# Cost of a horse



## erinelmay (17 May 2020)

How much on average does your horse cost you every month? Just doing some research


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## spacefaer (17 May 2020)

The answer to your question varies hugely on whether you're keeping a horse at home, at livery  - what type of livery,  what part of the country?  What facilities you have /need.  The type of horse,  how much it eats, how accident prone it is...... 

It's a very open ended question!


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## Amymay (17 May 2020)

Think about the cost of a mortgage - say £3-500 a month and you won’t be far wrong (for diy).


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## Red-1 (18 May 2020)

How long is a piece of string?

I kept a diary for a year. I had one competing horse and a companion pony, both kept at home.

A lorry (loan, insurance, maintenance worked out at £100 a month for a few things too - just maintenance, diesel at another £120 a month as we were out a couple of times a week - 1 lesson and one competition or hack from a different location, or more facilities), lessons, affiliation to 3 different societies (BE/BS/BD) competition entries, insurance (over £100 a month just for that), shoeing (£80 a month just for that, plus trimming for pony, so another £100 a month), and we haven't started on tack, feed, bedding, hay, maintenance of stuff around the house such as fixing the roof, keeping the arena up to scratch...

If the lorry was around £300 a month on a good year, plus horse insurance £100, plus farrier £100, lessons/hire/entries £200, well that is £700 a month before feed/hay/bedding/livery even comes into it. Then add in vaccinations, vets up to excess, fly spray, fly rugs etc etc etc.

Then when Jay Man (my beautiful heart horse) retired, he had cheap 3rd party insurance (I would not have done major vet interventions), no need for a lorry, no lessons, I trimmed feet myself... it was a heck of a lot cheaper! He still had 10 bales of bedding at £6 a bale, 20 bales of hay at £5, vaccinations. So, he was around £200 all in. I did also still ride him out gently, just around the village.

Same horse too, from £1000 a month to £200 a month just because we changed plan.

So, it really is how long is a piece of string, and what you want to do with the horse as well as where it is kept.


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## thommackintosh (18 May 2020)

This thread should be useful: https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/how-much-does-it-cost-to-keep-your-horse.784620/


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## Frumpoon (18 May 2020)

Everything...they cost everything....your money, your life, your sanity, your happiness 

I probably wouldn't change anything but maybe don't ask me that question right now


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## AFB (19 May 2020)

Frumpoon said:



			Everything...they cost everything....your money, your life, your sanity, your happiness
		
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This!!

In reality I spend about £300 a month (I did the maths before getting our mortgage) plus the cost for my box and entry fees/facility hire/lessons.

I'm DIY on a yard very close to home with a low maintenance horse and I self insure. You could easily triple that cost if you upped to full livery, had something that needed feeding, stuck a full set of shoes on and insured.


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## AUB (19 May 2020)

I budget around £840 each month. 

Buying a horse is cheap compared to owning a horse!


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## FestiveFuzz (20 May 2020)

I spend the best part of about £1200 a month, that includes full livery for my older boy and youngstock livery for the baby. That doesn’t include supplements, shoes, lessons, comp fees, my matchy addiction or any of the other bajillion things that seem to crop up and deplete my bank account each month...if I added up those I’m pretty sure I’d end up divorced 😂


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## AFB (20 May 2020)

AUB said:



			I budget around £840 each month.

Buying a horse is cheap compared to owning a horse!
		
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FestiveFuzz said:



			I spend the best part of about £1200 a month, that includes full livery for my older boy and youngstock livery for the baby. That doesn’t include supplements, shoes, lessons, comp fees, my matchy addiction or any of the other bajillion things that seem to crop up and deplete my bank account each month...if I added up those I’m pretty sure I’d end up divorced 😂
		
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Christ! I knew I kept mine cheaply but


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## pixie (20 May 2020)

Mine costs about £100 per month, because he stays on the yard that I run on our farm.  We make our own hay and straw, so I don't pay for those either. He is a good doer, so is out 24/7 all year round unless the weather is horrendous.
I pretty much just pay for insurance, vaccinations, wormers and hoof trim every 10-12 weeks.


