How much did your first horse cost?

[Beverley]

1st, $200, 1965. Grade mare. Died o’ colic within a year (and had a bad ticker besides, it turns out).

2nd, free, 1965, a weanling tw/qh cross given to me by a friend of Dad’s. Unforunately had to be put down after a few months- came with a slight hitch in one hind leg that developed into paralysis in both hinds. Darn shame, was very cute, had a great mom and that woulda been a fun cross to try.

3rd $200, 1966. QH mare no papers. Owned her for 29 years, put down at age 31 in 1995

4th $700, 1970. QH g. Owned him for 26 years, and hunted him for 20, put down at age 28 in 1995.

5th free, 1973. QH gelding no papers. Free ‘midnight’ breeding to #3 above by manager of well known stallion (no, I can’t tell). Super horse, a man who had never RIDDEN before went foxhunting on him. And my husband the horse hater loved him and rode him frequently. Killed by lightning, 1987.

6th $750, 1987, OTTB, foxhunted, raced over timber one year, became a Utah mountain horse til put down at age 25.

7th, shelled out the big bucks, $4,000, 1993 QH g. (and worth every penny, turned down double that more than once!)

8th, free, 2001, very elegant Oldenburg/qh by First Class, dressage reject, my sister just up and shipped him to me when her trainer said ‘he’ll never make it past 4th level.’ Like I needed a third horse. But I’ve still got him even though I’ve never used him to full potential. Really should sell him but never get around to it.

9th, $2500, 2005. A now 4 yo appendix qh who shall be my little old lady trail horse. Many are eyeballing him enviously, I suppose I ‘would’ sell for some ridiculously high price!

[hundredacres]

My first “horse” was a Mustang that the neighbor bought for us at the El Monte, CA auction in the mid '70’s. She cost him around $75 but then we paid him $100 or $150 (can’t remember) after he ‘broke’ her to halter and take a saddle and bit (but no rider).

[dylans_mom]

2002–$1000; put 4x that into him to get him rideable/retrain him (he was 20); didn’t work so I retired him out. He was not a bargain

[walkinthewalk]

I was 12 when I got my very own horse for $350 in June, 1959 - a healthy sum back then.

Goldie was a “Trigger” Palomino, Saddlebred/cross and supposedly had been a mounted police horse at one time. She was beautiful, loving, loyal, and my best friend:)

I had saved all my life for a horse, so my mom bought me a black with silver diamonds saddle bridle and martengale from Sears-Roebuck for her. The saddle has taps too:) I STILL have that saddle, bridle, and martengale. All of which were retired from use many many years ago and sit covered in the attic:yes:

[cowboymom]

My first horse, a shetland pony, was free. My first “rider” horse, a welch gelding, was on loan. My first real horse, TWHX gelding, was $300. Oh for the good old days… I’d get that horse again right now if I could, he was awesome…

[Prieta]

Peggy, Shetland/Welsh mare - didn’t know the price but she really dig dog food! Whenever I’d ride her when I was 7, she’d go straight for dog food in the garage. Peggy also was in heat at the time that she’d run away with me on her to that beautiful stud a field and a forest away!

Prieta - $300 very green and unpapered Quarter horse mare who bucked me off too many times. From her, I’ve learned to feel the horses while riding. She was my very first of my own! I love her - she was a gem!

[matryoshka]

One of the first 3 free horses we got had a habit of savaging other horses. :eek: Sometimes one should look gift horses in the mouth! The guy knew we were ingorant city folks and unloaded a problem horse on us. We dealt with it, but one of the poor, abused horses we took in paid the price. He chased her into a fence, knelt on her, and pulled hunks of skin off of her. She had been skin and bones when we got her (only 4 year old), but she looked even worse after that. He got to wear a muzzle for a long time after that, and the baby horses would chew on him! The story of the mare turned out well. We trained her, put weight on her (she turned out to be gorgeous) and found her a really good home with a talented rider.

A lot of free horses aren’t free, by they time you pay the vet bills, deal with problems, retrain them, etc. But if one has time, patience, and the money to get them healthy, they can be more rewarding than any animal with a several-thousand dollar price tag!

[hundredacres]

[QUOTE=matryoshka;2410108]

A lot of free horses aren’t free, by they time you pay the vet bills, deal with problems, retrain them, etc. But if one has time, patience, and the money to get them healthy, they can be more rewarding than any animal with a several-thousand dollar price tag![/QUOTE]

I will never forget what my trainer said when I introduced her to my new ottb that I paid around $500 for -

Me: I just don’t think I could pay $10,000 for a horse.

Her: (nodding toward my new “cheap” horse) You just did. You’re just making payments.

