Owning a horse for beginners: You have to plan these costs
Owning a horse for beginners, Should you get your own horse or not? When it comes to this question, time and money are the decisive factors. We’ll tell you here what costs a horse is associated with.
Hours of rides, successful tournaments, and one or two cuddling sessions – this is probably how many imagine everyday life with their own horse. Of course, that also includes a lot of work and time that you invest in your horse – and then there is the money …
Because the costs don’t stop when you buy a horse: things like renting stable, riding lessons, or visits to the vet have to be paid for regularly and make your own horse so expensive.
To keep track of the costs that horses can cause, we have put together an overview of the most important expenses.
The purchase price for the horse
In many cases, the biggest item is, of course, the horse itself. A horse’s costs can vary depending on the breed, age, and training: For a purely recreational horse, the purchase price is often between 4,000 and 6,000 euros.
It gets more expensive if you are looking for a sport horse. The costs for a well-ridden four-year-old horse start at around 10,000 to 15,000 euros. But of course, there are almost no upper limits.
It is also advisable to have a purchase examination carried out: This way; you can rule out acute injuries and many diseases that will cost you dearly in retrospect—a small examination without an X-ray cost around 150 to 200 euros. If X-rays are also provided, the costs can quickly climb to around 750 to 1,000 euros.
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Acquisition costs of the equipment
Now you already have a horse, but you can’t do much with it without equipment: halter, bridle, saddle, grooming equipment, lead ropes, blankets, gaiters, maybe even a trailer for competition rides – the list of possible equipment is long.
Of course, you only need the most important things first: A new saddle costs around 1,300 to 4,000 euros, while used ones start at 400 euros. There are also around 1,000 euros for bridle, blankets and other accessories.
Photo: pixabay.com/maxmann (symbol photo)
So you have covered the initial variable costs. Depending on the horse and equipment, you can pay several thousand euros for it. Added to this are the fixed costs that arise monthly or annually.
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Stall rental
The most important point: the stall rental. Some are lucky and can leave their horse cheaply with friends, relatives, or acquaintances. The cost of renting a stall also varies greatly depending on where you live: around larger cities like Hamburg or Munich, accommodation can be prohibitive. In small towns, however, the prices are often more humane.
For example, if you are looking for a stable near Hamburg, you can easily get 400 euros a month for a pension stable with boxes, hall, pasture service, and riding arenas – including feed. In North Rhine-Westphalia, pension stables cost an average of at least 280 to 380 euros per month.
It gets a little cheaper if you put your horse on a farm, for example, but take care of mucking out, grooming, and feeding yourself. Such boxes cost around 100 euros a month, and you have to plan around 150 euros for the feed. Besides, you then have to invest more time in caring for your horse.
Costs for riding lessons
If you want to develop your horse further, you will likely take riding lessons. The costs for this depend on the respective riding school – and whether you take individual or group lessons. In a group, riding lessons often start at around 25 euros an hour; individual lessons often cost at least twice as much. If you take two hours of lessons a week, you get a decent amount every month—plan for at least 160 to 400 euros for this.
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Veterinarian and farrier
Horses need to see the vet regularly. Experts advise budgeting around 100 euros a month for this. Added to this are the costs for the farrier, who usually comes every six to eight weeks. Cutting out hooves costs around 50 euros, with shod horses you have to reckon with around 70 to 150 euros.
Photo: pixabay.de/Free-Fotos (symbol photo)
insurance
So that you are financially secure, if your horse harms someone or something, you must take out animal liability insurance.
This is relatively affordable at around ten euros a month.
Also, surgery insurance can be useful: This covers the costs if your horse has to be operated on – and that could be very expensive without insurance.
Surgical insurance is available for around 25 euros per month.
If another rider also rides and looks after your horse as part of riding participation, third-party rider insurance is also worthwhile.
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Other costs
In addition to the points listed above, there are many other things and services that horse owners could spend money on, for example, riding clothes, treats, saddlers, Ostheopaten or horse communicators. You can calculate these items at around 500 euros per year.
In total, you pay at least 7,300 euros a year for the care of your horse, for stable rental and riding lessons.
Not a stick of paper – that’s why you should be completely sure before buying a horse that you really want it and that you can afford the costs. It also helps to always focus on the essential needs of your horse and your own requirements. In this way, you avoid unnecessary expenses that you could actually save yourself.