The Price You Pay....

[MegBackInSaddle]

I’m in a lower-cost-of living part of Eastern Ontario. I pay $460/month for board and supplements. $65-$95/month for farrier (she’s barefoot, trimmed every 5-6 weeks by farrier, BO usually does a maintenance trim for me at around the halfway point). Probably around $300/month in gas (trips to barn plus hauling to lessons/events). A lesson a week or so at $30. No training rides. Just started showing (horse trials, will do some little local jumper stuff), so between $100 and $400/month for that.

So currently, usually a little over $1000/month, a little more spring-fall, less in winter. But…that doesn’t include all of the tack, clothing, and the trailer I’ve purchased in the last year (over $20k, first horse in a long time, needed everything) or what we’ll pay to upgrade to a truck since our SUV is aging.

So my first year with my mare probably cost me a little under $40k CAD all in (except for the SUV-to-truck trade, but hubby was going to need to trade in the next year or two anyhow). Ouch! Why’d I do that math??

I don’t regret a penny of it, though. I’m having the time of my life! My husband and sister are probably the only things in the world I love more than my special mare. We don’t have or want kids, so this is what I do.

[Limerick2017]

@MHM

Ok, I’m relieved to see that this post is about the actual dollars and cents involved, even though those numbers are always plenty scary.

I was half expecting it to be about the price to your soul and sanity, which is harder to measure. :lol:

🤣

[MzCarol]

We own 4 horses who are kept at home on our mortgage free property.

We are the trimmers so $0

I order 500 bales of hay at $4/bale so that’s $2,000/yr

Yearly shots (4)/coggins (3) /sheath cleanings (3)/ dentals (4) = $1,400/yr

Grain = $1,200/yr

Ration Balancer = $180/yr

Joint Supplement = $600/yr

Lessons = $2,160/yr (on my horse in my arena)

Show fees = $1.000/yr (1 horse)

$8,540/yr

[chestnutmarebeware]

I really don’t want to know what I pay out to keep the girls, but $300–500 for a set of shoes? Every 4 to 6 weeks? OMG! I’m in the wrong business!

Even when I lived in Chester County, PA and had a laminitic TB that needed every kind of special shoe available, my bills didn’t come close to that.

[bluepece2]

I’m in Europe…
board: €450 per month including feed 3x a day, turnout and hay
lessons: €30-40 depending on the trainer
farrier: €100 every 6ish weeks
we don’t generally do training rides but if we do it’s €30
each class per show is around €15, I drive myself there. Last show had a box for 5 days at €169 including hay and initial bedding.

[Trekkie]

I keep my four at home ranging in age from 3-24. I am in mid Atlantic. These are my basic rough starting costs.

-1000/year average per horse farrier cost x 4

-2500/year per horse for hay x 4

-800/year per horse for grain x 4

-1200/year per horse for insurance x2

-750/year per horse routine vacs and dental x 4

Lessons at 50 each x 2/week -5200

Local shows per year about 14 at 250 each -3500

Total so far 31,300

Plus gas, truck and trailer maintenance, any A shows, fencing maintenance, ring maintenance, farm mortgage etc. Also farm sitting if I want to take a vacation costs a bunch.

[Tyrus_Mom]

I don’t show (yet) and own one horse I board.

Board is 430 per month
Extra food, grain, vitamins etc. and shavings is apx 300-350 per month (since he’s a draftX he eats a lot more than the average horse so I must buy bales of hay and orchard every month to augment feed, as well as sacks of grain and lots of shavings…the boy sleeps with his ass in his pee spot if I skimp on shavings.:no:)
Tack, clothing and extraneous things, let’s just average 100 per month or less
Full Shoeing (because I put a lot of miles on him every day) 175 every 6-8 weeks or so. (That’s cheap for size 5 feet, my shoer is awesome! Some other hot shot shoer came by when the boy threw a shoe and told me he wouldn’t touch my horse for less than 400… say what???)
Coaching/Lessons can’t be admitted because of weird issues at my ranch, had to take it out. Such is life.
Lessons out of the ranch requiring outside trailering (I don’t have a truck or trailer) end up being about 320, but I haven’t been able to afford that lately.

I guess I’m doing it a lot cheaper than most… couldn’t afford more though. When I do show it won’t be very often, just to rate my progress. I’m hoping to get in a schooling show in a month or so though, just Training level. I will have to get white breeches and the rest of the fol-de-rol for that, I guess.

Oh, the joy, as one other poster mentioned, the joy of riding is the best. I wake up every morning so happy to be going to ride my horse. The years I didn’t have one were wasted time. Riding is the best part of my day, every day! I also feel very fortunate to have a horse who is so amenable to training and is happy to go out with me. :):)

[LSceats]

Thanks all for sharing. Helpful to see what others pay.

This is what I pay in NorCal Bay Area for upper level jumper in full training/grooming. And also why I will not be living in NorCal for the rest of my life. And probably also never retiring. Options in this area are pretty similarly priced and I am quite limited as due to work situation horse needs to be immediate proximity to work.

