2008 Horse Expenses

Well, whoever first said that "Buying the horse is the cheapest part" was right! Daniel and I moved out to our farm September of 2007, so we are just now wrapping up our first complete year living at home with my horses. We started the year with my old horse Tango, my pony Peter and 12 bales of hay. I am ending the year with my mare Margo, Pete, a new Donkey and 28 bales of hay. I tried really hard to track all of my horse expenses for 2008, but I know I missed a few. Here is my closest approximation of how much I spent on my horses in 2008.

Farrier Services:
I started the year with Tango, who had White Line Disease in his front feet, requiring him to have corrective shoeing and wear aluminum shoes. My old farrier charged $80 to do Tango and $20 to trim Pete. When I got Margo in May, I found a new farrier closer to my house. He charges me $60 to put steel shoes on all four of her feet, but he charges $30 to trim Pete. For 2008, I spent approx $570


Feed:
As I said, I started the year with 12 bales of hay, and as of right now, I have 28 bales of this years hay left. I also grain, but my horses are all so fat that they only get about a tuna can of feed a day (just so I can get them up to the barn in the AM to check them). So I go through a $15 bag of grain in 6 to 8 weeks. I also feed a mineral supplement, which I bought one bag of last winter, and I am still using it now. So for 2008, I spent approx $625


Vaccinations, Vet Care, Worming:
I had a pretty good year here (no medical emergencies), wormers and vaccinations are pretty expensive though. Horses need wormed every other month, and wormer costs $8-15 a pop. Vaccinations are about $45 per horse, twice a year. I had two vet trips this year, when Pete got a puncture wound in his foot, and more recently, Margo's infection (see below). For 2008, I spent approx $780

So, those are the necessities. Now on to my favorite category...

Other:
I spent a lot on the "other" category this year. But, I always say, half the fun of having horses are all the accessories that go with them! :) A lot of stuff here is related to setting up shop or are things that I only have to purchase once. I also did not track this category, so I am sure I am leaving many things off... (No one tell Daniel about this category!)

1) Horse Trailer - My parents helped me finance this purchase, but I still count it towards my year end. $1,000

2) Mats for the trailer - Two of them. $80

3) Fancy High Tech Saddle Pad for Margo - $130

4) Gas - The truck cost me anywhere from $55-$35 a tank. I hauled every weekend from July to November to go riding, having to fill up every other week. Not to mention, two trips to the vet, a 100 mile round trip to get the donkey, etc. I estimate that I easily spent $500-$600

5) Fly Spray - I know I bought at least four bottles of fly spray this year, at $15 a piece - $60

6) Margo - I got Margo in a complicated trade, my old horse Tango went towards her, and I also had to throw in another $200

7) Carrots and Apples - A must have. At least $40

8) New Cross Fencing - I haven't had time to shop yet, but I know I will end up spending approx $300-400

9) Riding Activities - I bought a season pass to Wilson's Creek for $20, I spent $30 on entry fees to a schooling show I didn't go to, I spent $50 on entry fees to a Competitive Trail Ride (that Margo did SO good at!), I spent $30 for a trainer to evaluate Tango when I had him. I spent about $30 on rental fees to use a guys indoor arena. - $160

10) For Christmas, I ordered a fancy bareback pad (Mom and Dad are getting it for me, but I still count it) - $250

Okay, I am going to stop there. I know there is more, but I can't remember everything. So, the "other" category equals (approx) - $2,820 Yikes!

So, for the year 2008, my first year at home with my horses, I spent $1,975 on necessities, and $2,820 on other things. For a grand total of: $4,795.00 (Approximate)

So... I spent about 20% of my yearly (before tax) entry level salary on horses. Uh-oh. DON'T TELL DAN!!