack repair/replacement etc.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than witnessing someone struggling to pay for their horse and either cutting corners causing welfare issues or having to sell or euthanise. If money is an issue I'd really think long and hard before taking on a horse, bearing in mind it can impact the rest of the family if you can't do house improvements or holidays because of the horse.

Monthly, I pay:

£180 for my stable + hay + bedding on DIY.
£40 for front shoes (every six weeks).
£20 ish for feed/supplements
£90 insurance
£40-50 a month in "services" from the yard as during the winter I can't get there early enough to bring in whilst working full time.

On top of that, reoccurring costs:
-Vaccines, about £60 a time, once a year.
-Dentist, £100 a time, twice a year.
(Those don't include the call out fees as we have a yard visit every month).
-£20-30, three times a year on wormer

Theoretically, it's not that much, but there's also always something that needs replacing in terms of equipment, rugs etc, which is obviously an additional cost. And if you have any sort of problem, vet bills can add up quite quickly.

I agree that £500 a month is a sensible budget on DIY.

The initial outlay of buying a sensible horse and all the equipment needed etc will be a lot, though!

You're telling me what I need to hear.

By the sounds of it we could do it, but it might end up a struggle, which is what I thought. Does make me wonder how everyone pays for their horses though. This is not a wealthy area, average salary in this county is well below the national average and yet there are horses everywhere - families in very normal jobs with two ponies. Friend who is a carer has two in DIY livery. How do they do it?

It’s also worth noting that with such a strong market for selling horses full loans are like hens teeth at the moment.

I think £500 pcm is about right but I’d always want a couple hundred contingency on top of that for vets/ripping rugs/deciding its perfectly made to measure tack is now uncomfortable/deciding the farrier is their best friend and managing to get their front shoes off all the time so on and so forth.

As to how people manage it, from experience, you just sacrifice a lot of other things, holidays, new clothes etc etc.
I sold up a few years ago and decided I wasn’t going to have another until it wouldn’t impact my lifestyle in other ways. And I now have just one on part livery, and it’s so nice to just enjoy it rather than be stressing over the budget.
Could you look for a share?

One thing I always need to stress is that when it goes wrong it is extortionate.
I’ve known horses wrack up five figure vet bills in a matter of days (admittedly with scary stuff that’s seen them be taken to Newmarket) and while most vets will do payment plans it is a risk I’d always have at the back of my mind, as insurance often stops long before that point.

How do they do it? People have different priorities so they might put paying for ponies ahead of holidays or going out. Or they may be mortgage-free so lower monthly costs or grandparents are subsidising the grandkids’ hobby. DD’s new horse is on full livery which is £550 a month with lessons, insurance, farrier etc on top plus her semi-retired boy is on grass livery nearby which is another £160 a month. With everything included, it’s at least £1,000 a month and no, I didn’t go into it when we first took her horse on loan thinking we’d end up spending that much but horses are money pits. For me it’s worth it as the stables are her happy place and after a few difficult years mental-healthwise it’s what keeps her on a relatively even keel.

Costs vary hugely from a 17.2 eventer on full livery to a good doer pony in a field. There are ways to cut corners without compromising welfare but you do need to have a contingency fund.
If £500 a month is doable then go for it, you will never get this time with your daughter again and it’s a great way to bond/exercise.
That said it isn’t easy to find a loan horse perfectly suited to you. Why don’t you look out for part loan/share arrangements first. With these the amount you pay is fixed and you get to use the horse on certain days. There are lots of owners who can’t or don’t want to ride everyday who appreciate a reliable person to take some of the burden.

Costs vary so much and you can budget for the basics but get caught out by the extras. I pay £200 including hay a month and my cob has finally got good feet so I pay £20 for a trim every six weeks but a full set would be £75. If you use straw it's cheap and easy but my girl gets mites from straw which are both costly and time consuming to manage so I'm using a wood based bedding at £10 per bale and put down at least a couple each week.There's obviously the initial outlay for tack rugs etc but things like grazing muzzles fly spray, hoof dressing,services for when you can't get up twice a day. Dentist, worming, bowls feed covers and good quality warm clothing for winter all adds up. Oh yes rug washing and reproofing is never cheap.I'm paying £70 per month for insurance despite having no claims or pre existing conditions.

