How much does a horse cost?

[Redup]

Daughter is mad about horses. I have no idea. Ex is determined to buy her one (I know....) I have raged about this and am getting nowhere. I don't have spare money to fund her hobby (she is 20 and her wages can't afford a horse)

based on south east prices,

shoes - every 6 weeks £80
livery - diy from £150-£300 per month, feed /hay about £100 per month
full livery £600 per month upwards
annual vaccinations £100
insurance £100 + per month

then all the rugs/tack/saddle £1000 ( if you get a lot 2nd hand)

4x4 & trailer to go anywhere, competition & training fees

I budget £300 a month for one horse on DIY livery. It's cheaper in summer so the £300 is an average.

Don't forget vet bills.

Why's it your problem to fund it?

They're hellishly expensive.

I should say that is for only basic costs and does not include things like buying rugs, tack or vets bills.

Ex buy it. Ex pays for it. Job done.

Oh my goodness. We/she can't afford that and it doesn't even look like you've included food.

I spend about £800 a month, that covers just about everything
We have 2 and rent a field
if they were on livery it would cost around £120 each per week
even basic grass livery is around £125 per month, that wouldn’t include hay over winter
__just spent £800 on that

They aren't just expensive in monetary terms but also in time. Does your DD have the time to care for a horse?

Yeah I'd say unless you have your own land (which comes with a lot of its own problems), £300 per month is the bare minimum (may be less in summer but more in winter) and that is for the most basic kind of facility (no arena to ride in, no lessons, outings or shows), assumes you are in an average/cheap part of the country and also that the horse is healthy, hardy and a 'go-doer' i.e. can live in a field and doesn't need a lot by way of extra feed, vets bills etc. Crucially that also assumes the owner will do virtually all the work themselves, I easily spend twice that on mine in a month and that includes a fair amount of assistance from the livery yard which IMO is pretty essential for someone that also works as otherwise you need to be at the yard at least twice a day every single day, including christmas day, days you are sick etc etc (which these days can add a fair amount of £ in petrol alone). Also don't ignore the initial outlay, just because you can buy a horse for £500 really, really doesn't mean you should, unless your DD is a very experienced rider and able to train her own horse from scratch she needs a steady, well trained, calm animal as her first horse and that likely means the purchase price will be at least £5000 if not more.

But like other PPs, please don't make this your problem, if your DD is even close to responsible and knowledgeable enough to have her own horse she knows how much they cost to keep (or can very easily find out), she presumably also knows how much her wages are and therefore whether she can afford it. I am guessing your ex is loving how much of a rise this is getting out of you/how much you are panicing, sounds a massive wind up to me anyway...

We spend a total of about 900 pounds per month for 2 ponies. That includes grass livery, insurance, farrier, dentist, vet, food, haylage, lessons and competitions. Excludes fuel ..

I'd budget for £500 per month

Literally they cost all your time and all your money 🤦‍♀️

Buying a nice safe all rounder for a novice-y rider which if you’re daughter has only ever ridden in a riding school - you’ll not get change from about £7k but more realistically be looking at £9-12k if you’re being offered one cheap… run far away in another direction.
buying tack and rugs is another £1k at least on top.

To keep…
im in Yorkshire and full livery is £100pw which includes straw but mine are on shavings.
Shavings 2 bales a week - £7 a bale.
Food - I’d allow £15 a week
hay costs have gone through the roof
Vet: assume youll be paying the value of one of their ski trips per year.
Farrier: £70 every 6 weeks

But I agree I’d leave this to her she’s an adult! If she wants one and your ex is happy to pay for the initial outlay then make it crystal clear to her now she’s paying the upkeep. I imagine her enthusiasm for it will drop through the floor very quickly

An important consideration is that cheap horses tend to come with big bills, either vets because it's broken or trainers because of ridden issues.

An oldie but a goodie!

I budget £1000/month to included odds and sods here and there like new breeches/lorry hire/entry fees.

as for the purchase price - Mary King was advertising one last week for £8k, meanwhile A Shitebag will also be advertising one for £8k. So your guess is as good as mine.

She’s 20??

She’s an adult already…How long will you/he be funding the horse for? At what point does she become adult enough to take responsibility for her own expenses?

It’s not a great start in life for a young adult to be saddled (sorry) with a luxury hobby that their wages can’t begin to fund.

Is she knowledgeable about horses? Is your ex? If not she needs lessons first, a lot of them, and then possibly sharing a horse would be a good first experience caring for one. Then, when she's fully aware of how much time and money she can devote to a horse, her trainer needs to take her horse shopping. If none of you are horsey and your ex buys some random horse off the internet it will end in tears.

The cost is neither here nor there because this is not your problem. But I spend nearly £1,000/mo on just livery and lessons, with shoes, vax, worming, and vet bills on top. Plus if you have a horse you have an urge to spend even more money on very pretty things for them, apparently as often as possible. I don't add that part of my spending up.

Sharing is a good idea and I’m seeing a lot of shares come on to the market as people’s finances get hit.

I’ve got an old one that needs specialist care due to health issues, she’s costing me £600+ a month and I barely ride her.

It’s basically all of your money and a bit more. Plus your soul.

Mine started out as a cheap to keep native but at 25 and with metabolic issues she’s now a financial liability. Love her beyond words though.

Agree, if she's properly horse mad she'll find a way to spend time with horses. I've never encouraged my kids to ride because if they wanted to, I would know (lord, would I know). It's the most expensive, time consuming, and dangerous hobby, if there's any way to avoid it then do so.

I would part loan a horse. They are very expensive someone I know had two horses (one sadly been put to sleep) and they've gotten in rent arrears with the expenses keep rising up and up. You need to factor in not just normal costs of food, livery, shoes, tack etc but vet costs.

The short answer is everything. They cost everything, literally all the money.

The longer answer is it depends upon how much time you and knowledge you have. An experienced person who is retired or a SAHM can do horses on a budget but if you have a busy full time job or work shifts or have small children you will need to spend a lot more.

However they are expensive and they are a long term commitment. You can sell on if your life changes but you can't rely upon this as you can't sell a lame/injured/elderly horse.

Does your daughter drive? It is pretty much impossible to do horses if you don't drive as livery yards are normally remote, even if you have one within walking distance you can't rely upon this remaining open and suitable for the 20-30 years you are likely to have this horse.

Honestly 20 is a terrible age to get a first horse unless the person is making a career with horses, or has horsey family that are equally keen. Life changes so much and you have so many other demands on your time, money and priorities.