Can someone give me a rundown of approximately how much it costs to care for a horse per month?
Cheri P asked:
I’m a vet tech at a shelter and need to present some information to our director. Can any horse people give me an approximate cost/month/horse as far as feed/bedding/etc? Thanks so much! Cheri
A breakdown of price per day/per item would be awesome! thanks!
It all depends on how you keep the horse….
For example;
I pay $145/month for pasture board (roughly $5/day)
stall board could be say $300/month ($10/day)
stall board usually includes grain/hay.
grain can cost from $10 and up for a 50# bag and how much per day depends on how much you need to feed.
around here small square bales are $4-5 each and figure about a bale/day/horse
farrier every 6-8 weeks $35 to $200+ per horse per visit
vet at lease once per year figure at least $100-150 per horse per visit minimum $200 for an emergency call
a bag of shavings is $3-5 per bag – I know people who can make one bag last a week and others that use 2+ per horse per week. (this also depends on how messy the horse is in its stall)
wormer $10- 15 every 3 months
figure in flyspray $15/horse say every 2 months
treats $10/horse/month
if you’re talking about the shelter taking in horses your costs will be high since these animal will probably need more feed and medical care that the average. They also may need corrective care for their hooves.
equipment is a whole other can’o'worms…
(lol)
You may want to post and let us know what area of the US you are located in, as costs on some items vary quiet a bit.
I’m about 45 minutes north of Boston, FYI.
I pay $885/month for full board (roughly $29/day)
That includes all feed, mucking, bedding and turnout.
farrier every 6 weeks $150 to 300 per horse per visit
spring & fall shots approx $150
minimum $200 for an emergency call
a bag of shavings is $6.00 to 6.50 per bag right now. Our barn uses 1/2 to 1 bag per horse per day. Hay at the local CoOp is 8.95 per 40-50 lb bale. I’m sure it’s less expensive by the truck load. (Also, I think hay in Florida last winter was about $11 to $12 per bale)
wormer $10- 15 every 3 months
figure in fly spray $15-20 /horse per month, 6 months/year
treats $10-20/horse/month
Supplements/Meds: depending on what the horse does for work, age, location and health you may need to manage arthritis, cushings or feed extra vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E and selenium.
Hope this helps, good luck with your project.