Conference noted::equitation

    If you are boarding a horse in the Greater Maynard Area, the bottom end
    of the price range to cover all the items you mention is $5,000 per
    year, most of which is made up of board bills. This assumes you own a
    robust horse with no particular problems in feeding or shoeing. This
    also assumes that you are not a hypochondriac who calls the vet every
    time your horse coughs. Cash outlay is lower if you keep your horse "at
    home" but you are really substituting your time and labour for somebody
    else's.
    
    Full board in the Greater Maynard Area runs $300 per month and up
    depending on facilities. The blacksmiths' cartel seems to want $60 to
    $80 every two month for normal shoeing, more for winter shoes. Minimum
    cost for the vet for annual vaccinations, EIA test and teeth floating
    etc: will be $100 or so.
    
    Now, of course, you will want to do something with your horse. And you
    will have to get all the "right gear" for whatever that "something" is.
    And lessons, training, and going to shows. None of this did I include
    in my $5K estimate.

    In my area, you can find full board (w/ turnout ect) running from $175
    to $265 per month (the second figure has an indoor arena on top of
    everything else).
    
    Shoes, shots and worming will probably run a heavy average of $50
    to $60 per month.  And like .1 said, you'll need tack.  And I always
    looking at purchasing new stuff...
    
    A good way to find out if it's something you want to do is to find
    a place that may offer opportunities for you to lease or do chores
    in exchange for riding time.  At least you'll get an idea of the
    commitment w/ out laying out a ton of $$. 
    
    Also, if you think you just want to get into trail riding, try to 
    find an adult barn where the major activity is trail riding.  You'll
    have a lot of fun and they tend to be on the lower monthly fee scale as
    they don't require all the extras.  If it's lessons you want, find a
    place which offers lessons in the disipline you like, or one that can
    teach a variey of them.
    
    Good luck and keep us posted!  Owning your own horse is a wonderful 
    experience.
    
    Michele                           
    
    Michele

    My estimate of keeping my horse at home, including vet, shoeing,etc. 
    is about $5. per day.  This doesn't include those expensive impluse
    buys at the tack shops or unusual vet expenses (like the time she went 
    to Tufts).  I came up with this figure last year by going through all 
    my checks and reciepts and I think it is a comfortable number, not
    skimpy.  I buy my hay and shavings in bulk, and it is a lot more work
    than boarding, but you have more chance to build a relationship and
    trust with your animal.
     
    Sharon

    
    
    
    
    
    
    I average it out to be $4.61 a day NOTE: this does not include
    tack which can run into the $K's or boarding which can be between 
    $150-$400 per month. Costs of grain, hay, shavings, etc., vary 
    greatly depending on where you are located geographically. Here is 
    the breakdown for (1) extremely healthy horse who never gets sick 
    or gets in trouble with the neighbors:
    
    Hay: 15 bales a month @ $2.25 per bale X 12 months        = $405.00
    
    Grain: 8 LBS a day X 365 days  @ $12.00 per 100 lb bag    = $360.00
    
    Shavings: 2 bags a week X 5 months  @ $2.50 a bag         = $100.00
    
    Shoes: every eight weeks @ $60                            = $360.00
    
    Worming: every eight weeks @ $10.00 per tube   	      = $ 60.00
    
    Shots: spring/fall				              = $100.00
    
    Electricity/Water:	$25 a month X 12 months               = $300.00
    
    Your labor: 2 hours a day x 365 days =		       ????????	
    
    Tina
     

    Thanks for all your responses.  I read an article on the cost of owning
    a horse in Practical Horseman about 6 months ago and the author gave a
    figure of about $4000 - $5000/yr, if you do some things yourself and are a
    careful shopper.  So your replies seem to be in line with that.  I already
    have some tack (saddle, girth etc...), but am aware of the INCREDIBLE
    temptation tack shops present!  Sometimes it's tough to not go to State
    Line and buy, buy, buy -- even though I don't really need half the
    stuff.
    
    I think for now I'll just stick with lessons, then maybe lease for a while.
    But someday...
    
    
    Thanks again,
    Hratch
    

		After all they do call it the sport of kings

Having a large pasture saves on the cost of hay for me, and rough board
helps allot to.

