Horse Instead of Car: The Real Cost

Alisa Carmody lives in the village of Poroshkino (Leningrad Oblast), a few kilometers from the Parnas metro station. And the horse Lorentsia lives at her home — in a specially built house in the yard.

In April, when internet problems started again in the city, Alisa was stuck in a traffic jam. The only available resource to pass the time turned out to be a free classifieds website.

«I open this website — and there’s the horse of my dreams looking at me,» Alisa told Fontanka. «The very one I dreamed of since childhood. The price — 90,000 rubles ($1,000 at current rates). And I thought that I can generally afford such a luxury.»

Her condition is excellent, not beaten, not painted. After the first owner, she ended up in rental. From there, a horse has two paths: to slaughter or to be a beloved pet. Lorentsia was lucky; she was bought out by a woman who knows horses and took up her rehabilitation. You could say Alisa got the animal after a major overhaul. Lorentsia’s breed is the most common — the Russian Trotter. She is 23 years old, by horse standards she is elderly. But with good care, horses live up to 30 years. Motorists call such a set of specifications a «workhorse».

Like a car, a horse must be registered. Only not with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (GIBDD), but in the Merkuriy (Mercury) system, where all farm animals are registered. Before moving a horse from one district to another, you must notify the local veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological services, and at the new location, call a local veterinarian who will assess the conditions for keeping the horse. Only after that will you be issued a permit for the animal’s relocation.

But, in fact, it will be able to move only after a month, during which it must stay in quarantine. The horse will have tests taken, to ensure it is completely healthy and is traveling from an epidemiologically safe area to an equally safe area.

That is, from the 90,000 rubles that Alisa paid for the horse to its previous owner, the expenses only began.

«The horse trailer for transporting Lorentsia cost me about 20,000 rubles ($222 at current rates),» the woman says. «The cost depends on mileage, roughly 80 rubles per kilometer ($0.89 at current rates). For quarantine stay, you usually also have to pay; on the classifieds website, such a service costs about 16,000 rubles per month ($178 at current rates), plus feed and farrier services. I was lucky, and Lorentsia was not only kept in quarantine for free, but also provided with feed for the first time.»

The house — a garden tent lined with board — cost about 14,000 rubles ($156 at current rates), the wooden fence around the paddock — another 10,000 ($111 at current rates). Insulating the house for winter will cost another 15,000 ($167 at current rates).

A separate expense item is tack. Basic minimum: halter — from 1,500 rubles ($17 at current rates), bridle — 2,500 ($28 at current rates), saddle — about 20,000 ($222 at current rates), saddle pad — from 1,500 ($17 at current rates), rain blanket — from 3,500 ($39 at current rates), fleece blanket worn after the animal has worked and sweated — also from 3,500 ($39 at current rates).

«I am sure there will be horsemen who say, «That can»t be,«» Alisa says. «For horsemen from big sport, each saddle probably costs more than the horse. I bought a saddle that fits my horse specifically from the previous owner for 25,000 rubles ($278 at current rates) and a bridle for another 1,500. And now I ordered another set of tack for 20,000 ($222 at current rates).»

Even if the horse does not work on hard ground and does not need shoes, it will still need the services of a farrier. Hooves, like nails, grow and need to be trimmed (cleaned). This procedure costs from 2,500–3,000 rubles ($28–33 at current rates) depending on the farrier’s experience. Lorentsia needs it every month and a half.

The basis of horse nutrition is hay. If you buy hay off-season and in a hurry, it will cost 10,000 rubles ($111 at current rates) per month. «Now I’ll have hay delivered that is specially mowed for me in Karelia (a republic in northwestern Russia), 50 bales for 20,000 ($222 at current rates). That will last until about October,» Alisa says.

Besides hay, compound feed and supplements are needed. Alisa uses the same classifieds site to get brewers« mash for Lorentsia. Supplements and compound feed — 2,500 rubles ($28 at current rates) per month.

Every three months, the horse needs to be treated for parasites — this costs 600 rubles ($7 at current rates). And once a year — vaccinations; before moving to a new home, it cost 3,000 rubles ($33 at current rates) including tests.

Another significant resource that will have to be spent on a horse is time. At least one hour a day: exercise, socialize, walk. A «horse nanny» helps out — a girl who walks the horse for free, just for the opportunity to ride it.

«Now I have to plan my life — business trips and vacations — taking into account the horse’s interests,» Alisa says. «But I have a neighbor who got a dog, and it seems she spends about the same amount on keeping and training that dog as I do on the horse, plus she has to walk it four hours a day because the dog is young and active.»

Overall, the level of expenses is quite comparable to maintaining a car. True, when it comes to speed and distance, the horse is certainly no match for a car.

«A trip to the store three kilometers from home takes me about 20 minutes on horseback or 35 minutes on foot,» she says. «While I’m in the store, Lorentsia gets «in-flight refueling»: everyone vies to treat her to a carrot. The longest ride so far took us 3 hours and 25 minutes: we rode to the lake, swam, walked through the forest, and on the way back stopped at the store and returned home. But if fuel suddenly disappears entirely, Lorentsia could fully cover all my transportation needs.»

A bonus to the horse is free «manure fitness» — regular physical exercise when cleaning the stall. And during walks and trips for groceries, if a sudden ballast drop happens, Alisa stops and collects the droppings with a scoop into a bag. But unfortunately, not all riders do this.

«Overall, my story with Lorentsia is about how I dreamed all my life of getting a horse when I grew up,» Alisa says. «And then I saw her and thought: «So, I’ve already grown up, I’m 38. Can I already have a horse?» And I allowed myself this horse and became a million times happier than I was without her.»