(man was she ever right)

[matryoshka]

@hundredacres;2410135

I will never forget what my trainer said when I introduced her to my new ottb that I paid around $500 for -

Me: I just don’t think I could pay $10,000 for a horse.

Her: (nodding toward my new “cheap” horse) You just did. You’re just making payments.

(man was she ever right)

:yes: A good lesson for us all. I gave a presentation at a Pet Expo a couple of months ago, and talked about things to consider before buying/adopting/leasing a horse. I told them that the purchase price is not the biggest cost. If you can’t pay the monthly bills, farrier, vet care, board, feed, etc. then don’t get one! Take lessons instead. These people were smart to take the time to learn about horses and what goes into their care before finding a horse. I sure wish my family had been that smart back in the 70’s!

[Mali]

Nothing. She was my “engagement ring”.

[Ponyclubrocks]

[QUOTE=walkinthewalk;2409757]
I was 12 when I got my very own horse for $350 in June, 1959 - a healthy sum back then.

Goldie was a “Trigger” Palomino, Saddlebred/cross and supposedly had been a mounted police horse at one time. She was beautiful, loving, loyal, and my best friend:)

I had saved all my life for a horse, so my mom bought me a black with silver diamonds saddle bridle and martengale from Sears-Roebuck for her. The saddle has taps too:) I STILL have that saddle, bridle, and martengale. All of which were retired from use many many years ago and sit covered in the attic:yes:[/QUOTE]

What a sweet story!

[county]

I was 15 in 1965 and paid $50 at a sale for a mare that probably wasn’t worth $25. I worked for a guy with a breeding farm who told me " the nice thing about a mare like that is you can breed her to a donkey and improve her " I took it as a compliment. The best thing about her was the knowledge I gained over the years about breeding and improving conformation. Anyone can breed two top notch horses. To really learn you need to see and breed some lower quality along the way.

[Samotis]

My first horse my parents bought for me in 1994. He was a 16.3 hand TB gelding named Frenchy. He was 3k. He was a great quiet horse. His show name was All That Glitters. He went on to win in the first years with someone in Colorado, then I think he got injured in a pasture and was put down. He was a beautiful horse and will be missed! We sold him and I bought my horse of a lifetime. I still own him, he is now 17 and the love of my life!

[lindac]

$800 in 1978 for a 12 year old unregistered Five Gaited American Saddlebred gelding. He was a great horse that I showed in traditional Saddle Seat classes and Driving classes and later in Western, Hunter under saddle, and Dressage . He also trail rode and jumped. He was a great horse and I had him until I put him down at age 25.

I still have dreams about that horse :yes: .

[saddleup]

$800 for a 9 year old TB mare. I did dressage with her, but badly…she was sweet as could be, however, and put up with my beginner mistakes. I sold her to a 12 year old girl who wanted to do hunters. I’d never jumped her, didn’t know her background when we bought her. The girl’s trainer came out to look at her and asked if she could point her at a fence to see what she’d do.

She sailed over it beautifully; we set a course of 8 fences and she did it like she’d been doing it all her life, complete with lead changes and a lovely even pace. Obviously she had been a hunter in her previous life.

Needless to say, I should have asked more money for her!

[mustangtaco]

Mighty Mustang

$1,000 bucks for an 11 year old mustang with a few fixable training issues. He is now 20 and going strong. I love the heck out of him… he will do just about anything!

[EnviroGA]

I always had to buy my own horses. My parents couldn’t afford the upkeep of a horse when we lived in NY. My first horse I bought for $1100. It was a horse that a friend of mine owned and had to sell quickly when she divorced and moved to a different state.

[Janet]

The FIRST pony that my sister and I shared was a “free lease”.

The first horse we OWNED cost $300 in 1966. Rocket was a very well trained school horse (TB x QH) from Sunnyfield Farm (where the USEF was based befor they went to Gladstone) and Rocket had been trained by Mike Page.

He took me from D1 to B.

[Remember_Ferdinand]

$200.00 for a green, green, GREEN broke 2 yr old Quarab. He was getting up off the ground from being gelded when we pulled up to look at him. He took off galloping across the yard with his head and tail held high and I was instantly in love. I was 9 yrs old. What the heck was my Dad thinking?:lol: He was the best horse I ever knew and my best friend. I lost him when I was 14 and not a day goes by that I don’t think of him.

[BelladonnaLily]

In 1977 my sister and I got ponies for Christmas. Mother and daughter pair complete with western saddles, bridles, halters & leads. $350 for the complete package. They were raised in town and totally bombproof. Dad hauled them home in the back of his '71 Dodge pickup with siderails. We later sold the daughter because she kept bucking us off :lol: but the mom stayed with us until her death in 1989. I taught her to jump, bareback until I finally got an english saddle. She was a great pony :yes: I have no idea how old she was when she died but she was at least in her late 20s.