Costs of horse ownership in South Florida

Horse ownership in South Florida in 2012.  A blissful thought.  An expensive thought.  More expensive than probably most areas in the United States.  Yet it is every horse lovers dream,  to own their own horse someday, if they have have yet to achieve that dream.

I am an owner of more than 10 and less than 20 horses and it is quite a chore and feat of organization to do that on the budget I have.

I have students who wish to own their own horses and I understand that dream but I also understand how unrealistic that dream is in South Florida for most people of an average means.

We think, "Oh a free horse." "Well that is not very expensive."  But if it is "free" you can only begin to imagine how the costs add up. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth is the operative saying.  And even if you spend a nominal amount of money in the range of 5-10k you are only at the beginning, of the hole that you are digging,  in the barn of your wallet.

So what is the "true" costs of owning a horse in South Florida.  Hmmmm lets see...

Housing  A barn, which you will need in South Florida in the summer especially.  Board typically runs in my town of Palm City, an average of $425-650 per month.  At that price point it should include Hay, Stall, Shavings, Stall cleaning at least once daily and grain twice daily.  If you have special needs or want an indoor arena, or special training from high quality trainers on site, then your costs start to rise.  One barn down the street from me charges $550-650 a month depending on turnout.  They can do that because we have a 400 acre park for riding right down the street from us.  Another barn here locally charges $950 per month for board.  And that barn can justify costs,  with the amenities they offer such as an indoor arena and stall cleaning five times a day.  I have heard the statement that if you want to keep a horse in Wellington just south of us that is a minimum of $20,000 per year.  If you live in a more rural area you can lower your costs.

So at that base of $425 x 12 that is $5100 per year.  


Dinner, Breakfast and Lunch No not at Too Jays!  and certainly not at Publix!  Although when I went to the Publix in Palm City the other day I saw HORSE FEED at the front like dog food.  The grain selling was from Walpole, a high quality local grain processor for livestock in Okeechobee.  Most horses need grain supplemented to their diet and you can ignore this expense if you board your horse at a full care rate(see above).  But if you are trying to cut costs or you want to a la carte your horse care, you have to look at this expense. If your horse eats 5 lbs of grain per day which for mine would be VERY low end, you can look at an average of 3 bags per month. Most of mine eat 4 bags per month and a few eat more.  A bag of grain can run from $10.50 up to $23 for some of the specialty feeds.  So the costs of grain for an average horse ranges from $20-92 per month.  Depending on if your horse is younger and naturally an easy keeper or if you have a senior horse, a high needs horse or a performance horse on a special diet.

So at that base of $31.50 x 12 that is $378 per year for grain.


All that is between those special meals above is HAY!  I cannot tell you how expensive hay is in South Florida compared to other areas in the nation!  Again another expense you can ignore if you do full care board.  Horses for their best health should have hay in front of them at all times!  Most barns feed 2-4 hay feedings a day depending on what their circumstances are regarding non-wastage of hay.  If not placed correctly it can get stomped on, peed on and wasted.  I feed round bales that locally cost an average of $110 per bale.  Square bales of Coastal are currently $9.  Timothy/Alfalfa ranges in the $12-23 range depending on size and quality.  Horses should consume 1-2% of their weight in hay daily to stay healthy.  The average horse weighs about 1000 pounds.  Horses are designed to graze 20 hours a day so hay should be avail at any time to reduce the ulcer risk.  I will take the high end of 20lbs a day for this calculation because this is cheap insurance compared to the costs of Ulcergard at around $1000 per month for treatment if diagnosed.  This percentage is also preferred by research done by Seminole Feed Company in the reduction of colic by sand impaction.

20 lbs is approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of a bale depending on weight.  For our purposes we will calculate 1/2 bale.  We will assume the cost of local delivered hay by a local hay person at 12.50 per bale, 15 bales per month.

So at that base of $187.50 x 12 that is $2250 per year for hay.


