tell me about costs of raising weanling to riding horse?

[Everlong274]

I would like to preface this thread by saying, no baby has been purchased yet. I swore I would never buy younger than 3, but opportunity has danced into my view with a foal worth buying b/c it will be a high end sport horse one day that if Im being honest, Id never be able to afford otherwise. I am experienced with young ones, and I am not looking for someone to convince me as to why I should not take advantage of said opportunity.

Im curious about costs as far as feet, feed, vet, etc. compared to owning an adult show horse.

Was it worth it to those of you who have done it? Would you do it again if you could? If not, why not? Just interested in hearing peoples’ stories. Thanks!!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

totally depends…I’ve had some who have cost me an arm and leg in vet bills…others just normal stuff. But most seem to try pretty darn hard to kill themselves before the age of 3.

Beyond that…if you are boarding…most good places around here will run at least $500 for a youngster field boarded out with other youngsters and being properly handled. Their feet need trimming and standard care. If you want to show in hand…then that will add up too.

[Appsolute]

Yep - it “depends” - mine was fairly inexpensive to raise (beyond board).

I purchased mine as a weanling filly.

I boarded her at a commercial boarding barn, which also happened to have a breeding operation. Mine lived out on 10+ acres with the breeder’s youngsters. For the first year they gave me much reduced board (as she didn’t eat as much hay as a full grown horse), yearling + I paid full field rate (which was cheap at $350).

Vet expenses were quite minimal - first course vaccinations (which required a few rounds). Her and the other babies got prescribed SMZ once for a snotty nose they all caught. Knock on wood, she has never injured herself, or needed any kind of emergency care. Just routine vaccinations and dentals.

As for hoof care - same affordable rate my trimmer usually charges, $50 a time, every 5 weeks.

I did 100% of the handling and training myself.

And I would do it again in a heart beat! It has been very rewarding to bring my own horse along - only down side was I couldn’t ride her for 3 years!

[Texarkana]

As far as feed, farrier, and vet, there isn’t a drastic difference in cost between a young horse and an adult show horse.

Nutritional requirements for a growing horse vs. a mature horse in work are fairly similar, so there shouldn’t be a drastic difference in feed cost. However, a young horse can be quite at risk to developmental orthopedic disease if not fed properly. One can’t “skimp” with low quality nutrition on a growing animal like he or she may be able to on a mature horse. (Which I’m not saying you do, just emphasizing the importance of nutrition)

Farrier costs should be the same. Young horses should be trimmed on a regular 4-6 week schedule just like mature horses. If you generally have horses in shoes, you may save a little money on shoeing costs, as it’s unlikely to have a reason to shoe an unbroke youngster.

Vet costs vary greatly. However, if you have the vet give your vaccinations, you may have an increased cost that first year for the initial vaccination booster series. Most breeders begin their foals’ first vaccinations between 4-6 months of age, so depending on when you acquire the foal and what the breeder did, you may or may not have multiple vaccinations to give. You also have to consider things like gelding an intact male, wolf teeth extractions, etc. Young horses do tend to be more prone to catch whatever bug is going around or find trouble, so there’s a slightly increased risk of “surprise” vet calls.

You also may have the expense of horse supplies for the growing animal: halters, blankets, fly masks, etc.

I raised my mare from birth. I loved it and would do it again. However, I will say my own priorities as a rider greatly changed from my mare’s birth to now. When she was born, I was actively competing and she was going to be my show horse. These days, I’m at a different place in my life and have lost interest in competition. I’d be much better off with a pokey old trail horse to putz around on… which my mare is most definitely not! I feel bad she’s wasting away as a backyard pet who packs me around for my entertainment, but at the same time, she is like a child to me and I would never “replace” her.

[Texarkana]

The cost of caring for a youngster is going to be really similar to the cost of caring for an adult show horse.

Nutritional requirements for a growing horse vs. a mature horse in work are fairly similar, so there shouldn’t be a drastic difference in feed cost. However, a young horse can be at risk of developmental orthopedic disease if not fed properly. One can’t “skimp” with low quality nutrition on a growing animal like he or she may be able to do with a mature horse. (Which I’m not saying you do, just emphasizing the importance of nutrition)

Farrier costs should be the same. Young horses should be trimmed on a regular 4-6 week schedule just like mature horses. If you generally have horses in shoes, you may save a little money on shoeing costs, as it’s unlikely to have a reason to shoe an unbroke youngster.

Vet costs vary greatly. However, if you have the vet give your vaccinations, you may have an increased cost that first year for the initial vaccination booster series. Most breeders begin their foals’ first vaccinations between 4-6 months of age, so depending on when you acquire the foal and what the breeder did, you may or may not have multiple vaccinations to give. You also have to consider things like gelding an intact male, wolf teeth extractions, etc. Young horses do tend to be more prone to catch whatever bug is going around or find trouble, so there’s a slightly increased risk of “surprise” vet calls.

You also may have the expense of horse supplies for the growing animal: halters, blankets, fly masks, etc.

