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