Costs

To put into context the amount of money and care a horse needs as maintenance I researched into what costs are to be expected with having your own horse. 

Initial cost 

The prices of a horse initially can really vary but the majority tend to be priced around 1-2000 pounds. But competition horses can be bought for quite a few thousand. 

Stabling/ Livery

Costs vary depending on the type of livery offered.

Grass Livery can be expected to cost in the region of £20-£25 per week:

This type of livery provides the horse owner with a field in which to keep their horse. The horse owner is responsible for all care and feeding of the horse on a daily basis. This type of livery requires the horse owner to attend to the horse every day even if no feeding is necessary, in order to ascertain that the horse has suffered no injury or illness each day.

DIY Stable Livery can be expected to cost around £30-£40 per week:

This type of livery provides the horse owner with a stable in which to keep their horse and a field or paddock in which to turn their horse out during the day. The horse owner is responsible for all care including mucking out, turning the horse out to the field and bringing the horse in from the field and feeding of the horse on a daily basis. Bedding and hay are often not included and the horse owner must purchase these separately, although some livery yards may offer DIY stabled livery at a higher price with bedding and hay included. This type of livery requires the horse owner to attend to the horse in the morning and evening of every day.

Full Livery can be expected to cost in the region of £100-£150 per week:

In addition to providing the horse owner with a stable in which to keep their horse and a field in which to turn their horse out during the day, full livery usually also includes bedding, hay and feed. Livery yard staff are responsible for all care including mucking out, turning out the horse to the field and bringing the horse in from the field and feeding of the horse on a daily basis. Some livery yards may include exercising of the horse within their full livery service. This type of livery is ideal for the horse owner whose busy schedule does not give them the time to care for their horse on a daily basis.

Any care of the horse or duties carried out by staff at the livery yard will cost extra.

Hay, Straw and Shavings

For horses kept on grass livery hay is normally only required to be fed in winter when grass is scarce and the amount required will vary depending on the type and size of horse or pony. It should be expected that some hay will be needed to be fed for around 5 months of the year with up to £10 a week being added to the grass livery costs during the severest winter weeks when grass is totally unavailable.

For stabled horses hay is required all year round to compensate for the lack of access to grass whilst stabled and so can add around £10 a week to the livery costs throughout the year. Also some form of stable bedding is required, usually straw or shavings, and this can add a further £10-£20 per week to the livery costs throughout the year.

Feed

The amount of feed a horse will require will depend on the type and size of horse, its exercise routine and whether it it is stabled or at grass.

A hardy horse or pony living out all year and only receiving light exercise may need little additional feed, if any. However a horse receiving regular exercise may require some hard feed and a stabled horse, with regular strenuous exercise will most often need additional feed throughout the year at a cost of around £5-10 a week.

Vet's Fees and Insurance

A horse or pony requires annual inoculations against Influenza and Tetanus and this can be expected to cost in the region of £35 a year for the vaccination plus around £35 call out charge from the vet.

Vet's fees in cases of illness or accident can be costly, and rather than risk having to pay out several hundred or thousand pounds for an incident many owners prefer to insure their horse against such fees. The cost of insurance to cover vets fees will vary depending on the type of cover taken and the value of the horse or pony but should be expected to cost in the region £20-£40 per month or more.

Farrier

A horse's feet continually grow and so even if unshod will require regular visits from the farrier for trimming. Whether shod or not the horse will require attention from the farrier every 6 weeks and this can cost around £25 for trimming and £50-£55 for shoeing per visit.

Dentist

It is recommended that a horse has its teeth checked by a vet or equine dentist every year to ensure that there are no sharp edges or other tooth problems that may be the cause of discomfort to the horse. When problems occur more regular visits may be needed. A dentist visit costs around £50-£70 per visit.

Worming

Horses and ponies need to be regularly wormed whether stabled or at grass. Worming costs around £10-£15 and is usually required every 6-8 weeks.

Extras

Although the main regular costs of owning a horse are listed above there are always unexpected costs that occur such as when a horse casts a shoe and needs an extra farrier visit, an injury or illness requiring veterinary attention or stabling and feed whilst recovering. In addition it is often necessary to purchase medical products for minor cuts, shampoos, tack and rugs, etc may need repairing or replacing. All such costs can add to the cost of owning a horse over a year. Therefore it is always best to factor in at least £1,000 per annum for extras when calculating the cost of keeping a horse.

The table below gives a summary of the regular costs mentioned above of keeping a horse on an annual basis:

http://www.equine-world.co.uk/buying_horses/cost_horse.asp

So depending on circumstances owning a horse can cost anything from around £3,000 to £10,000. I think this information is really important to let potential owners know about. You can't simply own a horse without all of these costs to their upkeep. So before buying a horse these financial considerations should be considered as well as having a knowledge of horse care.