I raised my mare from birth. I loved it and would do it again. However, I will say my own priorities as a rider greatly changed from my mare’s birth to now. When she was born, I was actively competing and she was going to be my show horse. These days, I’m at a different place in my life and have lost interest in competition. I’d be much better off with a pokey old trail horse to putz around on… which my mare is most definitely not! I feel bad she’s wasting away as a backyard pet who packs me around for my entertainment, but at the same time, she is like a child to me and I would never “replace” her.

[SouthernYankee]

I’ve got a 2 year old homebred. She’s been pretty cheap so far;

• I own my farm = no board
• she’s barefoot = $25 trim every 6 weeks or approx. $200 annual
• Easy keeper, I’ve never seen her ribs and she has yet to enter an awkward stage
• I have great pasture so she stays fat on grass in the summer = 6 months I feed 2x week
• She hasn’t had any vet work other than annual shots and teeth = $150 annual
• I get hay at a deeply discounted rate (Dad raises alfalfa and farrier raises grass, hay cost me less than $3 bale)
• I work for an ag company so I can get feed, wormer, and any feed though supplements at wholesale.

I might have $3,000 in her and that’s including stallion and vet fees through now, most of my expense was pre-foaling. I own her Dam and have not taken those cost into consideration. Dam is a pasture ornament now and if I had to add up her expenses I’d buy a Breyer horse and be done with it.

[huntcup]

Yes, I would hands down do it again but anyone embarking should be cautious of their level of fitness and staff available to help. Yearlings, 2y/o ond 3’s can be a mighty handful.

They don’t stand and pose for conformation photos in a brisk wind quite the way my early fantasies led me to believe. Their mouths and hooves strike like Ninja’s and you must be alert, calm and have no temper.

Constant daily discipline, praise and groundwork created a bond and a valuable horse I could never have purchased mature. If I had the money, I would buy a ready-made. But that is not in the cards and I have a blast making due.

[Blume_Farm]

Generally speaking costs are not much different than an adult horse…board, farrier trimming, feed, etc.

Having said that the risk of injury for a youngster is much higher than a youngster. Also the foal you have in front of you may change dramatically as they age. For example, I bred a super young colt (gelded) that at 4 months was stunning, site champion at inspection, super blood lines, etc, etc. At two he developed upward fixation of is patellas that didn’t fully resolve until he was six years old. His personality, although super AA friendly, turned out to be a bit of a “dead head” and so was sold on by the woman that bought him from as a dressage prospect and he is now owned by a woman that does a little dressage, a little NH stuff, a little trail riding, etc. Point being they can sometimes age into something quite different than what is initially hoped for and a young horse that has always been easy to handle on the ground may not be that way under saddle (and vice versa).

Obviously I have loved to raise my youngsters to riding horses, but for all the money I have spent to get them there I could have bought a really nice already going FEI horse!!

[soloudinhere]

I bought my filly at 1mo old. She’s staying with her breeder until her 3yo year.

Cost until weaning is $50 a month to support creep feeding, etc. They aren’t charging me to present her for inspection since the inspection is at their farm.

After weaning, $300/mo includes standard vet work (shots, worming) and all care as well as basic handling. Feet are $30/trim.

Additional training (trailer loading, breaking to tack, lunging, riding) is paid a la carte and is pretty reasonable. I’ll start doing more of that next year.

For me it’s been a lot cheaper than finding a talented, ammy friendly, dressage pony would have been. They’re just not that common, and I don’t have the money to campaign a top one, so instead I have to enjoy the process of making up my own. I do have another horse much further along to ride while she’s in the making, which does help. I don’t have $20k up front so this lets me spread the costs out a bit over a few years.

[camohn]

It depends so much on the part of the country you live in ( urban/ suburban boarding stable will cost a lot more than pasture board with a run in shed or limited stabling in the sticks). Often breeders will offer discounted raising fees and keep them for you at reduced board rates until 3. Not including any health problems I can raise a horse pretty cheap ( a little over a thousand a year for grain / shavings / trims every 8 weeks) because we have large pastures and grow our own hay. A boarding barn in FL paying 8.00 a bale of hay could not come close to that. Ours live out most of the time with Run ins 3 seasons/ come in for weather extremes and come in at night during the winter

[ElementFarm]

Keep in mind this was maybe, 8 years ago. I bought a colt at 1 week old. Free board till he was weaned and then the breeder only charged 150/month after that until I moved him to a trainer with a good young horse program in the middle of the country. That cost about 400 month, for feed, daily handling, etc, the first years, (showing in hand fees were additional of course) and then at 2.5yo I paid 600/month for a more aggressive training program. Horsie turned out to be a bit difficult, so after all the ground work was done, he went off to a cowboy for a month or two (1200/month) to get better broke. When he came back, he was solid w/t/c and on track for IHF. Then he got sick, turned out to be neurological in nature, and he was put down at 3.5yo.

Based on that experience, I opted to not buy a baby again. However, I’m breaking my own rules, and this year bred two of my riding horses. I own my own farm now, so I figure costs for the two should be reasonable (no board $, grass hay only during fall/winter, we have a very reasonable farrier, etc). I hope to keep one and sell one, with the hope that the sale of one will offset the costs of breeding/raising both. We’ll see if that works out or not, but I’m okay either way. I’m excited to “make my own from scratch” as it were.

