Anyone out there own a horse???

Prudent

Thank you Jay jay for the excellent break down. My dd has wanted a horse for a long time too. I have just been checking out the costings (sadly only to be able to give her my reasons for not affording one). I would love to raise the money for one because as the op said I think this is a healthy way for a teen to spend their time. I also would love to take on a mother/ daughter share horse with her.

Costs in my area have broken down at:

Livery - I looked at diy and working livery diy was £15 (no stable) or £25 - 29 with stable. Working £30 both all year. Full is around £70.
Shoes (I was costing for a 14.2hh native pony) £45
Jabs - £70 per year
Wormer about £5 per month averaging out
Insurance around £25
On top of that tack costs. I didn't cost that in too much detail as I have a fair bit from having native ponies in the past and have a large selection of bridles, bits, headcollars and a few saddles. Some of this I could trade in with a local saddler if I needed new. I would expect to pay around £150 on extra bits/ rug cleaning etc
Your dd will still need riding clothes and may want to enter shows, which can be pricey.
Feed/ hay around an extra £10 per week in winter.

I big consideration is also time. Your dd sounds fairly independent with her riding and will be able to do most things herself. Other people have talked about ill horse, you also need to consider what happens if your dd becomes ill. Time is a big issue in my life, as I am a single parent working full time and when I began working this out with my dd she became ill with anaemia. Although I am competent and very experienced with horses it would have been almost impossible for me to fit in my full time teaching job, sick daughter and housework etc. Weigh up if you could help out enough if necessary.

Having said all this, if I wasn't on my own and could afford ahorse, she would have one tomorrow. I lived on a farm as a teenager and had so much fun with my ponies. I would love my daughter to have the same. The responsibilty is also good training for later life.

Bossyboots

Thank you all so much for your input and special thanks to sophiesmum for starting the thread. I think I now have everything I need to sit down with my youngster and discuss what owning a horse will mean. In our case it is not just money but the time factors and I know her mum will end up doing everything although we would help out where we could.

Just need to check out horse insurance costs now. I know all the normal companies, are there any specialist horse ones that anyone would recommend?

davsidipp

only saw this post this mornining so here goes daughter has had horses since she was 13 she is now 18 boys still got in the way. dont go for ant thorough bred type too hard to keep ,daughter now has a welsh section d who is 4 years old and cost 3000 pounds due to his breeding saying that he is hardy enough to keep. daughter pays 38 diy livery and 3.70 a bale of hay food on top of that as well as worming and shoeing although her pony only has front shoes on the costs are never ending and if you intend to buy a horse or pony get it vetted too many con artists selling dodgy horses be on the safe side as we have been caught twice never again good luck with your choice.

Prudent

Norwich union used to be good, I don't know if they still are. Check out farming unions/ organisations like the NUF as they often offer better value and a good policy.

sophiesmum_2

Thanks Jay Jay for the input.
i wouldn't even be considering getting DD a horse if she wasn't dedicated. At the moment she gives up most of her free time at her riding stables where she mucks out, grooms, leads rides,feeds, waters, turns the horses out, brings them in from the fields, picks feet, and generally anything and everything.She leaves the house at the crack of dawn weekends and holidays and only returns when the horses have been stabled or turned out for the night. She isn't afraid of hard work and goes in all weathers often coming home frozen to the bone and wet through or with frostbitten fingers and aching from head to foot with the manual work she has done. Yet she puts her horses before everything in her life, most of her friends she meets at riding,if she is asked anywhere and it clashes with her horses it doesn't get a look in,she is completely one track minded to the exclusion of most other things.
I wasn't brought up with horses but I do intend to be involved if she gets a horse and don't mind the physical stuff helping out. I work mostly in an office so the exercise would do me good anyway.At present she is not interested in gymkhanas etc she is more of a hack /cross country rider so that expense is not an issue.
As for the ill pony scenarios, she is not an expert so we would have to take veterinary advice on anything which may develop, but she is "tuned" to horses and feels it when they are unhappy, that probably sounds daft to some people but you probably know what I mean.I would certainly be taking out vet insurance cover as a priority and making sure that all ongoing medical maintenance was done to keep the horse healthy.If DD were ill we would have to step in temporarily to ensure the horse was okay,that wouldn't be a problem.She is not an expert with horses but she does have a good solid grounding and is dedicated and not afraid of hard work.

Thanks everyone for the input, we will definately be looking into everything properly before we decide to proceed whether it be loaning or buying. I know it is a serious committment of both time and money and won't be doing anything on the spur of the moment.

Thankyou
sophiesmum

Daisies

Do you know what she would like to use the pony/horse for? I know you said she wasn't really interested in gymkhanas and preferred hacking/cross country, but that could mean she'll end up wanting to get involved in eventing, and then the costs really will spiral!