After looking and failing to find a loan horse for the past two years,I bought Dd2 a horse last week. We keep ours at home,so no livery,hay or straw costs,but,I'm responsible for field maintenance, fencing ect.
This week I have spent,on the new horse and our loan cob.
£465 on a visit from the saddle fitter and a second hand saddle.
£60 on the dentist ( I'm aware that vets charge more and may insist that the horse is sedated,but my dentist is old school and we don't sedate).
£95 on a trim fit one and a full set of shoes for the other.
£65 on stirrups,£12 on bit tape,£30 on electric fencing stakes,£34 on balancer for the cob.
£12 on Agnus castus. £8 on a girth.
I was lucky enough to be given a bridle for the new horse,so that saved me some money.
Dd2 has just informed me that she's about to run out of pony nuts,so that's another £8,she's got a lesson at home on Monday,£25.
I keep mine on a tight budget,rarely buy new,mostly secondhand,but I never have any spare money left over.

This thread makes me glad to live in a cheaper part of the country. I live in Scotland and keep my horse on DIY. My costs are around £350 a month but I am not competing or having lessons at the moment. That is for basic costs of the stable, hay, feed, shavings and shoes but not extras like buying new rugs.

Big ranges
We're in Manchester and we keep DD's pony on a friend's field for £20 a week including haylage in winter and hard feed/supplements all year round. Not much more than keeping him at home, which is the dream. He's barefoot, trimmed every six weeks for £25. Horse dentist £50 once a year (he doesn't need sedating. Pony club £80 a year plus £15 for mini rallies each month. First show this year £30 entry fees (already have all the kit). Only vet call out last year was £90 for an eye infection, plus £50 for flu jab on another scheduled visit.
He was going to be kept on full livery if my friend's field didn't have space, £90 five day or £110 seven day, we don't live in a horsey area so couldn't get there every day (we have a rota between eight of us at the field).
I have been a bit spend happy over the last month and forked out for a neat little Barnsby second hand saddle (£500, 14" are so rare so snapped it up) a le Mieux matchy set for us each (different colour...) also ended up buying a horse box in January, no point in forking out to hire every time (£140!). My poor unhorsey husband

If I were you I'd join my local horsey FB group and ask the same question. Prices vary so much by area... The type of horse you have and the way you want to keep them make huge differences too.
I'm in the south east, not far from the airport and pay £100 for DIY livery year round. Mine live out completely for 6/7 months of the year, halving my bills and doubling the horses enjoyment of life.
I have a 16.2 warmblood and 2 good doer ponies. All are barefoot and hardy. Trimmer sees them every 8 weeks (unless I need him sooner) at £85 for all 3. I use a bale of hay a day when they're in and the get 2 sacks of wood pellets a week. I probably spend £200 on food and bedding for all 3 of them a month November to April, and just £50 in the summer. Your £6k/year budget would do all 3 of mine for the year with plenty of money left over for extras.
Time is the biggest expense and when my girls were smaller the greatest cause of mum guilt. Now they're bigger they come to the stables with me and give my husband some respite. The horses have been invaluable during lockdown (and for the last 25 years, lol).

I've owned horses for 30 years and within varying budgets. In my experience, you can make it work if you really want to.

1. Choose your horse very carefully. Get something hardy and straightforward (eg cob rather than ex-racer). Stick within the 7/8 - 12/13 year age range if you can. Ideally something that could live out year round because that would massively cut costs if that was a possibility for you.

1. Research all the livery options you'll have. Competition yards are always going to be expensive because of the facilities and high level of care they offer. Smaller, basic, family run yards are probably going to be the cheapest. Or think about livery at a riding school and allowing them to use your horse for riding lessons - that cuts costs but it's not for everyone.