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## V&F (20 May 2020)

I have kept a spreadsheet of all my horse costs since 2018.

Jan-Dec 2019 they cost me £8,726 that includes everything from livery (diy for 2 x ponies), feed, insurance for one of them, bedding, hay, supplements, worming, physio, saddle fitter, vets bills - lots of them!, and any non essential extras like saddle pads 😊

I’d say an average month is £400-500 for the pair. Although we had a lot of vet bills last year which came to £2500ish.


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## FestiveFuzz (20 May 2020)

AFB said:



			Christ! I knew I kept mine cheaply but 

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Tell me about it! Sadly it’s the only way I can keep my horses for now as I work crazy hours on the other side of the country. That said, we’re hopefully relocating in the not too distant future so it’s not forever. I’m just lucky the crazy hours enable me the luxury of having them on full livery. Knowing they’re getting the best care at least assuages some of the guilt of not being as hands on as I would like 😔


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## FrostKitten (30 June 2020)

I've just purchased a mare who on DIY Livery is due to cost me £350 per month before buying anything extra she may need, and I've spent £500 on tack and other gear as I didn't have a horse beforehand.


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## shortstuff99 (30 June 2020)

They cost everything, all of it and then your soul 🤣. 

(I pay about 200-300 a month per horse, DIY, good doers and barefoot).


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## mini_b (1 July 2020)

I posted a while back we don’t add it up. 

I don’t want to think about it 😂 and don’t think OH really wants to know either.


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## FrostKitten (1 July 2020)

mini barnes said:



			I posted a while back we don’t add it up.

I don’t want to think about it 😂 and don’t think OH really wants to know either.
		
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I wish I was in that position but I had to figure out if it was affordable and how it would affect my savings. Needless to say OH wasn't best pleased when I told him she'd cost more than my half of our rent and our car payment... But he went to visit the livery yard with me and now he's sold on the idea *shrugs*


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## Bellaboo18 (1 July 2020)

Amymay said:



			Think about the cost of a mortgage - say £3-500 a month and you won’t be far wrong (for diy).
		
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I've seen you write this a few times and always think it's an odd thing to say. A mortgage can cost pretty much anything?


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## Misty 2020 (1 July 2020)

I pay €415 a month for full livery (it doesn’t include people riding my horse)  Shoes are every 6-8 weeks I aim to get to 8 weeks its €55 . Dentist is twice a year because my horse has bad teeth which is €68 per visit . Flu vaccine is once per year which is €50 .  Worming can very in cost which Is done every 3 months. 

It really depends on the area you live in . i have to say that every month is different i could have to pay for  shoes one month or I could just have my livery bill only  the next month. I live in Ireland 🇮🇪


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## Baccara (1 July 2020)

According to my OH, we would be a lot better of if I had a serious drug habit and had to go into private rehab twice a year


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## sharni (1 July 2020)

Frumpoon said:



			Everything...they cost everything....your money, your life, your sanity, your happiness

I probably wouldn't change anything but maybe don't ask me that question right now
		
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yes all of this and its great


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## Widgeon (3 July 2020)

Baccara said:



			According to my OH, we would be a lot better of if I had a serious drug habit and had to go into private rehab twice a year

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oh dear this made me laugh


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## 9tails (3 July 2020)

I budget £500 per month to average out over the year.  DIY livery which is 24/7 June - November, so no bedding costs for those months.  Horse eats haylage which is £75 a month in winter.  I go through a bale of hay (£4) every week in summer to supplement grazing.  She's only insured third party at approx. £80 a year.  She's shod front only so £40 every 6 weeks on the dot.  In the grand scheme of it, she's fairly cheap to keep.  But I'm still skint every month.


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## dreamcometrue (3 July 2020)

Around £450 a month on a good DIY livery yard, insurance and all the occasional expenses like feed, farrier, vet, lessons, bedding.


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## Pearlsasinger (3 July 2020)

Think of a number, double it and make sure you have a credit card available for emergencies.


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## Ruth89 (4 July 2020)

Mine costs about £150 a month per horse as I'm on a farm so luckily have stables and plenty of grazing available.

