How much does a horse cost?

krustykittens this exactly

My horse has, over 5 years, cost me approx £20k+ in vet bills over and above the insurance payouts. I thought I was well off enough to properly afford a horse but by god, I'd never buy another. Easy to think I've just been unlucky but of all the horse owners I know, I can't think of many who haven't had major vet bills for one thing or another. I'm on full livery an all in I reckon I spend close to £900 a month in winter.

How long is a piece of string? I pay in the region of £1k a month plus insurance costs, travel, kit, training and travel costs per year. After initial layout is probably in region of £15k per year for one competition horse but I have paid as little as £300 per month for absolute minimum. It depends where you are in the country and the individual horses needs. Some will survive a nuclear bomb with very little input, others are complete divas and need a lot of care and attention (and money).

I would suggest trying to find a horse she can share in the first instance. And at 20 she should be covering her own costs.

I should also add that with the cost of living increasing even though my competition horse is lame and retiring I am not going to take on another after 30 years of ownership and working on/off in the industry when I was younger. Too risky right now... feed alone will go up and vets bills are already eye-watering.

A friend has a horse. I can't comment on how much she spends on it but I can comment on the time - she is up every single day, rain shine or snow, at 5am to see the horse.

Plus then every free hour not spent at work is spent doing something with the horse.

Also horses die. Expensively after a fortune has been spent on vet bills trying to stop them dying. And the pain of them dying rips your heart out.

She’s 20, so a few alarm bells ringing. Is she working or studying? Either way, does she have the enthusiasm needed. Does she have use of a car to get to the stables or you (and ex) to drive her there. Regardless of monetary costs (high to sky high) the time costs can be very high and if she’s otherwise busy, your daughter has to be very into horses to make this work. I assume ExH has plenty money.

Get her to do a pony share or something. But at 20, come on, she should be funding this herself.

Did you/she consider a horse share?
I did that and it cost me as much as weekly riding lessons but I had pretty much unlimited access to the horse without having to worry about the upkeep.

When you say she's mad about horses, can she ride? Does she ride now? Does she have the knowledge to care for a horse on DIY livery or is it just that she likes horses?

Assuming she's competent in both riding and care, I'd suggest a share/part loan as others have. People are crying out for sharers around here to help from a time and money perspective which really does answer your question! They cost a lot to keep (especially when things go wrong) and take up most of your spare time. Whereas with a share you may be lucky enough to find a lovely horse to ride, care for and treat as her own for a few days a week for a very reasonable price. Owners will generally expect someone competent in riding and care though to be looking after their pride and joy!!

My horse, on part livery near London costs, all in, about £1000 a month ....Its not cheap and its getting dearer ...

In reality buying the horse is the cheap part. We spent £2500 on DD’s pony. A further £1000 for his saddle + bridle. Livery was £180 per month inc. haylage on a DIY basis. Farrier was £50 every 6 weeks. Bedding around £100 per month. Then there’s the lessons, competition fees, riding gear, vets bills, physio bills, transport which hugely mounts up. All in all we spent around £400 each month.

Keep in mind this was around 2018/19 and also in Northern Ireland where things are much cheaper.

I learned to ride at 20, so started a similar age to your dd. I never had money when I had horses. All of my spare cash went on lessons, competitions, fuel, vets, farrier, dentists, equipment, tack, insurance, hay (which is going up), feed ( which is going up), bedding (also going up). Its all the extras too, suddenly my old car wasn't fit for purpose, I needed a Landrover plus a horse trailer. One of my horses was a bit of a dick head, and would trash fences and kick in stable doors, so we ended up fixing stuff more than was reasonable. I had my own stables on our farm, but it still cost the same as a mortgage, even without livery costs. I wouldn't change the time I had with them, but I wouldn't do it again.

or the horse

An add on, I just remembered a joke that was a popular one amongst my horsey friends - how to become a millionaire; start off a billionaire and buy a horse. Very few fellow competitors were wealthy (Prince Phillip had done okay for himself 😉) but pretty much every social class was represented on our circuit.

HOW A HORSE OWNER KNOWS THEY ARE RICH!!!

I am rich. I have $15 in my checking account and an old gelding in the barn.
I am rich. I have a truck that works and enough diesel to get to the next trail ride.
I am rich. I have boxes of pasta and generic sauce in my pantry and enough hay to feed my horse through the winter.
I am rich. I have enough old coats and sweaters to layer up and stay warm while I do barn chores.
I am rich. I vacation by camping with my horses and going to cheer on my horse riding friends at horse shows. Sometimes I even play too, and spend $10 to bring home a fifty cent ribbon that I will treasure more than a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower.

