Caring for an older horse : how much does it cost ?

In 2011, the IFCE carried out a field study on feeding older horses. They studied a sample of 204 horses aged between 15 to 45 years old, the majority were fed on fodder to supplement grass at least during the winter, sometimes even all year round (with the exception of one or two months) for installations in the South of France. Less than half the structures studied fed concentrated feed to all or part of their herd.

Here are some of the prices for feeding a 500kg horse with in very light daily work (1h / day) :

Once the horse’s sports or leisure riding career is over, the horse can be accomodated with his owner, if the owner has the necessary infrastructure, or can be liveried out to a private livery yard. Some yards specialise in taking in older horses, but there is no inventory of theses structures to date.

The horses can live in a stable with direct access to a paddock, or live out in a field with access to a shelter. Livery costs for a horse will vary depending on the accomodation means :

• Livery with stabling with daily turning out in a paddock costs an average of  €314/ month (80 % of this type of livery costs between €230 and €421 per month) ;
• Livery out at grass including a ration of horse feed costs on average €203 per month in a field with other horses (80 % of this type of livery costs between €150 and €260 per month)

The prices of liveries can also vary depending on the location of the site, and the services offered.

Older horses have the same hoof issues as other horses. They are usually kept unshod. Whether shod or unshod, they still require regular upkeep by a farrier.

A set of shoes usually requires changing every 6 weeks, and hoof trimming should be undertaken between 2 to 6 times a year depending on the quality of the horn.

According to the data from the studies carried out by the Regional economic observatories (OER) for the period between 2014-2016, for a warm blood horse with healthy feet :

• Trimming all four feet costs on average €34 (50 % of the prices practiced are between €30 and €40 ex VAT);
• Shoeing (including trimming) for all four feet costs on average €74 ex VAT (50 % of the prices practiced are situated between €67 and €80 ex VAT).

« Therapeutical » shoeing is more expensive.

Main pathological issues in the older horse

According to the field study conducted by the IFCE in 2011, of the 204 horses aged between 15 and 45 years of age, the main pathologies encountered were : arthritis, including navicular syndromes, COPD or heaves, Sweet itch and Cushing’s disease.

Veterinarian costs

The costs relative to the above pathologies are variable and depend on the veterinarian consulted. Therefore we cannot establish a price range. On the other hand, in addition to the cost of the veterinary visit to establish the diagnosis, can be added the cost of additional examinations (X rays or blood counts) as well as a regular follow up for each animal. Chronic diseases will give rise to supplementary costs, as the horse will require permanent treatment over time.

De-worming and its cost

Systematic de-worming in the adult horse favours the appearance of resisitances of the parasites to the de-wormers. Well-reasoned de-worming is based on fecal eggg-counts which then enables to target the horses who actually need de-worming.

Following a study conducted in 2017 in trial structures in the equi-pasture programme, and with data supplied by veterinary clinics, the cost of de-wormers varies between €8 and €44 ex VAT, depending on the molecule and the supplier (veterinary clinic or chemist’s).

According to the same study conducted with 28 clinics and veterinary schools, private and public laboratories, the price of a fecal egg count varies from €8 to €35 ex VAT, depending on the service provider carrying out the analysis (veterinary clinic, private or public laboratory).

The average cost for a well-reasoned de-worming programme (including the fecal egg-count) costs between €48 and €83 ex VAT.

Vaccination

The older horse is generally more sensitive to afflictions, auto-immune disease and tumours.

It is therefore advisable to increase the frequency of the vacination booster jabs : yearly for tetanus, quarterly or every 6 months for equine influenza and EHV (depending on the lifestyle, the possibility of contact with other horses, and whether or not the horse is affected by Cushing’s disease).

According to the OER studies, the average cost of a vaccine is €34 ex VAT, not including travel expenses.

Dentist

From a certain age, horses may present more or less severe dental issues. It is advisable to call in a dental technician twice a year for a routine check, to avoid the dental problems deteriorating too much.

The cost of a check-up varies between €50 to €70 including VAT, this depends on the number of horses seen in one specific location. These prices do not include travel expenses, or the more complex interventions such as removing a tooth for example.

Osteopathy

A regular visit may prove necessary. The prices frequently practiced vary between €75 to €120 ex VAT, with travel expenses added on in some cases.

Euthanasia

The cost of the vetrerinarian act is variable : it is usually around €100.

Expenses for removal and disposal of the dead horse

Calling a company dealing with removal and disposal of the dead animal, or an incineration company is compulsary. The cost is substantial and must therefore be anticipated.

On the death of your horse, you should contact a removal and disposal service to take the animal away. You can use the ATM equidé-Angee service which enables you to declare your animal’s death online and pay the cost of removal thanks to a mutualised price policy. The prices vary depending on the size of the animal, and on the region and location : from €137 to €600 VAT inclusive for a warmblood, from €62,5 to €300 VAT included for a pony, and from €162,5 to €780 including VAT for a draft horse.

To the above mentioned expenses, can be added expenses for comfort equipment (a rug for winter to protect the horse from the rain and the cold, for the weaker animals).

When the individual owner has the horses on his property, it may be necessary to stabilise some surfaces to ease moving around for the animals. It is important to build a shelter if there are no natural elements to offer protection (hedges, trees, woods…) in the fields. Equally, one should plan for the extra cost of fencing if the pastures are not fenced off.