How much would it cost to look after a horse?

If your horse ever gets sick or injured, can you afford the vet bill? This will be the most expensive part if your horse is ever unfortunate enough to fall ill or incur an injury. Because you have stated that you do not have a lot of money, I would not be buying your child a horse as they are a very expensive animal to keep and to maintain. They're not like having a cat or dog. It would be better for you and your child in the long run to keep riding her friends horse, especially if it turns out that you can not afford it in the end. That's my advice but what you do with it is totally up to you.

Keeping a horse is a very expensive pursuit. The initial purchase cost is probably the least expensive investment. Also, if your child doesn't have a lot of experience with horses (and it sounds as though she's still firmly a novice), I would highly recommend waiting. Invest your money it getting her riding lessons to improve her skills. Many yards will also gladly swap some free riding time in exchange for some volunteer hours working around the horses, and most horse crazy girl happily put in the work. This a great exchange, as it also teaches the kids about horsemanship and the huge amount of work that goes into keeping a horse.

You might eventually consider leasing a horse, too. Leasing is a slightly less-expensive option. You wouldn't have to pay the purchase cost but you would still end up paying board, shoes, worming costs, vet bills for vaccinations, and for any of the equipment you need (saddle, bridle, pads, horse boots, martingale, breastplate, etc.). Leasing a horse is a major step as it gives you a realistic idea of what owning a horse would be like. And if it's all too much, than you can give the horse back to its owner, your not stuck with it and the horse's well-being is never in jeopardy.

I really must discourage you from purchasing a horse. As a novice rider, your daughter is much better off learning more about horses and riding before you take this step. And financially, it's a huge investment. In America, we can easily pay huge sums. There are many regions where boarding a horse alone can cost your over $8000 a year, shoes $2400 a year, worming $100 a year, vaccinations at least $200, not to mention costs of any riding lessons, equipment, horse shows, vet on-call fees for emergencies, and all the little things that have a way of adding up. Many people, average owners not top show riders, can spend anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand dollars a year. At the current exchange rate, that's almost £7500 a year or more.

Well, if boarding is free, this would make it much easier. Each year vet bills are a lot, depending on how healthy the horse is. Many things can happen over the course of the year. I'm not too sure how much though. I do not want to discourge you to get a horse. This would be great. Boarding is about $500 a month so you are saving a lot by getting it free. As long as your daughter already has tack, brushes etc.....

Fed also is a good amount of money, depending on how the horse eats. Some horses don't eat a lot, others eat a ton. Shoes also cost a lot. Every six weeks(about)they need new ones. Check out how much that will cost. Renting is also something you could do, or lessons, that would be good if your daughter doesn't already take them. If she doesn't I would not get a horse yet. Before you get a horse you should be an experienced rider. There are many things to learn.

You are extemely lucky that you have a friend with field and stables that they will let you have for free.

The best thing to do with regard to the horse, is to check out some websites to see comparable prices - like horse & Hound, or horsequest. Try and take an experienced person with you to try the pony and if not sure then don't buy - it can really put someone off if its not the right pony for them and then you would have problems selling it on.

With regard to cost, you need insurance (public liability as well as cover for the pony's value) This will probably be about 20-30 pm, the farrier will need to visit every 6-8 weeks although being a pony you might not need shoes, just trimming (also dependent on the pony, workload and type of surfaces ridden on). A trim will probably cost £20-30.

In the winter if the pony is kept in you will need bedding, straw or shavings, plus hay and feed, again probably about £20-30 per week (dependent on size, type of bedding and how messy).

Once a year the pony will need a flu/tetanus jab - about £45 inc call out.

If the pony does get ill, then costs could escallate, but this is an if, not a definate.

Its not cheap keeping ponies and perhaps rather than buy one a better suggestion would be to get one on loan, this way you get the benefit of being able to see if you can cope financially and physically - it is a real commitment. If it doesn't work out then you have not had the outlay for a pony and you would be able to send it back, while being able to refer to the owner for help if needed.

