Thinking of getting a horse

[Chaoticpythons]

I am a dressage rider. Horses are great, buttt... There are a lot of risks, bad horses, expenses etc. I will give a brief run down

Board- $200-600 a month
Feet- $30 trim, $60 front shoed, and $100 full shoed. Every 6-8 weeks.
Coggins- needs to be done yearly $15-90
Vaccines-needs to be done yearly $100ish
Saddle- I can't express enough how much the saddle needs to fit the horse, and you. This is a hard part. Lets say you want a decent saddle, I am guessing western I will say $400-500, as your horses condition of muscle changes you may have to get a different saddle. For your case, you probably won't as long as it fits to start with, since youre not doing training etc.
Girth- $25ish
Bridle-$15-100 depending on what you want
Saddle pad- $15--200 depending on what you want again
Bit-$20-100
Wormer- Horses need wormed on a regular basis, and IMO you should get fecal tests done regulary as well so you know what worms you are working at lowering the number of. Trust me, you DO NOT want to slack on worming, and rotating wormers. It is a quick way to get a horse to colic from a high worm count. I had this personally happen to me, and I came so close to losing my horse. Don't make my mistake of letting the routine slip. $2-61 for wormer
Fecal Test-$45
Supplements- No you dont always need them, but a lot do. $10-100

There are plenty of other things, the barn usually has brushes you can use etc but it is always nice to have your own. I won't lie, it is very expensive even if you just want a trail safe horse and all that. I would recommend if you haven't much riding experience, get some lessons and then see if you're still interested. Make a list of things you want in a horse, BEFORE seeing any to buy and make a list of things you will not accept in a horse. That will help when it comes time to buy. Don't get any emotions in the buying etc. It will bite you in the ass. Good luck, and if you need any advice, please feel free to PM me!