How many horse owners actually ride or work your animals?

[Jstpssng]

Repowel;

I agree, horses are very expensive. I wish people would completely review what it takes to properly care for a horse before making a purchase. My wife also rides Dressage and has a 20 year old Dutch Warmblood. The mare gets worked 4 times a week and thus far is in excellent condition. I wish I looked as good as the horse!!

I ended up with a pony from people who did not understand all the work involved (they were boarding at our place). He has been here 12 years now and every time I walk by him he gives me a chuckle. I am sure he is laughing at me or, thanking me for keeping him all these years.

We have 5 of our own and we board 5 thus enabling us to keep ours for relatively little expense. I must say taking care of 10 horses keeps us busy. We pick the paddocks every day 365 days a year. When I'm out there in the winter using a spade to bust of the frozen horse pies I think of how nice it would be to have no animals. Travelling down South for the winter months is appealing! I then think of what I would do without the nags, probably sitting on my fat rear end watching TV!

In any event, the horses are at an age where in another 10 years I should be horse free and at an age myself where watching TV will be my only option! Oh well, it is still a great way to spend your retirement and I do enjoy caring for the horses.

Fred

You can substitute nearly any animal for "horse".

Years ago some friends were big into barrel racing; one daughter went to the national championships. When they were on vacation I thoroughly enjoyed caring for their five horses; feeding them, sometimes letting them out before work; and returning in the PM to feed and shovel stalls. There's a big difference between feeding for a week though, and caring for them full time.

On another occasion I helped another friend shovel out the stall where his girlfriend's horse had been staying all winter; he was standing in a foot of filth, with spring drainoff running through. I can't imagine what that animal's hooves looked like.

We shoveled for a couple of hours, meanwhile she kept saying "I just cleaned it two months ago!"

 

[Fred Barbour]

As said previously, my wife and I clean the paddocks daily. That makes for a huge manure pile. We order 40 tons of hay every year so you can do the math on the size of the pile, all transported via wheelbarrow. I use my trusty Bobcat CT 235 to pile the manure. Every fall I have a contractor come in with an articulating loader and he subsequently takes out 7-8 dump trucks full. I get it done for nothing as he uses the manure to mix in with top soil. He gets about 350.00 per load for his top soil so is motivated to pick up my pile. Additionally, his yard is only about 15 minutes from my place.

Fred

 

[Jstpssng]

As said previously, my wife and I clean the paddocks daily. That makes for a huge manure pile. We order 40 tons of hay every year so you can do the math on the size of the pile, all transported via wheelbarrow. I use my trusty Bobcat CT 235 to pile the manure. Every fall I have a contractor come in with an articulating loader and he subsequently takes out 7-8 dump trucks full. I get it done for nothing as he uses the manure to mix in with top soil. He gets about 350.00 per load for his top soil so is motivated to pick up my pile. Additionally, his yard is only about 15 minutes from my place.

Fred

That's a LOT of sh

ER, shoveling!

 

[jerrybob]

As said previously, my wife and I clean the paddocks daily. That makes for a huge manure pile. We order 40 tons of hay every year so you can do the math on the size of the pile, all transported via wheelbarrow. I use my trusty Bobcat CT 235 to pile the manure. Every fall I have a contractor come in with an articulating loader and he subsequently takes out 7-8 dump trucks full. I get it done for nothing as he uses the manure to mix in with top soil. He gets about 350.00 per load for his top soil so is motivated to pick up my pile. Additionally, his yard is only about 15 minutes from my place.

Fred

They say that in 1890.....there were 250,000 horses on the streets of New York City everyday. They had work wagons going up and down the streets doing nothings but shoveling manure. Hot...humid days were a real joy!

 

[Jstpssng]

They say that in 1890.....there were 250,000 horses on the streets of New York City everyday. They had work wagons going up and down the streets doing nothings but shoveling manure. Hot...humid days were a real joy!

I once read about horse racing in the early days... there was a track down in Mexico that had a huge mountain of horse manure, slowly composting in the sun. To get their weight down the jockeys would bury themselves up to their necks and take a sweat bath... one day there was a huge storm and the entire pilewas swept out to sea.

 

[tow653]

Two words,"Hay burner"

 

[texasjohn]

I have a cousin who makes his living training people to ride their recreational horses...roping, pleasure riding, reining, etc...He still lives on the historic ranch that has been in the family for about 150 years...rough country and over 1000 acres. I grew up on the place, horses were used daily for personal transportation, working sheep, goats, cattle, hunting, etc. VERY few places anymore where horses are actually an integral and necessary part of making a living on the land. Horses are not only expensive, they are dangerous. If you have a horse, you either have been hurt, or will be hurt with it...for any of a myriad of reasons. Horses are a big business, but few are handled and worked properly. Most spend a lot of time at the trainer who tries to remove the bad habits which have been instilled by an untrained owner.

 

[smstonypoint]

They are expensive pets.

Some years ago (15+), the Director of the SC Ag. Experiment Station funded a graduate stipend for one of my students for the purpose of evaluating the costs associated with the Experiment Station's animal operations. I don't recall the details of the results for the equine facility, but I do remember being surprised at the high costs of maintaining a pleasure horse.

Here's a 2011 Virginia Tech budget for a pleasure horse pastured on owned land: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/446/446-048/PDF_Horse_Budget_PleasureHorsepasturedonOwnedLand.pdf. The estimated variable costs were $3,256.43/horse and excluded the opportunity costs of the 300 hours of labor required.

Steve

 

[texasjohn]

Yep, and to that add a tow vehicle you might not otherwise need, trailer, TTL, sheds, tack, personal medical injury expenses, and I'm just getting started!

OH, wait...maybe that's included in the more than $8000 annual debt payments for total annual expense of $11,479!

 

[smstonypoint]

Yep, and to that add a tow vehicle you might not otherwise need, trailer, TTL, sheds, tack, personal medical injury expenses, and I'm just getting started!

OH, wait...maybe that's included in the more than $8000 annual debt payments for total annual expense of $11,479!

.

What's TTL?

The debt service includes the purchase of a truck (50% allocated to the horse), trailer, barn, land, and initial fencing. Personal medical injury expenses are ignored.

Steve