Thinking about owning a horse..have you done the math???

So you are thinking about bringing a horse into your life. Have you done the math? I'm not talking about the actual cost of the horse, though that is also a consideration. I am referring to the actual upkeep of the horse. Whether you pay $100,000 and up, or get the horse for free, they all eat, use shavings, need foot care, vet checks, teeth floated, and that all costs money.

I have raised and shown dogs for years, and I always tell my puppy buyers, "you have just made a $10,000.00 investment." Then they gasp, 'I thought the price was....." That is what it costs to raise the average dog to 10 years. There is no such thing as a "free puppy", or in this case a free horse.

Depending on where you live, the cost associated with horse ownership varies. In my area, the Northeast, hay typically goes $6-8 dollars per bale depending on the time of year, shavings are $4.25-5.50 per bag, grain on average is $10.00-12.00 per 50 lbs, teeth floating $65.00-$80.00 every 6 months and the cost of yearly spring and fall shots, plus shoeing or trims every 6 weeks.

There are ways to reduce costs and still provide you horse with quality care. Buying in bulk is an option if you have many horses or board. You can also use sawdust from local mills instead of shavings. If you have a reliable sawmill near by, this can be a better option. If they do not mill kiln dried wood it can actually be more beneficial to both your horses feet and you wallet. I can bed my three horses for 3 weeks with sawdust from a local mill, for the same price I can spend for 1 weeks worth of bagged, kiln dried shavings. I can provide the basic care for my three horses at my own farm for what I paid to board just one horse locally. However, I do all the work.

If your horses have good feet, you can get along nicely with just trims, no shoes as I can do for 2 of my three horses. If they have "issues" with their feet, well that is an entirely different problem. I have one horse who foundered, all four feet, which is resulting in her needing corrective shoeing for a very long time. She is not the norm, but you need to make provisions for all the possible things which can go wrong.

If you do not have proper facilities at your home, then you need to board and the costs associated with that also need to be considered. I could own a vacation home, or a fancy new car for what it costs me on a monthly basis to care for my three horses. The fact that they are Friesians have nothing to do with the cost of maintaining them in a healthy manner. If
I had 3 adopted horses, or rescue horses they would need the same care. This is the important thing to keep in mind before you assume responsibility for taking an animal into your family. Can you provide for them in the worst of situations? If not, do some more thinking. You may be better off leasing, and not assuming full responsibility for a horse on your own.