Plus if it’s $9.50 per bag of shavings in that breakdown there is SIGNIFICANT savings in buying in bulk. In Florida I was paying $7 plus per bag. I bed deep. Add a bag a day or maybe every other day. I built a shavings bin for less than $200. And I get a huge load of beautiful shavings every 3-4 months for $200. I was paying about $100 a week for 2 horses for bagged.
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Not a typo. Somewhere above in the thread someone added in farrier and vet costs.
Yes some parts of Texas are more horse cost friendly due to low shipping cost for hay and shavings. Others not so much. Adding my details for context and insight into my reality.
My board $1,100 (hay shavings turnout labor no indoor) in not an A show barn quality stucco farm, but safe and horse friendly. Plus grain $79. Plus supplements $280. Plus farrier $495 (steel all around and stud holes tapped in hind shoes) totals over $2k. I finally found another farrier at $350 and plan to haul 5 hours one way.
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To each their own - You can pick apart pick apart pricing and it varies by region.
I can buy shavings for $6 a bag but found that I use almost double the amount with the cheaper ones. Also can get a trailer full of bulk shaving delivered for a fraction of the cost as well but they alway end up being super dusty and we notice the horses coughing more.
Not claiming you can’t do it cheaper just pointing out what we spend. Again these are top level jumpers and we just aren’t willing to cut corners for the sake of a few bucks.
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Okay. Easy bro. Not trying to pick Anything apart. Just trying to offer advice. But you do you. P s. I have pretty freaking nice horses too. And my shavings are not dusty. They’re curly fresh and easily cleaned.
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Wow little sensitive - Wasn’t trying to pick an argument. Just pointing out prices very by region and their are reasons we go the more expensive route.
That is what a pay and would be great for more people to be transparent.
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Here’s where I’m so thankful for an easy keeper. I’ll see your show jumper and raise you an FEI combined driving pony. I come from h/j land so while top jumpers work hard it’s not the same same physical demands as combined driving, especially the upper levels.
Mind you, easy keepers that need controlled calories BUT have intensive protein requirements present their own challenges when it comes to the feed budget, so I’m not entirely on easy street. But I keep hay in front of him and the retiree 24/7, and this time of year as we move in to the competition season, I supplement with alfalfa cubes (instead of alfalfa hay since they already have grass hay 24/7) PLUS I’m buying extra T&A and fescue squares to take on the road with me.
My feed/hay/shavings per month for BOTH is generally under $400 in the winter, when I’m going through hay at double the normal rate, about 1/2 in peak grass months. I wouldn’t include vet/farrier or really even supps since those costs are net of board costs, but I definitely save $$ on bedding since mine have access to the dry lot when not on pasture and are only locked in stalls if there is a specific medical need (I’m looking at YOU retiree who chokes at the drop of hat). And property maintenance is a significant chunk of change not included here. Also I lease my small farm so I feel you on the time commitment. I have as simple a set up as possible, and it is literally a bjillion hours a month. But I do think your costs do run on the high side, and I’m guessing that’s probably due to a lot of time in the stalls and/or lack of grass (when it’s growing).
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Just googling boarding in Ocala most offerings are running pretty much neck-to-neck with us in NOVA. Google results are best taken with a grain of salt, of course. In your experience, what is the ballpark average for FL?
@Tini_Sea_Soldier1, that’s true. Cost varies dramatically based on what part of the VA and MD you’re looking at. Friends who live near Annapolis were paying $500 a month for full board. Basic eventing barn with no indoor. Lessons/training was additional and required in order to board. My bff in the southern Shenandoah Valley pays $450 a month to board her child’s pony at an up-down-lesson type place.
Here you can find places offering full stall board in the $850-950 range and field board for around $550-$750. The good ones rarely have openings and tend to be very selective about filling them. (i.e. - only taking boarders wanting to commit to the lesson program, only space available in the field is for a medium keeper, low-on-the totem pole mare, etc.) Over $1000 a month is ( 
) the norm. $2000 and up for the high end show hunter barns.
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For Ocala, you’re definitely getting what you pay for. The norm here for basic full care board is $1000+. You might find a few that have cheaper options, but generally speaking, you’ve got a lot of farms that have transformed into the all-inclusive training board models, where you’re paying upwards of $2700+ for board and training. Some even charge extra for lessons and just include pro rides in that number. It’s full-service/white glove in that you show up, get on, ride, dismount and hand off the reins, but that’s becoming more of the norm in this region.
Because this area is so transient throughout the winter (and summer with WEC circuit), that you’re seeing a lot of people just opting to rent out seasonally rather than have year-round boarders. Do I think this will course correct in a year or 2? Probably. Real estate is starting to take a hit, so I think there will be a bigger focus on building year-round assurance rather than just premium board for half the year. I did notice there’s a lot of barns and home rentals still up for grabs as compared to the last few years where it was sell-out city at this point.
Board in Oregon is $1300/month at most bigger A show barns (includes hay, shavings, basic gain and care), with training at $1000-$1200.
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Hi BITSA!
I just DMed you; looking for an OR HJ program, thanks so much 
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I think you know the answer here. And it likely will require moving to a new barn for you to realize the extent to which your current barn is not the right fit.
Our costs are very similar for the horses we keep at home in Virginia (and they are retired show horses, not even in full work). Our farrier costs are lower (no shoes, trims only), but your list looks pretty normal to me.
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Circling back on this - In FL for the season and getting my Pelleted Shavings for $4.50 a bag. So, a drastic difference as I was trying to point out by region. More or less have the price I pay in the midwest.
I have two daughters that ride. Some days when we come up to the barn I just want to watch them ride, rather than ride myself. My horse is older but still a lot of horse if you know what I mean. Some days…jumping isn’t in the plan! I haven’t show in years.
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Assuming that you’re not at WEC Ocala, since it’s double that price there and closer to $10.
There are definitely cheaper shavings options here, BUT you’re still feeling the burn on the side of hay as it’s much more here. So there’s that.
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I enjoy being “less broke” after shipping my horses out of state to an area with a lower cost of living. They’re fat and happy at their current barn, albeit 2,000 miles away, as is my bank account. The difference is such that I could add another horse AND keep it in training AND still come out ahead… 
(The current trainer was one of my childhood trainers. I also previously boarded at this facility - BOs are former dairy farmers and maintain a hay operation. So to me, this was a low risk situation.)
A “broke” person = pantry full of ramen noodles, closet full of top-of-the-line 
riding apparel, and tack truck filled with high-end bridles, saddle, etc.
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Your costs look pretty representative for me, I’m in Northern Virginia. I also use bagged shavings, but it is a trade-off on labor, and finding that reliable shavings supplier. They do exist, and I miss high quality bulk shavings/sawdust mix, but they are not less work in my case.
You probably have actual careers off the farm, as I do.
For the OP’s topic of showing, I am looking forward to maybe 5-6 H/J shows with my hunter, 5 or 6 local/schooling shows and 2-4 licensed shows with my dressage horse.
I’m exhausted thinking about any more than that, but that is because I have the farm to take care of as well.
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I feel this in my soul 
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