Have you been saving up to buy a horse, but there’s still a long way before you can afford a mature one? Worry not, find out how much a baby horse costs – because it definitely is cheaper! However, you need to be ready for the emotional commitment that comes along with it.
When you buy a baby horse, the cost includes not only its purchase price but also the expenses you’ll have to incur, perhaps monthly, in the animal’s upbringing. In this article, we are going to explore the main factors that impact the cost of owning a baby horse. Are you ready?
Factors Impacting the Cost of Baby Horse
Horse lovers! Purchasing a baby horse is a brilliant option if you are emotionally and financially prepared to make the commitment. However, it is important to examine the costs that follow the decision of bringing the adorable fellow home.
Irrespective of the purchase price, baby horses are considerably more expensive than adult horses since they need a lot of care and training before they will be able to perform like a horse in the next 2 to 3 years. Moreover, there are several other costs associated with raising the animal into a well-bred mature steed.
Let’s take a look at the factors determining how much a baby horse costs, one at a time:
Housing
You’ll require a separate stall for your newborn horse whether you’re moving a baby horse to your farm. The stall can cost anywhere between $600 and $1000 to construct. The fully furnished luxury stalls, on the other hand, may range between $1500 and $2000.
Health Care
Baby horses, like our children, require vaccinations and attention. They must be immunized against tetanus, influenza, West Nile virus, and sleeping sickness at various points of their lives. The entire cost of vaccination can be between $600 and $800.
Aside from vaccination, baby horses may need a number of other vet visits. It’s difficult to say how much you’d have to save for monthly vet appointments. Annual vet costs might range from $485 to $600 on average.
Feeding
Young horses can only be fed by their mothers for the first three weeks of their lives, therefore the baby horses for sale are usually one or two months old. Even at this time, these young fellows can only consume grass and milk. A monthly supply of grass and milk will cost approximately $40 to $50, but if the grass is plentiful, the feeding expense of baby horses is minimal.
Water or horse waterer costs are comparable to food costs, contributing $10 to $20 to the overall monthly care expense.
Tack & Grooming
On average, the grooming cost of a horse ranges from $200 to $325 each month, or $3,876, yearly.
Baby horse care doesn’t really end with the construction of a stall for your foal or providing it with appropriate feed. It must also include the purchase of basic equipment and grooming accessories. A comb, grooming kit, face sponge, hard and soft brushes, fly spray, feeding, and water spouts are also needed. These necessities can be purchased for $200 to $300 from online stores.
How often does my horse need to be groomed? Even if mostly kept indoors, the horse should still be cared for at least once a day.
Hoof Care
Some horse lovers feel that hoof trimming is unnecessary till the horse hits the age of one year, however, this is not the truth. Hooves and human nails have similar compositions and they grow in a similar manner. Will it be fine if we cut our nails after a year? No? Horses are in the same situation. Hoof care is an important part of taking care of a colt.
The hoof is conical at birth, tapering from the broader coronet to a small, pointed toe at ground level. Until roughly one month of age, the toe bears the brunt of the weight. The hoof grows downward and the ground surface rises as the foal grows and the hoof develops.
It is critical to get their feet trimmed by a farrier every 4-6 weeks to keep them healthy and avoid complications. The baby horses have to be trimmed frequently; the farrier charge ranges between $40 to $50 for a typical trim. You may have to pay up to $80 for special trimming and shoeing.
Caretaker Salary
If you cannot put in the time and effort to raise a baby horse, hire a full-time or part-time caregiver, for at least five to six months. Caretakers with greater experience will charge you more, while those with less training will charge you less. The typical daily wage for a full-time caretaker is $40 to $50. A part-time caregiver charges half the amount.
The actual amount of salary to be paid depends upon various factors, like, education, experience, skill sets, etc.
Training
As the newborn horses are just coming out of the uterus of their mother, training is required to provide them the kick they require to begin working like a horse. According to Scientific Databases, well-known training facilities in the United States charge $70 to $100 per day, but ordinary institutes may charge $30 to $50 per day to prepare the baby horse for the future.
