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horse question

Started by thedeeredude, December 29, 2005, 05:33:17 PM

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thedeeredude

Here's a question for horse owners.  How much does it cost do keep and feed a horse and what do you feed them.  I just want a relative idea of the shoeing costs(how often do they get shod?) and how much feed costs.  Sorry if the question sounds stupid, but  I've never been around horses and was just wandering.

Burlkraft

Okay................STOP RITE THERE :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Horses are baaadddd news....If ya got a lot of money to give away...Horses is a good way to do it ;) ;)

It's a big sucking vortex....it starts slowly with a horse and some feed and a little pasture...The sun is shining...the breeze is blowing through the grass.....It's all good :) :) :) :) :) :)

Then it's vet bills....horses need a lot of care and vaccinations, The horse shoer 6 or 7 times a year....Tack....are ya goin' ta ride the horse??? Saddles are costly...Feed...lots of feed.....Let's breed the horse....lets get a better one.......I like that one...We need a trailer. IT NEVER ENDS :o :o :o :o :o :o


Kinda' sounds like buyin' tools...don't it ????


Take my advise........... ;) ;) ;) ;)


Go to a stable and 1/2 lease a horse. Ya can ride it anytime ya want and ya don't have to take care of it. It works great for the horse lovers in your life. ::) ::) ::) ::)

Then ya can take all the money ya save on the horse project and buy sawmills and forwarders and trailers...for logs..not horses.

That my firends is a win win situation ;) ;) ;) ;)
Why not just 1 pain free day?

Frank_Pender

Amen, to what Steve had to say.   :'(


`Two years ago I saved whole bunches of money.  I gave my quarterhorse filly to one of my students from my first year of teaching.  She and her husband run a very large cattle operation in Sourther border area of Idaho.   She had lost hers in a tragic way and I sent her my $5,000 horse.   I have been blessed ever since: no feed bills, vet bills, training issues for cutting, ropping, branding, getting hay put in for the year, etc..  ;)
Frank Pender

PawNature

Yea it kinda like buying a wood stove. Then you need a chain saw, then a tractor to skid the logs out of the woods, then a 4x4 pu and trailer to haul the tractor and wood on. And on and on and on... Although any of these things are a necessity in my opinion. And in my opinion a horse is not...My 14 yr old niece has probably 15 to 20  a bunch of horses, but she is a horse trader.
GOVERMENT HAS WAY TO MUCH CONTROL OVER OUR LIVES!!!!

Burlkraft

Maybe that reply of mine was a little harsh............ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

But that all comes from previous experience :o :o :o :o :o

I do like the flavor of good horse meat tho........ :D :D :D :D
Why not just 1 pain free day?

crtreedude

Well, my horses (5 and growing) don't cost much at all. Shoeing is dirt cheap, saddles are about 200 dollars, and feed - what feed? They eat grass and perhaps a little concentrate if they are working hard. Usually they don't need it - the biggest issue is them being a little fat - we call them the bums. (vagabundos)

They sort of earn their keep since they are really convient for riding around on and checking out the finca.

They don't need a stable either - but remember, we are in the tropics and my people know how to do all the shoeing and stuff.

Sure makes it cheap!

Your mileage may vary (in fact, I would probably ignore my experience!)
So, how did I end up here anyway?

Burlkraft

Nice disclaimer CR ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Why not just 1 pain free day?

crtreedude

Yeah, and I think our most expensive horse to date was 140 dollars... We have been offered several times that amount.

Ole Hector the horse trader loves to get a horse that people haven't taken care of and turn them into something special.

He has his eye on a big one now that the person wants to just about give to us - and it is a purebred of something! We even get to keep it for a month as a trial run...

I am glad he is on my side!

So, how did I end up here anyway?

srjones

QuoteIf ya got a lot of money to give away...Horses is a good way to do it

A good friend of mine once said..."I used to have money and free time, now I have horses"   ;D
Everyone has hobbies...I hope to live in mine someday.

crtreedude

Or as one person put it - Horses are very good at converting 5 dollars bills into manure...
So, how did I end up here anyway?

Dakota

When I finally got rid of the last of my horses,  I felt like a free man.  You naturally get cought up in their care, needs, and requirements.  What you don't realize is how much the responsibility for them ties you down, time wise and financially.

If you have someone who wants to learn to ride etc., pay someone $100 a month for lessons.  It would be a lot cheaper and might teach a good lesson before a lot of money got involved.
Dakota
Dave Rinker

DMax

   My dad used to always say "never buy anything that eats while you sleep". Unfortunately he did not follow his own advice. My mom has 5-7 horses on our 15 acres at any given time. Her operation is pretty much self-sufficient(she teaches children's riding lessons and does summer camps, the income from which covers all the horses expenses). I do know however that she spends loads of money on vet bills, the farrier, grain, hay, etc, and that doesn't include the fact that she has free labor. Me!
  I know several people with land who thought they would get a horse or several. They think they will just put them out in a field and forget about it. Well next think you know the field is gnawed down to dirt, and you can't enjoy the land because the horses have left souvineers everywhere.
  I have to ask, who is the horse for? A child? if so, start the kid off with some riding lessons or something, and then build up from there.
  As others here have said, you will be spending a ton of money!

David

crtreedude

I will admit, we don't have a problem with 5 horses on our land - we have a square kilometer - they really don't impact much on the grass.

But, if it was only an acre or two - better start hauling the bails of hay!

So, how did I end up here anyway?

