How much is it to keep and feed two shetland ponys?

Answer 1

The cost will vary from year to year as prices fluctuate and according to where you live and the prices in that area. Shetland ponies typically weigh about 450 pounds and ponies should eat roughly 1.5 to 1.8% of their body-weight in feed daily (it's 1.5-3% for horses) This works out to 7 to 8 pounds of hay per Shetland per day, or 5,840 pounds (using the 8 pounds per day) per year for both. In my area that would cost $1,314 dollars per year in hay. Shetlands typically don't need hard feeds, but you should add a vitamin and mineral supplement to balance out the forage, this can run from $50 to $1,000 per year according to which product you use. Farriers often give discounts for small ponies but budget for no less than $30 per trim and 12 trims per year, which would run $720 for two ponies. Vaccines, vet visits and dental care can run about $900 per pony per year, so $1800 per year total. Then add another $500 for things like dewormer, sand colic treatments, fly spray and the like. This brings a total up to $4,384 for the year so far and does not include bedding or possible boarding fees.