The Legit Ledgers Blog
The Cost of Horsekeeping Is Rising. Do You Actually Know What Your Horse Costs You?
Owning horses has never exactly been the budget-friendly hobby.
But lately, a lot of equestrians are feeling the difference.
Feed, hay, veterinary care, supplements, boarding, equipment and the little expenses in between are adding up faster than they used to.
According to the 2025 American Horse Publications Equine Industry Survey, the cost of horsekeeping was the most frequently identified issue facing the equine industry, selected by 50.3% of respondents.
So yes, horses are expensive.
But here’s the better question:
Do you actually know how expensive yours are?
Where the Money Is Going
The same survey found the biggest reported increases were in:
Feed and hay — 76.7%
Veterinary services — 54.6%
Animal health products — 52%
And that’s before you add in board, farrier care, lessons, insurance, fuel, tack, shows, trailer expenses and that thing you definitely did not plan to buy at the feed store.
The problem isn’t spending money on your horses.
The problem is not knowing how much you’re spending or where it’s going.
“Horses Are Expensive” Isn’t a Budget
Most horse owners know what board costs.
They know what the farrier charges.
They know roughly what they spend on feed.
But ask what they spent on their horse over the last year?
That number gets harder.
Horse expenses tend to live everywhere — one card for feed, another payment for the farrier, supplements on auto-ship, a vet invoice here, a tack purchase there.
Individually, none of it feels outrageous.
Together, it tells the real story.
Tracking expenses by category can help you answer:
What am I really spending each month?
Which expenses are increasing?
What does showing actually cost me?
What keeps catching me by surprise?
Unfortunately, spreadsheets do not produce hay.
But they can make your finances a lot easier to manage.
Plan for the Expenses That Sneak Up on You
The expenses that cause the most stress usually aren’t the monthly ones.
They’re the annual or irregular ones:
Vaccinations
Dental work
Insurance
Trailer maintenance
Show fees
Equipment replacement
Emergency vet care
If you know an expense is coming, plan for it monthly.
A $1,200 annual expense becomes much easier to handle when you set aside $100 a month.
Same expense.
Much less drama.
And every horse owner should be able to answer one question:
If my horse had an unexpected medical expense tomorrow, how would I pay for it?
There’s no one right answer.
There should probably just be an answer.
If You Run an Equestrian Business, This Matters Even More
For barn owners, trainers, breeders and instructors, knowing the numbers isn’t just helpful.
It’s part of running the business.
Feed costs change. Labor changes. Insurance changes. Fuel changes. Facility costs change.
If your books don’t show how those costs are affecting the business, it’s hard to know whether your pricing still works.
A full barn doesn’t automatically mean a profitable barn.
Revenue tells you what came in. Good books help explain what happened to it afterward.
Your Horse Doesn’t Need a Spreadsheet. You Might.
Tracking your finances won’t lower the price of hay or prevent an emergency vet call.
What it can do is give you a much clearer picture of where your money is going.
Whether you own one horse or run an entire equestrian business, the goal is simple:
Know what you’re spending. Plan for what’s coming. Make decisions using actual numbers instead of educated guesses.
Need a Clearer Picture of Your Numbers?
If your horse or equestrian business finances currently live somewhere between “I have a pretty good idea” and “please don’t ask me to total that,” Legit Ledgers can help.
We help equestrians and equestrian businesses organize their bookkeeping, understand their expenses and make their financial records easier to actually use.
This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, veterinary or insurance advice.
Source: American Horse Publications, 2025 AHP Equine Industry Survey, sponsored by Zoetis.
