Of all the animals on earth, horses have long remained among the most beloved.
These gentle giants are much larger than their owners, yet are relatively easy to train to obey human commands.
They are noted for their beauty and grace but are also useful.
Through the ages, horses have served as pack animals and have transported items through all kinds of weather through difficult-to-maneuver terrain.
While people may fantasize about owning their own horses one day, the animals’ high cost can be a shock.
In some instances, a horse can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Why Are Horses So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)
1. COVID
The COVID pandemic changed lives from the beginning and continues to do so today.
One of the things that the CDC encouraged to avoid catching the novel coronavirus was social distancing.
People immediately began to seek ways to maintain their health and levels of activity in safe ways that enabled them to distance themselves socially.
Horseback riding is one way to get exercise while also remaining at least six feet away from others.
The benefits offered include, but are not limited to, improved mental health, physical core strengthening, improved strength and muscle tone, improved flexibility, and better blood circulation.
With this in mind, it stands to reason that horses are in greater demand, especially among health enthusiasts.
With the greater demand for horses, the market changed to the advantage of the seller.
Horse owners were able to demand more money when selling their horses because the market became more competitive.
2. Upkeep
Not only does buying a horse entail a large initial investment, but the cost of upkeep is also sizable.
A survey conducted by the University of Maine put monthly costs for horse ownership to making car payments from $250–300 per month.
That adds up to annual costs ranging from $2,419 to $3,876 per animal.
The actual number, of course, has many determining factors, such as the breed and age of the horse, its health, and its function.
It stands to reason that a prime show animal or racehorse might require more specialized upkeep than a pastured horse that is being kept as a pet or for casual riding experiences.
Added Expenses
Listed separately are some of the added expenses for owning a horse that many people might not consider until they have already purchased their horses.
3. Boarding
People who live in cities often do not have the pasture area or space to keep their horses, so they must rent these things from a horse boarding facility.
The boarding fee that one pays will often be one of the most expensive parts of horse ownership.
Prices may vary from state to state, according to various factors, such as the location of the boarding facility, the type of horse that is boarded, and any special needs that go along with it.
On average, one can expect to pay at least $350 to 400 per month to board a horse.
As previously noted, many things factor into this number, however.
Different options are available, also.
For instance, there is self-care boarding, pasture boarding, and full care boarding.
A. Self-Care Boarding
Self-care boarding includes a greater hands-on approach than other types of horse boarding.
A typical self-care boarding approach includes a pasture for grazing and a stall for sleeping.
The horse owner, however, provides everything else concerning the animal’s daily care.
Because this type of boarding does not include any types of labor costs, it is usually one of the least expensive routes to take.
Some of the benefits of self-care boarding include retaining control over how the horse is maintained, being able to consult with other horse owners who board at the same facility, and a nice, well-kept space if you don’t own facilities yourself.
B. Pasture Boarding
Pasture boarding does not include a stall and relies on the horses’ durability and the capacity to survive by living unsheltered in a pasture.
Some equestrians feel that pasture boarding is the most natural way to board a horse because horses live without shelter when they are in the wild.
During pasture boarding, the only time a horse is kept in a stall is if it becomes ill, sustains an injury, stands to be injured during extreme weather, or has been quarantined.
Sometimes other horses are being boarded in the same pastures, and sometimes a given horse will be boarded alone.
The levels of care offered during pasture boarding may vary from farm to farm.
However, feeding options are negotiable.
They tend to be less expensive when the horse owner does the feeding.
C. Full-Care Boarding
Depending on the horse, the location, and the particular facility involved, full-care boarding can cost as much as an average of $750 per month.
Full-care boarding entails the boarding facility providing everything that the horse needs, including food, shelter, medicine, and in some cases, exercise.
This is a steep increase over the average cost of $150 per month for a self-care board.
Even at $750 per month, some boarding facilities still place the responsibility for providing food, bedding, and hay in the hands of the owner as an extra charge.
D. College Boarding
Certain elite colleges in the United States have equestrian centers as part of their college curriculum.
Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, is among those that allow students to take their horses to school and board them at the college.
However, this can be quite expensive.
The fees for this begin at almost $1,000 per month and increase with added services.
4. Feed
The normal expenses for feeding a horse can be costly depending on the horse, the cost of feed, and the type of feed the owner chooses to give to the horse.
