Having your own horse is great! But unfortunately the costs can add up. I cannot give a precise overview of the costs because this varies greatly. But here is an overview with minimal costs.
The horse
You can sometimes even buy a Shetland stallion foal for ?? 50, – but horses usually cost more. For an adult trained horse that knows the basic skills you can praise from ?? 1000 to ?? Expect 7500. If the horse has a famous parent, is very well trained, is a purebred, or has a particularly beautiful build, the price can be quite high.
Storage
If you have a horse you will also have to put him / her somewhere. A few are lucky enough to have a pasture at home, but most horse owners put their beloved mount at a boarding house or riding school. ?? 100, – is a very low price for full board. Most boarding stables charge between ?? 300, – and ?? 400.-. This differs greatly per region. If there is a lot of demand for a good garage and little supply, the price will be much higher. You can also choose not to put your horse in full board, but to feed, water and deworm, trim, etc.
Saddle
A cheap second-hand saddle often costs about ?? 80, – and with a lot of luck even less. A new saddle quickly costs, doesn’t it? 200, -. Do you also want luxury and a saddle that suits your sport, then you will soon end up with saddles from around the ?? 1000.-. You usually buy a saddle bare. So you still have to buy a girth, stirrups and stirrup leathers. You have a girth from such? 15, -, a simple set of stirrups also costs about? 15, – and the cheaper stirrup leathers are allowed? 12.50 costs.
Saddle pad
From ?? 12.50 you have a neat cover without frills. Do you want something beautiful, then you should think of prices from ?? 30 to even ?? 80, -.
Bridle
From ?? 10, – you have a nice second-hand bridle. New costs the cheaper between ?? 15, – and ?? 25, -. The more expensive costs soon ?? 100, -. With most bridles you buy a bit, what such? 8.95 up to ?? 200, – can cost.
Halter
In front of ?? 14.95 you buy a nice halter with rope. Would you like a little more flair? 40 to ?? 120, – will cost.
The brush box
Your horse will also need to be brushed regularly. For this you need at least a curry comb (from 2.50), a brush (also from 2.50) and a hoof pick (from 1, -). More is always possible, of course, but not necessarily.
The stable pharmacy
A can of disinfectant is actually indispensable. An insect spray is also useful in the summer. Both cost around ?? 10, -. A wormer costs around ?? 12.50. If your horse can regularly go to a different pasture, after which the old pasture is mowed or grazed by sheep, then you only have to deworm twice a year (advice from the vet). If there are a lot of horses on the pasture, if the pasture is small and there is not often changed, you also have to worm more often.
Grafting
The vet will do this for you. Opinions are divided about the usefulness of grafting. Some swear by it, others advise against it. If you decide to vaccinate annually, you should calculate the vaccination costs and the call-out costs of the vet. If you want to compete, the vaccinations are mandatory. A vaccination will be done around the ?? 20, – costs (this varies greatly per vet)
Farrier
Only trimming usually costs around ?? 20, – à ?? 25, -. Do you also want irons underneath it will soon cost? 80, -. A horse with irons is more likely to have a tendon injury and needs to be trimmed more often. Horseshoes are mainly intended to give the horse more grip – with the help of turkeys – or to prevent extreme wear of the hooves, for example in horses that walk all day on stones and asphalt.
Now just a list to illustrate:
The one-time costs
- Horse ?? 1500, –
- Saddle ?? 80, –
- Singel ?? 15, –
- Stirrups ?? 15, –
- Stirrup leathers ?? 12.50
- 2 saddle pads ?? 30, –
- Bridle ?? 20, –
- Bit ?? 10, –
- Brushes ?? 10, –
- Brush bag ?? 5, –
Total ?? 1697.50
The recurring costs on average per month
- Storage full board ?? 250, –
- 1 can of disinfectant per year ?? 1, –
- 2 buses of fly spray per year ?? 2, –
- 2 worms per year ?? 2, –
- The annual vaccination ?? 3.50
- Farrier every 3 months ?? 7, –
Total ?? 265.50
These are fairly minimal costs. If you choose a more expensive boarding house or deworm your horse more often, the costs will look very different. Nevertheless, I hope that this example provides insight into the financial side of your own horse.
