# How much does your average horse cost?



## Arden (May 24, 2017)

How much does your average horse cost per year? I'm going to buy a horse and am wondering what the yearly budget will be. 
Vet. Vaccines. Everything. 
Thanks


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## norseofcourse (May 24, 2017)

WAG* between 500 and 5000 - it depends on a lot of things.

What part of the county are you in?  Will you be boarding or keeping it at home?  Trail riding, doing any showing, 4H, etc?

It will nearly always take more money than you thought - especially if you have an emergency vet call or two, those add up fast!  If you keep it at home to save money, you will save some (after the initial outlay for fencing, shelter and storage for hay and supplies), but you'll spend lots more time in exchange for saving that money.

* - wild arse guess


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## OneFineAcre (May 24, 2017)

norseofcourse said:


> WAG* between 500 and 5000 - it depends on a lot of things.
> 
> What part of the county are you in?  Will you be boarding or keeping it at home?  Trail riding, doing any showing, 4H, etc?
> 
> ...



I have no clue but I think that is a great answer


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## Latestarter (May 24, 2017)

Greetings and welcome to BYH from NE Texas. We do have quite a few horse owners on here and I think so much depends on circumstances including where you're located (you really should put at least your general location in your profile). I'll tag a few of the many horse folks and hopefully they'll throw their 2 cents worth in for you. If you plan to stay with us, perhaps you'll take a moment and do a brief intro post over in the new member section so folks can greet you appropriately? Anyway, make yourself at home!

@Ferguson K @Bunnylady @ @Baymule @AClark @secuono @Mini Horses @Poka_Doodle and the list goes on! There are quite a few who own horses.


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## Baymule (May 24, 2017)

A horse is a hole in your pocket you dump money in. We have 3 of them. 

Hoof trim every 8 weeks costs me $25 per horse and that is a real low price. So figure on $45 or more, just for a trim. Shoes can run over a hundred dollars.

A bag of feed is $9.95 and last 3 horses 2-3 days.

A round bale is $40 and lasts a couple of weeks.

A yearly Coggins test is $75 and up.

A vet visit to come to your place is $75 and up, plus whatever they are there for to treat your horse.

A trailer to haul your horse to the vet to save that $75 farm call can cost $2500 and up for a decent used trailer. Ours was $2900.

Our 36'x36' new barn cost us only $8,000 to build. Insurance appraised it for $30,000.

We have spent right under $10,000 in non climb 2"x4" horse wire, gates, T-posts, to fence, cross fence and cross fence some more, 8 acres. We need to buy a couple more gates and that just might push it over that 10K mark.

And this is so the grand kids can braid manes, tails, ride, play, and enjoy themselves. This is also so I can braid manes, tails, ride, play, feed, care for and see to their needs.

If you plan to show, get one of those loaded checkbooks that bleeds money.


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## secuono (May 24, 2017)

More than you can imagine if you board & show a high maintenance horse. But emergencies can make you wish you never got a horse real quick. Some really do try to find new ways to kill themselves. 

I have 2 minis & 2 ponies, I do next to nothing with them, no shows, trail ride one, they live at home & I trim them, they do not need shoes. But live on hay 24/7.

Vaccines depend on what you believe, where you live & where you go with them. 
Board can cost 250-900 a month, with you still possibly paying a lot more for some extras. 

If your horse needs special care, that racks up bills to heck super fast.


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## Baymule (May 24, 2017)

I forgot to add, ONE horse by itself is an unhappy, lonely horse. Horses are herd animals and do better with a friend.


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## Ferguson K (May 24, 2017)

The advice you've been given is solid. The average emergency vet bill ouris four figured. Keep that in mind.


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## Arden (May 25, 2017)

OneFineAcre said:


> I have no clue but I think that is a great answer



It will be at home. We already have fencing so thats not included in the cost. We live in North FL.


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## Arden (May 25, 2017)

We have several horses in our neighborhood. So it's not like he'd not see any. But we'd probably start with one horse. He can see can see them from his pasture.


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## Mini Horses (May 25, 2017)

As others have said, initial cost is "up to you".....but, the upkeep will be similar for a free to 5K animal.   While I had riding animals in the past for years, my current ones are minis.      Bay is right on with the feed.   For my old ones (28-36 yr olds) they cannot chew hay, so senior feed is $20 a bag!   Yeah, no hay to buy for them but, costly.

