Horses are Expensive: February

3/1/2012

February turned out to be slightly more expensive than January which is scary since I've already racked up quite a bill for March. And it only just started. It's the Tack and Gear category that I need to control. I always allow myself the luxury of spending a few hundred bucks at Horse Expo. What I spent at Horse Expo was fine. The problem was that after that, there was still a bit of this and that.

There was a $45 saddle repair that I hadn't planned on spending. February also had 5 Wednesdays which meant I had five lessons instead of the usual four. There went another $35. And of course I went to a show which was cheap, but still another $75. And because I went to a show, I had to add $116 for gas.

I don't want to leave the wrong impression, all of this is cash, not credit card debt. While I use my credit card to keep track of the spending and earn Dover Saddlery points, the whole $1,649.12 has been paid for. March will be tough as that's the month for vaccinations, dental work, and fecal counts. Plus, I've already spent over $400 on feed, bedding, and Smartpak "stuff." Again ... darn that Smartpak!

lytha

3/1/2012 12:26:20 am

did you fill up your truck for 60$? since it's two days in a row maybe 120 to fill it up?

*cry* our gas converts to 8.41$/gallon. filling my prius cost me 64 euros today. (85$) even germans are complaining about gas prices at the moment. (i looked at a gas price map of america and california was the worst.)

i was surprised to see what you spent for farrier work. i assume that's two horses, shod all around? my that has gone up since i lived in the states!

i think your monthly board is reasonable, and your lessons too. those are really good deals!

i really like your horsey budgeting posts and i wish i could do something similar when i talk to my husband about the cost of our horse, it comes out to about 200E a month overall, but we should include the cost of our land (we rent some land and own some land). and the fact that we live out in the sticks because of the horse and both commute from there might add to that 200E. it's amazing to me that we spend 200 a month and we get hay for free, and i do my own hoofcare. so that's just vet bills, other feed, and bedding. geez!

anyway i'll be sure to show this to my man: )

p.s. i miss albertsons.

Karen

3/1/2012 10:11:16 am

Lytha - I guess I need to be a bit more clear and realize that you're all not mind readers.

I got gas two days in a row because I trailered out of town for a show. My tank was half full, which was why it was so "cheap" to "fill it up." It's a 28 gallon tank and gas is currently at around $4.20 a gallon. I think I put 10 or 12 gallons in it each day that I filled up.

We were in Scotland over the summer and rented a car. Fortunately it's a small country and the car got excellent fuel mileage, but I remember it being in the $8.00 range then as well. I can't imagine filling my gas guzzling truck over there!

My farrier does both boys, four shoes each. His prices are slightly high for my area, but he's very good. If you bring in a shoer from LA, which some people do, the price will be similar, or even slightly higher. A knock 'em on cowboy shoer with little schooling will be much cheaper, especially in California's central valley. Over on the coast, prices will be higher - people are more in the "know" over there.

My lessons are fairly cheap. Lessons from a "dressage" trainer are more like 75 - 100 bucks a lesson. i have three of those planned over the next month. It will certainly add to spending, but a few times a year is okay. I couldn't afford $100 a week. My board is high for here, but I get a lot for the price. RM offers me money off my board if she needs to go out of town and can't clean. My rate is $200 per horse, but it's been slightly cheaper because I've cleaned stalls a few times each month.

I am very curious to see what my total is for the end of the year. As the show season gets into full swing, my spending will go up. I also have a big vet bill coming in March.

I would love to see a detailed list of your equine spending. you should try to do at least one month so we can all see what prices are like in Germany compared to those in the US. I guarantee that your American readers would love to know!

3/1/2012 05:53:55 pm

i should do an expenditure blog post, you're right.

but prices without context have little meaning - do americans know about the economy in germany?

for that matter i don't know much about the economy in america at the moment. last time i was home (2010), i noticed all the prices at restaurants were way up.

i'll just add that we may get a ton of vacation days, but the salary is HORRIBLE and no one seems to complain because that's the way it is. personally i'd rather have my american salary and "only" 2 weeks vacation per year.

3/1/2012 09:47:56 pm

Lytha - maybe you could do a two part post. The first could be cultural, which I absolutely love, explaining the German economy in a simple way. In your second post you could then explain what it costs to keep a horse there. I think you'd find that your readers would enjoy it!

martina peterson

3/1/2012 01:15:49 am

bill paying is scarry!!

3/1/2012 09:48:21 pm

It sure can be, Mom!

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage