Realistic Cost of Owning Horse(s) on Own Land

[BoldViolet]

So my husband and I were discussing the farm plans (again ), and we've always wanted horses. I plan to start taking lessons again since it's been a while since I've ridden.

But for future reference, I need to figure out what the realistic cost of owning our own horse or two will be. We plan on having 5+ acres, and probably no more than 2 horses (but a couple goats and chickens, too).

I hope for the horses to be barefoot, but I know that despite that, farrier visits are still necessary for trimming and checkups.

So what are other "normal" costs?

Hay/Feed (how long does a 50lb bag of feed last a pair of horses? Is a feed necessary if grass and/or hay is available?)
deworming
farrier
teeth floating (how often is this generally needed?)
vet visits/emergency fund

I have the habit of researching for years before obtaining a new animal, so this isn't something that I'll dive into. I will definitely take lessons again before owning, and will likely lease too.

Do y'all have any good books to recommend? I think I have Getting Your First Horse for Dummies or something similar, but it's probably 15 years old and the info dated.

[beccachow]

If you have healthy horses, feed (as in grain) isn't necessary unless they are in hard work. Good quality hay is usually enough.

[SFM in KY]

Even an older book will have the basic necessities covered ... vaccinations, worming, farrier. Costs are much more difficult to determine.

In the south, you will be worming much more often than in the north. I wormed spring and fall in MT but worm at least 4 times a year in KY, basic paste wormer. If you can give your own vaccinations, it will cost much less than if you have a vet out to do them.

Everything else is going to depend on the individual horse. I don't have teeth floated routinely except with horses I know have a problem or older horses. Some horses will do fine on just pasture in the summer and hay in the winter, others will need to be grained and the amount is going to depend on the individual animal again. I will say that I rarely had to grain horses when I lived in MT and most of my horses require grain during the winter on grass hay here in KY, something to do with the nutrient levels of the hay, obviously.

Farrier costs will depend quite a lot on what your local people normally charge and again, on the individual horse. If they need to be shod, 8 weeks between shoeing/resets is about as long as you should go. If they go barefoot, depending on the pasture, you may need to have them trimmed that often but there are horses that can go much longer between trims. I have broodmares out on pasture that are fine barefoot, wear their hooves down evenly and may only need a minor touch with a rasp to take off a corner or even up a chip ... I've also had broodmares (though not for long) that couldn't stay out on a rocky pasture without being shod.

Horses vary so much, it's difficult to know exactly what they are going to need.

[Minelson]

Vaccinations .... don't forget to figure those in. Fly control. Manure management. A lot depends on your area. A bale of hay can be anywhere from $3 to $20 depending on where you live.

[levi1739]

I own a small boarding/training/lesson stable in southern Ohio and often have inexperienced people come to my facility who hope to own and keep a horse on their property. I always point out to them that caring for horses is a big responsibilty and a big expense. I tell folks that it will cost approx. $2000.00 per year ($165 month) which I feel is about right if the horse is maintained with good care and there are no unexpected large emergency vet bills. I also advise them that good tack is expensive and cheap tack is worthless which many people don't take into consideration when they purchase a horse. Also remember that you likely won't be able to take extended vacations etc. since it's very hard to find dependable help. While $2000 may be a bit high, or it may be a bit low but I assure you it is in the ball park for my area. I discourage inexperienced folks from owning a horse and always recommend a period of leasing or lessons until they gain some knowledge and opinions of the type of riding and horse that they might enjoy. (It's sad to see someone with a western pleasure type that desires a dressage horse)

A person can "rent" a lot of saddle time for a lot less than it costs to own a horse. I'm glad to hear that you take your time researching and plan on doing it right. I wish more people would do that before jumping into horse ownership. Owning horses can be very rewarding if the human is dedicated to caring for them. It can also lead to neglected animals if the human finds that it's much more responsibility than they can handle.

Have fun, be safe

Jack

[BoldViolet]

Thank you for the input, everyone.

