Cube mk2 and WIR

[Chili]

My daughter has the chance of having a pony on loan and was hoping you could give me an idea of basic costs. I myself have ridden since I was a child and so know all the basics of pony care etc. I know I have to take into account stabling, food, hay, worming, the blacksmith, equine dentist and insurance but I'm not sure how much all of this will cost.

 

Any advice gratefully received.

[hils78]

It will depend on the horse its self...ie special diet? on any stupidly expensive suppliment?!

I'm out of practise now, but would suggest getting a list from its current owner as to what it is being fed on at the moment & also if it comes with tack etc - also what is it being bedded down on? then go to your local horse feed merchant/farm shop & get them to help price it up.

Hope this helps a little! good luck.

 

hx

 

ps I can mend tack but you're a bit too far away!

[WitchHazel]

I sold my horses a couple of years ago.

 

At the time I was paying £60 per horse every 6 weeks for shoeing; wormers were about £9 each, every 8 weeks; insurance was about £300 a year; I had the Back Lady once a year, and the Dentist once a year - but I can't remember what they cost, sorry.

 

I had booster injections each year, again I can't remember the cost - sorry.

 

My horse was stabled, and I used Aubiose for bedding. I used one to two bales a week per horse, once the bed was established. In winter, when they were in a lot, I used to use half a bale of hay a day per horse (1/4 bale morning, 1/4 bale evening). Hay was about £4.50 a bale. In the summer, they were out 24 hours a day and didn't get any hay because there was plenty of grass.

 

In winter, and in the summer on das when they worked, I ed a hard feed. This was probably 1 sack per horse per month. I also fed vast amounts of carrots, but the farm I was on used to get in bags of "horse carrots" so was relatively cheap. I used garlic powder as a supplement aat every feed, plus others as required.

 

Not sure if that helps!

[chocchick]

You could try asking or searching on the New Rider forum.

[Gamebird]

I keep my horse at home so I don’t have to pay any livery costs which can be anything between £15 and £25 for DIY per week.

 

If it’s a pony it could probably survive on hay and grass. This year my hay cost me £3.50 per bale delivered and would think a pony would get through at least a bale per week depending on what grass was available and if the pony is a ‘good-doer’. Hard feed costs about £10 per 25kg bag and I go through a bag per week although I wouldn’t think a pony would need that much, if at all. My horse is 16.3h so eats considerably more and I keep him fairly fit for competitions throughout the year.

 

Shoes every six weeks cost me £64. Wormer £50 a year. Annual injections cost about £32 plus vet’s travelling expenses (I take my horse to the vet so that cuts down on costs). Dentist once a year £40. I only have third part liability insurance which is included in my Gold membership of the BHS. However, if you are having this pony on loan you would be wise to take out vet insurance as well which as WitchHazel says could cost about £300 per year.

 

I bed my horse on Aquamax on a rubber floor and after the initial setting up I use about 2 bags per week. This costs about £8.50 per bag. Straw is cheaper if you have somewhere to store it and you can get hold of some.

 

All in all the costs do seem to mount up but for me it’s worth every penny.

 

Good luck.

[hilda-and-evadne]

My daughter has the chance of having a pony on loan and was hoping you could give me an idea of basic costs. I myself have ridden since I was a child and so know all the basics of pony care etc. I know I have to take into account stabling, food, hay, worming, the blacksmith, equine dentist and insurance but I'm not sure how much all of this will cost.

 

I have recently had to look up this information for another reason, so have it to hand. There is a breakdown of the cost - between £3,000 and £5,000 per year - here

 

http://www.equine-world.co.uk/buying_horses/cost_horse.htm

 

but comparing these with costs quoted on the Horse and Hound forum, some of the costs seem to be out of date (for instance, in Essex, keeping a horse at a livery stable while looking after it yourself costs £200-£250/month).

 

The RSPCA web site states that a horse will cost £70,000 to maintain over its lifetime.

[chickenlass]

Lucky Daughter I had to wait until I was 42 to get my first ever pony and I still have her now 10 years later.

They bring a lot of pleasure but can be hard work if you intend to keep them at home and care for them yourself. If you get a native it would possibly be able to live out all year and grass livery is a lot cheaper than other livery.

