well, board covers the cost of bedding, labor to clean the stall, and grain, correct?

The cost of a horse depends on several things.

How much grain you feed it

what kind of grain you feed it

Time of year (hay factors in in the fall and winter)

Vet bills

farrier bills

Tack

Type of bedding/how much bedding



This doesn't even count the cost of fenceing, water, power, troughs, land, etc. (you don't even want to know what's involved in THAT)



It's pretty variable. What I will say is this... take advantage of the green grass growing in the spring and summertime. You'll waste a ton of money on grain if you even bother feeding them more than a 1/4th a scoopful a day, assuming the horse is an easy keeper. I don't even grain mine this time of year, not unless it's a treat, a snack, or some kind of reward really.



The cost of keeping a horse for me at the moment is 0, because we already have the trough, the fence is up, I'm not graining anyone, and no one's in training. However, in the winter, a horse will easily go through 1 square bale of hay in 2 days. Around here, square bales cost about $6, so that's $3 a day in hay, correct? Then there is grain. Say you give your horse a scoop a day. A scoop's about 3 lbs or something, and they feed comes in a 50 lbs bag. That's one bag of feed for every 15 or 16 days assuming none is used as treats or lost to mice, so about two bags of feed a month. A bag of feed averages around $10. You're already at $120 a month in food. Then there's the glory of bedding... straw bales are about $2 a bale here if you're lucky, but that stuffs crappy for bedding unless you're NOT the one doing the cleaning. I use woody pet, it's $5.25 a bag. We use 10 bags per stall in the beginning, but then you simply add a new bag once every other week because it fluffs up and dries and stuff. Much like cat litter, except less clumping and more expanding and drying. Either way, for a starter, that's $52.00 in bedding, then an extra $5.25 at the end of the month for that one replenisher bag.

But wait, there's more!

Can't forget to get your pony some good fly spray! This can range anywhere from $7 a bottle to $20 a bottle.

You'll want some first aid medicine, so figure at least $20 in that

Grooming kit! Figure about $6 per brush. You'll need the soft, medium, and harder brush, plus a mane and tail brush, and a hoof pick. If each is $6, that's $30 right there. Want a place to keep all these things? Add another $5 for a little bucket or grooming kit box.



Basically, all the costs are going to hit you in the face up front, but after that life gets much better. You'll have all your bedding established, your supplies will be handy, and some items, such as flyspray and hay, are seasonal.



I had a horse boarded for a while in which I didn't pay for the board. In grain I went through about 3 bags a month. This only cost me about $36 a month for that.



Your main costs, if the board covers bedding and supplies and feed and everything, are going to be in personal items, farrier bills (which can be anywhere from $30-120 depending on what's needed), vet bills (annual teeth float $100 at least, shots $100 total for all of them, coggins test $35 or something, try to get everything done in one shot though... then there's always that colic to look out for, at least a $200 bill for those freaking wonderful things), and gas money to go to and from the barn. If your Dad wants to fuss, try saving up your own money to cover the costs of the other things yourself! The other thing you'll have trouble with is tack. My saddles have all cost me from $200-$400 for saddles, and then the rest varies. Oh yes, and the cost of the horse. Connecticut, ya say? I dunno what horses go for around there. Different world!



I hope this was more helpful than confusing... HEH!



Best of luck to ya!

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