We have a number of our riders who are looking into taking the next step, hopefully this can be used as a guide for their families to get an idea of the cost involved. We pride ourselves in having one of the nicest farms around with quality instruction and staff, but it does take dedication! Let us know if you have any further questions!
I have looked over an assortment of board bills to try to get the best representation of average costs associated with boarding at Cedarhill. This is a board bill regardless if you full lease or own your horse. The costs that are regular (monthly) will be board, in house training and shoeing. All the others vary depending on both horse, and circumstances. This is a sport and our goal is to keep these horses at their best.
At Home:
Board– $1200.
In House Training– $380. Required training fee minimum per month. Used either for riding lessons or training rides.
Mortality Insurance– Typically this insurance costs 3.5% of the value of the animal.
Major Medical Insurance– This insurance can only be taken out along with a Mortality Insurance Policy. Fees vary depending on the amount of coverage desired. This insurance doesn’t cover maintenance vet bills such as joint injections and vaccinations. It does cover diagnostics to an injury (MRIs /scans/ x-Rays) as well as treatment to injuries (I-rap/ PRP/ Stem cell/etc) as well as surgeries, including Colic surgery. This info serves only as a guide; contact the insurance agent for more accurate info.
Vet Expenses- Twice yearly vaccinations including yearly Rabies, and Coggins Test is approximately $250/year. Joint injections every 6 months or so, as needed… Hocks – $450 and Coffins- $450 are the most common joints that need help.
Depo – $100/month This is a hormone that we give most of our horses weekly to keep then settled and working at their best.
Polyglycan (Poly)- $90/month and more when we go to shows- our 3′ and 3’6 horses typically get an extra 1 or 2 doses of this per show. This is a lubricant for their joints, tendons, and ligaments. It also helps with inflammation.
Legend ( $157) is another joint and soft tissue lubricant that helps strengthen and retard injuries. We typically give all of our show horses a shot of this a few days before leaving for a show and then depending on their work load another while they are there.
Schooling (professional training rides) $75/ride. Some of our horses need to stay in a professional program to stay at their best.
Pulse Machine $60/treatment – this is on an as needed basis. Most of our horses that compete in the higher levels (3′ and up) get pulsed weekly. It increases blood flow, circulation, regenerates cells, helps with soreness and can sometimes be an early detection of issues arising.
Beemer Blanket Treatment $30. uses similar technology as the Pulse machine but the coils instead of placed on specific areas of the horse with voltage increased or decreased as the horse needs it are in a blanket on the areas that most horses need with an average strength voltage applied. There is no way to individualize the treatment and really get to one specific area more than another, nor gauge the reaction to help diagnose sore shoulders, backs , necks etc. Nonetheless with the same technology as the pulse machine applied to the most common areas it helps sore shoulders , hips, backs, and legs. It is less expensive for several reasons- the first being that the cost of the equipment is far less, the other is that the horse can be left unattended if tied in his stall, making it far less labor intensive. We use the blanket a lot when we are tight on time or /and the owner is trying to cut costs.
Walker– $25/day $85/ 5 days, $340/5 days per week for a month. It is discounted to $100/month unlimited uses to our full care horses. The Walker is a conditioning tool that keeps our horses sounder, in addition to their normal turn out and training program.
Treadmill-$25/20-30 minute session or $150/month for 8- 12 sessions/month
We have been testing out our new treadmill with a bunch of our horses, slowly introducing them to the concept. Fitness is important for any sport, and for horses who ultimately aren’t designed to do the job we ask them to do, fitness is paramount. We stress turn out for all of our horses and most of them go out all night in large fields. Nonetheless some of them despite the area still don’t move as much as they should. The walker is a great way to ensure that they move- I recommend all of our higher level horses be on the walker for a minimum of 5 days, regardless of turnout and riding. This increases circulation, stretches out soft tissue and keeps them quiet and relaxed.
The treadmill goes a step further. They obviously are moving but we have them working on an incline which is building or adding to a top line of strength and muscle. Great for horses inclined to pull themselves around instead of push ( which is most of them) We recommend all of our higher level horses add this conditioning aid to their horse’s program 2- 3 times per week. Note that you can do this yourself, riding them on the hills up and down for a half hour in addition to your regular riding, but fitting this in to your schedule gets tough…
This also is especially a useful tool for rehabbing horses with soft tissue injuries. They are conditioning on a consistent even footing on a straight line with minimal twisting but still loading the soft tissue; ligaments and tendons.
We will be charging $25 per 20-30 minute session or the discounted option of $150 per month for the recommended 2-3 times per week. A much reduced rate to entice our sport horse riders to take part.
Full Care- $550 with unlimited Walker and Treadmill use. Our grooms go over your horse when they first come in from being turned out, going over them from top to bottom, grooming or bathing as necessary, picking their feet and treating any irregularities, or bringing them to our attention. This prevents a lot of the skin fungus and thrush issues that occurs when they aren’t cared for regularly.
Lessons – Group- $95 Private- $125
Shoes $300+/4-6 weeks
Trimming– Whiskers/mane -$30. Body Clip -$150
Show Expenses:
Set Up Charge $75
Full Day Care- $100/day (if you aren’t there to take care of your horse)
Half Day Care- $50/day ( We assist you in the daily care of your horse)
Hotel Bills- Our Staff’s Hotel Expenses split among the clients attending that show, that week.
Supplies & Medications- $60 average for the use of our supplies and misc. medications not already billed
Omeprazole – $12/day An ulcer preventative given anytime the horse travels.
Groom Tip – $25-$100/week. This is optional.
Trailering to shows- $2.50 mile loaded. (If you were going only one way, which almost NEVER happens, there would be a $.75/mile empty charge)
These show expenses billed by Cedarhill are for either “A” or “C” shows. The show bill that you pay directly to the show might be different. “A” shows themselves are a bit more expensive per class but typically you do less classes, “A” show stalls are approximately $250 instead of $115. “A” Shows require braiding- an additional $125-200. Your average “A” show horse is a higher calibre more expensive animal than a “C” show horse.
Leasing a Horse:
While in the learning stage our riders need several different levels of horses before finally being able to settle on one, which is why leasing makes so much sense. Cedarhill has been in the business for a long time and over the years has sought out great options to lease for their riders. Our goal is for our riders to always be learning but to be competitive while doing so. Lease Prices for a competitive mount varies widely depending on the calibre from $10k/year to over $75k/year. We have a wide array of horses to suit many different levels of riders, nonetheless we sometimes need to search off the farm for the ideal one. Doing so requires us to utilize our network of contacts and dig deep to ensure that the horse is properly represented and is appropriate for our rider. Cedarhill charges a 15% commission in addition to the lease fee for this service, regardless if we find the ideal horse the first time out or spend months with countless trips in search of the right one. Horses being leased by one Cedarhill family from another split the fee, with each party paying Cedarhill 7.5% in addition to the lease. We don’t charge a commission for Cedarhill owned horses that are leased by our families.
Buying a Horse:
This is typically done once you have advanced to a point that you will be able to keep whatever horse you have for a minimum of 2-4 years. Horses that are competitive in our local “A” show circuit cost anywhere from $45k to $350k All depending on the division they are competing in. In addition to this is our commission of an additional 15% for all outside horses. Horses that belong to a Cedarhill family being purchased by another Cedarhill family split the fee, with each party paying Cedarhill 7.5%. We don’t charge a commission for Cedarhill owned horses that are purchased by our families.