okay... how expensive is a horse really?? Monthly food.. farrier vet??

[Fancie]

How much does a horse eat?? how often does it need shoes?? is the vet a yearly thing.

Thanks.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

The amount a horse eats depends on the workload the horse is doing per day.

I feed my horse 1/2 (Folger's coffee) can of 10% Sweet Feed 2x per day. It's in a 40 lb. sack that generally costs $8.50 per bag.

In approximately 2 weeks, we go through 2 of those sacks.

NOW, for shoes. Some horses don't need shoes. My horse had never been shod until he went to live with the leaser. The leaser used him on rough terrain so he shod the horse. Approximately speaking, a $50 bill, without the shot if the horse doesn't want to stand for the farrier.

THEN you have to either use a trailer from a friend or get your own so that you can transport your horse to and from the vet. You have to get shots, teeth cleaning, Coggins, etc.

 

[austin12895]

Horses are deffinately NOT cheap! lol. Ive owned mine for a few years now, and have been ridding for very long. They eat about $1,000 dollars worth of food a year. Vet bills cost me about $200-300 a year. For farrier service i spen about $30 every three months. But i do not shoe. My horse Has very hard Black hooves, and if they dont need them dont get them! There are all Kinds of cost that come with the suppies that you need to keep the horse healthy and safe. If you are not prepared to pay at least 2,500 dollars or more a year. DO NOT GET A HORSE!!! there are to many unwanted horse that can not be properly cared for already in the U.S.

 

[twixerella]

Costs for horses vary it depends on what kind of horse you get.
Farrier: $60 every 6-8 weeks for trimming and shoeing
Feed: Depends on if your horse is in pasture or in a stall but around $5-10 on average maybe more
Vet: YES this is a yearly thing, IT should be at least twice a year. Your horse needs coggins(a list of the shots its had, makes it legal for you to travel and take your horse other places)(usually about $20), you will need to worm your horse every 6-8 weeks (tube of wormer:$6 depending on the type)
There is also the tack, grooming supplies, ect. You need to think long and hard before deciding to get a horse. I'm sure you could find more info on horse forums or horse websites

 

[unionwirewoman]

As everyone here has said....it depends on where you live , how much acreage you have , what your plans are for your horse , and what breed you decide to get . An average size horse needs 20 lbs per day of feed to survive . I've never been the type to grain my horses every day...they tend to get lazy and expect it . I've had a few that will not eat their hay that day because of this . Grain should be a treat , and is mainly used when a horse needs the extra nutrition ( this being horses who are working animals , or if the climate outside reaches a negative area...they tend to burn more calories trying to keep warm ) . We are lucky enough to have enough land to rotate our horses through the year to feed green grass . We only feed hay from middle of May -first of November . Prices of hay will vary state to state , and the quality of hay will too . They do need to be wormed every 3 months ( this means a rotational worming ) cost is (again depending where you are ) $10.00 . No shoeing for me...it's only needed when taking long rides on pavement or gravel roads . Our trimming is $35 per horse . You also have vaccinations like West Nile etc. that you will need to do each yr . All in all......I'd say for 3 horses...we pay anywhere from $1200-$4000 a yr ( depending on hay prices , and what trouble they've gotten themselves into ) . Last yr we put out $1200 for a horse that cut herself clean down to the ligaments in her hock . She ended up being in a cast for 2 weeks and being boarded ( we have no concrete stalls , so trying to keep the dirt out would have been impossible ) . When you own a horse...just be prepared for the worst......they are the greatest friends you could ever have though , when they respect their owners !

 

[okiron]

Quote:
Wouldn't the more helpful thing to do be to suggest adopting one of those unwanted horses rather than tell someone not to own a horse?

 

[cariboujaguar]

It really depends. We are fortunate to have 2 'range raised' AQHA mares who are 'easy keepers' (stay fat on little feed) and are not grass hogs as they were raised on free choice pasture their whole lives We have 30 acres, so they get 'rotated around' all year and we cut and bale our own hay. They do not need supplements such as grain. So we invest about $10 a month for the two mares in water and odd bills such as a mineral block, fly mask etc. My horses are registered from great lines and were given to me for free by a millionaire (Go figure!) so you can REALLY luck out in this economy, if you play your cards right... Otherwise 3 bags of grain at $8.00 a bag (which is insanely cheap around here) is $24.00 a month per horse, half a bale of hay per day per horse is about 15 bales of hay per month at $5 a bale (which is cheap hay) that's about $75 so that's $100 per horse per month not counting the emergency vet, board, lessons, trailering and the odd mineral block etc... hope this helps

 

[okiron]

Quote:
I hate you lol. Bale of hay is $30-ish around here.

 

[Calebs Acre]

The Long Island perspective is a bit different....unfortunately.

Feed runs about $15/bag which for me means about $45/month.
Hay (square bales) run $9-10/each about $250/month.
Farrier for trimming is $60 every two months or $110 for shoes
which averages about $50/month.
Vet for basic shots/Coggins/teeth per year $1800 or $150/month
Wormer (not daily) tube $60/year $5/month

Basic costs, about $500 month without tack, fly spray, accessories, emergency care, etc.

 

[saddina]

My grandfather bred and raised clydesdales for a well-known company for years....

Each horse was about $2600-3400/year to house, feed, vet, etc (1998 costs). He made a good living off it, and when he retired sold off most of the land, just in time for it to become a huge "bedroom community" with Mc Mansions.

It's going to depend on what feed prices are and vet costs where you are now.