All amounts in this article refer to the Polish market and are given in Polish zloty (PLN).
Being a horse owner is not only a passion, but also a responsible task that requires time and attention. Many of you probably remember the period when you started riding and the first requests to your parents to buy a pony or a horse appeared. Not everyone then realised that a horse is an animal that needs regular feeding and movement, as well as appropriate knowledge on our part to avoid frequent vet visits.
In this article we will take a closer look at what duties are associated with keeping horses and how much it costs us. Of course we will assume estimated values, because these prices fluctuate, and quite strongly, depending on the given region. I did a small survey on our Instagram profile and I will refer to your answers, so the article is being created in cooperation with you.
Let us assume, then, that the part with buying the horse is already behind us; many of us thought that this was the worse one, but nothing could be further from the truth, it is only the tip of the mountain of expenses.
How much does livery for a horse cost?
We already have the horse and where have we decided to keep it? We actually have two options to choose from:
1. Livery which might seem like a fairly simple solution for us. We are then not concerned with the cost of buying hay and straw. If we come to a good agreement with the owner, feeding and turning out to the paddocks are provided.
The cost of livery, depending on many amenities or the region, ranges from £100 reaching even up to £390.
2. Keeping the horse in a home stable, if we have such a possibility. Often in conversations you can hear: “You have it nice, you keep the horse at your place, you do not bear the costs of livery.” You have to look behind the curtain. As the owner of a home stable we have to deal with preparing the stable for the horses to live in. We have to buy hay, straw, oats. It is we who pay the bills for water and electricity. In the case of livery stables this cost is already included in the price for us as horse owners.
How much does the straw needed to keep a horse cost?
The price of straw can differ considerably depending on the region, the season and availability. Straw can be bought in a small bale or a round bale. A small bale is a price of £0.5-£1. To bed the whole box with straw we need about 2-3, sometimes 4 small bales, but we assume that it is 3 small bales. If we muck out the box of dirt every day, we assume that we add a small bale a day, and throw the whole thing out once a week. According to these calculations, per week we need about 9 small bales a week and per month about 36 small bales for one horse.
Now let us check how it works out with a round bale.
I will give you an example from our stable. We came to an agreement with a farmer from our area that we would use the straw after his grain harvest. So the baling and collecting is on our side, and therefore the costs associated with it too. We made 160 round bales, that is the largest size. After summing everything up – renting machines, help, fuel and payment to the field owner – the price per round bale comes out to about £5. If, however, there is no such possibility and you have to buy from another place, then the prices range from £10 to £10, but then you do not have to worry about the whole procedure from field to stable. One round bale at our stable is enough to bed about 12 boxes. So for one horse we have 12 beddings. We assume that we have 3 such beddings a week, so one round bale is enough for a month. If we sum up both cases, the round bale is definitely more economical.
Monthly summary for straw:
Small bale £30
Round bale £5-£10
Now let us move on to hay.
How much does hay to feed a horse cost?
As with straw, we have small bales and round bales. So that we can estimate this well, we will assume that we feed hay in the boxes. Feeding three times a day.
The cost of a small bale is £1.5-£2.5; about 0.5 of a small bale goes per feeding. This depends on the weight of the small bale; some are better compressed, others worse. So per day from 1.5 to 2 small bales. In a month we have 30 days. So we need from 45 to 60 of these small bales; let us assume it comes out to 50 small bales for one horse. And we manage to buy them for £1.5.
A round bale of hay, depending on the region, ranges from £15 to even £30. So let us assume an average of £25. This will be the optimal price including the cost of transport, loading and unloading. One round bale (160) with one horse is enough for about 31 days, so we also assume that it is for a month.
Monthly summary for hay:
Small bale £80
Round bale £25
How much can buying feed for a month for a horse cost?
The last thing that interests us with a home stable is concentrate feed, in this case it is oats. More and more stables are moving away from this grain for various reasons, but for the moment let us assume that we feed our horse oats.
The price at which we can buy a tonne of oats is £270. We have one horse, so we buy a smaller amount. We assume that the horse eats about 1.5 kg of oats per day. So per month we need about 45-50 kg.
We can of course also buy ready-made feed in addition and, e.g., mix it. What we are now going to count applies to both cases, because livery usually provides only oats, and if we want to give something more, we have to buy it ourselves.
Based on your answers I will choose one of the companies you listed, because it is impossible to take each into the calculation. According to feeding recommendations the dosage is 200-400 g per 100 kg of body weight per day. We estimate our horse’s weight at 550 kg. And we remember that the feed is given with oats. So we take a dose of 250 g per 100 kg, so for our horse the daily dose of this feed is 1.375 kg. A bag is therefore enough for about 15 days. So in a month we need 2 such bags.
We also have various feed supplements.
