18/05/2026
Something for people to think about!
Ok we need to talk about the elephant in the room…
I already felt quite strongly on this topic and then I saw this post and it tipped me over the edge 😂
Whether it’s a scruffy cob or a sport horse… let me tell you this… horses are EXPENSIVE. To breed, to rear over the next 4 years, to break, to keep… the list goes on. They are not a cheap hobby. It’s a fact of life. No amount of moaning or “it’s not fair”, “it’s elitest”, “the average person can’t afford it” etc etc comments will make it any cheaper…. It is the way it is!!
We have taken a step back from breeding and reduced our numbers because quite frankly - it does not pay. We never ran it as a business anyway but I refuse to fund other people’s hobby’s. I’d sooner just keep a couple of my own and enjoy them!
Let’s take a hypothetical example. Say a 5yo horse that we bred sells for £25k. This horse isn’t a superstar, this is a nice, kind, quality animal that has been well started and has a great attitude. “That’s really expensive!” some say…. Is it? Let’s look more closely at it…
That horse has taken 6years of care and love to shape into what it is today, including the year in utero. The stud fee was likely at least £1000 (as we use proven jump stallions) and the mare’s value should be factored in, let’s call her £5,000 (which is an insult for a performance dam line broodmare but let’s roll with it) and assume she has 5 viable foals (I can assure you that that is realistic, we have some mares who only ever produce 2 or 3) so let’s attribute £1000 (1/5 of her value) to this horse. Vets fees and travel for breeding? At least £500. Lets assume everything goes to plan, they take first time and there are no complications through pregnancy/foaling or that they slip the pregnancy. Because then the costs listed above will multiply significantly.
Breaking - £200+ a week. “You can do it yourself, it doesn’t cost anything” some say… 🫠 time is not free… let’s call it £1500 for a good job. Now you want the horse educated and out to training shows? Ok how many weeks? Let’s say 6 weeks as a 4yo and 8 weeks as a 5yo. it’s going to be very green but that’s another £2800 and most people can’t handle a horse that is this green and want a lot more done. Clipping, physio, farrier, schooling hire/entry fees for the training? Let’s call that a conservative £500.
So we are down to £17,700 … but they didn’t go from semen to sold… we have kept the horse for 6 years (including the year in utero)… yes they are at grass most of the year but the land isn’t free nor are the sheds that they need to come into when the weather is really bad, nor are the many bales of haylage and bags of hard feed they get through in winter when the grass is poor. 6 years is 312 weeks …. £17,700 divided by 292 weeks (312 minus the breaking/schooling weeks we accounted for above) - That’s £60 per week we got towards the keep of this horse…. Can you keep and feed your horse properly (plus worming, trimming, vaccinations, routine vet’s fees) for £60 a week? I don’t think so… and that’s assuming nothing goes wrong!! Also - what about the hypothetical 3 other foals we bred the same year? One died, one had a terrible temperament and decided it didn’t want a career in sport aged 5 and the other one was “nice” but not as nice as this one… so we lose money across all 4.
Can you see why breeders are leaving the industry? It does not pay!! I’m not talking about MAKING money, just simply covering costs!!
It’s a sad reality that it is an expensive sport and no amount of moaning will make it more affordable. But in my opinion horses are too cheap when you actually look at the costs in the cold light of day.
