Own a Horse, Own Responsibilities
The horse crazy equestrian. We all know one, and it’s quite possible that we fit that description. TRANSLATION: At some point in our lives, we’ve dreamt of owning our very own horse. Whether you use lesson horses or are fortunate enough to have a horse of your own, there’s an underlying responsibility that comes with horses that you may not have considered.
I’m sure you’ve seen the funny saying, “how much do horses cost?” The response being, “ALL of it. All of your money.”
Take lesson horses for instance. Aside from the opportunity to learn and grow as a rider, have you ever thought about what you are actually paying for? Sure, you are paying for the trainers time, but that doesn’t really begin to cover it. Because these things are visible, you might take into consideration the tack that’s been provided for you: a helmet, saddle, saddle pads, girths, bridles and other accessories that are more obvious. But all of these come with a significant cost to the provider. What about the expenses that are NOT naked to the visible eye? These expenses can make the obvious ones be insignificant by comparison.
A small portion of every lesson dollar you pay helps contribute to general care like grain, hay, shavings, and any maintenance the horse might require. After all, that lesson horse still needs to eat and be cared for. Other known expenses that are often forgotten about are the routine expenses like regular farrier and veterinary care. Even the little things like grooming brushes and other grooming supplies, all of these costs can add up.
In addition to the routine medical needs, there’s the unforeseen healthcare like inevitable injuries due to wear and tear or even age or by accident. Perhaps that horse has specific supplemental or medical needs. Supplements, medications, worming, annual shots, coggins and dental work, these are all expenses that the horse owner will be responsible for. In my eyes, these things are mandatory, not optional. But when you factor in how much all of this costs yearly, you might think twice about owning a horse of your own, or in thinking that the price for your lesson is unfairly high.
This leads me to a common misconception within the horse industry. A lot of people want to own a horse, but don’t want to “own” the responsibility that comes with owning a horse. You might think the initial purchase of the horse is costly, but in reality ownership brings the commitment to pay all of the bills that will follow your purchase. The purchase price is just the ante to enter into the game.
Let’s break it down a bit more in detail to help grasp what is expected of you if you become a horse owner.
First things first, would be board. Board varies in prices and packages. Board can range from $300-$2,000 a month depending upon the accommodations. Let’s say your board is right in the middle of these two numbers, $700. If you board your horse for an entire year, $700 x 12 = $8,400 per year will be another costly expense. Partial boards are cheaper but will require you to supply your own hay, grain and shavings. Some barns may even require you to feed and clean your own stalls. But most of the time the rule of thumb is, the higher the board, the more that is included. By paying full board, your hay, grain, shavings, feeding, and cleaning will all be provided. But that doesn’t mean that the daily care is handled, like grooming for instance.
Unless you are paying for the the staff to groom or tend to your horse daily, it is very rare that the barn will do it on their own time. Think about how much time you spend grooming your horse, addressing a wound, tending to their feet or sudsing them with a bubble bath. Time is money after all, and these things require a lot of it.
Equipment and supplies. We all have a tack trunk or grooming box where we slowly but surely add to our horse girl collection. Let’s be honest, we are collectors if not hoarders when it comes to the supplies for our horses. From brushes, to ointments, to sprays, to soaps and all of the odds and ends in between. Brushes might last you a few years if you properly care and clean them, but you will run through all of the other products in just a month’s time, mark my words. For instance, if you factor in what it would cost on average to supply a bottle of fly spray every month it’s about an extra $20 you may not have accounted for in your monthly budget. That’s just one product, for one horse to last one month. If you supplied that every month, for an entire year, that’s another $240 spent yearly on fly spray alone.
Grooming supplies have a high turn over, where as tack has a longer “life” expectancy. If you thought the grooming products were a large expense, we haven’t even tapped into the leather goods and other necessary equipment. Yes, you pay more for these items, but you will get a longer use out of them, without having to frequently replace. Unless your horse breaks or loses his halter in the Bermuda triangle pasture every month (like mine does)… Oh, and owning tack means you need all the ancillary tools and products to care for and maintain it.
If you intend to ride, you will need to do so responsibly. A quality helmet can range from as little as $100 to as much as $800. Surely we won’t cut cost at the expense of our noggin, right? Saddles, you might think are just a glorified place to plop your bum, but it’s vital that they fit your horse’s back. These can range from $1,000-$6,000. Hopefully, now you are beginning to see just hot quickly these items can add up over time. Suddenly the items you took for granted are consuming a large portion of your monthly budget that you may not have even considered when you bought your horse.