Free Stabling Helps Out ALOT But They Still Aren't Exactly Cheap. You Can Buy Ponies Suitable For Novices At Fair Prices, And If They Come With Tack And Rugs Its Even Better! As Your Stabling Is Free You Would Just Have To Pay For Tack And Equipment (Which Can Be Expensive) Vets Bills And Farrier Bills, Feed,Bedding(If It Isnt Included With Stabling) The Link Below Is Of A Good Equine Catalogue With Good Fair Prices And You Can Request A Catalougue For Free

http://www.robinsons-uk.com/

Good Luck With Your New Pony x

To feed a horse is around £10-15 a week in winter depending what you are using the horse for. If its doing a lot of activity, then it may cost more. If the horse is on grass in the summer then this should be enough but, again, if the horse is working a lot, then you will have to give it supplementary food.

Shoes and hoof trimming will need to be done every 6-8 weeks and the average cost is around £70 a time.

Worming must be done every 6 weeks and most wormers cost around £20 a time.

The real cost comes when the vet has to be called in. If your horse gets ill, the cost could run into thousands of pounds so it may be wise to take out vetinary insurance.

I wouldnt advise anyone to get a horse unless they are going to be 100% committed 365 days a year as they are a lot of hard work and can also, as I have demonstrated be very costly.

This could be rough for you, first of all, you can be spending at least 50-100$ a week on your horse. It need plenty of food,water,hay,bedding, etc. It all depends on the type of food you get, some are less expensive, but you need to get the kind thats right for your horse. You also need to get the right horse, just for your daughter. I reccomend no thoroughbreds, if she is beginner/novice, or if anybody else in the family plans to ride, sure thoroughbreds are good, but they always always have their spunky days. And I would not get an off the racetrack horse. Luckily you do get free board at your friends house. However, when you need vaccines that can be roughly 175$. I just got those two days ago, & thats about how much it was. You also need a farrier about every 8 weeks, & that cost will range, depending on what you get. Ours is only 35$ a trim for our horse, but barn call is 15 more dollars. So it all depends on what your getting. I'd say if you dont know if you have the money or not, dont get one just in case you find out later you dont have enough money. Then it'll save you the heartbreak!

the easiest part of buying a horse is buying it. The hardest part is keeping it. Horses are VERY expensive. Even if the board is free. The horse needs feed. I don't know how much grain and hay costs in your country, so you may want to investigate. A horse can go through 3/4 to a whole bale of hay per day.The horse needs his feet trimmed by a farrier every 6-8 weeks even if he has no shoes and that can be costly. Then you need to have veterinarian come to the stable to administer the various vaccines and worming medications. Who will be responsibil for mucking out the stalls. This has to be done on a daily basis if not twice a day. Your daughter must be prepared to spend a lot of time with her horse. Plus how is she doing in school??? Horses take away alot of time and energy, owning a horse is a BIG responsibility. Make sure your daughert is ready for the commitment. Good luck and I hope it works out horses can also bring great joy if you are throughly prepared.

A lot of this depends on the type of horse you are looking, before I start can I just say that NO horse needs worming every four weeks as one of your answers states.

You are very lucky to be getting free grazing as this is one of the biggest costs...but friendships can change, and what would you do if you lost this facility ?

If the horse is a good dooer... a cob for example that holds its weight well your feeding costs will be far less than a TB, that said you need to take into account money for ....

hay, feeding, tack, rugs, shoeing/trimming, dentist, vacs, and insurance...no horse should be out on the road without the minimum of third party insurance, this is a live animal we are talking about and it doesn't matter how good they are it might only take a wasp sting for it to take fright and land on a passing car, worse still, a child.

Hay prices change from year to year and in different areas, you would probably be best speaking to your friend and asking them for the finer details.... and then double it !!!

Hope you make the right decision for both you and the horses sake...horses can bring so much enjoyment, but are hard work and very time consuming...how will you and your daughter feel when it is pitch black, throwing it down with rain and freezing cold... and your fave soap is about to start..the horse will still need looking after.

GOOD LUCK in whater ever you decide to do !!!

Don't even think of buying a horse or pony without professional help. There are many many considerations, and it's so easy to buy something unsuitable, lame, sick or just plain dangerous. The cost of keeping a horse at grass will be minimal in summer - £20 pw should cover foot care and feed IF the fields are well looked after with good grass. In winter your horse will probably need stabling, rugs, hay, feed, maybe shoeing, and all sorts of extras. You need to budget for saddlery and veterinary care too - these don't come cheap. Your daughter is also likely to need lessons, and you could find the cost nearer £70 pw overall.

Also, do you have the TIME to look after a horse? - someone must be there to care for it at least once a day at grass in summer, and 3 times a day when stabled.