Board (stall cleaning, hay not much else): 1125
Training/grooming/ 2x day grain feed/turnout/blanketing: 1715
farrier: 280 every 6 wks - normal steel shoes
monthly adequan/legend: ~150/month

usual home expenses per month : ~3200/month

---

Show about 10x/year mostly NorCal shows, a few SoCal.

Shipping/daycare/training averages 1500-2000 per show. Show bill around 1000. If lucky can usually win 500-1000 in prize money.

In 2018, home expenses were ~42k. Showed 13 times, including two weeks thermal, plus year end show in Vegas. Show expenses were 40k. Won ~5k in prize money.

It honestly makes me pretty sick to think about how much it costs. When it’s not going well I do occasionally wonder whether I should just take up running to get my competitive streak in. Also, makes me really, really want to have own farm as adult as well as trailer to do own hauling.

[Calvincrowe]

Board $725/month full care
Training (pro rides and lessons) $350 for 3-4 rides (me or pro) a week
Shoeing $150/ every 6 weeks
Hormones for my cranky mare $200/month
Various routine vet expenses $500/year

So, roughly $1400/month x 12 months = about $18,000 year.

I haven’t shown in a couple of years due to various foot surgeries, but I have to work extra hours (coaching a sport for example) to be able to afford 1-3 A shows a year. Our local “C” level shows are very affordable (my barn hosts a really good series) and run about $400 for a weekend including trainer costs.

My DH supports me emotionally, but I pay all my horse expenses. We own a big truck and a trailer so I haul my own horses as needed. I have never shown with a groom, can braid my own and do all my own care at shows. I feel no guilt about my horse habit. I’ve worked hard for 27 years in a demanding, but not financially rewarding, much loved career and this is how I self-care-- with my horses. I have plenty of retirement funds, am still working, and plan to ride for years to come.

[dani0303]

I have one at a show barn at 2 retired at home. I live along the front range of CO and my show horse is boarded at a A and C rated show barn.

Show horse:
Board- $350
Farrier- $75 every 6-7 weeks
Lessons- $50 x3-4 a month

Retirees:
Hay- 2 3x3s a month at $125 each
Grain- 2 bags TC Senior at $25/each
Farrier- $100 for 2 trims every 8 weeks

The only way we can afford to have 3 is by keeping 2 at home. Horse keeping is CHEAP here compared to the coastal southeast where I’m from. I don’t show rated anymore so my shows are $200-300 each and I usually do 2-3 a year.

[sandsarita]

This makes me glad that I show hunters on the breed circuit with occasional forays into the usef world. People gripe about our trainers prices but it is about half of what most are saying for an a show barn, which is basically what ours is. Prices
training board with 4-5 rides per week and one lesson a week - 1100 /month which also includes clipping, bathing
day fees -35 a day. This includes stalls, feed, coaching and training rides and sometimes trainer showing. Groom as well. But we are expected to chip in with stuff around barn and with grooming.
Trailer -.65 a mile round trip
braking 65-75 a mane, 40 a tail unless I do my own show fees are the most expensive. Usually about 250 for stall, tack stall and shavings. Show fees about 400-600 on average.
Split trainer expenses with other clients

[Renn_aissance]

My horse is semi-retired, so I haven’t taken a lesson in a year and my show expenses are “bobbing for apples at the Halloween barn show.” With an average year’s expenses but not counting emergencies, which I budget for separately, I pay about $18k annually in his living expenses: board, farrier, routine vet, medications and supplements, dentist, chiropractor, fly spray and other consumable products, equipment maintenance, the cookie fund, and $300 of bell boots per year.

For my area, my board costs are below average, my farrier costs are above average and worth every penny, and I probably pay less in equipment costs than many of you because after 15 years with a horse, there’s only so much you need to buy at Dover, no matter what they tell you. That said, I pay about $3000 a year in prescription drugs and supplements, which I suspect is higher than the forum average.

[TrophyHusband]

AA Show Barn – Full Training Board $1,500/mo
Lessons: $60/hr x 2/wk = $480/mo
Ferrier/Vet/Chiropractor/Supplements - $400/mo
SubTotal on Room/Board/Training = $2,380/mo or $28,560/yr

1 AA or A show monthly on average
Transportation $0.50/mile Usually ~$200 on average – some shows less, some a lot more
Daily Trainer’s Fees $60
Groom $100/day
Schooling/Training Rides - $50/ride
Braiding $280/show
Avg Barn Bill/Show - $750 * 12 shows/yr = $9000/yr

Show Entry/Stable Fees ~$900/show x 12 shows/yr = $10,800/yr

Lodging/Personal Travel ~$500/show x 12 shows/yr = $6,000/yr

Horse
Annual Lease $20,000/yr
Insurance $2,000/yr

USEF/USHJA/State Assn - Dues for horse and rider = $700/Yr

Tack/Bug Spray/Stuff - $1000/Yr

Total: $78,060/daughter x 2 daughters = $156,120/yr

Ouch.

