How much does a horse cost?

I put this here becaus eof the number of variables that people will be throwing at me, and I know little about horses.

What I am looking for:

the horse should be friendly and be willing to be ridden by me primarily, or any membe of my family. So I guess a good disposition would be important, and comfortable around all sorts of people. It does not have to be a race horse or a work horse… Just a rider. I don’t know how old it should be, but I’m assuming in the 5-7 year age group?

Male or female does not matter, although if a male,it should probably lose the jewels. Sorry, there, Big Fella.

So, with those parameters, what are we looking at… $2k? $10.? I really have no idea. I tried googling this, but I had no idea of what oarameters I needed to focus on.

Thanks. The horse would have to be boarded, so a monthly viewfinder on food, shelter, and exercise should be included.

Finally, how long would an average horse live, and how much to dispose of the horse after it dies? Do people cremate them, donate them to glue factories, ir bury them in the back yard?

Thanks for any info.

I did some quick googling and the consensus seems to be it costs $200-400 a month to keep a horse if you’re boarding it.

About as much as a boat.

An easygoing well-broke horse that isn’t too fancy will probably set you back between 800 to 2000 bucks. Since you appear to be a total novice, I would opt for a mature horse of 8 years plus. Horse health care has greatly advanced the useful lives of horses in the past few decades, and a sound 20 year old horse may have another 10 good years in him.

Virtually all male horses will be gelded long before they cross your path. Don’t even think about a stud horse.

All horses should be checked by a vet prior to any exchange of money. This is standard practice. Do not omit it.

The point of having a horse is riding it, so the exercise would be your responsibility. The more you ride, the better off your horse. Feed is usually part of the boarding fee.

The initial price of the horse is a minor part of what you will spend. Horses need monthly shoeing, medical care, tack, grooming equipment, and about a million other things difficult to acquire cheaply. They are an expensive hobby.

I recommend riding lessons, and a lot of reading.

Oh, about 79¢ a can.

If you have a horse rescue in your area, that would be an excellent place to start. I volunteer at a horse rescue and there are so many great horses needing a home.

Yes, disposition should be your # 1 concern. You want a laid-back, tolerant horse that will accept the mistakes that will inevidably be made, especially if kids will be riding.

As for sex, I would recommend a gelding- a neutered male. Mares-females- get hormonal about once a month. I always preferred a good gelding. (even tho I have lost my heart to a yearling filly (female) at the rescue…)

Nothing younger than 8-10 years, as was suggested above. Horses can be useful well into their 20’s. Cost is going to depend on a lot of things- breed, training, etc. With the economy the way it is, you can get a nice horse well below $1000. Boarding, depending on the facility, will likely be in the $250-400 range. Look for a barn that has an indoor arena if possible, and access to trails. There is nothing in the world like a trail ride on your horse. :slight_smile: If you can board at a stable that has a riding instructor, that’s perfect.

One thing to remember- horses will test you. They will try you. And if you allow them to get away with things, they will bully you. Be sure you are ready for the responsibility. Read everything you cn get your hands on about horses, and if possible, take lessons before you buy.

Best of luck in your quest! Horse ownership is the best part of life, in my opinion.

If you have to ask…

I second the suggestion to look at the 8+ year bracket.

I’d also question the likelihood of find a horse that will suit multiple members of your family - assuming you’re an average sized adult, you’ll probably be looking for a horse in the 15 - 16 hands bracket. That’s going to be way too big for a smaller child to effectively ride.

I’m guessing the vocabulary is going to be different around the world, but where I grew up, we’d say what you were looking for is a horse for general hacking. That means you just want to ride for pleasure, not compete or show. We’d also use the phrase ‘bombproof’ which means a laid back horse that doesn’t easily shy or buck.

What’s your horse-riding background? Have you been getting lessons and now want to take it to the next step? Or are you a complete beginner who’s always wanted to try?

Well, an inflatable, like a Zodiac. But, matey, ‘at’s no’ a boat, 'at’s a bathtub toy!

This isn’t entirely fair. When I said I have no idea, it really means I have no idea. I know nothing about the owning and caring for a horse, from a price perspective. However, it could very well be within my price range.

I would say you hit the nail on the head in your second paragraph. I have only a desire to ride for pleasure, not for show. My horse-riding background is minimal. So, I consider myself a beginner.

I think that you’d probably do better to sign up for riding lessons. You get the pleasure of riding a horse, someone else gets to keep the horse. And you find out if you like riding as much as you think you would. For that matter, what if you’re allergic to horse dander, or someone in your family is allergic? Just because you’ve ridden in the past is no guarantee that you aren’t allergic now, you can develop allergies.

And it’s really not just the upfront cost. As others have said, there’s the upkeep on a horse.

I second this. Spend time around horses (even take lessons at different places for a while) before you jump into ownership. Even though you intend to board your horse, it doesn’t sound like you know enough to be able to catch if the boarding barn is doing something wrong.

You can volunteer at a rescue, take lessons, work with facilities that provide horse assisted therapy, get a part time job at a barn.

Once you’ve put in some hours around horses, you’ll likely find someone who can help you evaluate a horse for purchase and you’ll have a much better idea of the expenses involved.

