Horses are a big investment. Their initial purchase and ongoing expenses require you to budget correctly. You'll need to plan for their daily care, emergencies, tack, and other miscellaneous expenses. It can be helpful to create a spreadsheet that outlines your horse's weekly, monthly, and yearly costs.

Creating a Horse Budget

A budget tracker will allow you to monitor your horse's expenses. You can create a custom one on Microsoft Excel or even on a notepad. The Printable Pony has one for instant download, if you need some guidance.

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Horse Budget Excel Spreadsheet, $10.00, Printable Pony

Your Spreadsheet

  1. Create different categories for the types of expenses your horse has. Some may include basic care (hay, grain, sawdust), professional services (vet care, farrier, dental exams), and education (lessons, training, books). This list will run vertically on your spreadsheet.
  2. Now, write the months of the year on a horizontal line.
  3. Every time you spend money on your horse find the category and the month. The number will increase as you spent more. For example- if you take a lesson for $50 a week, then your monthly total will read $200 in the lesson category.
  4. The last column will be the totals spent for the year in each category.
  5. Finally, you can add those yearly numbers up to get a grand total.

It will be helpful to see what areas your horse costs you the most in.

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