100 bales of hay last me 1yr @2.50 a bale = $250.00/yr or 	1.46/day

20lbs of grain last me 1 month for a cost of $20 for 150lbs 
a yearly cost of $960 or 					2.64/day

Board cost $60/month a yearly cost of $720 or			1.97/day

A dump truck load of shavings (split 3 ways) is $40
it last 3 months, for a total cost of $160/yr or		 .43/day

	Total yearly cost: $2,090.00 - Total daily cost: $6.49

**Shoes and vet bills are the only thing that gets me**

Average shoes for me is every 6weeks at an average cost of $70.00
a yearly cost of about $720.00 a year

A [[expected]] two vet visits a year cost me $100.00 this does
not count the two or three more visits one might need due to injury

		So just for average horse care mine is costing
		me $3,000.00/year

Tack is another whole can of worms.  Last year I was going to the
store every Saturday for about 3 months and dropping a good $100-$200 
every week.

Then there are horse shows to pay for and trailers and trucks to pull 
them.

It never ends.  :-)

Louisa

    
    The only thing I pay for are the shoeings and vet calls.....
    
    The bennies of owning a feed store! (;
    
    

    I budget $100 a month for all expenses, including small expenditures
    at the tack shop (have to save extra for large ticket items), and
    I come out ahead of the game almost every month.  This is per horse.
    My horses themselves were both under $500. each, the two stall barn
    (stick built by hubby and myself) totalled around $5000.00. The
    trailer was $1000.00 (used but in excellent condition), and the truck
    was around $8k.  The outdoor ring, including the driveway up to it
    that required a culvert to cross a large brook, was about $5k total.
    So, for me, the initial investments of truck/trailer, ring and barn
    were major, while the monthy expenses afterwards are very low.  I
    don't really consider the investment of my own time/labor doing
    chores...I love having them at home and would want to do so even
    if it WERE cheaper to board out. 
    

    We are budgeting $100 per horse per month for feed, shavings ect.  I
    hope it's enough, as it sounds like it's more in the $150 /month range.

    
    	and some days I just don't *want* to know..............
    
    	of course my husband keeps all that detail on the computer
    	so he can speel numbers at me at the drop of a hat...  
    
    	Seriously tho - and folks have mentioned it already, but
    	there is no cost that I can associate with the time I
    	spend in the barn, or riding, or just doing horse things.
    	Today it cost me $49. at the tack shop at lunch, but last
    	night it was endless smiles as I watched my mare watching
    	me unloading a trailer load of hay (just for HER).. she
    	smiled, and even said "thanks Holl"  I love her.
    
    

    Re:
    >We are budgeting $100 per horse per month for feed, shavings ect.  I
    >hope it's enough, as it sounds like it's more in the $150 /month range.
    
    I think an "almost-all-inclusive" amount for keeping horses at home 
    would be about $150/month per horse but it depends on 3 things: 
    1) What your costs are compared to ours 
    B) How much "consumable commodities"(bedding/hay/grain) you use
       compared to us
    iii) What you include in "etc"
    
    Here in WA, we pay about $275 for a 42 cubic yard load of
    bedding(sawdust or shavings). The way we bed stalls that works out to
    about $20/month per horse.
    
    Due to a substandard yield in this year's hay crop, top quality grass
    hay is selling for $170-$190 per ton. For the amount we feed, That
    works out to to $60-$65/month per horse.
    
    Since out horses are "Air Ferns", the grain bill is minimal, $7/month
    per horse.
    
    So far, that's $92 a month plus our labor for feed & bedding. 
    
    Now add in the utilities in your barn. We have a phone extension
    $12/month(so we can call the vet in an emergency) and electricity.
    In the case of our old 3 stall barn, electricity was about 
    $10 a month. It had 4 flourescent lights, 3 200W bulb lights, 4 
    300W paddock lights and a 10'x10' tack room heated to 60 degrees
    w/electric heater. While many boarding barns have such amenities, our
    old barn had no hot water heater, no refrigerator and no washer/dryer.
    
    Utilities = $7.50 per horse per month in that case. NOTE: These costs
    would go down on a per horse basis if you had a larger barn! The phone
    would be the same, the heat for the tackroom would be the same as would
    the paddock lighting...HEY, you can save money by getting more horses! ;-) 
    
    Current subtotal = $99.50
    
    Shoeing, vet bills and tack are about the same whether you board or 
    keep them at home. Well, you can save money on vet bills by doing
    your own shots & wormings. Some boarding barns won't let folks do 
    that so maybe the bills aren't quite the same.
    
    Shoeing ever other month at $60 per horse = $30/month if that's
    included in "etc."
    
    Shots & worming = ~$10 a month for an "aggressive" vaccination & worming
    schedule if you do it.
    
    Vet bills for routine care/tests(floating teeth, Coggins test, etc) 
    $10/month per horse.
    
