Buy a Horse For Under $5000

Is there really any such thing as a cheap horse?

I have been involved with horses for over 50 years and I get the same question from so many people; "how do I buy a cheap horse" and my answer is always the same; "you can't". Are there exceptions? I am sure there are, but let's look at what is involved in breeding and raising a foal both the time and costs.

- Price of mare $2500 / 10 foals = $250, now it could be more, but not less, I am assuming you want a good quality horse.
- Cost to care for mare while in foal $1000, for hoof trimming wormer, shots, feed and grain, again a minimum does not include housing cost
- Cost of stud fee usually at least $500

So we have $1750 in just the mare expenses nothing for the labor involved, no vet bills, so we then are ready for the live foal which arrives and again no vet expenses, for mare or foal, so far so good, now let's raise that foal for one year.

1st Year costs:

- Hoof care $180
- Feed cost $600
- Healthcare; shots, wormer, $250

Again no costs factored in for labor which now involves not only feeding, but also cleaning the stall, and training.

So our yearling now involves an investment of:

$1750 + $1030 = $2780

Add about $1000 for each year:

Colts should not be started before 3 years of age, or their useful lifespan will suffer.

$2000 + $2780 = $4789

Oh, you want a trained horse?

In my area training runs at least $750/month, so there is another $1500 to get the horse "green broke", want a little more reliability then add on more training. Gee it looks like our horse costs more to raise than what you or I want to pay, so what to do?

Older horses are an option, as they are usually cheaper, but that is sort of like getting an old dog, you're going to have to say goodbye to them sooner than you would like, so if that bothers you, then better stay with a younger horse and have more years together.

Because of the economy you will find more bargains in the horse industry right now than at any other time that I can remember, so you may want think about buying a horse before that window of opportunity closes.

I invite you to checkout my Free Buy a Horse Under $5000 Report at http://thehorsebarn.com/buy-a-horse/