Burlkraft

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

5 Dollar Bills Into Manure.................I love that :D :D :D :D :D
Why not just 1 pain free day?

sawguy21

Quote from: crtreedude on December 29, 2005, 07:38:44 PM
Or as one person put it - Horses are very good at converting 5 dollars bills into manure...
:D :D :D :D :D :D I like that too. My sister was the horse nut in our family. Dad and I were the slave labour. We spent more time hauling feed, hay and fixing that DanG corral than we cared to admit. Horses are for other people. smiley_thumbsdown
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Burlkraft

If ya look in my gallery I got some pics of Jill and her rented hay burner.  $100.00 a month and I'm covered. Plus I did it as her birthday present last year. The gift that keeps on givin' 8) 8) 8)


She cleans stalls cuz she likes to ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Why not just 1 pain free day?

etat

A horse will eat more grass than a cow and graze  it closer to the ground.  And.........if it's not good  grass it will starve to death or get real poor on it.  Same thing with hay, you have to have GOOD clean dry hay.   Around here we mostly feed pure bermuda grass hay because alfafa is not available or it's very expensive.  You  can feed a cow whatever kind of hay you can get your hands on.  Feed a cow moldy hay and they can digest it because they have more than one stomach.  Feed a horse hay with a little bit of mold in it and you're liable to kill him, or her dead.  Feed him too much grain and they can founder because they don't really know when to stop eating.   I'm not trying to discourage you at all but it's quite a little bit to learn and take care of.  That said I know I haven't answered your question because I sold mine a year or so ago and don't really know the answer.  Somebody here should be able to tell you better than me.  I would think that one horse wouldn't really be that expensive to take care of if you had a good pasture and a good place to keep em.  
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

crtreedude

The biggest problem I see with horses is that a good horse is so nice that you will pay for everything happily - biggest pet you ever did see.

We had some guest last weekend and they had young daugthers. As we were walking I called over to Toro and he came over to be petted. The girls were thrilled. He knew he was going to get some serious attention too.

Horses are smart - smarter than I would have ever thought. If they are happy, this is a good thing, but if they are not... you have a heap of trouble on your hands since they are smarter than a dog in my opinion, and a heck of a lot bigger.

We have one horse who can open any gate that isn't tied with a rope! And of course likes to eat the banana trees when they are small... Argh!

Lots of work, lots of problems, in other words, just like kids.

So, how did I end up here anyway?

Dana

We have two horses. As far as feed, every day they each get a half a grain scoop of oats. They share one bale of hay as well. They require lots of water in the summer and less in the winter. A good mineral block as well. Our vet charges around 25.00 for their shots (once a year in the spring time) It is also recommended you worm them that is about $15-20 a tube.  One tube per horse 3 or 4 times per spring summer. We don't shoe our horses dyou don't need to if you don't ride on blacktop or have rocky or very hard ground. Triming their hooves cost $35.00 we do that every 6 months but it could be done sooner. We put up our own hay for the cows so the hay isn't a big deal. Don't forget to think about who will care for them when you want to go on vacation or away for the weekend.
Grass-fed beef farmer, part time sawyer

asy

Quote from: crtreedude on December 29, 2005, 08:11:16 PM
Lots of work, lots of problems, in other words, just like kids.

Nup, yer wrong!!!

If you get sick of the horse you can sell it or turn it into sausages... 

They frown on you doing that to kids.

asy :D
Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake.
There cannot be a crisis next week. ~My schedule is already full..

etat

You also should be aware that some horses, especially mares sometimes eat chickens.   This IS a proven fact, just ask Patty!   :)
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

crtreedude

Asy,

You worry us sometimes...  :o

You haven't been having those thoughts again, have you?  ???
So, how did I end up here anyway?

thecfarm

My wife has a money pit,I mean horse.Cost her $50 to shoe and trim the horse every 6-8 weeks.This cost will vary.Did have one that was $90.Some need to be shod in 6 weeks some can go the 8 weeks.Grain cost is not bad.She only feeds her horse a little more than a pound at each feeding,morning and night,but this can vary too.Depends on how big it is and how much you use it.Hay is a big cost.A horse can eat a bale a day in the winter time.Her's doesn't quite eat a bale a day.Need fencing.She users fiberglass poles and electic tape.Need a charger to keep horse in and bad critters out.Need a warmer to keep the water from freezing.Need a encloser for the horse to stay in.She has 3 differant blankets for the horse,a couple hundred right there.Lots of needs here.She cart rides,so I have no idea about a saddle.The normal shots and de-worming are in there too. Would love to get her an Amish buggy from your neck of the woods.We have Amish friends that we go see in Lancaster County.It's a expensive hobby,but all hobby cost money.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

DanG

Horses can be as much or as little trouble as you make them.  Contrary to the beliefs of some, they don't have human emotions or feelings.  They don't need pretty little doodads and fancy halters, and silver plated saddles.  They don't care a hoot about these things.  What they do need is room to move about, good grass or hay, water, and the occasional worming and hoof trimming.  They don't need shoes unless they are being ridden really hard on harsh surfaces.  They don't really need grain, either.  Grass is their natural food, and they do quite well on hay.

One thing they do need is a proper fitting saddle.  To heck with your own butt, get one that fits the horses back!!
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

asy

Quote from: crtreedude on December 29, 2005, 09:06:30 PM
Asy,

You worry us sometimes...  :o

You haven't been having those thoughts again, have you?  ???

Yes. I am always having those thoughts...  I suspect my little girl would make good sausages, she's so sweet... hehe

I don't suppose I could sell my son, I'd have to pay someone to take him and I'm stone broke.

lol

asy :D
Never interrupt your opponent while he's making a mistake.
There cannot be a crisis next week. ~My schedule is already full..

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