no pictures ... early appointment with my Farrier! It will be quick, painless, and much cheaper as I do not have shoes on my horses during winter. Better for ME!!!! $$$$$
Gives me a chance to concentrate on other things financially! ha ha ha... What is the difference... well $40.00 a horse as apposed to over $100.00 each! BIG DIFFERENCE. I never make it out under $200.00 with old shoes, more if we have to make a new pair, or FULL set of four, and I pay only $80.00 for both with only trims... What does that add up to... Savings for hay, feed, or medical bills... what ever comes first! ha ha ha...
Better for my horses as the snow doesn't collect on their feet without shoes, they are easily keep their feet warm? (this is still debatable on a professional level! after all the hoof is like a fingernail! only felt if you cut it too deep!) But in my mind no shoes helps me keep ice and snow from packing around the frog, this is my reason for no shoes in winter. What's a frog? it is like the callused part of your heal... On a horse it absorbs pressures as does your heal with fat and harder skin than your arch. A horse gets so much of a callus a frog is trimmed. No different than a person getting a pedicure for summer sandals etc...
Besides you can't ride a horse in snow with shoes... an my kids love a good snow ride in fresh snow!
Just got back... as I was worried.. Navarre has serous thrush in ONE foot, while I worried it was two only one is clinically at risk. his off hind or rear right foot. What's the big deal? Well how big of a deal would it be for you to have an infection on your heal? An infection that POTENTIALLY could eat to the bone. Not any different for a horse. Thrush can be in the hoof, Navarre's is above his frog, to the point the Farrier cut off most of his frog to expose the issue, also makes it easier for me to clean, treat and keep an eye on it.
A must read no matter how big or small you are
Showing posts with label cost of a horse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cost of a horse. Show all posts
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Cont. Lets ASSUME money with a horse is no factor.
Assuming money is no factor is crazy... money no matter how much you have can become a factor with a horse!
Ok. So the previous post didn't scare you away from getting a horse for your child.
Lets look at the choice a little deeper!
I have had a pony , horse, or access to one MOST of my life! They are a part of who I am. I am not a nice person, or not complete, when I do not have this relationship in my life. BUT ... it is VERY time consuming, costly and ... not a relationship I suggest for everyone.
Basics again. Remember I am NOT a vet! I am NOT specifically educated to the horses through acredited classes. My suggestions are through vets and life experience and NEVER to be taken as written in stone. BUT to be a thought process for persons considering horses. I can only encourage everyone to continue their education and learning everyday from several sources not any one source EVER!
I get up at dawn... what ever time that is ... depending on the time of year.
I go to the barn, let my horses out of their dry lot.
Why do I have a dry lot?
There are so many reasons to have a "dry lot" but I have one for only a few basic reasons.
1. I have ONE horse that is an "easy keeper" in horse terms this means he takes LESS food to keep his "FIT" physical standard. so if I let him out on grass every day ALL day he would be too fat! This is a good situation to have.
2. I have one horse that has a genetic defect that he is not able to process sugars very well, and thus is also NOT suppose to stand still for LONG periods of time. This is becoming a more prevalent issue in American horses... although still only in certain breeds. SO I NEVER put this horse in a stall. The dry lot allows me a place to control his food intake and allow him space to move around.
3. Having a dry lot SAVES your pastures. in more ways than one.
While I have one horse that is an easy keeper, I have another that is a HARD keeper! Meaning she needs more feed, hay, and protein than the other horse to keep her physique... Having a dry lot allows me to put her out and keep the other in... but ONLY on DRY ground days...
On WET ground days I keep both horses in the dry lot as one hoof running through the pasture digs up a good 6 inches of good grass, times four hooves and you have rutts and bald spots in no time.
4. The dry lot also allows me a place to keep my horses when I am sowing seed, when I need to allow the grass to grow and when I am treating a pasture for weeds.
5. A dry lot ALSO helps keep my horses feet healthy!
How does this work. I am in what I call the mid south! ??? well in the south everything dries out between rains in what I call the mid south... on a "normal" climate year we get rain all the time... and the ground stays moist for our crops. This moisture is not so good for the horses feet. a dry lot is just that... a lot filled with gravel, rock or sand so the hooves of a horse are dry. keeping my farrier bills down as well.
One of my horses has very wet feet. He can get thrush so easy it is a pain. This dry lot keeps the moisture down and allows me space, time and effort to treat and prevent thrush.
Thrush! It is a painful, smelly ailment to the hoof! In simple (monkey) terms... it is like you having a soar on the bottom of your foot that gets infected with some flesh eating organism... and you can't use crutches! You have to walk on in order to function. Thrush can do the same to a horse IF NOT treated. it can eat to the bone! not painless for your poor animal either! It can be a simple as a cut on your foot that doesn't bother you but it can be as serious as above! Why take the chance... if you horse reacts to you cleaning his hoof... it is painful and needs to go! FAST!
