Horses!!

[Gloria]

Hi everyone! I keep seeing free horses on Craigslist. And I was wondering what it cost's to raise a horse? Say by the month? Just for the basics? I would really love to get a horse, they are beautiful animals.

 

[helmstead]

Never look a gift horse in the mouth, friend. You'll be walking into trouble.

ok, per horse:
Around here...count on around $175 per month for feed and hay. Also budget $25 a month for vet costs (we have an account with the vet and just send him this amount per horse every month, LOL, because we KNOW it'll get spent - usually with an additional balance). Every 6 weeks count on the farrier...around $40 unshod or more like $150 shod. Dewormer, about $10 every 6 weeks (that's a tish high, but we're talking budget here, so always over estimate). Then, supplies...you can spend your whole paycheck on supplies over and over...

The cost of purchasing a horse is NEVER greater than the cost of keeping it. Never.

 

[miss_jayne]

hay in Michigan is 5-6 bucks a bale. average horse eats 2-4 flakes of hay a day. (8 flakes a bale average)

then grain, that totally depends on what the horse does activity-wise.

 

[reallemons1]

Chickens are cheeper.

 

[Chatychick]

I dont grain my horses anymore as processed grain were affecting their feet. Horses are what they call a luxury hobby and I have 6 of them...yep vet cost can climb fast withtehm but they can also with goats and cattle so basically it all depends on your pocketbook...I spend more on feed for my critters than we do on ourselves. Dont get me wrong I love mine and I wont buy anymore. Free horses can be problem horses or just someone wanting to bail as they know they cant get anything for them at a sale barn. If you do decide to go look at them check many different things. Like feet teeth health and if they can be riden by anyone. Some will drug a horse to sell it so buyer s need to go earlier than what is planned to make sure of many things. Good luck.

 

[college town chick]

It depends upon what area of the country you are in and in what style you want to keep them.

I've got four horses, rent the stable they are housed at, and they do some showing -- and I live in the Midwest. The basics for me comes out to roughly $150/month/horse. My horses are stabled with about 5-6 hours turnout during the worst of winter (in the summer they're out most of the day), get wormed four times a year (6 if they're traveling to other places), routine vaccinations 2xyear, dentist work once a year, farrier is out every 6 - 8 weeks, and they get alfalfa/grass mix hay, a grain mix for horses doing pleasure/some performance work, and a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral/salt-electrolytes/probiotic/Omega fats/joint-tendon supplement mix. Then there are the added costs of any emergencies, show fees, training fees, buying stuff for the horse, fixing stuff the horses break, mowing the pastures, seeding/fertilizing the pastures, cleanup expenditures. It adds up.

It can be done more cheaply, but you're still looking at at least $90/month in this area. Depending on your area and circumstances, it might be cheaper still or it might be more expensive.

Most full care boarding barns in my area that do a good job are charging around $250 - 350, and they don't provide feed supplements, farrier, or vet care.

The best thing to do is get in contact with local horse professionals (vets, farriers, boarding stables, trainers, breeders) and ask them what the costs for keeping a horse (and what that entails) in your area and situation are.

Watch out -- horses are addictive!

 

[davidb]

Horses are pretty, I have three but they are pricey to keep even with a big pasture, you will have to feed them some grain year around plus hay in the winter, farriers also charge a good price you will need their feet done at least 3 times per year, and as the hores gets older you will need the teeth fixed plus shots and vet bills.

 

[helmstead]

Quote:
Wow! Thats what board was here about 15 years ago. All the barns around me are now $600-$800 a month, basic full board with VERY limited turnout. I'm happy to have mine at home!

 

[Samarai Jenn]

Oh yeah, horses are very expensive. I have 5, 1 bred painted medicine hat pinto, 1 filly, 1 gelding, 1 pure clydesdale stallion, and 1 bred pure clydesdale. Our feed and vet bills are expensive, yet I can't seem to give them up. lol

 

[college town chick]

I'd also like to comment -- if you are a horse novice, take a horse professional who is trustworthy and competent (not all are) with you to look at a horse.

Most free horses are problem horses, but some are not.

The horse industry is in the tank and still dropping right at the moment -- there are a lot of people who simply cannot afford their horses anymore. Some free horses are actually not so bad -- the current price at the local sale barns can be down around $25 around here and the few horse rescues are full; some people would rather give them away than spend the gas to take them under those situations, and some would rather give their horses free to good homes (with some sort of contract).

So there are some fairly decent (not high quality show animals -- that isnt' going to happen) pleasure/pet quality horses out there; you do have to weed through the problem ones though, and the problems will be in the majority -- hence getting someone with experience that you trust to go with.