If you get a native breed you *should* be able to keep it outside all year round, possibly with a rug in winter, which would bring the cost down. DIY livery can also make a big difference - where your daughter does the majority of the work herself, and maybe helps out with other people's horses to bring the cost down further. Loaning a pony is also a very good idea, provided there's an agreement in writing about who is responsible for what for it. The loaners will have a good idea what their pony is like and who they would like it to go to, much less risky than buying one initially.

Also, I would recommend she joins the Pony Club. I was a (ponyless) member for years and learnt an enormous amount from them and had a lot of fun. It also put me in touch with people who could help find a pony to loan, a massive secondhand market in equipment, people to ring late at night with urgent questions and (from my Mum's point of view) other parents too!
http://www.pcuk.org/

MrsTinks

As another horsey person I would justlike to agree with the loan rather than buy Especially a part loan or share. It's one thing going down the stables and looking longingly at a horse, when it's yours then suddenly HAVING to go down there becomes a very different story My family have bred and raced horses in Denmark for 3 generations so when I go home I return to the "old" life and have to get up if I'm at my uncles to help with the horses. Turning them out at :eek: in the morning and mucking out, cleaning their cribs, and if any are racing then ensure their tack is clean and ready, the lorry loaded up, the sulky (they are harness racers) clean and ready to load and then find the offending horse, ensure it's clean groomed and shiny-that it's rug is clean etc you get the idea... although this is racing then any competing your daughter may wish to do will be the same up at silly o'clock to get the horse ready, swear a lot because the blooming creature has rolled in some green poo and now has a huge green spot somewhere etc
Now the expense... this WILL vary depending on area etc and it's a huge financial undertaking to buy one - start with a loaner or share - the amount of people buying a horse that is either outgrown or unsuitable are too many to count As well as a Vet examination then get someone like her instructor along to check the hoofed animal over - an experienced rider might spot something your daughter on a pink cloud might miss... Like a tendency to be blooming mean! Or scared of various things etc Always arrange to go view the horse and when there ask if it's ok to pop in sometime in the next week or two just to give you a chance to think about it... make sure you arrive unannounced - this will ensure you don't arrive to a "polished for sale" pony
(also be wary of anything that has just been hosed down before you arrive... horses get dirty - hosing it down would worry me - have they been working it hard to ensure you see a fairly calm animal?)

Anyway loan/share first - then later if she is still as convinced THEN think about buying

Jay-Jay_4

Sophiesmum, your daughter sounds committed

I'll keep my ear to the ground for you as you're not far from me although it would be handy to know your daughter's approximate weight and height because if she's 4ft nothing and weighs 6 stone I won't look for a 17hhIDX for her

Your daughter sounds lovely and I'm sure she will care for a horse really well. Why don't you get something you can both ride?

laikadog wrote:

just to add that jay-jay has gone for the top price of stuff,

I don't think I have to be honest. For example some wormers can be bought cheaply but if you were to worm with StrongidP every time you would end up with high counts and resistance. It's better to go for a more expensive wormer in the long run.

Insurance can be got cheaper but I'm insured for vets, loss of use and 3rd party, I wouldn't go for less than that.

Saddle and bridle - I'm quoting new prices here and that's the lowest end of the market to be honest.

Rugs - you can scrimp on rugs but when you have to replace every year it becomes a false economy (esp when they live out 24/7 as ours do)

Feet - No foot no horse!

Feed - Cereals aren't good, protein, fibre, carbs, starch all have to be balanced. Unmollassed chop is hard to buy and supplementation is expensive. I feed TopSpec which is expensive but it's very very good for horses so it's worth it for me.

Hay - I buy rolls which a farmer delivers on his tractor. Not many livery yards will allow this but thankfully I'm not on a livery yard. It's cheaper my way but not always possible.

Dazzieboo

Gosh, it shows how livery varies around the country, I am on the coast in Suffolk and DIY livery is £16 p/w, hay can either be bought in or bought from the farm where hay per bale is £2 and straw £1, the livery yard has a tack room, menage and access to fantastic riding countryside, each owner has indivividual storage for feed, hay etc etc and all stables are well sized.

My Pony is a 14 hh New Forest who we got when she was a wild yearling straight from the forest in 2003, she is now broken to saddle but will mainly be used for driving, I have the harness, but so far can't afford the cart !!!,

I also own a 16.3hh TB X, he is currently out on loan, I advertised him for loan in the local paper and got over 300 replies, so if you do see a horse for loan, which sounds suitable, get in there quick.

It is a shame you don't live closer to me, as the 15.3hh Grey Irish Hunter I ride for a friend needs another rider as I can't get on him as often as I would like to and he needs to be kept fit.

Good luck.

Smashing

I'd also agree with loaning, espcially considering she's at the age where she's looking at GCSE's, A levels etc. Also a part time job might be a good idea - it's great that she's so dedicated to something, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't be expected to contribute to the costs.