The price of horses varies according to what they will be used for--Trail Riding, Rodeo/barrel racing or English jumping--and how much training the animal has. The basic rule of thumb is the more training and experience a horse has, the more it will cost.
Typical costs:
Trail riders often choose Quarter Horses which can cost $1,000-$4,000 or saddle mules (half horse and half donkey), which run $1,000-$3,500.
Quarter horses are also used for rodeo/barrel racing or working cattle, along with Arabians and Thoroughbreds. These trained animals average $2,500-$7,000, but exceptional animals cost a great deal more.
English jumping riders chose Thoroughbreds and other breeds which can start under $2,000 but often run $3,500-$8,000.
Additional costs:
Horses need hay which can run around $40 per month. Many simple trail horses subsist on hay alone--usually a mix of oat and alfalfa hay. Grain can run about $20-$40 per 50-pound sack.
Tack--necessary riding equipment--includes a saddle, bridle, halter and saddle pad and runs $400-$1,500, depending on the quality and style.
Buckets and grooming supplies can cost around $50-$100.
Stabling or boarding starts at $50 per month in areas where pastures are available year round, and goes up to $500 monthly for inside stalls and arena time. Horses are measured by the "hand." Stalls sizes vary from 8x8-foot pony stalls to 12x12-foot stalls for horses 17 hands and taller.
Common Veterinary costs include the Farrier (horseshoer) which runs $25-$100 every six weeks; hoof trimming, for $12-$75 and shots, for $10-$95 per dose. Rhiomine and loose mineral supplements run $25 every six months. Plan to spend $50-$250 for an emergency or unscheduled vet call Equine dental care can cost up to $150 and is needed twice a year.
Discounts:
Pawn shops sometimes sell tack at discount prices.
Many people offer their older horses free to good homes, but expensive veterinary bills can start to run up.
I'd just like to say that this website is a little misinformed. For one, english riders do NOT use Tennessee Walking Horses (TWH) for jumping. TWH are "gaited" horses, meaning they do NOT do the normal walk/trot. They do what's called a flat-walk and running-walk and very different looking canter. Saddleseat however DOES use TWH and other gaited breeds, and also Saddlebred's are very popular. English riders, including hunter/jumpers, show jumping, and cross country, use Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Warmbloods and a mix of those breeds. Freisians are popular in dressage, as well as draft mixes, and arabians. Appendix QH's are popular in barrel races. Trail riders LOVE gaited horses, but you also see a large mix of breeds, from drafts, to morgans, QH's and saddlebreds. But TWH are not used for jumping as they would not get the proper strides before a jump due to their unique gait.
$150.00 a month In my area - you can lease a horse or the right to ride 50% of the time. It is an inexpensive alternative to buying/boarding a horse and with our busy lifestyle actually makes more sense then a "full time" horse.
$2720! That is how much I will be spending on a broodmare. She will be used for trail riding, pleasure, barrel racing, and maybe I'll breed her later on. She will cost $1500 or maybe less and she will be boarded. To me, thats a lot of money and time! However,I'm sure she will be worth it!
I have a yearling qh filly and a 6yo APHA mare. Purchase costs were $1200 as a weanling and $2800 for the 6yo. Hay is about $5/small bale x a bale a day, grain $18.90 x 1 1/2 bags/mth. Board is $100/each outside. Farrier is $30/trim each every 5 weeks. Vet for coggins, $45/each. Teeth float is $75ish/each. Do shots myself, $25/each. I know I'm forgetting things.