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Q. Include all costs such as vet fees, shoes and food to total. Just trying to figure out if it will be something manageable in the near future. Thank you!
I wouldn't be using the horse for show or anything like that. Just for riding and a great companion. I've had a love for horses all my life, and it may be a few years yet before I can afford the space and property needed. I live in Ontario Canada. Thanks for all answers! :)
Answer
Some of the costs associated with keeping a horse are highly specific for location. As an example, in the specific area of Southern California where I live, a box stall with full board (i.e., feed and bedding provided, and someone else feeds the horses and mucks out the stalls) is running about $450-$600/month, depending on the amenities of the stable (i.e., access to riding rings, trails, turn-out pens, hot walkers, wash stalls, equipment like jumps, caveletti, etc., and amenities for boarders like individual tack rooms and so forth). Board for a horse in a neighborhood 60 miles down the freeway from here runs more like $300-450, tops. If I go even a bit farther out, maybe 150 miles away, I can find board situations for around $250/month.
If you want to figure what board costs are in your area, you have to call the local stables. You also need to decide what level of board you are willing to accept. Do you need a full board situation where someone else does all the feeding and cleaning for you? Or are you going to do your own feeding and cleaning? Do you want a box stall in a showplace stable or will you accept a pen with a shelter in one corner for your horse to get out of rain? Do you need a place with riding rings for schooling, or just access to open country for trail riding? Do you want amenities like a lounge with a TV and vending machines with cold soft drinks, bathrooms with hot and cold water that are cleaned daily, or can you live with a few lawn chairs under a tree and a port-a-potty that nobody seems to clean and you may have to bring your own toilet paper?
Ditto with shoeing costs. In my neck of the woods, we have one shoer who has the business pretty much to himself. He charges $95-125 for a straight cold shoeing and trim, nothing special. Out 60 miles away where my friend boards her horses, there are several shoers in competition and the same shoeing costs $60-75. And out further in the rural areas, $50-55 for the same job.
Vet fees are somewhat less variable, in my experience, although there is some fluctuation based on area. It's my experience, and this tracks with pretty much everyone that I know of who has horses, that it's a good idea to budget a minimum of $500/year for preventive care and routine calls. You might not spend that much, but it depends. If your horse needs bute regularly and banamine occasionally, or is an older horse, or has funky teeth and needs a lot of dental preventive maintenance, you'll probably run almost up to the $500/year and maybe go beyond it.
Additionally, it's a good idea to have a reserve fund for vet emergencies. I budgeted $5000 for my reserve fund and in thirty years of horse ownership had to tap into it for several thousand dollars twice-- once when my horse got pneumonia and again at the end of my horse's life when things started going wrong. I don't mean that you necessarily have to have $5000 sitting around in a bank account or piggy bank, but you should have access to that sum of money without having to worry about feeding your family or paying the rent if you need to tap into it. A credit card with a $5000 limit or a family member who will loan it to you or some other source can work, but the point is you HAVE to be able to get the money if you need it. Horse emergencies do not come cheap.
There are other costs associated with horses that you have to consider. If you don't have a van or trailer yourself, you may have to pay transport costs if your horse needs to be moved for any reason. There are "consumables" like fly spray, hoof dressing, shampoo, saddle soap, and other things you use on a horse that nickel and dime you all the time. If you have to drive to where you board your horse, there's the cost of gas. And of course if you intend to take lessons or have your horse in training, there are the costs associated with that.
It isn't cheap to own a horse, but if you can manage the costs, IMO there aren't many better ways to spend money on your leisure time.
How do I get in shape before track starts?
Q. I signed up for track, and it starts in a few weeks. I want to be prepared and ready for all the running and exercising. What do I do?
Answer
You are smart to start now, especially if you are not currently participating in a winter sport at your school or in any other type of regular, strenuous exercise program. By starting early you will get a jump on the competition for slots on your team. You also are allowing plenty of time to lay down a 'base of conditioning' on which to gradually improve. Gradual increases in workout intensity are less likely to cause injuries of all types and less likely to cause you to burn out mentally, too. In some events like the 1600 or 3200 meter (1 or 2 mile) race you can improve your time race after race due to your increased level of fitness and then run out of time at the end of the season and never be sure how fast your fastest time can be. That can be frustrating, I know.
Talk to the coach. Ask him about the requirement for you to have a sports physical. Your regular doctor can do this physical. Or your school might even pay for the checkup. You will need this before you can start officially practicing with the team anyway so you might as well be safe and get it done before you start your own pre-season private workouts. You really want to know your family's medical history including heart health issues before you start getting ready for competition -- better safe than sorry!
Ask the coach for handouts of sample workouts and his calisthenics / warm up / stretching exercise routines. Ask around to see if you can't find a returning veteran of the team or even a rival team or a college track/cross-country team to show you the proper way to do the warm up. Ask if the returning veterans on your school's team are organizing their own informal group runs. Training in a group is safer for the runner and can be an enjoyable chance to socialize.
Buy some decent running shoes. Ask for recommendations for a well-stocked sporting goods or running store. Your coach might have some coupons. Wear your most comfortable old athletic shoes to the store to show the clerk the wear pattern on the tread. Let the sales help have you try on several different brands and styles. Don't be lazy: lace both shoes up all the way, tie them snugly, get up on your feet, off the carpet and on to a hard surface and walk in the shoes, jump in the them, run a few steps in them. Don't be shy; it's your money. Make sure the running shoe fits both feet well. Your goal is to get such a good fit that there is no 'break-in period' and that the shoes do not rub you raw or give you callouses or blisters. Running shoes, in my opinion, are the most comfortable shoes made. My guess is that you will still not regret spending $50 to $75 dollars for your first good pair of running shoes - even if you wind up quitting the track team and never run a yard in them. They're that good!
Use all cross-training opportunities at your disposal: walk, hike, downhill or cross-country ski, snowshoe, walk or run stairs (don't run down stairs, though) step aerobics, dance, yoga, martial arts, treadmill, stationary bicycle, circuit training, free weights, swimming -- whatever you can do comfortably to raise a sweat, condition your heart, lungs, bones, joints and muscles. Don't ignore your upper body or your mid-section. After all, you might be a sprinter, a jumper, a hurdler, or a pole-vaulter waiting to be discovered. In any case, your core/abdominal strength is key to all motion.
If you live in a cold part of the country be aware of cold weather running issues: acclimate to cold weather gradually not all at once, dress in layers and use them to prevent either frostbite or soaking yourself in sweat, be visible to cars, run against the wind on the way out and with the wind on the way home so as to find out that you are under dressed sooner while you are still close to home rather than later when you are far from home.
Whatever climate you are running in make sure you give your body the water it needs. If you are making the transition from couch potato to athlete for the first time I bet you will be amazed at how much water you will need to consume. Increased calorie consumption, increased outdoor activity, central heat and central air conditioning all drain moisture from you. You may never look at water fountains the same way again.
One last suggestion: borrow a couple of issues of running magazines from you local public library and get in step that way.
-Rth
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