Ok. So the previous post didn't scare you away from getting a horse for your child.
Lets look at the choice a little deeper!
I have had a pony , horse, or access to one MOST of my life! They are a part of who I am. I am not a nice person, or not complete, when I do not have this relationship in my life. BUT ... it is VERY time consuming, costly and ... not a relationship I suggest for everyone.
Basics again. Remember I am NOT a vet! I am NOT specifically educated to the horses through acredited classes. My suggestions are through vets and life experience and NEVER to be taken as written in stone. BUT to be a thought process for persons considering horses. I can only encourage everyone to continue their education and learning everyday from several sources not any one source EVER!
I get up at dawn... what ever time that is ... depending on the time of year.
I go to the barn, let my horses out of their dry lot.
Why do I have a dry lot?
There are so many reasons to have a "dry lot" but I have one for only a few basic reasons.
1. I have ONE horse that is an "easy keeper" in horse terms this means he takes LESS food to keep his "FIT" physical standard. so if I let him out on grass every day ALL day he would be too fat! This is a good situation to have.
2. I have one horse that has a genetic defect that he is not able to process sugars very well, and thus is also NOT suppose to stand still for LONG periods of time. This is becoming a more prevalent issue in American horses... although still only in certain breeds. SO I NEVER put this horse in a stall. The dry lot allows me a place to control his food intake and allow him space to move around.
3. Having a dry lot SAVES your pastures. in more ways than one.
While I have one horse that is an easy keeper, I have another that is a HARD keeper! Meaning she needs more feed, hay, and protein than the other horse to keep her physique... Having a dry lot allows me to put her out and keep the other in... but ONLY on DRY ground days...
On WET ground days I keep both horses in the dry lot as one hoof running through the pasture digs up a good 6 inches of good grass, times four hooves and you have rutts and bald spots in no time.
4. The dry lot also allows me a place to keep my horses when I am sowing seed, when I need to allow the grass to grow and when I am treating a pasture for weeds.
5. A dry lot ALSO helps keep my horses feet healthy!
How does this work. I am in what I call the mid south! ??? well in the south everything dries out between rains in what I call the mid south... on a "normal" climate year we get rain all the time... and the ground stays moist for our crops. This moisture is not so good for the horses feet. a dry lot is just that... a lot filled with gravel, rock or sand so the hooves of a horse are dry. keeping my farrier bills down as well.
One of my horses has very wet feet. He can get thrush so easy it is a pain. This dry lot keeps the moisture down and allows me space, time and effort to treat and prevent thrush.
Thrush! It is a painful, smelly ailment to the hoof! In simple (monkey) terms... it is like you having a soar on the bottom of your foot that gets infected with some flesh eating organism... and you can't use crutches! You have to walk on in order to function. Thrush can do the same to a horse IF NOT treated. it can eat to the bone! not painless for your poor animal either! It can be a simple as a cut on your foot that doesn't bother you but it can be as serious as above! Why take the chance... if you horse reacts to you cleaning his hoof... it is painful and needs to go! FAST!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I want to get a horse for my child!
I hear this ALL the time!
Let me just say... I do not recommend horses or birds for KIDS to own!
Why?
Horses... I think one should rent, lease, or do lessons LONG before even considering a horse for a child. A child needs to learn to be safe around a horse.
needs to learn what it takes to care for a horse.
needs to understand how much of a time commitment it will require for the rest of the horses life... 30 years or more at times.
and parents need to KNOW what financial commitment they are getting into. Basics are not cheap and emergencies are a college semester tuition, to start with. And like the cost of living... prices will only rise!
Hay... I have two horses... and I go through a bail of hay a day.
Hay WAS $3.00 a bail it is NOW... $7.50 or MORE for decent hay. so at the least it did cost me... 1095.00 it now cost me... 2737.5 just for BASIC hay NOT the good stuff. not only to you need hay but feed is important.
my feed cost me min. of $15.00 a 50lb bag, which barely last me a week and a half. so 20 bags a year min... at 15 each is... only another 300.00 a year. so a mere 3037.5 just for basic feed.
basic vet check up and six month shots cost me about 400.00 every 6 months providing nothing is wrong with the horses... so yearlys cost me a basic $800.00
Farrier bills are every 6 weeks. that is about 10 times a year ... sets of shoes cost me 150.00 so 300.00 every 6 weeks... up to .. 3000.00 a year. I do take off shoes a... during winter to save money and ride in snow, but one horse requires at least front shoes all year brining her down to 110.00 every 6 weeks only saving $40 dollars while the other I can cut down to 90.00 a season saving a little more. BUT This is a SHORT lived season. so plan on the 3000.00 or you will get in trouble ...and again this is WITHOUT issues... the more issues the more the trim, or shoes cost.
pastures... add in time for cutting.
