What can you tell me about horses?

[micki76]

Twister you had my husband and I literally rolling on the couch reading your post! OMG! That was truly hilarious!

YLL thank you so much for all your help. I knew I'd get some good info from you!

Good point about the small things adding up G. P. girl!

All in all, it seems like if we do rescue a horse (or two) it will be far off into the future. I'd like to be fully prepared and know as much as I possibly can, before I make any decisions. So it looks like I have lots of reading and maybe a weekly visit to Sunny Farms (local horse breeder) to check out the cuties and get some experience!

[Rio and Me]

Hi
It also depends on you, can you ride? how much?
If you have a draft type horse they may not need a rug, as much feed etc.
But over here if you want a second hand saddle there are lots in the paper for like £40, you dont need pricey stuff to start off with (safe stuff).
Yellow lab lover I dont know how you keep your horse's but i diffenatly dont spend that much per month,lol
also if you own your own field/stable or rent is alot cheaper than livery.
Ky and Rio

[Vermontcat]

Delidog knows a lot about horses and you might want to PM Dukedogsmom because she owns and boards a horse named Flair.
She would probably be able to help you with real numbers since she has owned Flair for a number of years.
You also may want to look at horses on Petfinder or other horse sites for ideas of what kind of horse you want and how much you want to spend on the initial purchase price but remember the cost of upkeep is more than the initial cost. You might also want to look into leasing a horse before you buy to be sure it is one you want. Good luck!

[Marge]

Wow! I'm reading about how much people think horses cost. I couldn't afford a horse if they cost that much upkeep.

I own 3 horses. My initial outlay for a very nicely bred Poco Bueno/Three bars QH ggrandaughter was a grand total of $300. Yes...... $300. I bred her to a very nice QH stallion in CA for $500 stud fee, and again to a Wonderful Andalusian stallion in WA state for another $500. Mare care for both places cost about $600 total. So, for my three horses, my cost to buy them was $1900.

One of my saddles is synthetic. My Wintec saddle cost me $350 brand new. They are more than that now, and you can regularly find synthetic saddles for cheap on ebay. I have one Western saddle I spent $800 brand new because I bought it at a discount. It's a Crates trail saddle complete with breast collar, bridle and reins. My dressage saddle is a custom made $2500 Hans Biglajzer saddle, which I stole for $725 from a consignment store. My bridles are all cheapies. I don't buy the very expensive ones......... I don't have any reason to.

My horses all live on my own land. I have 3 stalls that I use very rarely. I have a run in shelter and pasture, with 24/7 turnout. The horses like it better that way. I do not have to buy shavings for my stalls because of it. I grow my own hay or buy locally for $60 a ton. I spend about $600 a year to feed hay. I buy very little grain because horses that are not in heavy work do not need grain. I do feed some grain in the winter when it's cold. I feed very few supplements because horses who get high quality grass hay, and a mineralized salt block do not need many supplements.

Veterinary care is very minimal. I give my own shots, worm my horses myself, and very rarely have to call a vet for anything. I've had three horses colic (bad tummy ache that can and does cause death, or can be very minor) in my entire 37 years with horses. 1 of my horses died of a twisted gut. My vet bill is usually less that $200 a year IF I have to call the vet which is rare. Worming is done every quarter because I have a closed herd. Horses do not go in and out of my place so I can get away with waiting a little longer. So, $120 for wormer a year.

My farrier costs me about $75 ever 8 weeks IF I don't feel like trimming my horse's feet myself. I usually only have the farrier out in the summer when hooves are too hard to trim myself. I do not shoe my horses, they don't need to be shod. If I take them out on the trail I put rubber boots such as easy boots on them. I want a pair of Old Mac's but they are $150 for two... , that's $300 for all 4 feet. BUT, they outwear iron shoes, do not come off, and you don't use them all the time, so they will last forever.

I'd say I spend less than $1500 a year on my three horses. That is not taking into account any new tack I buy etc. That is just upkeep. If I didn't own my own property I'd have to board out. Here in my area it costs about $250 per horse to board. For my 3 horses that would be $750 a month. I couldn't afford that.

Finding low cost horses is very easy, especially right now. The Premarin industry is downsizing and there are a LOT of PMU mares and foals for sale cheap. One caveat is that most of them are basically unhandled and must be trained. People also give horses away when they don't have time for them, they don't want to bother with selling them, or they become a burden. I've turned down several free horses, and there are many more out there.

I do not show, It has never appealed to me. I like to have fun with my horses and showing is not fun to me. No showing expense there.

