I get $350 a month and I am looking to board at a place where it costs $200 a month. Then that leaves me with $50 dollars to pamper my horse and $100 to put into a bank account for farrier and vetrinarian. Do you think That I could own a horse or am I too short on money??
Answers:
No your not, if the board includes feed. Ferrier around here is about $65 every 2 months for new shoes and you can always have them reset cheaper. I dont even shoe my horses I do get them trimmed which is about $30. Depends on the horses hooves and where you ride. Wormers are also every 2 months so do them the month you dont do the feet and they run 15 or you can do a daily feed through. Of course talk this over with the stable as they might already put it in the feed if they provide feed. You might also ask if money is such a consern if you can do your own feeding and stall cleaning and get a lower rate. Shots are about $50 a year or twice ayear since you'll be around other horses. So really that $100 you would be putting away would be great for shows equipment and emergancies. Try getting in touch with 4-H and Pony clubs they normally have a barn sale of old equipment others have outgrown or dont use anymore and ebay is great. Just do price checking. I have a nice Warmblood if you lived in the area I would make yo a deal on. Horses are cheap right now the last few years their prices have just gone down each year. I just bought a nice mare and filly. The mare is broke to ride and registered and I got them for $800 and the last gelding I bought was $650 the one before it $100 and the one before that was free. (there is not such thing as a free horse you still have board, feed, vet, ferrier, etc)
What about you're room and board?
You need to pay bills, take care of your car if you have one, or pay for transportation.
You need to put money away for any emergencies.
If the $350 is AFTER you paid the above, then, yes, it's enough for a horse.
BUT!
Make sure you have $2000 in the bank over and above whatever you pay for the horse itself. You should have a big buffer before you start this adventure, just in case of any unforseen problems.
You need more money than that
Wow, you are a major league pov.
ummm...your probably going to want to eat too! If you use all your money on the horse then how will you buy food %26 pay your bills. I would recommend just taking riding lessons or visiting horses for right now. Don't forget you have to buy:
Saddle: $200-$600
Saddle Pad: $15-$60
Bridle: $12-$30
Reins: $6-$12
Bit: $16-$40
Lead Rope: $6-$12
Halter: $5-$20
Feed: $75-$120 a month
Vet Bill: $60-$110 a month
Brushes: $25-$30 for about 5 different brushes
Keep in mind, if an emergency happens, and your horse needs to be put down you will need up to a couple thousand to have it euthanized and the body disposed of. Yes, this is kind of morbid to think of, but what if your horse breaks a leg? You need to think of everything, even the depressing things before purchasing a horse.
You would be cutting it really tight with this budget. If your horse and you start having issues, you may need an instructor to help you, and keep you safe. This could be up to 40 dollars a lesson...
Also, make sure you have the money for equipment, a decent saddle will cost you around 400-700 dollars, plus you will need a bridle, brushes, saddle pad, girth, etc... These are things you only need to get once, but it all adds up. Dont go cheap on things like saddles, you will end up causeing training and health issues in your horse if you use a cheap, poor quality saddle.
Honestly, if I were you I would wait on buying a horse. You could get into a mess if something goes wrong, and believe me, accidents happen, and there will be unexpected costs that arise. You could try leasing a horse for now. This way you are not responsible for unforseen costs, yet still get to ride and care for a horse.
Edit- Now that you've add your only 11, have you considered asking your parents to help you out? Since you are asking good questions, and are being considerate of money, if you prove your self to be really interested in horses (take lessons, try and learn as much as you can, show that it isn't something you are going to give up on in a month or 2), they may be willing to cut a deal with you where they pay for half the care, or you pay for the purchase price, if they pay for half the care.
I guess this really depends on what the boarding consists of. I'm sure it doesn't pay to have its hooves trimmed or its teeth floated when it needs it. If you can afford to make sure you are doing these things then yes. But honestly, if your horse takes ill and cholics or something, I promise you, it probably won't be enough! It costs me over $500 to pay for the pain shots, mineral oil pumping, and vet visit only to have to put my horse to sleep. So, you never really know.
I think that sort of income would make it very hard to keep a horse. Plus it gives no extra for when it's needed. You never know when an animal will become ill or need some sort of special attention. But only you can really answer that question. I don't see how you can feed yourself on that amount of money, let alone a horse but that's my opinion..
Considering your horse doesnt get seriously injured or ill right away, you would have enough money. Maybe ask your mom if she would be willing to chip in some money if your does get injured or ill. How do you plan on getting to the boarding stable? You need to factor in transportation costs.
Ok, everyone give the kid a break. She's got her own money and is trying to be responsible. Not sure where people are paying over $200 per month for feed alone - you've either got a horse as fat as a tub of lard or you are getting ripped off. She only needs to buy one halter, not one a month.
$200 board - does the board include feed and bedding?
