why raising horse is expensive?

Question

People told raising a horse is bloody expensive. I can't get it. All you need is just it into some field with grass. And i think the grass is free. Then why?

Answer 1

I own my own land. Most of my horses are considered range horses, meaning they are like wild horses in that they are in the field until needed. They feed and water themselves most of the time. Then the grass dries out and the water disappears or everything freezes. Now we are talking HAY, gas and electricity to feed and water them. Let's not forget horses can get worms and they can get sick. Preventative steps are needed to keep costs down. Wormers, vaccinations are needed for healthy horses. Farriers need to trim hooves unless you are lucky enough to have a horse that naturally trims his hooves. If you have an older horse you have to have his teeth taken care of too. Then, there are the accidents. You can't control those. You never know when this will happen. Less we forget: horse trailer to haul horse, truck to pull trailer, saddle to ride on (needs to be good and fit or more vet bills), barn or shed for shelter, blanket if you live where it is cold, fly and insect repellent so your horse is comfortable and on and on. I do not have kids. I have horses. I am in debt up to my eyeballs. And I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!

Answer 2

Horses cannot simply be left in the pasture to eat grass. For one, you usually have to pay for land for the horse to eat off of. And then, even if you have the land, you can't be sure that the horse is getting enough ruffage from that. You need to be able to supply a horse with hay, which recently has gotten very expensive (almost $8 a bale). And you should also feed your horse oats or grain which can quickly add up.

So our tally is already pretty high, we're looking at probably around $300-400 easily. Add on any medical expenses, which can be VERY expensive. Why? Because one, a horse is a large mammal, and two, good equine vets are hard to come by these days.

Then also add on building a shelter for your horse if the weather gets nasty.

Oh yeah, and don't forget that your horse also needs annual vaccinations and needs to be wormed every month.

So yes, horses can easily get very expensive, very quick.

Answer 3

Because people have made it expensive. Sure horses can get by on just grass and water - after all, no one goes out and feeds grain twice a day to the wild horses. But if you want to compete and make a living off your horse, you need to buy a very expensive horse with the right pedigree. You need nice tack, and nice clothes to compete. You have to worry about breed associations, entrance fees, and boarding fees. Most people don't know the basics about farrier work so you need to pay a farrier. And there are always vet bills, especially if you call the vet for every little scrape. Oh, and if you believe everything you read in the horse magazines, all horses need supplements, worming every six weeks, 6-7 different annual vaccinations, and a whole bunch of special equipment just to ride.
It is a wonder that horses managed to survive for so long without people to take care of them.

Answer 4

1. Feed
2. Hay in the winter or if you don't have enough pasture land its year round.
3. Farrier bills (every 6-8 weeks)
4. Vet bills (vaccinations, floating teeth, various emergencies can be very expensive..)
5. Tack
6. Worming meds (every 2-3 months)
7.Shelter, water.. water de-icers in winter
8. TIME training and bonding with your horse, if you can't train it yourself - you will also have training costs.
9. If you do not own land, plan on spending at LEAST $300 a month for a safe reliable facility to take care of your horse.

These are only the beginning of PROPER horse care....not just throwing a horse in a field and expecting it to stay healthy.

Answer 5

Consider leasing. Even though you may not like the idea, it is probably a better a plan than buying a horse when your 13. I leased horses before I bought my first, and I must say, it had helped me out and saved me from potential mistakes I could have made. Did I also mention how much cheaper it is? Hold off until you are 16 and can get a job to pay for everything yourself. Even if you can pay for food, tack, and all...you must think about the fact that you are looking at an older horse. Older horses tend to have health problems and that only equals bigger vet bills. Consider what I said...☺

Answer 6

Gosh who ever told you that either did't have any horses or was very rich! Even if you are lucky enough for your horse to live on just grass in the summer this is not viable during cold snaps were the ground may freeze. Then you need hay, chaff etc to feed it rugs to keep it warm not to mention the all year round stuff like worming which for me is £12 per horse every 10-12 weeks, farrier and shoeing costs £40 every 6 weeks vaccinations and vet call out charges as i do not have transport facilitied due to finance. There is also livery costs £26 per week per horse (I have 2) if you are not lucky enough to have your own land and stable. Then you need to budget for vet costs, insurence illness, regestration and passport fees. Do you still think it cheap?

Answer 7

A field and some grass...what? If you think that's all they need then you must have very little experience or knowledge.

Please DON'T get a horse, for the horses sake not until you know the true cost and time needed

What about there other needs ?

Farrier...Vet...when needed and you can be sure they will need one of them a few times in their life...Stable..Grazing...Feeds...Rugs depending on breed of horse...Grooming gear ...Tack if your wanting to ride?....Wormers....vacs....and the list goes on my friend.

And also if your in the UK its pretty expensive

Spend some time at a stables or a livery and you will soon find out the true cost of owning a horse.

I hope this post is a wind-up

Answer 8

my oh my how things have changed.
Why it's expensive - quality costs. And despite what many say they *CAN* be raised on grass. (don't flame me yet). However, grass is not free.

Even if you have 100 acres to raise horses - you have the purchase price of land; you have taxes on that land. You have planting *quality* forages, maintaining the pasture including fertilizing and keeping weeds out of them. Dragging them to break up manure, cutting them to maximize the forage quality.

*IF* you're doing nothing with your horse yes they can do just on grass. They do NOT NEED grain if they aren't working or showing. **However** if you're raising for sale you need more than pasture. Foals need creep feeders for best growth. There are expenses with breeding - if you use outside stallions or have your own there's still stallion expenses. There are going to be vet fees. There is equipment and fence maintenance on those pastures. There's insurance and many other costs.

Show horses need more than pasture. Race or other competitive horses can't do with the nutrition on just grass pasture.

There is a legendary breeder in one breed that raises horses on pasture, breeds with pasture breeding. The foals are raised in pastures. But when growing you can usually tell a horse on pasture from one being fed for competition.

Grass and pasture maintenance definitely is not free and when your horses are counting on getting nutrition (not just full bellies) you MUST do more than just assume what grass is there is enough. For some that's not enough. And if your pasture has fescue you can lose foals - meaning you lose a year and quite a bit of money feeding a mare (and sometimes stallion) for no income that year. The next one must pay for both, and usually doesn't.

Pastures must be forage PASTURES not just grassland.

Answer 9

You have to own or rent the ground and plant the grass and put up a fence and have a shelter and water available . If the horse gets hurt then you have to get a Vet . If you want to ride there equipment you will buy . If you want to breed there are Vet bills and a breeding fee to pay , If you are in a cold climate then you will have to buy hay in winter. It can cost you as much as $ 1000 per month or as little as $50 per a month for the bear necessity's

Answer 10

Well, sometimes the grass isn't enough for the horse to eat and you have to pay the fairer, the vet, the dentist, the trainer, a lot of expenses start piling up with a horse.