[Celtichorse]

Another expense to consider is the installation of fencing and shelter and that eventual upkeep that's necessary. If you pasture the horses you need a way to maintain the pasture (equipment, fertilizer, irrigation etc.) Get the best fencing you can afford - it will keep you from having lots of headaches.
Do you plan to show? Continue to take lessons etc? That can get VERY expensive.... Do you plan to have a horse trailer? Add upkeep, registration and insurance.
Make sure you get a very good vet check before buying any horse - yes - it's pricey, but it can prevent you from spending a fortune later on and being stuck with a horse you have to put a ton of money into to keep sound and healthy. Have someone who is horse-savvy and who you trust go with you when horse shopping - it will help you stay on track and avoid costly mistakes.

[Teej]

While not absolutely necessary items in horse ownership, if you plan on getting the most out of it don't forget to figure in the cost of a truck & trailer.

If you want to show or trail ride depending on others for transportation gets old fast. Trailer also needed in case of an emergency that a vet can't handle on the farm and the horse needs to be taken to a large animal hospital. It happens rarely and if that were the only time you planned on taking your horse off your property then you could probably forego a trailer for that reason as long as you have a good network of horsey friends who do own trailers.

Then if you're like me and most other people I know who own horses, there are lots of tempting items on the market that lure you into buying them even though they may not be needed.

[hilarybennett]

I have found I can board my horses cheaper than I can feed them myself, by buying feed retail, by the sack or bale. Larger boarding facilities can buy hay by the truckload, or cubes by the semi-full, and still make a profit charging me less than I could buy the same amount of feed myself. And I get someone else to feed and clean up after them for free, and use of the facilities, hot walker, wash rack, arenas, jumps, round pen, lots of people around to notice if something is off with a horse, someone to hold the horses for the shoer if I have to be at work, you name it. For me, boarding is a no brainer. I do not have the luxury of pastures or cheap hay, or keeping them at home would be much more tempting. Plus, you get to meet a lot of people, learn from others. There are a lot of intangible plusses to boarding. Let's not forget that vacation thing... now how to get all the other critters cared for... whole 'nuther story. LOL

[offthegrid]

Originally Posted by levi1739

I own a small boarding/training/lesson stable in southern Ohio and often have inexperienced people come to my facility who hope to own and keep a horse on their property. I always point out to them that caring for horses is a big responsibilty and a big expense. I tell folks that it will cost approx. $2000.00 per year ($165 month) which I feel is about right if the horse is maintained with good care and there are no unexpected large emergency vet bills.

I would agree with this as being a reasonable amount (+/- depending on where you live, what type of horses, level of care, shoeing or special needs, etc).

However, I would argue that the biggest cost is facilities and equipment. Assuming you already own the acreage, you need to factor in the cost of either building a barn or increasing mortgage amount if the property has a barn on it. A shed can suffice in certain areas, but you need to think about how you will manage the farrier, the vet, where you would put a sick or injured horse; where you will store your feed, tack, buckets and wheelbarrows, etc.

Fencing was one of our largest costs because we installed hard fencing for safety and liability reasons. Things like driveways don't even occur to people, but when you can't drive up to your barn in spring or fall because you'll get stuck, you realize that you need actual construction for a decent driveway.

If you ride at home - where will you do this? We have a small arena that was quite expensive despite the size because of our native soil (heavy clay). If you don't have decent riding space, you will likely need a truck and trailer. I can't imagine owning a farm without at least a small tractor with a front end loader, but I know people do it. We use our all the time - mowing pastures, plowing snow, moving manure piles, dragging pasture & dry lots, moving equipment, etc.

Hay isn't necessarily expensive by the bale, but having a place to store hay so it doesn't get ruined is expensive. Our very first barn expense was a new barn roof, because the hay we just bought was getting wet. People do manage to buy hay on a weekly basis but that is an expense of another type (time, gas).

So, if you really put dollars on paper, you can't beat boarding. But, if you own a farm, some of these costs have already been incurred and the addition of a horse won't change them much. Not to mention, I hated boarding!

[bergere]

Depends on where in the country you live.

