Last night I was at the barn and a lady was visiting. She had a "horse crazy" 10 1/2 year old daughter. She wanted to come by the barn and get an idea of what owning a horse costs. Our Indie was a bad example of cost because we give him feed and other supplements which are not common in many horses. She also asked what it would cost to get all set up with a horse from the beginning starting for scratch. Wow I have no idea. We haven't started from scratch ever. I started to run a total in my head and was afraid to give her the number.
Here's what I was thinking:
Horse (for a youth with no experience)- $4,000-$5,000
Saddle- $250.00
Other tack (brushes, pad, bridle, blanket, ect.)- $500.00
Feed (per month)- $150.00
Board (per month)- $250.00
Trailer- $2,500 ish
Misc.- $1,000.00
So the total would be approx. $9,000.00
That can't be right. Wow!
What do you think? Does this seem off? What do you think it cost to own a horse and first and also monthly after you've purchased it?
I honestly don't think that it is necessary to spend $4-5000 for a horse for an inexperienced rider, especially in this economy...I pay full care board including hay/grain, and only pay for vet costs, farrier services, and it only costs $300/month. I am sure it could be much cheaper if there were options to work off some of the board...our trailer was around $3000 though, but we got one that will hold 3 horses, and I am sure there are smaller (cheaper) ones out there...
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