​How To Get A Trained Horse

By Gaye DeRusso
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There are 3 main ways to get a trained horse. Buy one that is already trained. Buy one that is not trained and send it to a trainer. Buy one that is not trained and train it yourself. Although the first one seems the most expensive, it actually is the least expensive, safest and the most time saving choice. So, lets break them down.
 
If you buy a  horse that is already trained, and by trained, I mean it knows all the arena work, has lots of good  trail experience and gaits well if gaited,  it will cost a fair amount. For a trainer or breeder, to  find a nice horse, then to train  it and then to take care of it  with shoeing, and up to date on all its care including yearly dentals and vaccines cost a fair amount. Since Covid horse prices seem to have tripled and with the auctions they have gotten a little out of control, but in our area, it would cost around $12,000 -$30,000 for a good horse in the age range of 8-14 years old. 
 
If you buy one that is not trained and send it to a trainer, the cost can vary. But let’s say you found a good-looking horse with potential and cost around $5000 but the horse has not had good care. So, you will need a good shoer to get its feet in better shape $200 every  6 weeks. Needs vet care for vaccines, dental and worming $600. Then boarding of the horse would be about $500 per month at the low end in our area plus training per month for a descent trainer would be about $800 per month. Depending on the horse's talent and the trainer’s talent, and your talent to ride the horse, the training could take 6 -12 months. This will be slowly drained out of your bank account over a year so does not seem as bad until you add it all up. Also even once trained, the horse might not be something you like or can handle as each horse turns out different.  Cost for the year is $22,800.
 
If you buy one that is not trained and train it yourself. Cost of horse is around $5,000. Maybe you will board it at home so less cost in board but more time for the care of the horse. Feed $30 per bale in our area, your horse eats about  1 1/2 bales per week. So, $2,160 just for hay, shoer $1,600 per year, vet care $1000, its higher because the horse is not getting worked hard, so it is getting into more trouble which leads to injuries.
 
 Now depending on your work schedule, weather, and your talent, depends how fast the horse will get better. But let’s say you can only train the horse for  6 months out of the year due to these facts, so it will take you 2-4 years to train the horse into what you want. In the meantime, you also get injured from falling off the horse several times in the process. So, it’s about $24,040 that you spent in 4 years on the horse, not including your time or the hospital  bills  which if not covered enough by insurance could be  $40,000 and up. So, in the end of 4 years of training the horse at home, to be the horse you want, cost $64,000 not including the time you put in. And if you do not do a good job, it will not be the horse you wanted or needed. 
 
Cheap untrained horses cost more money than expensive horses in the end, unless you are one of the lucky ones that found one that was well taken care of and trained, and the owner just gets out of horses. 
 
Even though the cost up front is more for a trained well taken care of horse, in the long run it saves money and keeps you safer. 
 
$12,000, $22,000 or $64,000 you choose.