How much will it cost me to buy a horse and keep a horse?
I live in Tyne and Wear (if that makes any difference for livery prices – i imagine it woul be slightly cheaper up here thank down south). I’m currently at uni and want to begin saving as when i finish next year i want to buy a horse. I would be looking to spend no more than £2000 for the horse itself. I would buy 2nd hand tack if it was in good condition. I used to ride alot as a youngster and teenage but i never had my own horse and i have been longing for the day when i can buy my own! I’ve looked after friends horses in the past and have done lots of early starts in horrendous weather so i know what i am letting myself in for! So how much do you think it would cost me for all tack, rugs and other equipment and then how much do you think it would cost me monthly or weekly for livery, feed, insurance etc and also lessons as it has been a while and i would still need these until i was totally confident in how to school my horse correctly.
I would consider loaning a horse first until i thought i was ready for my own.
Asked by:Itchy McFanny
Well it really depends on what breed of horse you are looking for.Usually about 1822.00 to buy one at the most.7000.00 to get everything like the bridle,saddle,saddle blanket,And everything.
Loaning would be a good idea to start with. Doing favours for people and looking after their horses is one thing but having to look after one permanently is a different matter altogether. You say you are in university therefore once you finish you are going to have to wait and see whether the hours you are working allows you to take care of a horse especially if you are going to keep it stabled during the nights in the winter. I work shifts so therefore can only see to my mare once a day. Luckily i have my mum on hand to either turn her out or bring her in otherwise it would be an extra expense to pay someone to do it.
I live in South Wales on a DIY yard and pay app 25-30 pound a week for mine which includes paying for field rent and stable, feed and bedding. She is on straw. Shavings more expensive. Shoes ,wormers and other expenses such as the dentist or vaccinations are an extra cost.Lessons ar anything in between the region of 15 to 40 pound depending on the level or the experience of the instructor.
I pay £437 pounds a year on my horse insurance which covers my horse, tack and myself in case of riding accidents whether it is my fault or not. She is insured for £3000.
I would say for your essential tack it would prob cost in the region of £500 to £1000 to kit your horse up which includes rugs boots etc. Remember you will also needs tools such as wheelbarrow, fork brush which are at stupid prices at the moment. Your basic grooming box you would be able to pick up for prob £20-£30. Remember these are all estimated prices and if you shop around a bit you may well find items a lot cheaper as long as they are in pretty good condition and everything fits properly then that is fine. The one thing i never skimp on are good rugs so my mare is always as warm and comfortable as possible.
You should be able to get a horse for under £2000 provided you don’t want a world beater. There are plenty of “family horses” out there for around the money you want to spend.
As for upkeep costs – well this is the expensive bit! I live in Durham so I’m near you, and I pay £172 a month for DIY livery per horse. Lessons are around £10 – £25 a session, depending on where you go and whether you have group or private lessons. You might get discounted lessons from your yard owner if the teach.
I have two horses, but I budget around £15 a month for feed in the summer (per horse) and £30 per month in the winter (per horse). That said, I have all year round turnout and so my feed bills are lower. When I was at a yard without winter turnout I spent around £50 a month in winter on feed alone. Hay is, for me, included in livery. If you have to buy it, it costs about £20 for a big square bale which should last you 2 weeks (with winter turnout) or 1 week without. As for bedding, straw is cheapest but this is not suitable for all horses (ones with dust allergies or ones who are prone to choke/impaction shouldn’t be bedded on straw incase they eat it). A small bale of straw is around £2 and I use 2 a week per horse (4 when they are in 24/7).
Tack – I always buy second hand, you should be able to get a decent leather saddle for £300, or you could buy a new synthetic one for around £200. Make sure to have it fitted by a qualified saddle fitter though. David Sayers is one in our area who I recommend.
If your horse is shod, it’ll cost about £50 a time and this is needed every 5 – 8 weeks. For trims (on unshod horses) you’re looking at around £15 every 5 – 8 weeks. I can recommend a few good farriers (and tell you some to avoid!)
Worming depends on your yards programme, it costs around £15 a time and needs doing several times a year. At my yard we’re currenlty following the Equimax one which is 4 times a year. However, its important to rotate wormers to avoid worms building up resistance, thus rendering the wormer ineffective.
Horses should have their teeth checked and floated twice a year. Ruth Parker does all of my yard and she’s great with them.
As for insurance – avoid a company called E&L – they are truly appalling. I use NFU for both my horses, one of my horses is insured for all the usual vets bills etc for a value of £2000 and it costs about £400 a year.
Vaccinations cost me around £50 per year (per horse).
Rugs etc. can be bought second hand, the ad-trader is great place to start.