Before you get one, you "might" need a water proof turn out rug - $85, halter and rope - $35, brushes - $30, water and feed bucket - $10 each, stable blankets - $75 (blanket), $55 (hood) and then your tack. You can get an English saddle and bridle for about $140 off Ebay plus $25 saddle pad plus a bit ($50). Those are your basics. Feed is about $10 per sack if you buy your own and hay can run from $3 to $5 per bale, shaving are also about $5 per bale. Wormer every 6 weeks is about $10, trim $20, yearly float $75.
My suggestion would be to get all your essentials first minus the blankets because you won't know what size to get until you buy a horse. Also you might not even need blankets. If the board includes feed and bedding, you'll be doing good. Horses don't need pampering or treats so I would also put your $50 per month in an emergency fund, you might need it later for a vet or show entry fees, a riding lesson etc. You'd be better saving that money for an emergency or vaccinations than spending it on silly stuff the house couldn't care less about.
I think it's highly commendable for someone that is 11 to be so financially responsible and asking all the right questions. You need to ask your parents too that if push comes to shove and there is an emergency, are they prepared to help if you are short on money? That takes some of the pressure off. Good luck to you and I hope it works out.
Waaaaaaay too short on money.
You're also forgetting about the other important thigns such as farrier, floating, de-wormers, shots, vet bills,etc.
Yes, that is enough, providing that your parents are willing to cover any emergency that comes up with the horse. If your horse gets ill or injured, vets are not cheap. I suggest you start socking money into a savings account now and for the next year, so you have some sort of buffer for emergencies.
$200 a month, I assume covers board and feed as well as stall cleaning. Your horse will need a farrier every 6 to 8 weeks. That, depending on what you have done (ie: shoeing vs only trimming) varies depending on where you live and the farrier you use. A full set of shoes for a horse can cost anywhere from $65 (very cheap) to $150 or more for special shoes. A vet for a colic can cost a few hundred for a mild colic up to a few thousand for severe colic. My horse cut his knee open on a feeder in his stall once and the first vet visit cost me $300.the second 10 weeks later cost another $500. A friend of mine had a horse that got "stones" and surgery to remove them cost her over $10,000. So you have to understand there are all kinds of expenses other than boarding and farrier that you have to be prepared for. While the extreme doesn't always happen, it's always possible. They do sell medical insurance for horses as well. It's something you might consider looking into as well. But all in all is.if you have $350 of your own money every month to pay the board and shoeing, if I were your parent.I'd say "go for it".
There are a good many things that horse owners throw their money away on often just because they saw someone else buy one. So many of the things we think we need for horses we don't really need. It is possible to cheaply keep a horse.
On the other hand, you are young. And, even though it's good that you are budget minded the fact is that even adults sometimes go through a period of time when we lose income. If you run out and buy a horse and something happens to your modeling money... your allowance isn't going to cover the bills.
I think you would be better off investing your money now. If you want to take lessons great. Don't buy a horse until after you go off to college. If you invest wisely now with your money and your education, then you will be better able to care for a horse later on.
I think you have enough funds BUT this is my advice. Take lessons or do a partial lease and sock that money away. Ask your parents about investing it so you could earn a return.
In a few years you'll have enough for a great horse and some padding to take care of any kind of emergency.
I'm not sure of your riding experience but you will benefit by learning from riding different horses, this will be especially true if your horse ends up having training issues. Plus you'll be a little older and stronger.
Even if you waited a few years you'd still have a horse for a good portion of your childhood and beyond.
Have fun!
i think you may have enough money if some conditions are met. i would also save up about $1,000 first for major medical expenses if they should arise. if this is a full care board and you only have to pay vet and farrier they you should be ok. also ask yourself if you want to be spending everything you earn on a horse, you would have no money for shopping trips, movies, going out with friends etc. you would need to be ok with having no money to spend on your self- not that it cant be done but perhaps you should look into redoing your budget to leave you a little something for yourself to play with. another alternative would be leasing a horse instead- it would be cheaper, you wouldnt have to worry about major medical bills and you get all the fun or riding and caring for the horse. you might also see if you can do a working board arraingment at your stable to get lower cost boarding. you could also do a partial lease on the horse to help offset some of the costs. also speak with your parents about emergency care, even with $1,000 socked away in an emergency that can easily be run through. will they be willing to help if say your horse needs emergency colic surgery? what about a prolonged illness like founder/laminitis? the $1,000 should be enough for euthanasia+disposal, sutures if needed, an episode of colic (that can be treated on site) the little emergencies that happen, but what if 2 happen in one year will you be able to afford it, will your parents help? its morbid but you need to think about it first, this stuff can and does happen- an old saying i once heard was "horses are a vet bill waiting for a place to happen" so if you can answer these to your satisfaction then yes maybe you can get a horse, or you could just sock that money away until you can earn more money and use it to buy a very nice horse.
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