Prices and buying
12 pages
The buy-in is the cheap part. These pages show what horses and ponies really cost to own, month by month, with the numbers traced to published surveys and industry bodies.
What it costs to own
1 page
The recurring number, line by line.
Buying guides
5 pages
Purchase price, where to buy, and what to check before you pay.
- Buying a horse at auction vs private sale vs dealerWhere you buy a horse changes the price, the risk, and how much you get to check before you commit.Private saleCheapest and clearest
- Buying your first horse: a cost and readiness guideYour first horse should be safe, sound, and boring, and the purchase price is the least of what you are signing up for.$3,000 - $10,000Sensible first-horse price
- How much does a horse cost?A horse costs less to buy than to keep.$3,000 - $30,000Typical purchase price
- How much does a pony cost?A pony is not a cheaper horse.$1,000 - $15,000Typical purchase price
- The pre-purchase exam (PPE), explainedA pre-purchase exam, or PPE, is a vet's assessment of a horse's health and soundness before you buy it.$250 - $500Basic clinical exam
By discipline
3 pages
What the job you want the horse to do does to the price.
- How much does a dressage horse cost?A dressage horse can cost anything from a few thousand dollars to well over a million, and the price tracks one thing above all: how far up the levels the horse is confirmed and proven.$20,000 - $60,000Typical dressage horse
- How much does a show jumper cost?A show jumper's price is set by the height it jumps clean and consistently, and it climbs steeply as the fences rise.$25,000 - $80,000Typical amateur jumper
- How much does a trail horse cost?A safe, broke trail horse in the United States usually costs between $2,000 and $8,000.$2,000 - $8,000Typical purchase price
By country
3 pages
Local currency, local livery, local vet bills.
- How much does a horse cost in Germany?In Germany the price you pay for a horse matters far less than the stall rent you pay every month afterward.EUR4,000 - EUR15,000Typical purchase price
- How much does a horse cost in Spain?In Spain a sound leisure horse usually sells for a few thousand euros, while a trained Pura Raza Espanola or a competition horse runs well into five figures and beyond.EUR 3,000 - EUR 15,000Typical purchase price
- How much does a horse cost in the UK?A horse costs less to buy than to keep, and in the UK that keep is the number that matters.£3,000 - £15,000Typical purchase price