Unless you want to spend a lot of money on a trainer, remember that a cheap horse isn’t always cheap. A child safe, steady, been-there-done-that mount is worth the money asked for them. On the other hand, just because someone asks a lot for a horse, it doesn’t mean they’re worth that. Some people slap a ‘name’ (cough rescue cough) on a horse then demand an insane price (or adoption fee) for a horse that really isn’t worth the money asked.

This is why you need to work with an experienced person that you can trust who can help you evaluate the horse. Be aware, there are some long acting drugs that can ‘sedate’ a horse for a period of weeks, so always buy from someone with a good reputation.

OH, an IF you consider adoption, READ THE CONTRACT! READ THE CONTRACT! READ THE CONTRACT! READ THE CONTRACT! READ THE CONTRACT!

There are some real looney contracts out there and once you sign it, the courts will enforce it. Don’t ever sign something thinking “they’d never do that to me”. I’ve seen some total loons that are sweet as pie until you’ve adopted THEIR animal… suddenly they’re on your property, in your face constantly and trashing you all over the internet.

Your first priority should be a SAFE horse, don’t let looks or a sad backstory sway you into taking on a rank or dangerous or untrained horse unless you have the extra money to pay trainers and vets to bring the horse around right and the willingness to spend the time on such a project.

(If you’d posted that you had 10+ years breaking out colts and were totally comfortable with horses, my attitude about much of the above would be different. But, I see too many novice people taken advantage of by people in the horse industry.)

According to my careful research, a horse costs one (1) bag of yokes. Please note that I couldn’t find pricing information more recent than 1992.

Basic costs will also depend on the area where you keep the horse (full board in stable will cost more than a shared field). Probably worth mentioning the country and state you’re in (I’m in Australia). The initial cost is generally the least of the price! There are plenty of websites where you can look up horses for sale in your area.

Before you buy a horse you should get it checked over by a vet (in Australia these cost from $500-$1500) … you should also take a professional or very experienced person to help you chose the horse (this can also cost money for their travel/time).

Extra costs you will face once you purchase the horse:

  • regular lessons (this is one area where many first time owners go wrong, horses learn bad habits and you WILL need ongoing help - I would factor in fortnightly lessons for the first 6 months at least … I assume costs would be around ours and a basic lesson is $50 … say add $1,000 for the first year)
  • shoeing / feet trimming every 6-8 weeks
  • worming every 6-8 weeks
  • Vaccinations
  • Ongoing feeding costs

The scary ones are the vet bills … I would not own a horse without a plan to be able to access at least $2,000 in an emergency (and that will not cover many instances … but gives an idea of disposable cash you will need to have). Some of my vet bills have gone over $5,000. A plain call out for a vet costs me about $300 before they even treat anything (and horses always get sick out of hours, usually late on a Sunday night!).

You will need to also count the cost of bridle, blankets, brushes, saddle (which will need regular fitting - every 12 months), saddle blankets, HELMETS (for all who ride), halters, lunge rope, buckets, horse boots, shampoos, fly sprays, first aid kit and all the rest!!

Horses live to around 25-30 years … I would expect a horse not to be in full ridden work from the age of 20, so a long retirement when you still have to pay full costs.

As Lynn Bodoni suggested … it is MUCH cheaper to have regular lessons if you only want to ride once a week or so! Join one of the horse forums and find out what is in your local area … you’ll need lots of expert advice that you can’t get over the internet!!

Being a beginner is the best place to start! :smiley:

Could I suggest you start with riding lessons, using the riding school’s horses? That way, you’ll start off with the right habits, and you’ll get the opportunity to ride a number of horses and you’ll get to understand their different temperaments and ways of behaving. You might also find some trekking places near where you live where you can go out for longer rides, overnight ones included, which gives you even more experience of different types of horses. Then you’ll be in a much stronger position to know what type of horse you like, that suits your temperament (because it’s a partnership between horse and rider).

Not necessarily.

You can’t eat a boat when you get tired of it.

As others have pointed out, the cheapest part of horse ownership is the purchase price of the horse, especially for the type of horse you are looking for. Buying a horse is a lot like buying a used car. You can get a bargain that goes forever for a few hundred dollars or you can spend thousands for a high end product that is a dream. Sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you end up with a lemon.

Something you may want to consider before you plunge into fulltime horse ownership is a part-board situation. Someone else owns the horse, but you pay a portion of the upkeep and have access to the horse a set number of times per week, depending on the agreement you make with the owner. This also works out well if you only want to ride a couple of times a week.

My gf currently has two horses. One is 9, the other 27. The old horse is still ridden on occasion, and is unhappy when not ridden. His teeth have worn down to nothing, so feeding him is costly and a PIA. He gets a pelleted feed that is soaked in warm water so that it is like a milkshake, twice a day. He also gets compressed alfalfa cubes similarly soaked.

Both horses get vet checked and vaccinated three or four times a year. The farrier comes on some regular schedule. We have a barn and property, but even without the cost of boarding they are costly.

Saddles, bits, bridles, etc can be found used, but are still pricey.

Be very careful buying a “used horse”. There are people out there who run some pretty fancy scams.

IF you’re in the US, you should look at ChaffHaye for the senior, some people are reporting good results from it. Depending on where you are in the country, it could run from $13 to $17 for a 50# bag (the closer to TX the cheaper it is)