Don't have horse trailer or go to shows just hack about at home so the cost is just for shoes, vet, insurance,hay and hard feed!


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## abbijay (7 July 2020)

At the start of lockdown I sat down and did the maths as we were being financially squeezed. 
My old boy is on full retirement livery at £250pm (all in) and I decided to cancel his insurance that was £100pm. 
Every month my ridden costs me £400-500 in livery (depending on bedding and 1 muck out a week in winter and wormer), 
insurance £45, 
shoes £125 (he's a shire horse) every 6w, 
lessons £35 x3per month
Competition/farmride/outing £50 (Once a month including petrol to tow there)
Hard feed £1.20 per day - handful of chaff & vit supplement and a few carrots
So that's £750-800pm and doesn't account for extras like broken tack/rugs/equipment, trailer service, insurance and breakdown cover, BD membership, saddler, vet or physio visits. I can generally spread things like that out to just be once a month but probably works out at £50-80 extra every month. And there are probably other things I haven't accounted for! 
So I need in excess of £1,000pm to keep them both!


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## Widgeon (7 July 2020)

dreamcometrue said:



			Around £450 a month on a good DIY livery yard, insurance and all the occasional expenses like feed, farrier, vet, lessons, bedding.
		
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I'm about the same as this, on a good assisted DIY yard with owner / instructor on site.

Livery: £250-£280 per month (depending on the length of the month! It's charged per week; this includes hay, bedding in winter and basic hard feed)
Lessons: 3 x £25 lessons
Insurance: £37 per month for pretty comprehensive insurance
Shoes: Farrier works out at about £40 per month for a full set with road nails
Other bits: £40 per month (new girth, cost of a fun ride etc)

This is for a 15.1hh good doer sporty type cob, 11 years old and no wonky bits yet! No transport so just lots of local hacking with friends and work in the school.

ETA when I worked out costs before buying a horse I costed for about £350 per month, and I knew we could comfortably afford that. Somewhat inevitably the reality is more expensive (but I've just "upgraded" from a barefoot hairy who didn't need rugging) so if I were you, I would say, work out your expected costs, add about £100 per month, and make sure you can afford the result.


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## MuddyMonster (7 July 2020)

I've kept my native on DIY for £250 on DIY in the past. I have also spent much more on DIY when I was using assistance, supplementing poor summer grazing with hay, supplements/medications, extra bedding over winter or over Spring if I had to limit grazing depending upon the yard 

He's now on part (grass/track) livery and I try to budget about £600-700 per month all in including averaging out cost of brefoot trimmer, physiotherapist, saddle fitter, lessons, clinics and replacing/new 'stuff' where needed. 

My native is barefoot, only gets a feed for his supplement and is we don't compete but I do really enjoy learning/training so we have lessons and take part in clinics - which makes it more expensive. 

I've always kept a spreadsheet though, so know exactly where the money is going.


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## Circe2 (7 July 2020)

I have to confess that this thread makes me terribly depressed.. I’d say that my boy costs me the best part of £1400 each month.

Before anyone thinks I’m insane, I work full time 9-5/6 and have to live in the big smoke due to OH’s job (albeit I only work from the office once a week, and solely from home now with Covid!). The idea is that in a couple of years we’ll be moving out to the country and I’ll be able to keep the boy at home.

Current breakdown of cost:
- £900 for full livery, including all food, mucking, bedding (shavings), turnout (in/out/rugging), grooming & feet (when I’m not there), washing, exercise when I’m not there, clipping, free use of arenas (indoor/outdoor) and hacking, worming, staff to be there during vaccinations and farrier and so on, my own small tack room, tack cleaning, rug washing, rug mending, horse walker. 
- Separate cost for farrier (£45)
- As many lessons as I can get (ideally each week, £45 a pop)
- Approximately £200 set aside each month towards vet (ie self insurance) - I pay annual 3rd party liability and external injury insurance (Around £120)
- other bits and bobs spread across the year ie dentist, saddle fitter, replacements of kit 

It genuinely pains me to write it down, though I suppose the boy is happy and gets to experience the life of the 1% 😂 

I am but his humble servant....


