How Much Does a Horse Cost?

Horses make amazing companions but how much does a horse cost and how expensive is it to care for one? A horse can cost anywhere from 500 to 3000 depending on their pedigree performance record and good manners. The bigger the budget the more options you have. Besides the initial purchase of the horse there are costs towards hay feed veterinary exams training and grooming.
Its important to calculate costs before committing to buying a horse especially if its your first time. Besides upkeep costs there are also transportation costs and sales tax to consider. While these wont be part of the asking price they are things you need to think about as you make a final decision. Read on to uncover the real cost of horse ownership including feeding and boarding expenses. 

Why Some Horses Are More Expensive
Those looking for a firsttime horse will probably need to have anywhere from 1500 to 3000 in their budget for the purchase. You may be able to find a gem for less than this but having that amount will give you the greatest number of choices. The more you have to spend the more choices you will have.
Horses that are 10000 and up are bought and sold by topname stud farms for use in highlevel competition. They are often imported from Europe or elsewhere with impressive bloodlines and have antecedents with international competition success. Theyre not likely to be purchased by the average firsttime horse owner and the prices arent as impacted by market forces as the backyard riding horse prices are.
To give you an idea of how much horses can cost here are some of the top horse breeds and their average price range
Clydesdale 2500 to 5000
Thoroughbred 1000 to 10000
Arabian 5000 to 20000
Appaloosa 1000 to 10000
Morgan 1000 to 5000
How Upkeep Costs Affect Price
Poor hay crops and rising feed and fuel costs can affect the number of horses for sale and can affect the asking prices of those horses in any given year. The side effect of the banning of horses for meat slaughter is a lower price for some types of horses. This mainly affects horses that are elderly unsound young andor untrained but it does have a ripple effect on the general horse market.
Here are some of the main upkeep expenses for a horse including average price ranges bearing in mind that various factors influence the cost of keeping a horse and prices can