Horses Are Expensive II: January 2016

2/2/2016

Okay. Here it is - Season 2 of Horses are Expensive. You've already seen Epsiode 1; don't worry if you missed it. That post was simply a preview of the new season.

This January was by far the cheapest month of horse ownership that I've ever had, especially if you exclude the cost to repair my truck (I didn't). I didn't have any vet bills, and I didn't go to any shows. Because of the weather and Speedy's recent lameness, I only took one lesson with Chemaine. I had budgeted $400 in lessons, so that money went into my savings account.

Expenses for January 2016

My farrier bill is half of what it used to be since Speedy is now barefoot and Izzy only wears shoes on the fronts. Since my overall costs were so low this month, I upgraded Izzy's USDF horse identification number to a Lifetime Horse Registration Number and got him registered with my second GMO.

I did purchase some new riding boots, but the money for those came out of Christmas cash. I also bought Izzy new DSB boots and a Weatherbeeta pad, but those were paid for with a gift card from my mom. The breeches and socks I bought over the weekend were also purchased using a gift card, so they don't show up either.

Outside of my truck's repair work, basic board and feed was where I spent the bulk of my money. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

Next Month: Horse Expo!

Tracy link

2/2/2016 06:30:23 am

What is this "barefoot" you speak of? You pay less to trim/shoe two horses than I spend on one. THANKS PRINCESS TWINKLE TOES lol

Bakersfield Dressage link

2/2/2016 06:49:07 am

Bakersfield is one of the lesser expensive places to live in California. If I lived on the coast, ALL of my expenses would be nearly triple, including farrier work. A full set of shoes in this area is around $125. I LOVE that Speedy can go barefoot. It is saving me a ton of money. :0)

jenj

2/2/2016 06:43:51 am

I can't even believe you board 2 horses for $430, INCLUDING HAY. It costs me roughly $200/mo just for hay for one horse - and we grow it the next county over!!!

2/2/2016 06:51:37 am

And I am paying more than some/most! Your hay bill seems really high. Our horses use about 5/6 bales each per month, and it runs about $18 a bale. It could be cheaper since my BO buys it by the truckload. You're paying TWICE what we pay for hay. Yikes!!!

SprinklerBandits

2/2/2016 07:25:42 am

I'm also surprised by your board cost--just assumed CA would be a lot more than that. Though I guess yoiur climate is such that you can make do with a lot less facilities. No need to maintain an indoor when you only get 2.5" of rain a year.

We get 10". So tropical. ;-)

2/2/2016 12:51:45 pm

Our costs are more directly related to our standard of living than they are the weather. Bakersfield is a medium sized city of just under 350,000 with median income of only $54,000. The city's roots lie in agriculture and energy (oil).

In short, it's a cheap place to live and work, but the downside is the lack of education (less than 15% are college educated).

My husband and I aren't even on the demographic charts: we're educated, debt free (not counting a mortgage), have an income that far surpasses the median, and have zero kids. My husband grew up here, but we get frustrated with living in a city with residents that have so little education or career goals.

On the flip side, our money goes a loooong way which enables us to vacation internationally, have a second home, and keep two horses.

Long explanation ... :0)

SarahO link

2/2/2016 01:10:16 pm

I pay almost that much board for just one horse! (And I also live in a small city with roots in agriculture (ranching) and energy (natural gas)). Interesting the variation between different parts of the continent. Thanks for posting.

P.S. I read your posts about the dressage simulator you wrote back in 2012, I just did a simulator clinic in Alberta and it sounds like we might have ridden the EXACT same simulator because the lady I rode with bought Luke from Barbro Ask-Upmark when Barbro upgraded her own simulator. Small world!

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage