Quote:
Originally posted by Nbritte
I got my daughter a filly last fall she has been wanting one for years and been riding sence she was 5. They are not a lot of work but you still have to mess with them at least an hour a day. Just for fun this is what you can expect to spend.
300-800 for a horse
500-1200 for a registered quarter horse or paint
300-500 for a kid saddle (figure on buying a bigger one later)
100 bridle
25-50 to have its hoves trimed after it loses its baby hoves
25-50 to have it shoed
100-200 on hay a year
150 a year for grain
50-100 grass seed after then kill all the grass when the ground it soggy during spring.
50-100 fertilizer
40-60 for 2 halters if it is a colt when you get it less if it is full grown
150 odds and ends like lead ropes, lung lines, blankets, combs, brushes ect.
180 for DNA test if you want to register the horse as a quarter horse or paint
if you want to see her horse here it is
Horse
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I don't doubt that Nbritte is paying this (Kentucky bluegrass probably keeps down her feed bills...), but it seems awfully low to me. Assuming you have a place of your own and don't have to board the pony, here is what I pay per month per horse to keep my horses living like kings:
Grain - $50+/month
Hay - $75-100/month
Bedding - $60/month
Farrier (trim/shoes) - $100 every 4-6 weeks
Worming - $15 every 8 weeks
Vaccinations - $200/year
If you are boarding, depending on the part of the country, expect to pay between $350 and $2000 per month. The last show barn I worked at charged $1500/month, just for board.
That's very conservative and doesn't take into account any lessons/training, which your daughter would need, nor any vet bills which are pretty much unavoidable no matter how careful you are. And good luck finding a sound, kid-safe horse for $300-$800, it will probably be closer to a few thousand.
Like the other people on here, I recommend taking her to a local barn where she can try working in exchange for some lessons. That way you see if she's serious without having to spend big $. I I ended up with a horse and a full time job at 12 (left school at 16 to ride on the show circuit) but most kids unless they're really serious will quit after a day or 2 of cleaning stalls.