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## laura_nash (8 July 2020)

As someone else said, it could be anything!

I'm another one who keeps a spreadsheet so I know exactly how much mine has cost me.  Total costs for the year divided by 12 and rounded work out as:

2011 - £500 per month
2013 - £250 per month
2019 - €45 per month (around £40)

This is the same horse.

In 2011 he was on assisted DIY at a small livery yard in SW England, I was taking weekly lessons and also went to the occasional clinic.  He had to be stabled a lot which exacerbated his dust allergy and I couldn't easily soak his hay so at times I was feeding small bag high fibre haylage.  He was shod all round.  He was fully insured.

In 2013 he was on full DIY at a livery yard on a nearby farm in SW England.  They made their own hay which liveries could buy cheaply and he was living out in summer.  He was barefoot using a barefoot trimmer and hoof boots.  I had fortnightly lessons.  He was insured for accidental injury only (and third party).

Last year he was living out on our own small farm in Ireland.  I now do his hoof trimming myself unless I have concerns and his hoof boots last for years.  Our neighbours make hay on one of our fields and give us a proportion in payment, so hay was free.  I don't have lessons or go anywhere, just potter about the fields and lanes.  He's insured third party only.  Of course this doesn't include the purchase price of the house and land and initial outlay on equipment, fencing etc.  It also doesn't include the maintenance costs on the fields and fencing as we have to do that anyway (we have other animals), the maintenance costs aren't huge though (we have our own little tractor and topper, sprayer etc).


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## OldNag (8 July 2020)

Think of a number.
Double it.
Double it again.
Add a bit more for unseen emergencies.
And some contingency.
Basically, all of the money and maybe some more!


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## Summit (14 July 2020)

Mines pretty cheap to keep ...
DIY Livery £75/month
Shoes £50 every 8 weeks
Usual feed and hay costs

I do t con


FestiveFuzz said:



			I spend the best part of about £1200 a month, that includes full livery for my older boy and youngstock livery for the baby. That doesn’t include supplements, shoes, lessons, comp fees, my matchy addiction or any of the other bajillion things that seem to crop up and deplete my bank account each month...if I added up those I’m pretty sure I’d end up divorced 😂
		
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Jesus £1200


FestiveFuzz said:



			I spend the best part of about £1200 a month, that includes full livery for my older boy and youngstock livery for the baby. That doesn’t include supplements, shoes, lessons, comp fees, my matchy addiction or any of the other bajillion things that seem to crop up and deplete my bank account each month...if I added up those I’m pretty sure I’d end up divorced 😂
		
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£1200? Jesus


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## windand rain (14 July 2020)

About £1000 per year per pony plus livery which is about £4000 per year as we rent a field at £20 per pony per weekish for 4 ponies


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## FestiveFuzz (16 July 2020)

Summit said:



			Mines pretty cheap to keep ...
DIY Livery £75/month
Shoes £50 every 8 weeks
Usual feed and hay costs

I do t con


Jesus £1200


£1200? Jesus 

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I'm not sure why it's all that surprising, full livery is expensive and I live in an expensive area (which gets even more expensive when you multiply it all by 2). You wouldn't find DIY for £75p/m in the SE, and my farrier alone charges £95 for a full set of shoes every 5 weeks so I'm not sure our two areas are really comparable.

I'm fortunate enough to have a job that provides me with a good standard of living, but the downside of that is I work extremely long hours and have very little in the way of downtime...and until lockdown I was required to be on the other side of the country for half the week. Technically I could have reduced my ridden horse to part livery whilst I've been WFH but realistically my workload has only increased since lockdown and it wouldn't feel fair to take that income away from my YO who has been a brilliant support over the years. As I mentioned up-thread it's a weight off my mind to know my boys are well looked after regardless of my working hours, and ultimately helps assuage the guilt of not being able to spend as much time with them as I'd like.


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## emmmilythinks (3 August 2020)

I would honestly love to know what everyone does for jobs! I can't ever imagine being able to afford 1000+ a month, and I'm a secondary school teacher! (Not that well paid I know, but still).