Horses are highly socialized animals that live in groups. Their groups have a pecking order in that one of them will be leader, one will be second, on down to the peon who is the one who always gets picked on. If one has had no contact with horses, or knows little about them, they need a trainer or a mentor to assist them in getting to know horse body language, learn to care and ride the animal. That can run into lots of money if you let it.

The discipline you get into also can affect how much owning a horse can cost. Riding with great dressage trainers can be up to $200 for a 45 minute lesson. It depends on what you are going for and what you wish to learn. If you want to be an olympic rider, plan on getting lots of sponsors and learning to ride well enough that horse owners offer you their horses to ride in the olympics........ If you want to be a backyard horse owner who basically wants to trail ride, your expenses will be a minimum. Horses do not have to be prohibitive in price. A lot DOES depend on your own situation though and where you live also plays a role in expense.

Experience also plays a role in horses. I have almost 40 years of experience under my belt. But I continue to learn every day. I do not know it all...........

That's my two cents....... now I'm broke!

Loree

[countrycowgirl]

i agree with marge and rio i own two horses and it doesn't cost that much plus i barrel race and i got my barrel saddle for 400 dollars and it was origanally 1300 and it had only been used twice and it looks like i just bought it but in the end all of it ends up being worth it because you find a long time freindship that stays with you forever

[kittie luna]

Originally posted by Twisterdog

6. They eat some type of dried grassy stuff, that also makes me sneeze.

Its called hay.

[Desert Arabian]

Originally posted by kittie luna
Its called hay.

Um, she was being sarcastic.

[Marge]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by YellowLabLover
[B]. Male horses also require care that female horses to don't require- sheath cleaning.

Ahhhhhhh but female horses DO require special cleaning. Female horses get smegma between their teats just like male horses do in their sheath. This needs to be cleaned too. It's still a dirty smelly grimy job!

Loree *eeeewwwwwwww what is that smell on my hands?*

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by Marge


Loree *eeeewwwwwwww what is that smell on my hands?* [/B]

Next time you guy's come over I'll make sure you wash your hands! LOL Just kidding. Did you happen to get the info I posted in Honey's thread about the cages?

[Twisterdog]

Originally posted by kittie luna
Its called hay.

Joke, honey, joke. Ever heard of it? It goes right along with "sense of humor." A nice thing to have.

I graduated magna cum laude, sweetie, I DO know what "hay" is, honestly.

[Desert Arabian]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Marge
[B]

Originally posted by YellowLabLover
. Male horses also require care that female horses to don't require- sheath cleaning.

Ahhhhhhh but female horses DO require special cleaning. Female horses get smegma between their teats just like male horses do in their sheath. This needs to be cleaned too. It's still a dirty smelly grimy job!

Loree *eeeewwwwwwww what is that smell on my hands?*

Yep, I know. I have cleaned both male and female horses.

[delidog]

Micki,
Please let me know if I can help...
CincysMom wasn't kidding....that was my Job for 18 years..

All Horses and aspects of horsemanship are different.....

in 1980,the barn I managed boarding fee,not farrier,not vet,not show fees,not lessons,not on the road grooms fees....Board Alone was 12,000.00 per month...and they Required that you kept 2 Horses!! ...that was not a typo...that was 12,000.00 per MONTH!!!!!
and that was 24 years ago

You should go to amazon.com,or borders.com.....get Any books authored by Susan B. Harris,William Steinkraus,Judy Richter,George Morris,Bill Cooney & FrankMadden,Kip Rosenthal....
These are just Some of The Masters of the Sport!!!!
And when it comes to Care & Husbandry...None of these people can be beat....

Before you buy a horse...Why not go and Volunteer at a local stable.....Learn while you earn so to speak!!!
Learn to Muck,sweep,Brush,Feed....They'd be giving You free lessons....and You would be Helping them!!!!

Also,if you are interested in equine rescue....contact Black Beauty Ranch...It is in Texas......blackbeautyranch.com....
It is a rescue Facility that was started by the famous author/animal activist...Cleveland Amory....( The Cat & TheCurmudgeon,amongst other Great Books)

Hope this helps you a bit

[dukedogsmom]

That's a good suggestion to go to a barn to see if you can learn some things. Also, check your want ads or the local feed store for a Horse and Pony paper. There might be some ads in it for horses to rent. Some people who own horses rent them out to a person when they don't have time to spend with them. Horses are very expensive, especially when they get sick. Also, before you buy your saddle, remember the seat sizes. The bigger your rear, the bigger seat on the saddle you need to get. So, if you're really small, I think they start out at 13". I think it's great that you want to rescue a horse. I would love to have my own place and have my horse in my back yard.

[delidog]

How about Volunteering at a feed store???
There is a Wealth of info there.......