The Cost of Horse Ownership

What do horses cost us? Reading your riding stories got us thinking, what do horses really cost us? There are obviously the financial costs, but what about the physical and emotional side of horse ownership. Does any other relationship come close? In this blog, we investigate what horses really cost us.

What do horses cost financially?

A recent Harry Hall survey revealed that 54% of us are regularly concerned about covering the cost of our horse every month*. With the majority of unplanned expenditure going on vets bills, closely followed by feed supplements and treatments from an equine physio to assist in injury recovery. When you look to buy a horse the cost of livery, basic feed, horse insurance, worming and farrier visits are taken into account and it’s these unplanned expenditures that contribute to the financial concerns.

And as your mind starts to ponder what else you could spend your hard-earned cash on, it quickly flashes away when you remember how much you’ve put into the partnership with your horse, your best friend, your soulmate.

What do horses cost us physically?

Forget regular trips to the beauticians, manicured nails and perfect pedicures don’t last too long when horses and mucking out are involved. Fresh haircuts are promptly replaced by hat hair and l’odeur cheval. We do spend extra time having a form of pampering, via the medium of physiotherapy and chiropractor treatments for stiff backs and tight hip flexors. The word pampering is a loose term, yes, it’s helping your body but more often than not it can be painful. New shoes for us are replaced by a fresh set of horseshoes for our furry friends every six weeks and would we have it any other way? Absolutely not.

What do horses cost us emotionally?

“So what do horses cost? Everything. They cost everything. All of it. And your soul.”

We saw this quote on social media a couple of weeks ago and nodding our heads in agreement we thought, yup that’s about right. And 2020 is the year we won’t forget, along with Coronavirus pandemic, on July 28, 2020, Harry Hall’s own Marketing Director Rachel said goodbye to one of her wonderful horses, Wisley. We’re all horse owners at Harry Hall and when a member of the team loses one of their own, we all feel it. “At the age of just 16, Wisley had to be put to sleep and now our home, life and hearts are left with this huge empty space. You don’t realise how much they mean to you until they’re not there.

“I keep thinking about the social media post we saw on what horses cost us, sure they are expensive but so are clothes, holidays, fast cars and nights out. But horses fill your life 24/7 – 365 days a year. They’re a lifestyle, not a hobby. They bring you joy, little moments that make you stop in your tracks and make you feel like the luckiest person alive, laughs, buckets full of love, frustrations and sometimes heartbreak.

But a life without horses?  No thanks – it would be a life without love, a life without learning every day and for me a raison d’etre.  So, to summarise, what do horses cost?”

Everything.

They cost everything.

All of it.

And your heart.

*Survey of 633 horse owners completed in September 2020.