Each day, a healthy horse can consume up to 2.5 pounds of dried feed for every 100 pounds of body weight.
This is in addition to the grass and/or hay it consumes.
A. Grain
Horses are generally fed a specific mixture of grain each day, usually within a range of 0.5% of the animal’s body weight.
The amount of grain should be increased by a half-pound each third day until a decline in roughage consumption is observed.
The price of this feed mixture can vary according to the season, the grain type, and the actual consumption.
Horses need to be fed two or three times a day.
B. Hay And Grass
Horses should receive 1.5% of their body weight in daily feedings of hay or grass.
The levels of crude protein contained in hay and grass affect the exact amount that should be used to maintain the health of the animal, which is determined by a veterinarian with specific tests.
The required amount of hay can also be reduced depending on the amount of grazing the horse has available.
Therefore, the costs can vary in this case as well.
C. Equine Minerals And Salt
Supplements are important to the health of horses, as they help maintain the animals’ metabolic functions.
They need Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K for the best chances of staying healthy.
The amounts to be given should be ascertained by a veterinarian, as overdosing is as harmful as not giving the animals sufficient supplies.
Some horse feeds include vitamins in the mix which has the advantage of taking out the guesswork concerning how much is the right amount.
5. An Equine Nutritionist
In determining the costs of horse ownership, the prices of a nutritionist should be included so that a determination can be made about the necessary vitamin intake for each animal.
The average cost is $300 per hour, per horse.
Equine minerals and salt are typically dispensed in portions of two five-pound blocks each year.
The costs range widely, depending on the supplements, vitamins, and minerals selected.
Oftentimes, commercially prepared mixes of grains will contain supplemental vitamins and minerals as well.
6. Farriers
It is the job of a farrier to ensure that horses’ hooves are healthy and well cared for.
They are the ones who keep the horse’s hooves trimmed and balanced to help prevent leg injuries, among other things.
On average, one pays around $50–150 for farrier services with hoof trims alone, averaging around $30.
An entire set of horseshoes can run between $90 and $150.
Each year, a farrier is needed around five times, meaning that the horse owner can pay anywhere from $450 to $750.
Farriers usually charge for their services by the hour and are generally good at providing estimates before performing the work.
7. Veterinary Services
A. Deworming
Each year, horse owners should schedule annual deworming with someone qualified to do the task.
Deworming is the process in which parasitic worms are removed.
If left untended, horses can grow weak and ill.
They begin to lose their appetites, sometimes vomit, and begin to lose weight.
This condition has the potential to become fatal.
A managed deworming schedule is important as a preventative measure, and to eliminate the existence of any existing worms, especially in the digestive tract.
Deworming prices per horse can range from $30–75 per year.
The separate fecal examinations that are performed to determine whether or not a horse has worms can cost from $15–30 per examination.
B. Non-Injury Health Care
Healthy animal care administration should include all four annual deworming treatments, encephalomyelitis, rabies, and tetanus vaccinations, a Coggins test for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), and any type of required health certificate.
A regular health care exam should occur twice annually.
C. Breeding Care
When horses are kept for breeding, the chances of incurring increases in veterinary costs have the potential to be very high.
Pre-breeding, the horses are examined for any health problems that could interfere with the pregnancy.
Then, during pregnancy, they are checked again and monitored carefully.
Most pregnant mares receive additional vaccinations and postnatal care as well as increased supplements.
D. Emergency Vet Care
Veterinary care that is administered while associated with breeding can be very expensive, depending on the situation.
Emergency vet care, in general, can drive up the costs of owning a horse considerably.
8. Coggins Test
The previously mentioned Coggins test is required before a horse can participate in certain public events, such as horse shows or rodeos.
This test screens for traces of Equine Infectious Anemia, a dangerous, rapidly-spreading virus that can infect any horse that stands near an infected one.
There is no treatment or cure for this virus, and horses that contract it must be euthanized to prevent the further spread of the virus.
9. Equine Dental Care
Over time, a horse’s teeth wear down, depending on how the animal chews its food.
When sharp edges form on the outside ridges of their teeth, their inner mouth can sustain cuts and ulcers that can become infected and cause other problems.
Equine dental care involves a process called teeth floating.
