SECRETS To Gorgeous Horses!

Costs of having a horse?

I share a horse at the moment but would like to buy one of my own.
I need to calculate all the costs first to see if I can afford to keep a horse.
I live in the North West UK so answers from that part would be more relevant. I need to know the following:
- what is the best stuff to feed a 16hh horse in good condition on a budget
- how long would it last
- how much per bag
- cost of shavings/straw
- vet & 3rd party insurance only
- dentist & vaccinations

It’s incredibly difficult to put a price on a year. It’s the same as having children or dogs – you pay the bills when they need paid and hope they don’t cost too much, but if you start to add things up you’ll choke … and it’ll cost more anyway!

Shavings are going for around £7 a bag at the moment, if you can get any. You’ll need about six bags to lay a bed, then there’s the ongoing maintenance of it. I use a bag a week per stable. Straw is cheaper.

Budget food is rubbish food. To keep your horse in good condition you’ll have to feed the best – ie Spillers/Baileys feeds and HiFi/Alfa-A chaff. Yes molichop is a quarter of the price but it’s also rubbish, it’s just straw with a bit of molasses on it. Cheap food is a false economy! Without knowing the type of horse and level of work I couldn’t tell you what to feed. On average a 20kg bag of feed will last about a month, but of course that depends on a lot of factors.

The call out for the vet is a stinger. You should expect to pay around £30 before the vet even looks at the horse. My sister recently paid £90 for flu and tet boosters for her horse and pony. They need an initial course of jabs then an annual booster. If you’re late on the booster you’ll have to start the course over again!

Dentists vary in price. Use an equine dentist, NOT an equine dental technician. EDTs are not highly trained and have been known to wreck mouths; again cheaper, but not worth it.

Insurance… E&L is the cheapest because they don’t pay out, they’re a household insurance company (entertainment & leisure; they insure cameras and have tried to brand themselves as equine & livestock) and don’t know one end of a horse from the other, and subsequently don’t have a clue what they’re talking about so refuse to pay. Petplan and South Essex will both happily pay out. (I’ve been with SEIB for years and they were fine dealing with my vet directly when I was far too upset to bother about filling in forms etc.) Shop around, but for true value for money (not the same as cheapness!) I don’t think you’ll get better than SEIB or Petplan.

You didn’t even mention shoes … farriers are charging £60-80 for a full set, you’ll need a set around every six weeks. Possibly more frequently if you do a lot of road work or your horse’s feet are poor or grow quickly.

There’s no getting away from it – horses are very expensive!

Corinthian Horse Insurance of Medway, MA

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