Ever since I was little girl, I asked for a pony. Can you hear it now?! “I WANT A PONY!!”
Maybe it was because both of my grandfathers were cowboys or my obsession with My Little Pony.
Now as an adult, asking for a horse at every possibility (birthdays, holidays, etc) has become a running joke with my dad.
This last weekend I attended my first horse race, as part of a surprise birthday party. With my long standing affinity for horses, I experienced mixed feelings at the races. The animals’ strength, power and speed were impressive. But I guess I have watched too many horse movies where the horse gets put down from a race gone bad. Thankfully that day no horse was harmed
Being around so many beautiful horses, it got me thinking
How realistic would it be to buy a horse?
Like any good future horse owner, I started researching online. My experience doing this was like a kid on Christmas, who didn’t get anything they really wanted.
South Molton Horses highlighted a study that found
The highest sale point in that study was $55,000 and the lowest point was $100.
Geography plays a factor in horse prices. The East coast seems to be more expensive than Alberta. For regional comparative reference, a report on The Texas Horse Industry found that the average price paid for horse in Texas was $5,661.
Alpha Horse projected the yearly costs :
Stabling Fees: $250.00 x 12 months = $3,000.00
Food Costs: 183 bales of hay x $2.50 = $457.50
22 bags of grain x $7.50 = 165.00
Bedding / Shavings Expenses: $234.00.
VeterinarianExpenses: $300 (healthy horse) – $2,000+
Farrier Expenses: $100
Shoeing: $80
Minimum yearly costs (after the original purchase cost) = $6,8036.50
One other major cost that was not mentioned in either article was time. Your time is equated to money. Petplace.com projected
The bare minimum of time you can expect to devote to a horse is about 8 to 10 hours a week. If you’re doing more of the work, plan on blocking out 14 to 15 hours a week. It all depends on your level of involvement.
Wow, this is really starting to add up.
- Purchase Costs
- Yearly Costs
- Amount of time
The fact is I won’t be getting a horse anytime soon. Unless it is a minature horse, like this one. Then I will take two.
Maybe it is a fascination, from a distance that is so captivating. Admiring the beauty, grace, power and spirited nature of the fiery animal. The idea of me, riding off into the sunset, to catch my little girl dreams.
Come to find out, I’ve had a horse my entire life. This ‘horse’ is my family, friends, teachers, mentors and colleagues who have believed in me and continue to give me strength.
And I am riding off into the sunset. The dreams are little different since I was young, but still as ambitious.
Do I still want an actual pony someday? Absolutely. Hey dad, my birthday is coming up!?!
