Pick your state, how your horse lives, and what you do together. We build a low, typical and high monthly budget from dated public sources: regional board surveys, USDA hay reports, the American Farriers Journal benchmark, AAEP vaccine guidance and 2026 prize lists.
Full board alone typically runs $350-$1,250 a month at US barns that publish prices, with a median of about $650. Pasture board runs $250-$750. Keeping a horse at home runs about $450-$900 once hay, farrier, vet, a reserve and upkeep are counted.
Board, by a wide margin, for anyone who does not own land.
Typically $450-$900 a month once you count hay, feed, farrier, routine vet, a reserve for emergencies and property upkeep.
Vets suggest setting aside around $6,500 a year for health costs. Colic surgery at US university hospitals now averages about $9,700-$11,500.
The American Farriers Journal 2026 benchmark puts a four-foot trim at $61 and a full set of keg shoes at $184 on average.
By October 2026 statewide board medians, the five lowest are Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas and Montana, all under $365 a month.