A soft bed at night And we are not talking a Sleep Number bed,  because unlike you and I (I hope), those silly horses will pee and poop all over their bed!  This is truly a sad thing because it means we will have to CLEAN that mess up in the morning.  And buy them a new bed most every day!  If you are not doing the full board option above this is an expense you will have to bear in addition to the hay and grain.  Bag shavings at the local feed store run about $5.50 a bag and you will probably use a minimum of 2-3 bags a week for a 12x12 stall.

So at that base of $44 x 12 that is $528 per year for stall bedding.


Health Care and we ain't talkin' Obamacare.  Because you can purchase insurance for major medical but for the average bellyache you are paying for it.  This is lumped together with tootsie care and toothie care.  Farrier expense is a big part of this cost.  One colic that you pay a veterinary to attend can run into the $300-500 range.  And that is assuming it is mild and transient.  Surgery can run into the $5000 range.  Worming at our barn is monthly.   If your horse is perfectly healthy you can assume an average of $500 per year for shots, dental work and a checkup.  Your Farrier expense is more predictable and for the average horse in South Florida we trim hooves monthly and if you do shoes it is 5 weeks.  Trims average about $35 and front shoes run about $95 on average.  Most people who have pleasure horses that do not compete, opt out for trims.

So at that base of $500 for vet and $420 for hoof trims that is $920 per year for Healthcare.


Riding Instruction
I bought the horse and now I want to ride the horse.  How do I do that?  If you take lessons it is usually on average of 1 day per week and you practice your skills and do your homework between.  Private lessons range from $55 and up depending on the discipline you desire.  If you are doing a group lesson plan on $35 per lesson.

So at that base of $35 per group lesson x 50 (weeks) that is $1750.


But I want some pretty bling tack for my pony!
Ok add another $500-$1000 per year for the pretties and the new halter you will buy every year because the old one bleaches out or is broken.  Just to ride around the barn and down the trails.

So at that base of $500 for tack for a year?  I am thinking more will do.  


But they have a show at Timer Powers Park and my horse is so amazing, I want to take him there!
The closest show grounds is 14 miles from my barn.  I am not riding my horse to the show grounds like in olden days.  So I will pay to haul and this is a  minimum of $50 and only if other horses are going.  Prices are higher if you are the only one in the trailer.  If you commit to a show series that is 6-10 shows a year.  Prices go up if you want to haul to other events, trail rides, foxhunting etc. Don't even get into the costs of buying a truck and trailer! And the show fees (not including membership) range from $25 to $100 plus per show depending on the discipline you desire to compete in.  You can still show in speed events in that $25 range here.  If you go to Wellington expect to spend $500 minimum for a weekend of showing.

So at that base of $85 per show x 10 that is $850 per year for showing at the least expensive show option only 1 show a month, with no other recreational opportunities.


This is a least cost budget of $9120 for an entire year of horsecare.  Multiply that by the 5-10 years that you may own a horse?  Because when your child goes off to college that is often when most families sell that precious horse that their child loved so much.  And when I ran these costs past a very dear friend of mine she actually thought I was WAY too conservative! I do truly agree with that, because who spends just $500 per year on the tack?   This does not even cover if you buy a horse, trailer, land and a barn.  With all that associated upkeep and expense.  And did I mention fly spray and brushes and coat care products and supplements?   And this is why I recommend putting your child in a program with all these activities at a fraction of these costs.  Children do not think of health insurance and college when they make plans to spend your money on buying a horse!   The fun factor ramps up quite a bit if you have a budget of this proportion and use it wisely.  Oh sorry.  The words wisely and horses do not often occur in the same sentence according to some people.  Other people however see the wisdom in this expense of  time and money (including yours truly) for these reasons of pleasure and enjoyment, a passion for competition in equestrian events and the emotional, educational and leadership skills development of our young people.  

This is a very brief overview of the minimum costs of keeping a horse in South Florida.  If this had truly been an emergency you would have been instructed on where to stash your wallet for safekeeping in hard times!  And I would NOT have suggested putting it in the barn!