coco Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I had ponies when I was younger and have always promised myself I would get a horse one day. I am now possibly in a situation where getting one may be possible. How much does it cost to keep a horse, I can get diy livery for 20.00 a week. Its its 26 uears since I last had one so any advice would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizzyMomma Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 £20 pw for DIY sounds good, but what facilities do they offer?? Is there all year turn out or do they have to be kept in 24/7 through the winter to preserve grazing, can you turn out 24/7 through the summer? Can you buy bedding and forage direct from the Yard Owners or would you have to source it yourself and arrange deliveries?? What facilities are there for riding? Is there a all weather menage', tracks and trails around the farm are useful too? Does the yard have a worming programme that every-one sticks to or are you left to your own devices? Is there individual turn out or do all the boys have a field and all the girls another or is it every-one in together? Check fencing, there should be NO barbed wire whatsoever... does the Yard Owner live onsite and if so do they do a late night check of the yard before turning in?? Is the tack room secure? Is there a seperate area to store all your rugs and equipment??? Lots and lots of things to consider...feel free to PM me if you like, there is soo much more than this LOL! Might take a little while to reply though as my internet is down and I am currently hogging my parent's, should be back online again mid week..... Hope that's helped a little bit??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Plus cost of insurance for horse and tack (although if your tack room doesn't have SECURE locks or you can't stash it at home, some people don't insure their tack as if it is stolen, there are so many excesses.) shoeing (£70 every 6 weeks for a 14.2H in Surrey) feed hay (prices have gone up recently) dentist rugs tack and saddle checks every 6 months by a qualified saddler are good lessons?? your clothing petrol to and from yard if driving bedding equipment if you need it eg wheelbarrow, fork, buckets etc grooming equipt including storage container An idea, you could get a sharer to help you out financially and help with the mucking out/poo picking etc. Especially good if your horse is a laid back type. If you are buying a horse, my instructor friend would strongly advocate not using a dealer!!!! Good luck, from an avid horse fan!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverC Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Some good points raised above. I have horses too, and they cost a small fortune but are worth it. A good idea about sharing with someone, there are loads of horses on our yard where people don't really have the time/money and are glad of the help, might get you back into the swing of things. As a rough comparison, I keep mine on assisted DIY which costs: £96 per calendar month per stable £1.50 a day for someone to turn you horse out into the field or you can do it yourself. Grazing is mares and geldings separate and is 365 days per year, but not overnight. We have post & rail and electric fencing which is all maintained by the farm manager. Straw and hay/haylage must be bought on site, and is £20 for a giant round bale of whichever you choose. Shavings can be bought elsewhere and as a rough guide, I'm paying £6.50 a bag, using one bag per horse per week. Mine are British Native breeds so as a rule, don't need feeding as much as a more hotblooded breed. I do ahve to pay extra for supplements though for one as she is a veteran so is on a veteran specific vitamin supplement plus a joint supplement. Both are insured at around per month each, farrier every six weeks at £60 for the two of them (one is barefoot, the other only shod in front - often a benefit of having a native breed). Worming is about £15 a time, injections £50 a year after the inital jab. That's about all I can think of. If you can pick up a book on ebay by Susan McBane called something like "the owners guide to saving time and money" thta has some really good tips. I too had a big break before getting back into horses and things had changed a lot! I see you are in Flintshire. I have a friend near Ruthin who has her own yard with masses of grazing - not sure how far you are from there, but she has hacking through the Clocaenog Forest and is a lovely person to boot, might be worth checking thibgs out if she is near enough as I'm sure she'd gladly offer advice. PM me if you want anymore info, as I'm on my lunch so am power typing, I'm sure there's loads I've missed. The most important thing its, what kind of steed are you after? I love virtual pony hunting! Mine are a Welsh Cob and a Highland Pony, and have previously owned a thoroughbred ex racer, and a Section A mare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Oo that's like asking how long is a piece of string. It'll depend on where you keep your horse, what each individual horse requires (health wise, shoes or no shoes etc.), how good you are at not spending and so on. Always expect to spend more than you plan to. Each haylage order is over £300 which is the best and cheapest I can source and lasts my two horses 10-12 weeks, farrier about £60 a set of shoes each or £20 for trim, horse feed £10 a sack for cubes, £7 chaff, straw £4.50 or shavings £10, vet call out charge between £15-40, horse rugs for each season between £40-£100+. Hope this helps. P.S. Expensive, hardwork but theraputic, I wouldn't be without 'em! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