FWIW, my on/off lame oldie costs me about 250-300 in total per month for everything, but we don't compete or ever go off the yard except hacking when we can so no travel costs.


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## Red-1 (4 August 2020)

emmmilythinks said:



			I would honestly love to know what everyone does for jobs! I can't ever imagine being able to afford 1000+ a month, and I'm a secondary school teacher! (Not that well paid I know, but still).

FWIW, my on/off lame oldie costs me about 250-300 in total per month for everything, but we don't compete or ever go off the yard except hacking when we can so no travel costs.
		
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No kids is the way to go.

I can't believe what people spend on kids!

No abroad holidays either, but then we live in a lovely area and don't need to go away. No smoking. Don't dress up, clothes from Matalan mainly.

Jobs - I am retired now, but working as a TA in primary (part time).


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## ownedbyaconnie (4 August 2020)

I’m in Surrey in DIY and pay probably £350 a month for my pony for everything and then lessons, competing and odd bits and bobs on top.

I previously probably spent £800-£1,000 when on part livery and mare had full set of shoes (now we’re barefoot).

I’m a trainee chartered accountant and tax advisor for one of the big 4 and also own 2 houses I rent out with my OH, although I don’t “see” any of that income as it pays the mortgages and tax but takes the pressure off slightly to save as much.


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## AUB (4 August 2020)

I’m a lawyer and my SO is too.


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## FestiveFuzz (4 August 2020)

emmmilythinks said:



			I would honestly love to know what everyone does for jobs! I can't ever imagine being able to afford 1000+ a month, and I'm a secondary school teacher! (Not that well paid I know, but still)
		
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I work in a senior PR role and my husband is a Director of Operations. We’re also very fortunate to own our house outright, although that’s soon to change as we’re relocating. We don’t really go on holidays or have flash cars, the horses are by far our biggest expenditure, closely followed by the dogs!


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## Pickelina (4 August 2020)

Interesting thread, thank you. The variation is massive. 
We're about to take on a new pony for my 3yo daughter and there wasn't space at the yard where I ride a horse (informal but full loan, job shares between five adults over the week, seven horses that all live out) so we were going to keep him on full livery at another yard, which is very nice but in the opposite direction. That would cost £112pw/£490pm (excluding hard feed) plus I allowed £150 for other costs (knowing that they'd be higher!). My other yard has now said they can accommodate him, and will only charge me £10pw including hay and hard feed. Very basic facilities and only a field shelter, no stabling apart from one in emergencies, but just shows how much costs can vary.


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## mini_b (4 August 2020)

Pickelina said:



			Interesting thread, thank you. The variation is massive.
We're about to take on a new pony for my 3yo daughter and there wasn't space at the yard where I ride a horse (informal but full loan, job shares between five adults over the week, seven horses that all live out) so we were going to keep him on full livery at another yard, which is very nice but in the opposite direction. That would cost £112pw/£490pm (excluding hard feed) plus I allowed £150 for other costs (knowing that they'd be higher!). My other yard has now said they can accommodate him, and will only charge me £10pw including hay and hard feed. Very basic facilities and only a field shelter, no stabling apart from one in emergencies, but just shows how much costs can vary.
		
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surely the costs vary so much in this situation because of the facilities you have available to you. 
apples and oranges to compare the 2. 
I could have had DIY for £15pw 2 minutes down the road but there was nothing except your field and a stable, not even a field to ride in (it’s on a farm, the owners are lovely may I add) No help on site if you are stuck/emergencies, it’s pitch black in winter.

So it seems logical the prices are so different.


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## Pickelina (4 August 2020)

mini barnes said:



			surely the costs vary so much in this situation because of the facilities you have available to you.
apples and oranges to compare the 2.
I could have had DIY for £15pw 2 minutes down the road but there was nothing except your field and a stable, not even a field to ride in (it’s on a farm, the owners are lovely may I add) No help on site if you are stuck/emergencies, it’s pitch black in winter.

So it seems logical the prices are so different.
		
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Yes, I'm aware of the difference in services and facilities, I've thought of not much else for the past week!


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## Equi (4 August 2020)

I don't want to know 

But in reality its at least £500 a month.


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