WTF am I thinking… Why are we doing this! :eek:

[EmilyM]

I’m afraid to add it up, but i don’t have any debt/mortgage or children so it’s most of my money.

[Jax]

West Coast of Canada here, all this for a retired boy who lives on my property (and oof I’m not counting mortgage in this):

$300 per month to feed (hay is expensive here, I have only a small storage area so no buying power, plus he gets a fair amount of senior grain)
$210 every 6 weeks for full shoes
$25 per month for manure removal
$600 every year for basic vet

= $6,390 per year for a horse that doesn’t leave the backyard
If you want to count things like: tree maintenance, barn repairs, barn insurance, and adding sand every year even when split 4 ways (because there’s 4 horses in the barn) this number would easily top $10,000, probably more like $12,000

When he was in work there was also:

$65 lessons every week
$2000 annual membership for the riding club (no ring at home)
Hugely increased vet visits for injections and other maintenance, easily $2000 per year
$85 extra for shoes so his highness could have a heart bar
H/J shows around here are about $2000 per week, though it’s been ages so that might be way off by now

= $14,535 with no shows, and before you factor in property maintenance

[hairystockings]

@MHM

Ok, I’m relieved to see that this post is about the actual dollars and cents involved, even though those numbers are always plenty scary.

I was half expecting it to be about the price to your soul and sanity, which is harder to measure. :lol:

Oh good god, no. We don’t discuss that.

[atl_hunter]

@GatesRiverFarm

Sheer curiosity is sparking this post. I keep very close track of what I spend down to the penny on every single horse-related expense i have, and its usually around $30,000+ per year. Stupid. Just absolutely stupid.

That said, curiosity has me wondering if everyone else is as insane as I am to be spending this much (or more) every year. Here are the general breakdowns of my “budget” spend per month:

(for reference, I am in the southeast, own a warmblood hunter and ride at an AA show barn, however i cant afford to show every single weekend like most of the other people at my barn do)

Board- $1200/mo
Farrier- $275/4-6wks
Lessons- $65/lesson (usually take 4 permonth)
Training- $55/ride (usually do 4 per month)
Supplements- $100/mo
Insurance- $100/mo

On average after its all said an done (beacuse theres always going to be a thrown shoe or new piece of tack needed - whatever) i usually spend around $2300/month during the months i’m not showing - I only show 1-2x/year as thats all i can afford and doing one 2-day AA rated show cost me $2400.00 - also stupid. Literally more than most people’s houses.

What is the price you pay for your habit?

My spreadsheet shows $22,150/year for very spoiled retired horse, and $47.630 prior to retirement for full training and 6 rated shows.

Sometimes I would tell myself how stupid I was being. I put him down last week and I would spend it all over again in a heartbeat to have the same experience all over again.

[AliCat]

@atl_hunter

My spreadsheet shows $22,150/year for very spoiled retired horse, and $47.630 prior to retirement for full training and 6 rated shows.

Sometimes I would tell myself how stupid I was being. I put him down last week and I would spend it all over again in a heartbeat to have the same experience all over again.

Many hugs.

[PoochPaddock]

@atl_hunter

My spreadsheet shows $22,150/year for very spoiled retired horse, and $47.630 prior to retirement for full training and 6 rated shows.

Sometimes I would tell myself how stupid I was being. I put him down last week and I would spend it all over again in a heartbeat to have the same experience all over again.

So very sorry for your loss. The joy and experiences they bring us is worth all the money sacrifices I can possibly imagine.

[LovesHorses]

I am in the Seattle WA suburbs. The prices here are about the same as California. We don’t have many good local rated shows therefore add on $$$ for hauling.

@LSceats

Thanks all for sharing. Helpful to see what others pay.

This is what I pay in NorCal Bay Area for upper level jumper in full training/grooming. And also why I will not be living in NorCal for the rest of my life. And probably also never retiring. Options in this area are pretty similarly priced and I am quite limited as due to work situation horse needs to be immediate proximity to work.

Board (stall cleaning, hay not much else): 1125
Training/grooming/ 2x day grain feed/turnout/blanketing: 1715
farrier: 280 every 6 wks - normal steel shoes
monthly adequan/legend: ~150/month

usual home expenses per month : ~3200/month

---

Show about 10x/year mostly NorCal shows, a few SoCal.

Shipping/daycare/training averages 1500-2000 per show. Show bill around 1000. If lucky can usually win 500-1000 in prize money.

In 2018, home expenses were ~42k. Showed 13 times, including two weeks thermal, plus year end show in Vegas. Show expenses were 40k. Won ~5k in prize money.

It honestly makes me pretty sick to think about how much it costs. When it’s not going well I do occasionally wonder whether I should just take up running to get my competitive streak in. Also, makes me really, really want to have own farm as adult as well as trailer to do own hauling.