One should do blood tests and check which supplements it is lacking. However, not everyone does this and decides to use ready-made vitamin mixtures. Again I am guided by the use of your answers. The most frequent company that appeared was HorselinePro and it was the product Vitamax. According to the dosage, the package lasts for 100 days. So the purchase is taken care of for over 3 months. We can of course also give other supplements, but let us assume that we give only vitamins.
Monthly summary for feed and supplements:
Oats £15
Feed £65
Vitamins £10
At this point we can end the comparison of a home stable to livery. What you decide on really depends on your possibilities and convenience.
How much does a farrier visit for a horse cost?
Let us move on, then, to what interests each of us, that is the farrier visit. Regardless of the choice of place of keeping, on average once a month he has to visit us. The costs of a visit to the farrier can differ depending on the region you live in and on the farrier’s level of experience and the quality of his work. It is best to talk to several different farriers in your area and seek opinions in order to find the best offer.
It is also important whether we are trimming or shoeing.
The price of natural trimming ranges from £10-£25.
Whereas for shoeing the answers given ranged from £45 to £75. We do not, of course, count travel here, because the farrier often comes not only to one horse, but the visits are combined into larger ones, and we are not talking about orthopaedic shoeing, which can reach prices of even over £100.
As in every case, we assume average values.
Summary:
Trimming – £15
Shoeing – £60
What is the cost of deworming a horse?
Deworming a horse is an important element of caring for it, because it will help avoid infections and diseases that can be caused by parasites, such as nematodes or roundworms. Deworming a horse should be done by us or a vet. The costs of deworming a horse can differ depending on what type of deworming is needed and on the horse’s state of health. We assume that we have a fully healthy horse, which we deworm prophylactically. In the survey I asked you how many times a year you deworm horses. There were 3 options to choose from: 2-3-4 times a year. We received the most clicks for deworming 2 times a year. So we adopt this value. For deworming we have various preparations, but they are usually pastes with Ivermectin – single-component, cost 50-80, or two-component 90-150.
Summary:
Single-component paste £15
Two-component paste £25
How much do horse vaccinations cost?
Vaccinating a horse against influenza is recommended for all horses, especially those that are in groups or that often come into contact with other horses. It allows the disease to be prevented. Influenza in horses manifests itself with a high fever, shortness of breath, coughing and diarrhoea, and its treatment can be difficult and costly. The cost of vaccination can differ depending on where you live and on what type of vaccine is available in your area, but it usually amounts to about £20. Vaccination should be done 1-2 times a year and should be carried out by a vet.
Sometimes it happens that a horse may react badly to the vaccine. The most common symptoms after vaccination are pain or swelling at the injection site, weakness, lack of appetite and an elevated body temperature. These symptoms usually subside after a few days and are fairly mild. More serious reactions, such as a rash, severe muscle pain or weakness, happen less often. In such a case you should contact a vet, because it may be necessary to administer medication or other treatment. Generally speaking, vaccination against influenza is a safe and effective way of preventing the disease in horses.
How often should a horse’s teeth be done?
A teeth check is done on average 1-2 times a year depending on the horse’s needs. I would not like to dwell too much on this here, because an article will also appear that will show what such a visit looks like, so let us concentrate on the costs. Depending on where you are located and where the equine dentist comes to you from, this cost can differ considerably.
We usually try to have the visit combined with horses in your stable or even neighbouring stables, so that the travel cost is spread out as much as possible. An ordinary teeth check without removing tushes or wolf teeth is a cost of about £60-£70, whereas when the little horse provides us with sensations in the form of additional teeth to remove, then last year’s costs were £10 per removed tooth, so this price can increase even up to £100 + the cost of sedation, that is the so-called anaesthetising of the horse, so as not to needlessly endanger ourselves and the people taking part and to be able to safely perform the procedure.
Should a horse have its own vet?
We would like there to be as few of them as possible, but sometimes they are inevitable.
The costs of vet visits can differ depending on what type of service is needed and on where we live. Check-up visits and basic procedures, such as vaccinations or deworming, which I have already mentioned, are usually cheaper than more advanced procedures, such as treating diseases or operations. It is important to have a first-contact vet and the numbers of several saved in your phone in case ours is unavailable. Regularly monitor your horse’s health.
What can the costs of equipment for a horse be?
The costs of buying equipment for a horse can differ depending on what discipline we are going to practise, what equipment is needed and on its quality and brand. Generally speaking, the prices of equipment for horses can start from a few dozen zlotys and can reach even several thousand. It is important to thoroughly analyse your needs and financial possibilities before buying.
Summary of the costs of keeping a horse.
To sum up, keeping a horse involves various costs, from feed and veterinary care to expenses on equipment. It is important to thoroughly analyse your financial possibilities and determine how much money you are able to allocate to keeping a horse.
Remember that caring for a horse is a multifaceted matter that requires commitment, but for many people it is also a wonderful passion and a way of spending free time.
