Like most horse owners, my pony is treated like a King. Not only does a large chunk of my monthly salary go on the basics of paying for his livery, hay and feed, it also goes on numerous other appointments and treatments he requires regularly. We won't talk about the fact that I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a back massage for myself or treated myself to a new pair of shoes every month... but that's just how it goes as a horse owner.
So, here are the regular treatments that my horse is lucky enough to receive... and how much they cost me!
Farrier
The most regular (and therefore the most expensive over the course of the year) appointment Beano has is the farrier. He is fully shod and has an appointment every five weeks to have his feet trimmed and new shoes fitted.
Cost of appointment: £108 every five weeks
Oesteopath
Beano has the osteopath out every six months to check his joints and back are all in good shape. It's normally an hour long appointment that involves the osteo watching me walk and trot him up before treating any problem areas.
Cost of appointment: £70 every six months
Physiotherapy
Another appointment that Beano has every six weeks is physiotherapy. I like to have Beano checked regularly to make sure he is always feeling the best he can be, and these appointments help to relieve any tension he has in his muscles.
Cost of appointment: £70 every six months
Saddle check
In case you haven't caught the gist of this yet, Beano costs me a hefty sum of money every six months. After I've made sure his back is all aligned and he's feeling tip top, I get the saddle fitter out to make sure that his saddle is still fitting correctly after all of his adjustments.
Luckily for the past couple of years Beano's saddle has only needed slightly reflocking, so the cost of these appointments has been kept relatively low and predictable for a while now.
Cost of appointment: £80 every six months
Dentist
Thankfully we've come to the end of the six monthly appointments, as this one is just an annual check up.
So far Beano has only had to have a basic check up and the vets have been happy with how his teeth are looking, so he currently only needs a dentist appointment every 12 months.
Cost of appointment: £67 including sedation every 12 months
Annual Vaccinations
Each year Beano has the vet out to give him his flu and tet vaccinations. At our new yard this will be changing to every six months as a lot of people go out competing regularly but during the pandemic, we've managed to keep this to an annual cost at the moment as no one has been leaving the yard other than to go hacking locally.
Cost of appointment: £45 every 12 months
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