Pushing On Daisy

Let’s talk about the rubbish side of keeping horses – the costs! Although it’s very possible to keep horses on a budget, it certainly isn’t easy. 

If you are interested in seeing an honest insight into the costs of keeping horses, I have included my actual monthly costs below. Our horsey budgets shouldn’t be taboo and im happy to discuss what Im currently paying and what Im doing to try and save money. 

1. Livery – £540 pcm
   DIY livery, £180 per horse PCM. No extras included.
   
2. Feed/hay – Averaging £129 – £145.5 pcm
   Hay £38 per round, balancer £27 (ish) per bag, £11 Chaff,  £16.50 fast fibre (thankfully dont get this one every month) and I purchase a range of supplements I buy every few months, if I spread the cost monthly its about £15.
   
3. Bedding – Averaging £40 pcm
   Straw bales = £3.50 per bale. I buy in bulk every quarter to save on delivery costs and get through roughly 1 bale per week per horse.
   
4. Farrier – £145 every 6 weeks
   Definitly my most pricey purchases! £35 a trim for two of the horses, £75 for front shoes for Bam Bam. Done about every 6 weeks.
   
5. Insurance – £14 pcm
   I have my three covered under a very basic insurance as it can get extremily expensive, Im currently trying to save a small emergency stash should the worst happen.
   
6. Lessons – £35 pcm
   £35 per lesson. I try to have one lesson a month but this isnt always possible depending on budget.
   

Dont forget the extras!
I also have vet visits yearly to pay for, quarterly worm counts and wormers when needed, dentist visits, Oesteo visits, transport fees, entry fees etc.

Bare minimum, excluding extras, im spending about £903 pcm on the three horses, a majority of that being livery fees. This is more than half of my monthly wages. So whats next? I would like to try and tackle the livery costs. Generally, a grass livery or renting a field with some shelters can work out cheaper, this is an option Im currently looking at to try and knock down my costs slightly.

Keen to share your insights? Please do email me at hannahehopkins@live.co.uk or leave a comment below, whether your keen to share some money saving tips or share some details on your budget, I would love to hear your thoughts!