In Oregon, I hayed my own place, the hay was very good quality and only cost $1.65 a bale to do. There with 3 Icelandic's, and 2 miniature horses, only needed 86 - 65/75lb bales or Orchard grass hay.
Farrier care was only $25.00 each every 8 weeks
Plus de worming and vaccines.
They did get vitamins too.
Their shelter was a 12 by 24" two sided heavy duty car port.

Here.....
first... to find very good hay is extremely hard. When you do find it, it is spendy.
Last year, I spent over $4,500 in hay for two Icelandic's and one miniature horse. And I have air ferns!!!!
Beyond crazy. Because the hay is not the quality it is in Oregon, I have to feed 4 times the amount to keep them at the same weight.
Have no way to move round bales and I worry about Botulism (knowing two people that have had horses die eating round bales).. but I need to cut my hay costs.
Farrier care here for trims is $35.00 each.
De worming is the same
Most of the vaccines I do myself. But the Vet care I have had here... is a lot more spendy.
Another problem here, the lack on good knowledgeable Vets.

Here I bought a 12'... really ended up being a 10' by 24' run in shed from the Amish.
Also bought another fully enclosed wood shed for the hay. It gets hot here and I didn't want to take a chance of the hay catching on fire and taking the horse's with it.
So they just have a basic shelter.

Have been putting up Cattle panels and hot wire, is the most fast to put up and most likely to keep dogs out of the pastures.

My husband is making me trails on the property and I have access to dirt roads across the street.

Having horse's full time on the property is cheaper than board, but you have to feed twice a day, if you don't have them on pasture all the time. And they need to be fed no matter what the weather or how you are feeling.
Unless you can find a good Farm babysitter... and believe me, they are rare as hens teeth... will be hard to take vacations.
Having horse's on your place, is more of a .... well... way of life.

[BoldViolet]

I wish I could board cheaper than having my own here - most places around here start at $500-$600 a month for board.

So what vaccines do horses regularly need? Rabies? How often are Coggins tests needed?

[offthegrid]

Originally Posted by BoldViolet

I wish I could board cheaper than having my own here - most places around here start at $500-$600 a month for board.

Don't lose track of the costs. The posters above (including myself suggest that the cost of keeping a horse is $165/month, +/- some depending on your area.

So while $500-600/month sounds so much more expensive, it won't once you add on the mortgage, insurance, fencing, wheelbarrows, manure management, tractor, brush hog, hay storage, etc. that you will need -- some more than others, some you can live without.

IF you already have a farm, including a barn and/or some storage or sheds, it might not be more expensive than boarding. But if you start from scratch, you might be shocked. Or, if you buy a house with a barn on it - the extra acreage plus the barn itself will add to the cost of your mortgage. We just paid around $10,000 per acre to add to our farm. No contest that it's cheaper to board around here; although I will say that I provide better care (by far) than even the best boarding barns.

It's great to want to keep your horses at home, and you may be able to do it for a relatively low cost. But don't fool yourself about where the money goes!

[jennigrey]

Factor in the time and gas to get to and from the boarding barn.

[beccachow]

Ugh...fencing...argh. My latest addition, Rocky the marvelous 253 year old pony, has figured out how to sneak out/under/through every bit of my electric fence. Many early morning jaunts after his rickety old man self. I have become a master at baling twine quick fixes. Sometimes, just for fun, he takes Sunny with him. Luckily I am way back off the road and have good neighbors, since the grass is always greener over at my one neighbor's house. Too many early morning door knocks.

We have managed to get one side hot again and he is angry. Contained, but quite angry about it.

I can write about it for blogs and make it sound quite funny, but reality is: without good fencing, your horses can be hit by a car, break a leg going into/out of the pasture, get tangled in wire, impaled on a fence post, chased down by dogs, or fall into/step into a hole in a neighbor's yard or your own among just a few things.

Don't skimp on fencing. It will probably be the most expensive thing you do, but ultimately will save horsie lives.

