Chrisreyn

Ill agree with what everyone else has already posted about getting good advise( trust your vet, farrier and take everyone else with a big dose of salt until you KNOW they know what they are talking about). A great saying about horses I heard years ago was that you could put 5 good knowledgable horsemen together, ask one question, and get 7 answers...........and none of them would be wrong......
I have been breeding, showing and starting horses for over 25 years, and am a past mounted law enforcement trainer.
The one thing to check on is local laws regarding horses, youd be suprised how many municipalities and townships are starting to require parade permits just to ride your horse down a gravel street...
in other words, many places are becoming so urbanized, they dont want horses around...so you wont run to many errands on horseback....
what are ya gonna do with your horse while you run inside the post office or bank? Even here in Kansas, there arent too many hitching posts around any more.

I take what I consider good, realistic care of mine, and average about $500 per yer per horse for hay( large round bales at $80 per ton), and about $600 per yer for grain( a complete feed to supplement nutrition they dont get form hay-if on green grass they wouldnt need this), Farrier bills run about $400 per year per horse, and vaccinations and worming about another $200 per year per horse. vet bills vary depending on which horse get stupid and to what degree, so cant tell you on that..
If you decide to go ahead and buy a horse, ride it several times first! Take it out away from "home" and see if its an animal you can get along with. If the seller wont let you or is hesitant to have you ride it, thats a sign to move on.They have distinct personalitys just like people, and some will suit your riding style and the things you want to do better than others. Its a buyers market big time right now, so shop around and find one that realy suits you and your personality.
CD Reyn
RedHawk Stables
Foundation Quarter Horses( nothing for sale!)

roughstock

One of the other posters mentioned it earlier: Horses are out to hurt themselves. The more money you spend, the more likely it is to hurt itself.
Ive seen high dollar horses with wounds that look like they were in a chainsaw accident, but yet I see some old nag out in a farm yard, with rusty old sharp farm machinery and tons of junk and the horse is fine.

Hopalong

Isn't that the truth?!
My neighbor gets a couple horses to run around his place in the spring to eat his weeds. He's got downed, tore up barbed wire all over the place. The aforementioned rusty old farm equipment everywhere. Squirrel holes, tree roots, erosion ditches, and cliff drop offs. Those horses never have a hair out of place.
My back pastures are flat, well manicured, immaculate. I'm constantly out there looking for the next accident before it happens.
Sure 'nough if old Skippy wouldn't come in with a stick in his eye, and one leg swole up like an elephant.

moparguy

As a qualifier, we have horses, 4 at the moment, and I raise and sell horse hay (60lb. squares).

The advise I usually give when asked about buying a first horse; To get a feel for horse ownership, every couple of weeks while driving down the road, roll the window down and toss 50 or 60 bucks out the window. Then every other month or so, throw an extra hundred out.

Then to totally satisfy the horse genie, buy a $40,000 or $50,000 dually, a $30,000 trailer (the first one you buy will be too small and too cheap, so just pony up the bucks the first time), build a $30,000 barn and just to complete the picture spend $5,000 or so on tack.

Oh, also plan on picking up hay on the hottest day of the year. 1 horse, 100 bales will usually do for a start.

Then you can bask in the satisfaction of being a horse owner.

Or, just ride with friends who have several horses and really are glad for your help in creating wet saddle blankets.

Good luck,

RJR