I am rich. I have tools: duct tape and baling twine and a husband that knows how to fix just about anything with these tools.

I am rich. I find joy in making my own things, making do, and making right. I have a 10 year old saddle, a 60 ish year old body, and the wonder and joy of a 6 year old child learning that a horse can give her wings.
I am rich.
My wealth is not measured in dollar signs but in horsey snorts and nickers. My riches aren't spent on electronics and fancy clothes but are shared with my human and four footed friends.
Next time someone finds out that I have a horse
and says, " You must be rich to afford that" I will smile, and agree.

You say she is mad about horses, but does she actually have the experience to look after one on DIY? If not, you are looking at full livery, which will cost in excess of £500-600 a month. And then you'll have all the additional costs people have mentioned on top of that.

If she has the horse on DIY, she will likely need to go up twice a day- most yards here are day turn out only in the winter, so she will have to turn out before work, then go and catch in before dark + muck out the stable, fill haynets, change rugs, feed etc. Depending on the yard and the position of your field + driving, this can end up taking a good hour if not longer. And it's every day, including Christmas day, birthdays etc- holidays are only possible if you pay for cover.

If the horse gets hurt or is ill (and it will do this) you need to somehow find the time to get the vet out, and other professionals will often only come out during the normal working week.

If she's never had experience of sole care, then it would be better to look at part loan/sharing a horse- so paying a fixed fee (say £30-50 a week) to have care of the horse on certain days. She could then see if a horse will fit in with her lifestyle.

Having a horse on DIY livery and working full time is really difficult, and they're a long term commitment too. If she buys, say a 12yo horse, she could easily have the responsibility of a horse for another 10-15 years. Is that what she wants?

Anyway, a quick breakdown of costs for my pony- who I honestly keep as cheaply as possible!

Monthly:

Livery + hay = £150 a month (this is reduced because I help the YO out with favours/holiday cover occasionally, commercial rates locally are probably closer to £180). This is fully DIY with no services- at my previous place, I was paying £10 a week on top for turn out, as the earliest we could turn out was after I started work.

Vet insurance: £92 a month- vet bills rack up quickly and I would not want to have to PTS because I couldn't afford treatment. This also gives me public liability insurance which is a must.

Shoes: £45 every 6 weeks. Shod in front only.

Hard feed: £15-20 a month, probably a bit more this time of year. I like to feed a vitamin supplement year round though. This could be higher depending on the needs of the horse.

Bedding: £40ish a month in winter, less in summer when he is out more. This is about the cheapest bedding available, and he's relatively clean in the stable. Straw might be a bit cheaper, but it's difficult to muck out and I don't have storage for a large bale.

Miscellaneous spends: £10-20 a month on buying bits and pieces, replacing things that get broken etc.

• whatever I spend on petrol getting to the yard and back.
  
  So roughly £360 a month on essential spending.
  
  In the last 12 months I've also spent:
  
  £140 on physio (6 monthly)
  
  £90 on dentist (9 monthly as his teeth are quite good).
  
  Around £300 on vet visits for small things and vaccinations.
  
  £350 on a new saddle (second hand synthetic as it happened to fit well) + £70 on the saddler.
  
  £60 on a new rug (he has several, but I've only bought 1 in the last 12 months).
  
  £130 on a new bridle- arguably not an essential spend as I had a serviceable one, but wanted a different style.
  
  £90 on new boots for me
  
  £20 or so on wormers and worm counts.
  
  Probably other things I have forgotten.
  
  In the first year I owned him, I definitely spent a lot more than this.
  
  This doesn't include the cost of doing anything fun like lessons, shows, fun rides etc, or the kit needed for them!
  
  Plus when buying, don't forget the cost of vetting and transport to you. When looking, I spent £350 on a failed vetting + similar on a passed vetting + about £250 getting my pony to me! Obviously some of this may not apply BUT I wouldn't risk buying a first horse without vetting it! Will your ex cover all of this?

Everything. A horse costs everything. Including your heart and your soul.

It's not just the money you must consider. It is other harsh realities like the winter and having responsibility right to the end of the horse's life. These two current threads might help you:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_tack_room/4681836-i-cant-afford-him-any-more

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4679132-to-feel-sorry-for-people-with-horses?

I have no idea why you are giving this any headspace. It's your ex's idea. And possibly your adult DD's. You do not have to be involved for one second.