Owning a horse

[chanel925]

asking on behalf of a friend

Please tell me what horse ownership involves with rough costs. Thank you

That's still over 10% of his body weight per day! That's nearly 10 times what a normal horse eats.

Are we talking about standard square bales with 2 strings (appx £7 a bale depending on area) which weigh about 25kg each? Or are you getting some sort of mini bale or wrapped hay.

I think it’s far more to do with how much time you have, type of horse, and whether you have your own land. I’m an equine vet so I don’t spend much on health care but I don’t have time in the winter so they go on full livery which costs a fortune. They live out at mine during the summer months which is cheap, but I still have to pay for holiday cover and someone to come and poo pick for me. The TB costs a lot in additional feed and shoes, but my kids’ native pony costs next to nothing. I find all the little extras really add up - bits of tack and other kit, competition fees, lessons, PC membership etc etc Plus running the horsebox. For some people these things are very optional but personally I wouldn’t consider horse ownership without them - for children particularly it can be a rather lonely and meandering hobby if you don’t get out and about regularly I think.

DIY livery £220 a month (includes hay)
Bedding £40 a month from Oct to April
Food £50 a month
Supplements £40 a month
Shoes £100 every 7 weeks
Physio £50 every 3 months
Dentist £50 a year
Insurance £120 a month
Lessons £155 a month

then you’ve got

tack
rugs
fly rugs
buckets
shampoo
hoof oil
fly mask
Riding gear, helmets, body protectors, boots, gloves , high vis stuff
brushes
head collars
lunge lines
whips
saddle pads
will to live

God know wonder I’m skint!

Tbh make a spreadsheet then times everything by 2 and you’ll be about right.

DIY in SWLondon. Cost / month
stable £200
hay - about £60
shavings £120
feed - balancer and chaff - about £25
farrier £100 every 6 weeks
rider insurance £10
’fun’pot - so lessons/ clinics/ camps/ arena hire £200
horsebox costs - variable
dentist £60: year
supplements / hoof treatment / physio - about £50 / month
assistance - anything from £0 to £150 depending on the time of year .

could do it cheaper, but v happy with the costs / benefit ratio 🤣

Rented field with water & okayish perimeter stock fence

Rent: £120 per month
Farrier £40 every 6 weeks summer or 7 weeks winter.
Hay in winter months £25 per month
Dentist £70 annually
Annual Flu/tet : can't remember but free call out if set day.
Balancer: £30 month.
Occasional bag of Speedi beet or chaff (£20 ish a bag)
Lessons £35 plus £5 school hire 2-4 a month
Worm count kits - can't remember but think about £10. I do one every 3 months then worm as needed. Usually pramox once a year (about £30 & then ivermectin if needed in between (about £6)

I had over £1k initial cost for electric fencing & energizer. Storage shed £500.

Had a couple of teenagers to help with ragwort £100 as a one off early summer.

I may have to invest in the grazing following the drought. Prob overseeding.

I have a sharer who rides once or twice a week, does a wheelbarrow of poo on those days plus gives me £40 a month

😂😂

I have 2 Arabs and 1 PBA at home. They live out all year, with free access to a barn, winter hardstanding, and feld shelters.

Hay: €500-600/year (this year I paid €2 a small bale, including delivery)
Bedding: €1000/year (chopped linseed)
Hard feed: €50/month
Supplements (Protexin, linseed oil, salt/salt licks): €30/month
Shoes: €0 (all barefoot and more or less self trimming, just need a tidy up)
Vaccs and teeth: €300ish/year
Worm counts/wormers: €150/year (I worm count 2x/year and worm 2x/year)
Insurance: €0 (I do have PL insurance but it's included in the insurance for the land and outbuildings so it doesn't count 😅)

Your hay was super cheap last year @Howmanycatsistoomany
i am guessing because of the euros sign you are maybe in Ireland, over here most were paying £ 6-8/ small bale . My large bale haylage eventually crept up to £60!
agree can’t have too many cats

Standard bales. Ours have 3 strings though. He has giant hay nets that hold a bale and a half. He gets one in the morning and one about 6pm ish to last through the night.

Either we are talking about completely different things - a standard bale to a UK farmer is appx 20kg - Is it definitely coming straight off a baler & not repackaged?

Or your horse is going to end up obese with laminitis?

10% of a horses body weight is 10 times what a horse needs.

I worked with horses in Cyprus and the little bales of hay were 2 per day per horse. They were only a little bit smaller size wise than ours but they weren’t compressed at all just loose hay bundled together so a fraction of the weight. Bare in mind it’s the only forage they got as there was no grass

Can never have too many cats 😂
I'm in Normandy. The last 3/4 years I've paid €2.50/bale but my farmer did me a solid this year and only charged me €2, and it's lovely stuff. I don't usually need a lot of hay because I strip graze standing hay but my winter grazing is decidedly crispy this year so I might need to buy more. Would really prefer haylage but it's not a thing over here.
Gutted for all the horse owners in the UK, can't believe the price of hay! 😲

These prices all depend on what area of the country you are and the availability of hay/livery etc my horses rugs are over £100 each, my livery is more than that and that’s diy livery. Also it’s worth taking into consideration time it takes - mucking out/feeding etc just covering basic needs. Holiday cover etc it’s a huge expense and responsibility. It’s the most rewarding thing and although some days I regret my decisions I soon change my mind when I see them!

Do you double net or use a trickle net or similar? Maybe also consider replacing some of the hay with nice clean straw (high fibre but low in calories)?

It gets delivered on a pallet direct from the farm down the road. Isn't super compressed though, you can just about get your fingers into it. He has a slow feeder net but doesn't really need to be further slowed down.

He is not overweight for his height, not laminitic and at 16, is still perfectly healthy. Bear in mind he is nearly 18.3hh. He's a huge MF. At 5.7ft I can hug him and put my head in the curve of his shoulder without leaning down.

How much do you pay per bale? What do they weigh?

Most basic costs
Grass livery would be the cheapest £30 per week, though you may find it cheaper.
hay £500 for the year (assuming it’s for a 16hh horse).
shoes £100 every 5 weeks
hard feed - £20 - £30 pcm
that does not cover equipment for horse and rider nor vet or lessons

The yard my share pony is at is £25 a week for DIY livery, and I mean it is VERY DIY. Out 24/7 365 a days a year unless the weather is apocalyptic. Unshod but still needs trims regularly at £50 a time. Insurance and vets plan monthly as well. Supplemental feed and hay in the dry weather costs extra as well. So for the very basic minimum for a horse that mostly looks after itself in a non chic area you are looking at £400-500 a month. Then there is petrol/diesel to get there daily.

No idea what they weigh, I don't order them, the yard owner does. Think they're about £7 a bale.