Plan on having an emergency fund.   An older, well-broke animal will generally have more sense and keep out of a little trouble.   FL can have issues with sand and sand colic.  MOST people there use a sand clear method on a regular basis, to prevent the eventual problems and vet bills.   Check that in your area.  Good pasture can help with hay/feed costs.

There is no one answer. Every horse & location is different.   I would certainly think with buying hay, grain, having regular foot/teeth care, vaccines, etc., for a no problem horse you will average close to $200 per month...some months  $50 & some $300.  Plus emergencies.


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## Poka_Doodle (May 25, 2017)

Arden said:


> How much does your average horse cost per year? I'm going to buy a horse and am wondering what the yearly budget will be.
> Vet. Vaccines. Everything.
> Thanks


So, I don't pay the vet bill, and my fairer info is not with me currently. But I think we spend about seven dollars on each bale of hay, and my big horse goes through a bale every other day. I spend near a hundred each year for new tack, grooming supplies, and tack cleaning. I have my e-records else where, but that's what I know from the top of my head.


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## Baymule (May 26, 2017)

Arden said:


> We have several horses in our neighborhood. So it's not like he'd not see any. But we'd probably start with one horse. He can see can see them from his pasture.



Not to sound mean or rude, but that's like putting you in a room where you can "see" other people, but you can have no interaction or talk to them. Some people I might like not having any interaction with....LOL Horses are herd animals, a lone horse feels vulnerable to predators and they really need a friend.


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## norseofcourse (May 26, 2017)

I've known someone who kept their horse by himself at their house.  It worked for her, but she had a lot of time to spend with him, and he did seem lonely.  He could also be a handful when she went riding with someone, if he got too excited being around other horses.

A horse by itself, even if it can see other horses, might develop nervous behaviors like fencewalking.  It might jump the fence to be with other horses.  It might not pay as much attention to you when you're working with it.  It could get barn sour.  It might misbehave on rides with other horses.  You're likely to see at least some side effects of being alone.

On the other hand, if you get two horses you'll have to work with them to make sure they don't get too bonded to each other, and you can ride one away from the other one if you want to.  Two horses can sometimes get 'buddy sour'.

If there's other horses in the neighborhood, what about asking around to see if anyone who already has a horse, might have room for another?  Then your horse would have company, and they may even be interested in you working in exchange for some of the board.


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## Poka_Doodle (May 26, 2017)

Baymule said:


> Not to sound mean or rude, but that's like putting you in a room where you can "see" other people, but you can have no interaction or talk to them. Some people I might like not having any interaction with....LOL Horses are herd animals, a lone horse feels vulnerable to predators and they really need a friend.


How true. My horse is on his own, he does talk with horses that he can see from a distance, but it's hard for him.


norseofcourse said:


> I've known someone who kept their horse by himself at their house.  It worked for her, but she had a lot of time to spend with him, and he did seem lonely.  He could also be a handful when she went riding with someone, if he got too excited being around other horses.
> 
> A horse by itself, even if it can see other horses, might develop nervous behaviors like fencewalking.  It might jump the fence to be with other horses.  It might not pay as much attention to you when you're working with it.  It could get barn sour.  It might misbehave on rides with other horses.  You're likely to see at least some side effects of being alone.
> 
> ...


Totally agree with you. My horse gets ancy, and tries to play around other horses, because he's alone. We've had many issues as a result. 
Like you said, at the same time when we had two horses, they wouldn't let each other out of sight.
One idea for having only one horse is to also get a goat for them to have as a friend.


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## Simpleterrier (May 27, 2017)

It all depends on how u want to do it. I have a horse and a mule the cost me around 30 dollars a month combined. But this is how it adds up. I have good pasture and they can both be tied out on picket in the yard if I like. I bale hay with the neighbors and get free hay in the winter months. I don't grain and I give shots myself. Also my dad has trimmed and shoed for over 40 yrs. Alot of people over complicate it I would not keep a horse that is not ok being alone or need special feed. Right know mine get tied out from five to nine every night and look really good. A good horse on a picket and a 4 yr old kid can have fun for an hour or so. So it can be as simple as you like or has complicated. I like to call my horses free range. No stalls here no round pen or lunge lines. But u can go out right now and go for a ride.

There are horse people and people with horses.


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