I pay £50 for shoes every 6 weeks and Vaccinations once a year are around £35 I think.

Insurance has already been mentioned and varies depending on the level of cover you want and the animals value.

Of course make sure you have a written loan agreement drawn up so it is quite clear who is going to pay for and who is responsible for what. I think there is a draft agreement on the BHS site that covers pretty much all the basics.

Good Luck

[Guest]

Somone offered one on my local freecycle the other day - and I thought offering a chicken was random!

 

"Hi I have a horse that we had given to us by a friend but unfortunately it

does not get on with my other 2 so he must go

 

Please only reply if you know what you are taking on as he is expensive to

feed and care for"

 

If only I'd had a small field I could have taken up horses!

[AnnieP]

Well done your daughter! What fun!

They are so time consuming and expensive though! How old is your daughter and would she have the time daily to tend to the horse? I only ask because as a teenager with homework responsibilities, I found looking after a pony to be just too demanding on my time.

My darling donks cost me(each)as a basis, £40 a year dentist, £80 vets equine flu and tetanus jabs, farrier £40 every 6 weeks, straw (bedding) £250 a year. feed £10 every month. Insurance £60 per year. They live on site, so no field/stable rental, but for your information, I rent out a stable and field to a horse owner and I charge £60 PCM.

Hope that helps.

[tweecy]

Hi

I've had horses that I've let out on loan and I think the thing that causes the most trouble is when the horse becomes ill. Say you own a horse and the loanee rides too much or has an accident and knackers your horse, and then gives it back, and you then have a horse that can't be ridden and have the cost of keeping it etc.

So, it is important to have the best insurance you can, not necessarily the most expensive,

but one that covers yourself and the owner in case something bad happens so that in the event a horse becomes unrideable a sum is paid for 'retirement'. You should have a written contract setting all the terms out, including how much notice you will give to return pony and vice versa. Who is responsible for vets bills, are you allowed to change where you keep the pony, are you allowed to take it to shows, jump it, etc. Who is responsible for maintaining tack if supplied.

The cost of keeping depends on whether the pony will live in or out. Most native breeds will live out if rugged (about 3 rugs required - different togs depending on weather, and always a spare dry one - can be purchased second hand).

Grazing and stabling costs depend on exactly where you are as they can vary within a few miles, but a rule of thumb is about £15.00 for grazing per week. Stabling and grazing around £25.00, but you will probably have to bring pony in at night, many yards will let pony out for you for a few pound extra. Bear in mind if you do have stabling and grazing you will probably have to bring pony in at night in order to save the grass on the fields, so if you think you might save a few bob on bedding if the weather is nice during the winter, it is unlikely that the yard owner will let you leave the pony out - which is fair as they need to conserve the grass from too much poaching.

If you do opt for a livery yard you will probably make friends with one or two other people who will take it in turn with you to bring ponies in etc.

Hay and feed will depend on size of pony/work required but a maintenance diet only in the winter will require hay even if kept on grazing. 2 bales a week for about 5 months of the year approx. is plenty. Hard feed will be minimal unless pony is going to be doing a lot of work.

Farrier cost will depend on where you are. It is not necessary to have pony shod all year round unless working, so a trim will be fine every 6-8 weeks, and have shod in the summer - I'm assuming there won't be any riding in the winter months because of daylight, and weekends is a bit hit and miss with weather. Light schooling on soft ground for 1/2 hour or so won't hurt feet unless very poor hooves, and if that is the case I'd think twice about having it as pony might be prone to lameness anyway.

Don't forget to check whether pony is good with traffic as even the best riding areas often have the odd tractor popping up when not expected.

Gosh - there's so much to think about - the more I type, the more I think!

It can work very well though, just as long as you both know exactly where you stand.

The BHS might have a specimin loan contract, or they might give you some advice, they will advise you even if you aren't a member.

Good luck, you'll love it.

[..lay a little egg for me]

Just to add to tweecy's very complete reply...regarding illness, one of the most common problems in ponies is laminitis, which can be very expensive to deal with and can be hard to prevent in some ponies. It is worth asking if the pony has ever had laminitis and if so, what needs to be done to prevent it recurring. I took on a horse with a history of laminitis, but only because I had had ponies that suffered from it so knew what I was doing. If you are going to be responsible for vets fees, it might be worth getting the pony inspected by a vet before taking it on.