[offthegrid]

Originally Posted by beccachow

I can write about it for blogs and make it sound quite funny, but reality is: without good fencing, your horses can be hit by a car, break a leg going into/out of the pasture, get tangled in wire, impaled on a fence post, chased down by dogs, or fall into/step into a hole in a neighbor's yard or your own among just a few things.

Don't skimp on fencing. It will probably be the most expensive thing you do, but ultimately will save horsie lives.

And that's just the horse on the receiving end of it.

My biggest fear WAS (until we got all new fencing) a break-out that caused a fatal car accident. Now that is a farm owner's worst nightmare.

Not only is the outcome simply horrific, but it could mean losing all your assets and/or having every insurance company drop you forever.

I won't actually tell you how much we have spent on fencing, because it will scare you. But it is a lot. However, I sleep at night.

[levi1739]

Ahh yes, fencing and liability. We pay a large amount for liability insurance to help protect us from lawsuits since we have both boarders and riding lessons here on the property. We also are a limited liability corp. which provides us additional protection. I still worry about the possibilities of loss if someone does become seriously injured here on the farm. I often wonder how many people that have the public ride/board in their stable have the insurance needed to protect their assests. Be a good name for a horse, "protect your ass'ets", lol.


Have fun, be safe

Jack

[tinknal]

You can probably cut feed costs nearly in half by getting mules instead of horses, but mules need much smarter riders.

[BoldViolet]

I appreciate all the input, everyone. It's given me more to think about and research.

[Joshie]

I think you need to ask people in your own area how much they spend on their horses. Our experiences are going to be different than yours. I have always felt that one is better off taking your first lessons with a horsey guy, not a large barn. Around here, at least, the bigger barn lessons aren't really lessons. My niece took lessons at one of them; they had her riding barrels at the end of eight weeks.

When DD took lessons with a horsey guy it took those same eight weeks for her to even get up in the saddle with a bridle. The first few lessons were on the ground, centered on reading body language, learning how to walk, and doing basic horse things. When she was finally allowed on the horse, it was bareback. Our teacher led the horse on the ground. DD (10) had to have "airplane arms" because he didn't want her to use a horn or hold on for balance. A Western saddle does not have a horn so a rider can balance or hold on. Anyway, after she had a good grasp on that she got in the saddle. After she got a good grasp on that she got reins but had to stay in the round pen.

I started my lessons both bareback and in the saddle. I learned a lot just watching DD's lessons. We spent a lot of time playing games like sword fighting with swim noodles. Games were a lot of fun plus they taught us a lot about how how horses deal with scary horse-eating swim noodles. Scary things will happen on the trail and it is important to know what to do. We learned more advanced things as time went on. My point in this long winded story is to say I think it is really important to go slowly.

I am of the opinion that it is a good idea to board for the first six to 12 months of horse ownership.

My expenses aren't as high as some others. We have ten acres in hay. Our neighbor puts it up for us in exchange for half. We use $15 wormer twice a year and $7 wormer the other two times. The farrier comes out about every eight weeks. That costs $40 for each horse. We feed only hay in the winter; they eat grass in the summer.

I can give shots (except for rabies) and have never floated. Our horsey guy gave us the saddle DD used for lessons. I got one saddle on eBay and another via Craigslist. I paid $30 for one and $100 for the other. I found more used tack and saddle blankets via Craigslist. I purchased another really nice synthetic one from a friend for $75. I had to buy one bit and reins from the tack shop but everything else was used--- and nice. Our horsey guy was impressed. He has purchased a lot of high quality used tack himself. I think he paid about $100 for DD's saddle.

We had a few emergency visits with one horse. He chewed on a barn door, stepped on an nail, and got an abscess. Antibiotics caused him to colic. We got him through that crisis but he lost a ton of weight because of it all. Just when he started getting better, we found him dead in the pasture. We have a great vet and several visits and lots if meds cost us around $500.

We don't have a trailer and have never had a problem with it. One would make it easier to do some stuff but it hasn't bothered us. We don't show. You asked about Coggins. Around here you don't have to have them unless you go off farm.