It is essential to give frequent training to a foal so as to assist them in functioning like a horse. As an experienced horse owner, you can train your little buddy yourself.
Estimated Monthly Costs of Buying a Baby Horse
Moreover, though extremely adorable, baby horses are risky too. You only get to figure out how athletic the steed is after a couple of years. What if it doesn’t serve the purpose you initially bought it for? Regardless, it is worth a shot!
To help you plan your finances better, here’s a chart showing how much a baby horse costs on average:
| Average Monthly Cost | Average Annual Cost | |
| Boarding | $200 | $600 – $2000 |
| Food | $50 – $70 | $600 – $800 |
| Heath Care | $150 | $500 – $800 |
| Hoof Maintenance | $50 – $80 | $500 – $700 |
| Tack & Grooming | $200 – $325 | $3800 |
| Care-Taker Salary | $800 – $1200 | $4500 (6 months) |
| Training | $500 – $1500 | NA |
Foals can cost you somewhere around $15,000, or more depending on their breed. Nonetheless, in the end, you’ll have an equine buddy whose flaws and successes you can own with pride. You’ll rejoice to reminisce the time and efforts, in addition to all the money, you invested in handling the foal with the utmost care, feeding and training it, to perform well for you upon maturing.
If you need a detailed breakdown of how much a horse costs per per month and per year, then check out this in-depth guide.
FAQs Regarding How Much a Baby Horse Costs
Buying a baby horse can be trickier than buying an adult horse, which is why you need to steer clear of any confusion regarding equine ownership. The following FAQs may help in this regard:
Yes, you can buy a baby horse. In fact, it is something that various horse owners tend to consider at least once. Besides, a trained adult horse can be way beyond your affordability, especially if has performed in equestrian disciplines.
On the contrary, you can raise and train a foal to mature as a high-quality steed at a comparatively lower cost. Apart from horse-owning costs, many pet lovers tend to invest in a colt to experience the joy of forming a close bond with their future riding companion.
Ideally, a horse should be between 10 to 20 years old if you are considering purchasing it as a first-time horse owner. This will save you the hassle of bringing up a foal, without any prior experience of handling equines. Besides, horses can lead a healthy life for 30 plus years, so it is wise to include them in your search.
The higher your budget to buy a horse, the more choices you will have in terms of the breed. Luckily, there are certain horse breeds that are priced slightly cheaper than others. These include Mustang, Thoroughbred, Quarter horse, Standardbred, and Paint horse – all hailing from noteworthy equine families.
No matter how adorable the thought of owning a foal may seem to you, the fact that it isn’t easy to raise the baby as compared to an adult horse, cannot be overlooked. Baby horses require a lot of your attention and delicate care which might become frustrating if you have no prior experience in handling equines.
Besides, you will also need to foal-proof your barn and pastures. If you are ready to commit yourself to this challenge, then proceed to see how much a baby horse costs.
Foals are priced around $15,000 to $20,000 on average. However, the total cost of owning one, especially when you have no idea of handling it, can be huge. In fact, the purchase price is the least expensive part of the deal. With basic necessities like boarding, food, health care, and grooming costs, you may need to spend a minimum of $3000 yearly on your foal. This can blow up if there is a major veterinary bill or additional caretaker and trainer costs.
Conclusion
Horses are expensive, but how much does a foal cost to buy? Well, baby horses are costlier than adult ones, not in terms of their purchase price but the costs incurred in ensuring that they are well-kept. As a matter of fact, raising a baby horse may sound cute, but is a hell of a task if you are merely a beginner at horse ownership. You must not only keenly take care of your new pet’s shelter, food, vet care, and grooming; but also bear all the expenses that come with it. Hence, the answer to how much does a baby horse cost lies in all the expenses associated with its up-keeping in the long run. Honestly, that’s not too affordable for many.
Nevertheless, if you are seriously thinking of committing yourself to raise a baby horse despite the struggles that are likely to follow, go for it! Chalk out your horse-owning monthly budget, so as to prevent yourself from getting caught up in a financial overwhelm.