[Rhapsody]

I charge my liveries 180pm for all-year round unlimited turnout, a matted stable, hay and bedding in the winter and a floodlit school.

My costs for my nags-

My horses are barefoot, a performance trim costs me £30 every 8 weeks (and they do fast hacking over stony ground, it can be done!). I buy 2 bags chaff at £6 a bag and a few supplements which come to around £10 per month for 3 horses and a pony. My Fjord and Shetland live out unrugged, the other two get a cheap Medium Weight rug at the beginning of the cold weather which I chuck come Spring. All my horses live out 24/7/365 as they are hardy Natives and dont need/ are happier outside a stable. Insurance costs me £350 per horse per year.

Hay is roughly £3 a bale and shavings £5.50.

Hope that helps!

[tweecy]

Just to add to tweecy's very complete reply...regarding illness, one of the most common problems in ponies is laminitis, which can be very expensive to deal with and can be hard to prevent in some ponies. It is worth asking if the pony has ever had laminitis and if so, what needs to be done to prevent it recurring. I took on a horse with a history of laminitis, but only because I had had ponies that suffered from it so knew what I was doing. If you are going to be responsible for vets fees, it might be worth getting the pony inspected by a vet before taking it on.

-------------

Oops, sorry, I do go on a bit, but mean well

[Egg Lou]

I charge my liveries 180pm for all-year round unlimited turnout, a matted stable, hay and bedding in the winter and a floodlit school.

My costs for my nags-

My horses are barefoot, a performance trim costs me £30 every 8 weeks (and they do fast hacking over stony ground, it can be done!). I buy 2 bags chaff at £6 a bag and a few supplements which come to around £10 per month for 3 horses and a pony. My Fjord and Shetland live out unrugged, the other two get a cheap Medium Weight rug at the beginning of the cold weather which I chuck come Spring. All my horses live out 24/7/365 as they are hardy Natives and dont need/ are happier outside a stable. Insurance costs me £350 per horse per year.

Hay is roughly £3 a bale and shavings £5.50.

Hope that helps!

 

Now I wish I lived closer to you Rhapsody I pay £100 DIY for each of my two, plus buy my own hay, shavings/straw which mounts up more than £180! although I guess this evens out over the summer months...

 

My bills are roughly..

 

per month..

 

£200 livery

£50 hay

£50 shavings ( horse)

£20 straw (pony)

£50 feed

£60 shoes (pony unshod)

 

 

per year..

 

£800 insurance both

£100 jabs x 2

£40 dentist x 2

 

plus ad hoc's

 

£300-400 per year on replacement rugs

£100 on fly sprays/creams/sweet itch treatments

"extra essentials" including DD's must haves! £200 a year if I'm lucky

 

also had mis fortune to need a very large operation on my lad mostly covered by insurance but hospital and 3 months stabling addded up to £1k.

 

misc show fees and lorry costs £?? you don't want to know!

 

Of course you can keep them without some of these costs but vets/ farrier/feed and stabling all need to be taken into account. I should add they are well worth it though dispite what I am about to say

 

I also strongly recommend having third party insurance as it is all too easy for any animal to injure someone regardless of how lovely that horse may be.. I am going through a rather nasty claim at the moment and would be in very hot water without insurance.

 

So after all that .. anyone want mine a share in mine? cost me a fortune.. I can't ride anymore due to injury and DD riding less and less so very expensive unused pets at the moment

[Paola]

What a shame you cannot ride anymore How is your friends hand doing?

[Egg Lou]

What a shame you cannot ride anymore How is your friends hand doing?

 

Hi Paola

 

Thanks for asking I'll pm you as difficult situation.

[Paola]

Ok

[Bassett]

I sold my welsh cob about 5 years ago, but at that time he was costing me £600 a month to keep. This included all the costs mentioned in other posts and also weekly lessons with my trainer, petrol costs and occasional competitions.

 

 

Good Luck, I hope you decide to go ahead with the loan pony and have lots of fun.