The basics canbe quite cheap, here u can have your horse on common land for something like £60 total a year, which makes grazing cheap! Hardly any of them feed hard feed or hay as they just dont need to because the grass is there constant and the heard of horses adapt to survive. Its something i have thought of doing but walking across that common on a cold day to retrieve my horse! Just not brave enough lol.
I found it most expensive on livery yards where i never had any grass and was feeding hard feed twice a day and hay all year round and added supplements because there was no forage but since moving i have saved a so much! He has a huge grassy field, with lots of different things to nibble at when the earmer months come (anything poisonous I obviously remove) lots of hawthorn trees round the edge which is where he spends most of his time when the berries come. I dont feed all year round now because if i did he would be so fat he would explode! He is ALOT happier! Farrier £20 as he isnt shod and dentist £40 every 6 months. So basic costs are cheaper than they was for us.
The added extra vet bills aren't cheap thankfully we are paid up! Cant stand when people say they cant afford vet bills but manage to buy new clothing and tack and brag about it! Id rather starve than see him without a vet!
His costly extras that i get are e.t specialist every 3 months £40 and a chrio every 6 months £55, the endless amount of fly masks we go through! Have to protect them pink skin eyes! And his beauty products as i call them lol which i dont need as many people dont do this the horses manage fine but i like to make sure he is as comfortable and as well looked after as possible and i am a bit of a worrier too so i bubble wrap him fo rmy own peace of mind really.
My brothers hobby is his car and he spent £120 on some wiper blades! Thats more than a months rent for me horse!!!!
