Thursday, October 2, 2014

Horses On A Budget: Is Keeping Them At Home Cheaper?

Like most horse crazy girls I had dreamed of keeping my horse at home since I started my first lesson.  My parents however did not share the same dream and so boarded until I went out into the real world.  I decided to turn this dream into a reality when Hobbs started getting older and I really wanted to provide him with a nice retirement and also have another horse.  This started the learning experience of a lifetime.

IS KEEPING YOUR HORSE AT HOME CHEAPER THAN BOARDING?
There are many different scenarios that make this hard to answer so I will just address how it pertains to me.  Boarding at a show barn here is $1200 per month excluding blanketing in winter months (add $50 for that) and including lessons/training rides.  Realistically if I boarded right now it would be for 2 horses ($2400).  I wouldn't have my mini and Hobbs would go somewhere that does retirement (probably at a cost of $300 per month).  Do I pay less than that total of $2700 per month to keep my horses at home?  Yes, but if you add up my time probably not.  Time has a value too.

COSTS
Things to consider are the upfront costs ie buying property and building (if not already established).  My mortgage increased 325% from our last house to our farm.  This cost of course varies on area, price of building supplies at time, what you build, etc.  I did not build a huge fancy house, it's about 500 square feet bigger than my last house but we went from a home in a neighborhood to 10 acres.  You pay for acreage around here.  My main requirement in building was that I wanted a nice barn.  Adding more paddocks and an all weather ring would be in my long term plan.  Cost of building the barn alone was mid five figures.  And fencing and gates?  About half of that.  Then add stall mats for 5 stalls plus aisle ways, cross ties, buckets, feed bins, fans, manure carts, something to pull the manure carts so they can be dumped, pitch forks, brooms, blower (so I don't have to sweep), water troughs for paddocks, etc.... And if you have your own barn you definitely need a truck and trailer.  And a tractor, a bushhog, a finishing mower, jumps, etc...  This is just the list that I am running off the top of my head.  There is more I am sure. I don't have a total cost of it all because I honestly don't want to know.  It was alot.  Much more than I had imagined.  So back to the question, is keeping your horses at home cheaper?  If we take the $1200 a month board for one horse per year that comes to $14,400.  Pay that for 30 years and you come to $432,000.  Though I can't give you an exact amount of what we spent it was ALOT more than that.  Alot.  Sure you could build something more simple and not as nice of a barn but I think my cost was pretty normal and way short of extravagant.  Also remember that board price included training.  But we still aren't factoring in something...

TIME
Someone has to take care of the horses and maintenance around the farm.  I do all of this myself (husband helps with maintenance and mowing) except I have barn help on Saturday evenings so I can attempt to have a social life.  If I need to go out of town I have to make arrangements for horses to be taken care of.  I need to take off of work for the vet, dentist, or whoever else is working on my horses.  Fortunately my farriers are friends and they know my horses so I don't have to be home for them.  I would say 3.5 - 4 hours of my day is spent riding, doing horse care, and barn chores.  If you didn't want to do this yourself then you would need to hire someone at an extra cost.  I also go get feed every 5 weeks and hay every 2 weeks.  If you want to know how to eat whatever you want and maintain a slim figure come muck stalls, unload and stack 25 bales of 60# hay, 50# feed bags, and then riding of course.  Gym?  My gym is in my barn (ok so you can save on gym membership).

And for those who are wondering about taking in boarders to help with costs or in exchange for help.  Hell no.  Horse people are a pain in the ass.  Seriously, we are.  Some don't pay, some horses are destructive, some people don't respect your time or belongings, some don't show up when they are supposed to, etc...  No, I've been down that road.

SUMMARY
I think maybe for multiple horses over time that it is probably cheaper to keep horses at home if you are doing it all (or most) yourself.  Keep in mind doing it yourself does take a toll.  There are no sick days and God forbid I should get hurt and can't do it myself...But the other side is that I look out the windows of my house and see my horses everyday.  I see them first thing in the mornings and I get to kiss them goodnight.  I know more about my horses moods, habits, and ins & outs than anyone.  This also helps me build an amazing bond with them.  That.  That right there is what makes it worth it.

15 comments:

  1. I love this post! I would love to have a barn or facility but only if I could afford to hire someone to do the work and manage it because horse people are crazy and time is very valuable to me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

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  2. having your horses at home is definitely a way of life - and i love the way you broke it down (nice point too about having a home for your retirees). it's not the quaint, simple fairy tail some people expect. but if you can make it work? more power to ya!

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  3. I'm of the variety that really doesn't want to keep my horse at home. Sometimes it sounds nice when I think about retirement for older horses... but the time and benefits just don't seem to outweigh the costs for me personally.

    That said, I have a huge amount of respect for those that do it, and 100% believe you know your horses better than I know mine.

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    1. And there's nothing wrong with that. It is purely personal preference. It is not easy and I will tell you whatever amount a person pays for board is probably well worth it! Being a control freak when it comes to my horses I would struggle in a boarding situation again.

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    2. I totally 100% with Tracy. I have mad respect for those that keep their horses at home, but for me, I'd prefer to board. As you said, there are pros and cons to both, and I don't think boarding is better than keeping your horses at home, or vice versa. For me, I have always ridden at boarding barns, so that's the atmosphere I'm used to. But this was a great post!

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    3. And that's why I did the post, to show that it's not all rosey to have them at home and definitely not the best thing for everyone. I know some people that shouldn't have them at home due to their lack of knowledge. Sometimes I miss the social aspect of the barn. I don't miss drama and my stuff disappearing though.

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  4. This is great to read. We briefly thought about buying property outside of Austin and getting it fit for horses, but when we realistically thought about it it ended up being more $$ for more work. Right now, I'm a happy boarder.

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  5. Great post. My hubs and I considered buying a horse property to retire Wilbur- just not in the cards for us but very interesting to learn about!

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  6. We also have our horses at home, and yeah, you have it exactly right. Factor in the cost of the property, new fencing, arena, barn, equipment, etc. and TIME. ALL THE TIME. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. But it keeps me fit and I do love having the boys at home, plus my "commute" to the barn is super short lol!

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  7. I grew up on a horse farm, and from the time I was 7 until I was 18 I did all barn chores, feeding, mucking if need be (our horses were happy living outside), etc, etc. When I went away to college I woke up countless mornings worried that I hadn't fed the horses yet. Now I have boarded for the last 8 years or so, and I sometimes wonder about having my horse at home one day. But as you so well summed up, having a horse at home is not necessarily cheaper, and truth be told, there is no way I will ever be able to afford the have my own version of the facilities I currently ride at. Something to sacrifice, either way.

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  8. Good post - there are definitely pros and cons to both. Time is definitely a cost!

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  9. I'm glad I stumbled upon this post because it makes me feel less sad that I don't live on horse property with a big green field out my kitchen window. I appreciate your candor. :)

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