[quietann]

I bought my filly, Josephine, when she was 12 days old last year, as my 50th birthday present to myself. It was kind of an impulse purchase, but one I am now very pleased with.

She is with her breeder in Michigan until sometime next year. Board there is inexpensive by my standards – no board until she was weaned, then $300/month, going up to $325/month July 1 for 24/7 field board in a herd. This includes a LOT of handling, training, etc. The breeder has a reputation for well-behaved, versatile Morgans and most of her foals sell before they are weaned… It’s really the only way to get a horse she has bred!

Other costs have been for vaccinations and vet for one mild colic episode that the breeder would not have normally called the vet in for, but the vet was already there treating a more severe colic in my filly’s grand-dam. I have probably spent about $450 on vet bills so far. So far (cross fingers) she has been a very sensible filly and not inclined to crazy, injury-causing behavior. The breeder does most of her own trimming but does not charge me when she gets a pro in to do her horses.

I visit about every 3 months… I wish I could do it more often but that’s what my time and budget allow. Each trip runs about $400; I fly into Detroit, rent a car, and drive to the breeder’s place about 1 1/2 hours from Detroit.

I’d say I am spending around $5500/year. Financially, it definitely costs more than it would for me to buy a suitable trained adult horse, but I’m finding it very worthwhile. Because of my age, this is probably a one-time thing for me. When I move her here, board will obviously be more expensive, but until she’s under saddle we do not need a fancy place, so I’m looking for ~$500 per month, which may require going a bit further afield.

(And I just have to brag – here we are during my visit this past weekend. She’s lean and lanky right now – which is better than fat at this age – and about 14 to 14.1 hands at 15 months. I love her brain.)

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Monthly costs will be the same as your show horse likely, except I prefer field board for youngsters. Hills and big pastures with other youngsters are great. It depends if you board or own your own land. How safe is the fencing and turnout situation you will have the youngster in? Will you insure it?

The biggest price issue will be if you can start youngsters yourself, or if it will need significant training before you take over.

[pinto_power]

My 2 cents! Costs really vary on region of the country/continent, and type of care provided. In most parts of Canada pasture is limited to late spring, summer and early fall. I imagine that the same is true for many parts of the USA, either due to cold weather or drought!
Hay here in BC Canada is expensive. I pay $420.00 per ton for ‘square bales’ of orchard grass alfalfa mix. The rate my ‘kids’ go through hay is amazing, and no they are not fat just nicely covered.
Even in the summer here I feed hay at night when they come of pasture into the shelters. All mine live out.
Young horses eat a lot…they are putting on height bone and muscle…they need good feed to grow.
My youngsters get ration balancer type feed 3-5 times a week and trimmed every 6-7 weeks at $30.00 per trim, and wormed per their age and needs. Fecal count at least once per year. Initial vaccinations and yearly after that. I do my own which costs me a tiny bit less.
Other places are set up to feed round bales which is considerably less money per ton; however quality feed is expensive no matter the form it comes in.
Raising healthy well care for youngsters is an expensive undertaking!

[SportArab]

Most of the horses I have now were bred and raised by me. There’s a huge difference between the relationship I have with them and horses I’ve acquired later in their lives. To me it’s worth the expense, but then again I have my own farm so it’s not so expensive.

[MuskokaLakesConnemaras]

We have the ability to raise our foals cheaply and well. Lots of pasture 24/7, we get our own hay in and I can lightly back before sending to my trainer. That being said, they don’t stay long enough usually to get started and most of my sales are of weanling to yearling. If they sell older (only 2) it’s because I have retained them to watch them mature a bit before making my mind up.
We own a feed store too, so that helps costs for hard grain.

[sid]

Depends upon how much you rely on outside trainers (hopefully with very good reputations in starting the babies) and how much you do yourself.

Feed and regular care and health expenses should not be any more than any other horse in your barn. Maybe on dental if they pop up with a cap that’s stuck or something.

It’s a “time” issue starting a youngster – and time maybe money lost for you, but getting an outside experienced trainer is also money.

You have to weigh it out objectively and realistically. But you must have dedication and a plan to stick to.

[purplnurpl]

same as a regular horse who is an easy keeper and is barefoot.

the big difference is going to be with training. Will you have to pay for breaking/starting/early training or will you do it yourself?

[dressage_fan]

The answer is “it depends”. I board my horses and it is substantially less to board a young horse who lives in a pasture (with shelter) and is barefoot. Good turn-out, pasture, excellent nutrition, regular hoof trimming, and maintenance veterinary care are the main costs at this point. The cost of maintaining a show horse can be substantial. A facility with good care, indoor arena, good footing, mirrors in the arena, wash racks, etc. are very helpful but can add significant costs. As your horse progresses, it will need shoes, additional tack (from a snaffle to a double bridle) etc. So, depending on your needs and goals the difference can be substantial. Raising a young horse can be a rewarding experience and you can get a lot more horse for your money by purchasing a young horse. Of course, that path takes time and involves some risk. If you want less risk, buy a finished horse.