Now bear with me, because we haven’t even factored in perhaps the most important and expensive part of horse ownership. The care. Whether you have a pleasure or performance horse, if you become a horse owner, you are taking on the responsibility of their care, no matter the need or cost. After all, your horse doesn’t know what you paid for them, or what they continue to cost you. What they do know is that they love you unconditionally and the least we can do is provide them with the same devotion.
Of course we can spoil our horses with things like massages, laser therapy treatments or even chiropractic work to ensure they feel their best. There’s a fine line between “needs” and “wants” within the horse world. But if we look at the needs, horses should be vaccinated every 3-6 months. Coggins are done annually and health certificates are only good for 30 days depending upon your travel. Dental work should be performed every 6-12 months. I won’t break this down in detail because I understand not everyone has the same opinion, and prices vary depending on the provider. But I would highly suggest asking your veterinarian on a quote for the year.
When I think of emergency care, I think this is a topic a lot of horse owners often forget to budget for. There is nothing worse than being unprepared. No one ever plans for a worst case scenario. But as a horse owner, it’s our responsibility to factor in that possibility. Do you have a safety net in savings set aside for an emergency? Perhaps this is when you consider insurance plans to insure that your horse can be provided the necessary care should the need arise. Just like human healthcare, there are many different coverages available for horses. These policies range from major medical, surgical, full mortality, limited mortality, loss of use, and personal liability. Depending on the value of the horse, and the coverage that you select, this can be a significant additional expense each year. Insurance might cost you a lump sum up front that seems like a waste, but trust me you’ll be happy that you have prepared yourself to provide your horse with the care that they need, while ensuring your bank account won’t suffer because of it.
As a child, I remember my mother always joking about the shoes that we could have. I didn’t quite understand what she meant at eleven years old. But now as an adult responsible for my own bills, the reference is crystal clear. Maybe you have a unicorn with perfect barefoot feet and can get away with paying $40 for a trim. Or maybe you have high maintenances horses like I do, and you’ll be out $250 for a full set, or $175 for a half set every shoeing. Farrier services need to be provided every 4-5 weeks…If you pay for your horse to have a full set for an entire year, based upon a 4 week schedule, $250 x 12 = $3,000 a year. And that’s just one horse, or a whole lot of Louboutins.
These are just some of the most important known expenses that you can guarantee you will need to budget for. Again, these aren’t optional expenses, these are mandatory expenses any responsible horse owner should factor in when budgeting for owning a horse of their own.
Unless you are lucky enough to board at a facility that offers full board and care, you will have your work cut out for you. It’s safe to say that your free time and labor is the biggest price to be paid in terms of your commitment when owning a horse.
Whether you own a horse for pleasure, or a performance horse. Regardless of what they can or can not do for you, you have taken on the responsibility to ALWAYS do for them as a horse owner. I’ve always been able to view this as a labor of love, because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for the welfare of my animals. But nonetheless, it’s still something that needs to be discussed.
There are routine needs, and then there are seasonal or circumstantial needs. Maybe your horse is prone to thrush during the wet season, you will need to delegate additional time to see to this need. Or perhaps your horse injured themself in the field, you’ll need to see to their bandage change every day. There are plenty of different scenarios and different flare ups, but the common denominator is that they all require your time, and your attention. I think there are few things sadder than seeing a horse that has been neglected and ignored by their owner. Sometimes it can be so bad as to be criminal.
I’ve never understood the saying, “healthy as a horse”, because in my eyes, horses are some of the most delicate creatures. We have the privilege of being self sufficient creatures as humans, but horses are very reliant and dependent upon their care givers. That’s up to us. They can’t fix themselves their breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thirsty? Imagine being unable to refill your water bottle. Horses can’t rinse or shower themselves off at the end of a long day. Oh no, did you cut yourself? Imagine the inability to clean yourself or put a bandaid on your wound. At the end of the day, your horse depends on YOU to be what they can’t. You are their care giver, their provider and best friend.
I take great pride in caring for my horses. I’ve had my first horse for fifteen years, because although she is retired, I want to guarantee that she is cared for to my standard till the end of her days. My horses have done so much for me both under saddle, and in life for my heart, that I could never entrust someone to love and care for them the way I believe they deserve. Retired, ridable or showing, my horses care will always come first above all else. Should I ever be unable to adequately provide for them, I would make the responsible decision to find them a stable home with endless amounts of love. One of many reasons I am building my own barn is to guarantee that I can care for them the way that I believe they deserve. There aren’t many barns in the area I would trust with this.
So next time you think that owning a horse is as simple as making the initial purchase, make sure you factor in all of the costs that will follow, both monetary and labor. Time is money, and money is time. Labor of love is priceless, and any true responsible horse owner will tell you this.