> Could someone, a barn owner preferably, give me a rough
 > estimate of what the actual costs are (monthly) for keeping
 > a horse?  Just things like bedding, hay, grain.  I know
 > what the vet and farrier costs are. :-)
    If you have to ask you can't afford it  
.....
    Well, here's a rough estimate -- first there's the blacksmith (mine comes 
every 6 weeks -- charges $20 for a trim and $70 for shoes) .....
    Then there's the feed and hay ..... Mine runs about $50-60 PER horse per 
month .... I also buy wheat bran and warm bran them once a week.  The 50lb 
bag of bran costs around $8 ..... I feed crimped oats at $7.95 a bag and a 
little sweet feed (the cheap kind just for a little "flavor" ).  I also 
buy Maximun crumbles for extra vitamins and minerals.  I think a 25lb bag is 
about $27.
I buy Psyllium for Mr X instead of the bran -- a little tub costs over $10 
..... I opted for the larger pail and it was almost $30.
    Then the wormer -- I use Zimectrin (once a month in the summer and every 
other month in the winter) at $10-13 a tube.
    My newest horse is on STRONGAID 2CX at $37 for 10 pounds and she gets 2 
oz per day.  The pail of STRONGAID 2XC should last about 2 1/2 months.
    The vet comes out once a year for teeth floats and coggins test ...... 
this is about $66-90 PER horse (depends on if any of them need sedating - Mr 
X has been a bugger about it and has had to be sedated to float his teeth so 
it costs more for them to do it to him.
    I give all the rest of their shots and boosters (flu, rabies, strangles, 
encephilitis, tetnus etc) ...... those shots probably cost between $6-10 per 
horse ....... I give the encephilitis/flu shots every 3 months -- the rabies 
and strangles are once a year.
    Bedding ..... we get sawdust from a local sawmill for $7 a yard ...... we 
usualy get 4 yards and that does 5 stalls nicely for about 3 weeks -- then it 
has to be done all over again.
    It's very expensive to keep a horse properly ..... I know that there are 
a lot of people who do it cheaper (and their horses LOOK like it too ).
    I think I've covered it all ..... probably lots of other expenses I 
haven't figured -- like the corn oil I put on their feed ..... the fly spray 
..... then there's electric costs for the barn (I run my radio all the time, 
lights when I need them and the fans are on ALL the time).  Water bill ..... 
Other essentials add another $10 per month PER horse -- could be a little 
more -- could be a little less ..... that was just an estimate.
    NOW, this is all the costs IF your horse doesn't get sick -- last time Mr 
X got sick with the flu I had almost a $300 vet bill.
    Wanna' talk about tack now 
    BUT, all in all, I wouldn't trade my "herd" for all the tea in China 
..... it just wouldn't be home without my horses (my BABIES!!!)
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