As for loaning a horse – I definately think this is your best bet before “taking the plunge” and buying your own. Make sure you sign a contract with the owner detailing who is responsible for what etc.
Hope I helped!
£2000 is a resonable price for a horse, for a second hand decent saddle could cost between £200 -£350, a bridle £50-60.A good way of getting all your things that u need is to goto a horse sales that have a tack auction obviously it all depends on what horse u get for what sizes u need but theres no reason why u cant go along to one to see how much things go for? id make a list first of everything that u’ll need then put a rough price next to everything on your list.Also u obviously need to go to your nearest horse shops to price things up in there and there should be a notice board which will probably have some livery yards advertised then u can go and have a look around it doesnt matter that u havent got a horse yet u just tell them your thinking of getting one and ask how much it would cost to keep one there? you must have a rough idea of size and type of horse u want? a livery yard is a good place for you because there will be plenty of people that can help u out been as its your first horse! but i would definatly write a list of everything u think u will need and do some research on prices then add it all up! everyone is different! ive only recently started up having my own horses again i had them for 12yrs when i was younger then give up for 5yrs so i have had to start up again! i started by getting a headcollar and rope i knew i wanted a 15hh horse and prefferably a welsh cob, so i went for stuff around that size. I got a grooming kit, some buckets, some chaff and mix to start off with then once id brought my horse i started to buy more the saddle, bridle etc..i recommened u get a proper saddler fit your tack as i did even though i know how to fit one i just didnt know where to start for what size! i think you’ll be fine just do some research first, get some lessons! just to get u back into it again! keep your horse when u get one on a livery yard where there are people that can help you if u need it! and make sure u take someone thats experienced with u when u start looking for a horse, if u dont know anyone ask who ever u get your lessons of to go with u! goodluck i hope it all goes well!
-Horse. If you’ve got a budget of £2000, you’ll expect to get a decent horse with perhaps a few minor flaws that you should be able to manage. Horse prices have really shot up these last few years, so if you want a superb all rounder you’ll be paying £5000 or above!
-Tack. Second hand tack is a good idea, but you can also get quality tack at cheap prices. Try the Robinsons website (http://www.robinsons-uk.com/) , it has leather bridles, saddles and rugs at really good prices.
- Livery. Depending on the type of livery you are going to keep your horse on, prices p/w vary from £10 to £100! If you’re going to be keeping him at DIY livery, expect to pay between £25-40.
-Lessons. These can add up to quite a lot if you’ve got a specialist teacher (e.g BD, BSJA or just BHS qualified teacher).
-Added extras. These include vets bills, farrier stuff and insurance. I’m not sure how much these would cost in your area, ask around at your local yard.
Altogether, this is probably around £80 per week, but often less or more. Horse owning is really costly, trust me :/ But if you really love horses, go for it! x
It’s really good to see people who are being really responsible with buying their first horse, and when they know what they’re getting in to. Well done! =)
Well here is all the prices I paid when I got my first horse (in Australian dollars, I think the pound is worth approx. $2 at the moment??)
INITIAL COSTS
-Cost of horse: $3500
-Saddle (second hand): $500
-My horse came with her halter, lead rope and rugs, but I know how much they cost around here
-Halter: $30
-Lead rope: $20
-Rugs: approx. $100 each
-Grooming kit: $50
-Tack cleaning gear: $30
UPKEEP COSTS
-Board: $22/week (this is VERY cheap, it will probably cost more for you)
-Lessons: $40/week
-Feed: $50/month (this is also very cheap, my horse doesn’t cost much to run, and that’s why I agreed to the higher cost of the actual horse)
-Farrier: $30/6 weeks (my horse is not shod, just needs a trim)
Hope that helped you out a bit! =)
i have a horse and i bought him for £3500 but i’m sure you could buy one for cheaper. Look for an young horse they would be cheaper. And a male horse would be cheaper than a girl. If you go to a horse fair horses a cheapest there. Do you have any land. If you have a field grass and maybe a hand full of oats will be all your horse will need. If you don’t maybe you have a friend that has a field and you could rent it off them. If you don’t have that either than buy a bale of hay feed 2 forks of hay and a handful of oats to your **** every day.
The loaning is a very wise idea, that way you get to really test out the relationship!!
My daughter has her pony at a yard , and her costs are £20 a week winter and £15 in summer. ( we are in n yorks) this covers all bedding,feed and stabling. We top her up in winter with Molly chop or similar. She is insured for around £1000.
She paid £550 for her coloured cob, two years ago, she is 13.
The tack came with her, although we have replaced the saddle as she has put on some weight as she was a bit skinny when we got her, it was second hand, from the local paper and cost £180. the rest we picked up from friends, we swap and change like a toy bank!!
Good luck in your search!