Teeth floating involves the use of a drill or rasp to smooth out those outside ridges that cause problems.
The frequency at which this procedure needs to be performed depends on the horse and the type of food that it eats regularly.
When a vet who specializes in equine dental care floats teeth, the price can be higher if the horse resists or if the teeth are in especially poor condition.
It is common practice to sedate the horse during the procedure.
However, some horses will resist even if sedated.
This puts both the horse and the vet at risk.
10. Tack
Horse tack or equipment can run from $50 –3,000, depending on what a particular rider requires.
The good thing is that this cost is usually the only tack charge one will have to pay for a long time if their tack is cared for properly.
These pieces of equipment tend to last a long time.
A. Saddles
Saddles come in many varieties and price ranges that depend on the quality and workmanship and the particular brand.
Some are hand-tooled and bejeweled for use in parades and rodeos, and others are bare-bones, but both kinds are functional.
There are also English riding saddles and Western saddles, the former of which is more streamlined and less expensive than the latter, which were designed for utilitarian purposes, such as rounding up cattle.
Most tack stores have bargain saddles that they offer at discounted rates.
Prices for saddles usually run in the $150 to $3,000 price range.
B. Saddle Pads
The saddle pad or saddle blanket provides a buffer between the horse and the saddle to make the saddle fit more comfortably.
Saddle blankets can be a quilted type or expensive, hand-woven wool types.
Prices normally range between $20 and $250.
C. Cinch Or Girth
Western riders refer to the piece of equipment that holds the saddle firmly onto the horse’s back as a girth, while Eastern riders refer to it as the cinch.
The two kinds vary by design, as do their prices, which range between $15 and $120.
Leather ones tend to cost much more than synthetic ones do.
D. Bridle
Bridles come in both Western and Eastern designs and are the pieces of equipment that go over a horse’s head to give the rider control.
Each one features browbands, cheek straps, chin straps, and throat latches.
Western bridles have bits.
Whether or not they come with reins and bits depends on the type of bridle.
Some types require buying these pieces separately.
On average, bridles run from $20 to $200 and upward.
E. Extra Supplies
In addition to the aforementioned items, horse owners need to have certain extra supplies on hand with which to properly care for their horses.
These items are commonly found at local farm supply stores or tack shops.
Used daily, these items include but are not limited to halters, lead ropes, a good water bucket, a feed bucket, a brush set, a cleaning bucket, a fly spray and mask, and a waterproof horse blanket for winter.
Liniment and an antibacterial wound spray are also needed
Prices for these items vary from store to store.
Some can be purchased online at much lower prices.
Now What?
After a horse has been purchased and all of the equipment, boarding, food, and vet costs have been figured in, there are certainly other expenses that potential horse owners should consider.
For example, activities, such as riding lessons, if the rider is inexperienced.
Riding lessons can cost between $35 and $100 per private lesson or $25–45 on average for group lessons.
Riding lessons are not just limited to the inexperienced, however.
Even seasoned riders can always learn something new, especially where a new mount is concerned.
1. Competitions
If competitions are your thing, you might also want to consider entering your horse in one or more of the plethora of opportunities, from barrel racing at a rodeo to English jumping competitions, depending on your skill level, and the particular horse that you choose to buy and other factors.
As with virtually anything, competitions can be as expensive as one is willing to pay.
Rated and FEI shows can cost thousands, but small local shows, depending on the situation, can be free or cost very little.
2. Club Memberships
An additional expense to consider is one well worth the price, and that is club memberships.
Horses are used as part of polo clubs, fox hunting clubs, trail riding clubs, and many other types of riding organizations.
Normally, the members pay an annual fee to join and, in turn, will receive certain benefits, such as waived fees for certain events, temporary boarding, and other fees that non-members must incur.
Living The Dream
A horse lover need not be wealthy to own a horse.
There are ways virtually anyone who wants to can realize his or her dream of horse ownership.
Certain parts of the country offer rescue horses for little or no money.
Vets vary in price from state to state.
Feed stores offer sales of equine food, and other aspects of horse ownership can be had at deeply discounted prices.
Some horse owners save money on boarding costs by volunteering one or two days a week at a horse stable.
Certain small tack items can be found online at discounted prices, and most tack stores have periodic sales.
In other words, some workarounds are alternatives to expensive horse ownership.
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