How much a horse costs to keep

Nobody regrets a horse because of the purchase price. They regret it because of the monthly number. Here is what goes into it, so you can work out yours.

The monthly costs

Prices vary a lot by region and by how you keep the horse, so treat these as the list, not the figures.

• Board: the biggest line. Pasture board at one end, full training board at the other. In most areas the range runs from a few hundred to a few thousand a month.
• Farrier: a trim or shoes every five to eight weeks, all year.
• Feed and supplements beyond what board includes: grain, hay in winter, and anything the vet or the horse's job calls for.
• Routine vet care: spring and fall vaccines, a yearly Coggins, dental once a year, deworming on a schedule.
• Insurance: mortality and major medical, priced on the horse's value.
• Lessons, training rides and shows, if you do them.

The costs that arrive at once

Tack and equipment at the start. An emergency vet visit: colic, an injury, a lameness workup. A trailer, or hauling. Keep a reserve; a horse will use it.

Keeping track

Write down what you spend, by horse. It changes decisions: whether to insure, whether to lease a second horse, when to sell. On Foalioo any entry can carry a cost and the horse's Money section adds it up by month.