1. Depending on what type of livery you have, draw up a careful budget for feed and hay/haylage. Some places include it with certain livery packages.

1. Think about their 'wardrobe'. Rugs, tack, etc. I buy my rugs secondhand off eBay and pay around £15-20 compared to £40+ for new.

1. Are you going to have them shod? If so, both front and back? If not, all you'll need to do is keep their feet trimmed which is usually around £25 every six weeks or so.

My costs:

Bought as a foal for £300 (New Forest) and he's now just 2.

Initial outlay for grooming kit, head collar and lead rope and bits and pieces - no more than £150. But this is a one off cost and depends whether you need to buy a wheelbarrow, fork/shavings fork and sweeping brush. If not, it'll be cheaper.

Livery = £500/month and that includes ALL hay, straw and feed. I was on assisted DIY before (turn out and bring in only) and that was £250, but I needed to buy hay and feed on top (around £30/month) plus my own mucking out stuff.

One outdoor rug - £15
One indoor fleece - £20.
Feet trimmed - £25/ 6 weeks.

Insurance - £30/month.

Plus you do need a reserve of funds for emergencies/unexpected costs. It doesn't need to be a huge amount of savings, maybe just access to a credit card if you can.

In my experience you can make it work if you want to and you're prepared to make this your greatest luxury in life! The rewards FAR outweigh the disadvantages.

@Reachersloveinterest

You're telling me what I need to hear.

By the sounds of it we could do it, but it might end up a struggle, which is what I thought. Does make me wonder how everyone pays for their horses though. This is not a wealthy area, average salary in this county is well below the national average and yet there are horses everywhere - families in very normal jobs with two ponies. Friend who is a carer has two in DIY livery. How do they do it?

The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to save money, often. It is more expensive for a relatively novice owner starting out, compared to someone who has kept horses on a shoestring for years.

I do know people who cut corners that I won't, and I would add that the initial outlay is more expensive as there will be a lot of one off "stuff" that you need to buy.

And yes, also people make huge sacrifices to afford their horses, and will do without a lot of other luxuries. I also know people who will get into debt to afford day to day spends for their horses, which I personally wouldn't do.

With a loan, you may actually be more limited, as the owner may insist on X feed, insist on shoes all round even if they aren't 100% needed, insist on you paying for certain treatments etc- and that is their right. If you can manage the initial purchase price, then you may end up with more flexibility to save money.

I budget £500 a month, have insurance, have a credit card for emergencies and savings, and I'm still aware that there may come a point where vet bills exceed what I can afford and I'd have to put to sleep.

But why not talk to some local DIY yards and see what they charge? You may be surprised by how cheap it is.

I would budget £500, but the day to day running costs aren’t necessarily as high as that.

My monthly costs are:

£150 livery
£60-£80 hay (depending on the time of year )
£30-£40 shavings
£20 feed/supplements
£12.50 farrier (trim every 8 weeks at £25 a trim - no shoes)
£40 insurance

So that’s £342.50 not including lessons/training which is another £60 a month for me. I also have a lorry which is another £300 a year for insurance and breakdown, £200 for road tax and I budget £500 for its MOT. I also have a pot of money set aside for anything else that goes wrong with it.

It is important not to be up against your limit though, so even if your costs were the same I’d budget £500 a month - routine bills for dentistry (£55 twice a year) and jabs (£80 twice a year now flu jabs have to be every 6 months for competitions) add up and that’s before anything has gone wrong or needed to be replaced.

Don’t forget the initial outlay for rugs, tools, tack etc., and it’s worth buying good quality even if it’s secondhand, because it lasts longer and is cheaper in the long run.

As for how owners afford it, we go without stuff that other people consider the norm! I’m fortunate to be earning reasonable money these days, but in earlier years I went without holidays and new cars because horses were (and still are!) my priority.

Ha ha I already don't have expensive holidays or new cars or spend lots on clothes! I see what you're mean about priorities though. The question is whether DH would agree. Very envious of those with space to keep a horse at home.