HORSE CARE COSTS

So you want to buy a horse? You’ve been saving your money and now you finally have enough to buy your own horse. Whoa….slow down, there’s a bit more to it.

The first thing to consider is the cost of keeping that horse. A horse needs proper care. You might have saved up enough money to purchase an animal, but have you thought about how much more you will need annually to properly care for this animal? If not, please educate yourself about the basic costs so that you are fully prepared. If you go into this without all the required knowledge, then your horse will be the one to suffer in the end.

Many horses each year are sent to auctions or slaughter houses, because their owners are not able to care for them. Don’t be one of those people - do your homework!

I have a basic guide below to show you how much owning a horse could cost you.

(Note: these are estimated prices and will vary in different regions.)

HAY & GRAIN

HAY: The cost of hay varies quite a bit in different areas and by the quality of the hay. Grass hay will generally run anywhere from $2-$5 per bale and Alfalfa $6-$12 a bale. The type and amount you will feed your horses greatly depends on 3 key factors: the horse’s age, size & activity level. You can expect to feed about ½ to ¾ of a bale of grass hay per day per horse. You may also choose to feed a flake of alfalfa along with it, or grain. If you have pasture, you may be able to graze the horse for part of the year. In the more northern regions, pasture grazing usually takes place from May through September - give or take a month.

If you have an average height, middle aged, healthy horse that is ridden lightly, that eats ½ - ¾ of a bale of grass and no alfalfa, using an average of $3.50 per bale (and you have pasture for at least 4 months of the year), your annual hay expense would be about $536.

GRAIN: Older horses generally require more calorie rich feed than younger horses and may even need a special diet if they have health problems or very few teeth. Your horse may need more food in the winter months if you live in a colder part of the country. Some ponies will get very fat on anything other than grass hay, and some horses will require alfalfa, grains, and other supplements just to maintain a healthy weight.

Grain costs vary depending on the type, but in general they run $10-$18 for a 50 pound bag. This can last from 1-2 weeks per horse. If you don’t grain daily or maybe your horse only needs it some of the time. Your annual grain expense would run you $416.

DEWORMER:  Your horse will need to be dewormed every 6-8 weeks. This can run from $6-$15 each time. It’s always good to rotate different wormers to be most effective. You can use a more expensive wormer one time and the next time a less expensive one. Your annual worming expense would amount to about $48.

FARRIER:  Trimming and shoeing your horse is something very crucial to the well being of your horse. A horse needs to have his feet maintained on a regular basis in order to prevent a whole slew of problems. Usually a horse will need his hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks or so. This will vary by region as a horse’s hoof will not grow as fast in the cold. In Northern regions, a horse may not require a visit from the farrier for a period of 3 months. A farrier’s fee can vary also…..depending on the region, degree of difficulty with the horse, a problem hoof, uncooperative horse or the need for corrective or special shoes. A trim should run anywhere from $20 to $35 per horse and shoes could run from $50 to $75 per horse. If your farrier makes 8 visits and all are just a trim (no shoes required), then your annual expense would run you about $200.

VET:  If you have horses, you will have unexpected expenses due to injuries or illness. A horse could have an abscess, mysteriously become lame, get colic, or a number of other miscellaneous wounds or illnesses. The key is prevention…..the safer your horse’s living environment is, the less likely you will have to call the vet out for an emergency visit. This is not to say that a horse can’t injure themselves or get sick, but it sure helps to lower the risk. I’ve had to call the vet a few times, luckily they were never anything life threatening or too serious. If you are lucky enough to not have any emergency calls to the vet and only require an annual visit to give shots (4-way or 5-way) and a Coggins test (required if hauling your horse or bringing to any shows), then you are looking at a bill of about $120. Keep in mind that a big part of the bill will be the farm call charge, which is what it costs just to get the vet to come to your farm.

You might want to plan on the unexpected vet costs to run you about $175.

BEDDING:  If you will be stalling your horse part of the time, you will need shavings or straw. Some climates allow your horse to be out all year round with a run-in shelter when the weather changes. Shavings bought in bulk usually costs around $250 for a truckload, which may require a tractor of some type to move it….otherwise it is a lot of muscle work with a wheelbarrow. You can also purchase it at $4-$10 per bag. If you use an average of a half bag per week, your annual cost would amount to $260.

TEETH:  Some horses require teeth floating (which is the filing down of the sharp/rough edges), but usually not until they are older. Many horses do not require this. If your horse does requires this, you can expect to pay your vet $100 annually.

TACK:  Usually when you purchase tack you are pretty well set for the duration. There may be items needed from time to time such as a fly mask or a new halter. Your grooming supplies are also considered part of your tack and are necessary items when you own a horse. A horse requires regular grooming, so make sure you have the necessary brushes, hoof pick, and other basic supplies. By the time you purchase a saddle package, grooming kit and some other necessary supplies, you will have spent about $600….spread this out over say 6 years to average a cost of $100 annually.

BOARD:  If you own enough acreage and have an adequate barn/shelter, you won’t need to pay a boarding fee, but if you aren’t lucky enough to fit this category then you will have this added expense. Board ranges from $100-$250 per month. Let’s use a rate of $125 to calculate the annual board expense of $1,500.

Breakdown of your annual horse expense:

These are rough estimates that do vary depending on a number of factors. There are certainly ways to reduce your total expense.

Here are some tips you could try:

• You might find a boarding stable that will reduce your monthly board if you do other chores at the stable.
• You also might be able to find your hay at a lesser price if you help with the actual harvesting of the hay….hauling, stacking, etc.
• One other way of reducing your costs would be to learn how to give your horse yearly shots to avoid the farm call by your vet. These shots can be purchased at many farm supply stores or mail order catalogs. Caution: before attempting to give your horse shots, make sure that you are properly educated on administering the shot.
• Our local vet will sometimes allow two farms located near each other the privilege of sharing the cost of a farm call. Instead of having the vet go to the same general location on two different days and having two full farm call charges, you might want to coordinate with another farm to get the vet to come on the same day and ask about splitting the farm call charge. Some vets may not do this, but I think a good number of them will.