How do working people maintain the costs of their horses?

If someone doesnt board, how does an avaerage person provide for their horses needs with the expenses?!



Do you have to have a big-money job to own a single horse??



I know they are expensive creatures to upkeep and im just wondering how people do it.How do working people maintain the costs of their horses?
I own one horse, but i board. My family is defnately middle class,average family. The board is only 270 a month. My mom doesnt work, and takes me to visit my horse.



Depending on where you are, there are some people who are rich, but most of the people I know are working middle class with average jobs.



If you dont board, it is cheaper because you can do it all yourself and since you live right there, you can turnout and ride whenever you want to.



~2htoohorse~How do working people maintain the costs of their horses?
no a lot of people do not have extremely well paying jobs and it can be tough (especially right now in this economy) an example of this would be my riding instructor who gives lessons at her house for her job.
Some work on weekends to pay board, or have another job. Some are rich. Some have a spouce with a job that can support their family, and so the money they earn can go to horses. Some people can train horses or other odd jobs in exchange for services, like board, feed, or farrier.



I guess when it comes down to it, its finacial luck. Theres a reason not everyone rides.
I have three horses, and we are not wealthy by ANY stretch. We just live simply enough to afford them. I'm a good example of someone who only has the ';bare necessities'; when it comes to horses and supplies. We have an older model horse trailer (mustard yellow, my two year old calls it a ';school bus';). We have three horses that are rideable but not fancy. We have two saddles with saddle pads. We have three halters with leads. One lunge line. Three bridles, bits, reins, and a few extra sets of reins. Hoof pick, hoof nippers, rasp (I trim them myself--I know how to do it correctly, so don't jump to conclusions that I'm a novice there), a body brush and a mane brush. We pay $50 a bale for large round bales and use one about every three weeks up to a month. We only give them a little sweet feed as a treat, not as a daily ration.



That's it. We don't spend much on our horses, but we enjoy them and go out for ';fun'; rides whenever we get a chance. We live in farming country, don't show or compete in anything, don't breed or raise them for a living, we just are low-maintenance horse folks.
If you are not boarding - if your horses are kept at your home - then it really doesn't cost all that much. I've got 2 horses and 2 ponies, and costs vary between about $3000 - $4000 per year. If I was boarding, it would cost me more than that for just one horse. Owning a horse does not require a ';big money'; job, but might require some lifestyle adjustments and prioritizing to be able to afford the horse. For instance do you really need that new car and $500/month payment or will you use that $500/month to pay for board? Do you really need cable, manicures, shopping sprees? Can you cook your own food instead of eating out so often? It all comes down to determining what your priorities are, then making adjustments to make sure your highest priorities are possible.
I'm 20 and have 2 horses. At the moment i'm working the average 35k p.a. job, and am managing. Luckily the horses live on my parents property, so I pay a lot less than others (eg no boarding fees). The main money eaters fo me are the vet, farrier and feed costs. I tend to get my tack/grooming supplies from either the trading post or 2nd hand stuff from friends. The guy at the feed store has a crush on me (50yo guy.. weird, huh?) so I get all that a bit cheaper too. Most of it is luck/hand downs on my behalf, but I'm sure if you hunt around, and not jump and buy the first thing you see, you'll get tack etc much cheaper than if you go to the big chain stores. I'd like to say I only spend around $4000 a year for both of them, but one is majorly accident prone, so the vet knows us quite well.



I'm rambling, sorry, but hope it helps.

Good luck.
rich family- thats how i get by xD
Honestly, it's cheaper to keep my horses at home, and it makes me feel better knowing that my boy is in my hands and I'm fully responsible for him. It's harder work, but definitely cheaper. The only sad thing is that I'm forced to board right now because my horse doesn't like being alone and I see what we paid when we kept at him at home versus the price now and it's just like %26gt;.%26lt;!



My mom is a single mom and she works for the government, however she is able to afford keeping my horse, help pay for my college/new car and everything else.



Honestly, it's the job, area in which you live and several other factors that determine the ability for one to own a horse. For example, it's cheaper for my friend to keep her horse at home than it is for me because she's got 40 acres so they don't spend as much money on hay and grain as I do.
You have to make it the focus of your discretionary income. That means you don't eat out a lot, if at all; you don't buy a lot of new clothes; you do things like drive your car until it falls apart (I'm working on 260,000 miles on my truck now), you car-pool to and from work to save money. You brown-bag your lunches.



You basically decide that a horse is the only luxury for which you will budget money.



It isn't easy and it is helpful if you have a supportive spouse.



It means a lot of sacrifice, but it's worth it if you love horses.
I have my 4 horses at home here, and there are lots of ways to cut costs.

We bale our own hay and are lucky to have plenty of shed space for it. I do get some small alfalfa bales for the winter, but I am riding the racks stacking the bales out of the field for the guy and he pays me in hay. Sweat equity! Buy wormers, grain, and supplements in bulk so it is cheaper. ALWAYS keep good credit with your vet. If you can't afford an unseen expense, my vet knows I will make payments faithfully. I also go to auctions, you will pay a lot less for things than at a fancy store. I buy good quality tack because it is worth it in the long run. My oldest headstall is 35 years old but it is cleaned and oiled regularly. I train my horses myself so I don't have to hire someone else. I do hire a farrier though. He is a lot faster than I am, and the older I get, the harder it is for me to do it myself. A horse without good feet is no horse.



I'm glad you realize horses are expensive, but there are ways to cut costs and still give them quality care.