Seeding a pasture is NOT cheap. 100.00 a bag is the going rate around here... and check how much pasture and seed you need.
not to forget weeding... chemical or digging cost money. WEEDS can kill a horse, cause you higher bills!
and what about a stall?
Cost of building!
Cost of bedding. I do good with this area... I use two scoops of pellets... at $7.50 a bag / a bag a month. and a bag of shavings a week! at $6.00 a bag for the good stuff. The better the shaving the longer they last.
so.. 7.5 x 12 is $90.00 and 6x58 is 348.00 so ... add another... 438.00 to basics because if a horse gets sick... they are going to need more bedding ...
so lets add up basics for a year. no emergencies, no issues...
2737.50 for hay
300.00 for feed
800.00 for basic check up and shots required
3000.00 for feet / farrier
100.00 ONE bag of seed for pasture... I use A LOT MORE THAN this.
50.0 for chemical/ broad leaf to keep weeds out of pasture. this is all I use... I do NOT over do chemicals.
438.00 for BASIC stall requirements. 7425.50 for BASIC CARE! this does NOT include cost of fencing, stalls, barn for dry hay,feed etc... this is much more money than expressed above.
just keep in mind... I've spent MORE than purchasing an average horse on emergency vet bills in one year... up to 10,000.00 in ONE season...
if you can't afford to have these funds up front, ALWAYS on hand... you do NOT need a horse!
this may explain why I not only have one job but I now have a second job... sitting for other animals to earn more money for my animals.
Let me just say... I do not recommend horses or birds for KIDS to own!
Why?
Horses... I think one should rent, lease, or do lessons LONG before even considering a horse for a child. A child needs to learn to be safe around a horse.
needs to learn what it takes to care for a horse.
needs to understand how much of a time commitment it will require for the rest of the horses life... 30 years or more at times.
and parents need to KNOW what financial commitment they are getting into. Basics are not cheap and emergencies are a college semester tuition, to start with. And like the cost of living... prices will only rise!
Hay... I have two horses... and I go through a bail of hay a day.
Hay WAS $3.00 a bail it is NOW... $7.50 or MORE for decent hay. so at the least it did cost me... 1095.00 it now cost me... 2737.5 just for BASIC hay NOT the good stuff. not only to you need hay but feed is important.
my feed cost me min. of $15.00 a 50lb bag, which barely last me a week and a half. so 20 bags a year min... at 15 each is... only another 300.00 a year. so a mere 3037.5 just for basic feed.
basic vet check up and six month shots cost me about 400.00 every 6 months providing nothing is wrong with the horses... so yearlys cost me a basic $800.00
Farrier bills are every 6 weeks. that is about 10 times a year ... sets of shoes cost me 150.00 so 300.00 every 6 weeks... up to .. 3000.00 a year. I do take off shoes a... during winter to save money and ride in snow, but one horse requires at least front shoes all year brining her down to 110.00 every 6 weeks only saving $40 dollars while the other I can cut down to 90.00 a season saving a little more. BUT This is a SHORT lived season. so plan on the 3000.00 or you will get in trouble ...and again this is WITHOUT issues... the more issues the more the trim, or shoes cost.
pastures... add in time for cutting.
Seeding a pasture is NOT cheap. 100.00 a bag is the going rate around here... and check how much pasture and seed you need.
not to forget weeding... chemical or digging cost money. WEEDS can kill a horse, cause you higher bills!
and what about a stall?
Cost of building!
Cost of bedding. I do good with this area... I use two scoops of pellets... at $7.50 a bag / a bag a month. and a bag of shavings a week! at $6.00 a bag for the good stuff. The better the shaving the longer they last.
so.. 7.5 x 12 is $90.00 and 6x58 is 348.00 so ... add another... 438.00 to basics because if a horse gets sick... they are going to need more bedding ...
so lets add up basics for a year. no emergencies, no issues...
2737.50 for hay
300.00 for feed
800.00 for basic check up and shots required
3000.00 for feet / farrier
100.00 ONE bag of seed for pasture... I use A LOT MORE THAN this.
50.0 for chemical/ broad leaf to keep weeds out of pasture. this is all I use... I do NOT over do chemicals.
438.00 for BASIC stall requirements. 7425.50 for BASIC CARE! this does NOT include cost of fencing, stalls, barn for dry hay,feed etc... this is much more money than expressed above.
just keep in mind... I've spent MORE than purchasing an average horse on emergency vet bills in one year... up to 10,000.00 in ONE season...
if you can't afford to have these funds up front, ALWAYS on hand... you do NOT need a horse!
this may explain why I not only have one job but I now have a second job... sitting for other animals to earn more money for my animals.
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