    So that adds up to $149.50 and covers nearly all the routine care. I
    say nearly because every once in a while you'll need a new manure fork,
    wheelbarrow, etc but those are "capital expenditures" rather than
    monthly expenses. Now tack is *REALLY* under "capital expenditures" 
    heading!

    re: .6    
>>  I think for now I'll just stick with lessons, then maybe lease for a while.
>>  But someday...

    After almost 4 years of a lesson a week (sum the cost of that!) 
    & 3 half leases totaling maybe 2 years out of the last 3 I bought 
    my first horse.

    I bought a Trakehner, hoping to buy a western saddle and
    rope me some cows over at Great Brook in Carlisle.
    
    Turns out he knows a fair bit of Dressage which is a very
    pleasant suprise.

    Bill

    What riding do you want to do again ? Heck do you really know the
    differences in the styles ?  Buying a horse to soon and then realizing
    youv'e got to do some serious show jumping (or Dressage or whatever) 
    may not be a good mix.  And of course buying a show jumping TB from
    a show barn may get your neck broke on a trail ride.

    Hi Bill,
    
    Don't let all this scare you!  :-)  It is worth every cent
    and somehow we all have been able to continue doing it...
    
    As for monthly costs we too come up with ~$150 per month
    here in NH - keeping them at home of course.
    
    Also, I have a registered Morgan gelding who has been trained
    to level 1 dressarge (read: he knows mroe than me!) and he cost
    exactly $1 - there are many good, trained horses available if
    you take your time and look around.  Also, if you are only a
    back yard 'hacker' (like us) you don't need some fancy horse
    at some fancy price.  just my .02  :-)
    
    I don't recall if you mentioned where you live but I do know
    of many good well trained horses available here and in Mass.
    for "free".  Contact me off line and I'll be glad to fill you in.
    
    
    happy trails,
    Cheryl

    re .13:
    
    I agree that I should take my time and really decide what type of
    riding I'll be doing.  As I mentioned in the base note, I probably
    won't buy a horse for a few years, but it's still nice to think about
    it periodically.  I live in N.H. and work in Mass. and have been riding
    for about a year and a half (hunt seat).  I've done a bit of jumping
    (which I've enjoyed -- even with the occasional fall!), but would like
    to really work on getting a good seat and improving my equitation.  So,
    I guess you could say that I'm not yet 100% sure what type of riding
    I'll be doing in the future.  However, I'm fairly sure I'd like to
    continue hunter/jumper.
    
    Thanks to all for the information and advice you've provided.
    
    
    Hratch
    

    Michele,
    
    About your concern that $100 a month is not enough...I get by just fine
    on that, but I have a few ways of cutting costs:
    
    1) My horses are on constant free access turnout, and only require 2
       bags of shaving per week. I also pick up all my own shavings and
       hay, while delivery is more convienent, the extra .50 cents or so
       for delivery adds up fast. AND, in the summer, I get bulk shavings
       for free at the sawmill at the end of my road, just have to bag
       them myself.
    
    2) I try to arrange to pick up my hay right in the field whenever
       possible, the farmer cuts 25 cents per bale of when I do so.
    
    3) I have no manure-removal expenses, luckily a neighbor loves the 
       stuff and hauls it away by the truckload (I dont KNOW why, I 
       dont' ask too many questions :).
    
    I do not include in my $100 budget things that Jon mentioned, like
    a phone (one in the barn has never occurred to me), electricity
    (which I have in the barn but was installed free by my electrician
     father), or general maintenance costs such as fence paint, replacing
     loose boards, etc). I do include small tack shop expenditures, ie:
    worming medicine, bug spray, the routine small-ticket stuff.  
    
    I am sure you will find that a lot depends on your individual horse,
    too. The gelding is considerably more expensive to maintain than my
    mare, but his bills are paid by my brother (thankfully!). He is 
    a stereo-typical hardkeeper thoroughbred with lousy feet that require
    special shoeing, requires a supplement (I use Source), eats like a pig,
    and is injury prone.  My mare is the exact opposite, with wonderful
    feet that need nothing special, holds her weight wonderfully, is tough
    as iron, and keeps her nose out of trouble. :-)
    

    Gosh!  You east coast people really have to shell out a LOT of money! 
    Here in the ozarks (Missouri) the cost of horse ownership is quite
    different.  Granted, I don't show my horse.  For pasture boarding it
    costs me $40.00 per month.  That includes round bales during the
    winter.  I give her grain ($4.00 per 100 lb bag), just enough to catch
    her.  She gets a little pudgy when I feed her too much or leave her on
    lush pasture.  Considering that I have to share grain with the other
    horses to keep them from trampling me when I go to catch mine, one bag
    will last about 3 weeks.  Shoeing costs anywhere from $25.00 to $50.00
    depending on who does it.  The $25.00 job is what I got last time.  He
    was an old cowboy from the hills-best job I've seen so far!  He even
    corrected her contracted heels...  Zemecterin wormer every 2 months
    ($9.95) Checkup and preg-check at the vet ran me $30.00.  One thing to
    mention is that my horse is a "mongrel" and typically doesn't have the
    problems that the show horses I board her with have.  I bought her
    because she's an easy keeper and doesn't colic or founder.  
    
    She cost me $600.00.  Her new barrel racing saddle, (American Saddle
    Co) cost $490.00 and saddle blanket was $14.00.  The rest of the stuff
    I just accumulated here and there.  Maybe you guys should all move to
    Missouri...

    
    My wife recently began taking riding lessons and she has been joking
    about buying a horse because she enjoys it so much.  At least, I hope
    she is joking!  In any event, I'm curious what would represent the
    total cost of ownership per month.  I think that would include
    boarding, food, vet, equipment, etc.  I'd appreciate any estimates from
    those of you who own horses.
    
    Thanks very much.

    
    See note 1852. Lots of good information there!!!
    
    I'm working on my husband also! :>)
    
    Mary
    

    This does depend on the horse as well as what you do with him. 
    I have two horses at home.  One is an 'easy keeper', meaning that
    he stays fat on very little, and he stays healthy and probably wouldn't
    even need shoes but I put them on anyway. He is a morgan type and costs 
    me about $25/week, this is at home and includes everything necessary to 
    maintain him (shots, worming, salt, shavings, feed, Etc., Etc.)
    
    My other horse is older, bigger, more energy burning, and tends to have
    more health problems.  She costs about $35/week to maintain, plus any
    surprise vet bills (none this year, thank god). She is a thoroughbred 
    type (Trakhener). 
    
    Generally western 'cold blood' horse types are cheaper to maintain than 
    English 'Hot/warm blood' types. (I'll probably get crucified for saying 
    that!).  If you board, this probably won't make much difference to you
    though because they charge per horse. I don't know much about boarding
    costs, someone else might reply to that.
    
    Sharon

    I have moved the discussion begun by SOLVIT::PREVOST (2003) and it's
    replies regarding the cost of horse-ownership to this string.  Please 
    continue the discussion here.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Linda
    co-mod
      

    unable to find 2003..
    
    	I have 3 horses and my feed bill is around $150/month.  We do
    our own shots & worming, add about $80/year. Shoeing is about $600/year
    We have them in our backyard ~5acres. It all comes to $2480, assuming
    you don't need a vet for anything. 
    	It would be save to say no more then $1000/year for a quarter
    horse, with no vet problems, keeping them on you own place.
    	We feed them about 5lbs of complete feed and a flake of hay 
    2 times per day. They are quite fat and happy. 
    	A friend of mine with a ARAB, goes through almost 3 times the feed
    per horse then I do, and more vet bills then I could imagine.  Find a
    nice quiet horse, check out its stall.  If it is all chewed up,
    lots of boards missing or don't match be aware. 
    
    Good luck, I moved to Colorado so I could afford to own a house
    and a horse after my divorce. I love hearing them nicker when they see
    me. 
    
    	Carl K 

    Ok...I'll put in an Arab reply.
    
    I have 3.  They're all pretty roly-poly.  One gets only 2 lbs (measured
    in a one lb coffee can) of complete feed (Purina 10% sweet feed) per
    day and about 1/3 of a bale of grass hay.  The other two get only 3 lbs
    of feed (should be cut back probably but food is love) and the same
    amount of hay. 
    
    Your feed bills will be affected by how much work your horses do as
    much as by what kind of horse you have.  My horses don't work that
    hard, especially at this time of year.  They're turned out 12 hourse a
    day but they are not out there doing aerobics unless you count jaw
    exercises.
    
    Vet bills and blacksmith bills will vary obviously.  I do my own
    worming but the vet comes in the spring for annual immunizations (about
    60 bucks per horse).  And, knock on wood, I have never in 30 years of
    owning horses had any serious illness.  My oldest horse is now almost
    18 and she's never even had a cold.  
    
    Your mileage may, as they say, vary.  Don't look at the cost as just
    an expense...consider it an investment in your mental health!
    
    gwen