How Much to Replace Car With Horse?

Alisa Karmodi lives in the village of Poroshkino, a few kilometers from the Parnas metro station. The horse Lorentsiya lives at her home — in a specially built little house in the yard.

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

«I open this site, 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 ($900 at current rates). And I thought I could generally afford such a luxury.»

Her condition is excellent, not beaten, not painted. After the first owner, she ended up in a rental stable. From there, a horse has two paths: to slaughter or to be a pet. Lorentsiya was lucky; she was bought by a woman who knows horses and took up her rehabilitation. One could say Alisa got the animal after a complete overhaul. Lorentsiya«s breed is the most ordinary — 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. Just not with the traffic police (GIBDD), but in the Mercury system, where all farm animals are recorded. 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 horse«s living conditions. 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 will have to be in quarantine. The horse will undergo tests to ensure it is completely healthy and is moving from an epidemiologically safe area to an equally safe area.

So, with the 90,000 rubles ($900) that Alisa paid to the horse«s previous owner, the expenses were just beginning.

«The horse trailer for transporting Lorentsiya cost me about 20,000 rubles ($200),» the woman says. «The cost depends on the mileage, about 80 rubles ($0.80) per kilometer. For quarantine stay, you usually have to pay too; on the classified ads site such a service costs about 16,000 rubles ($160) per month, plus feed and farrier services. I was lucky, and not only was Lorentsiya kept in quarantine for free, but they also supplied her with feed for the first while.»

The little house — a garden tent covered with boards — cost about 14,000 rubles ($140), the wooden fencing around the paddock — another 10,000 rubles ($100). Insulating the house for winter will take another 15,000 rubles ($150).

A separate expense item is tack. Basic minimum: halter — from 1,500 rubles ($15), bridle — 2,500 rubles ($25), saddle — about 20,000 rubles ($200), saddle pad (placed under the saddle) — from 1,500 rubles ($15), rain sheet — from 3,500 rubles ($35), fleece cooler (put on after the animal has worked and sweated) — also from 3,500 rubles ($35).

«I«m sure there will be horse people who will say, \»That«s impossible,\»» Alisa says. «For horse people from big-time sports, each saddle probably costs more than the horse. I bought a saddle that fits my horse from the previous owner for 25,000 rubles ($250) and a bridle for another 1,500 rubles ($15). And now I«ve ordered another set of tack for 20,000 rubles ($200).»

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 ($25–$30) depending on the farrier«s experience. For Lorentsiya, it needs to be done once every month and a half.

The basis of a horse«s diet is hay. If you buy hay out of season and in a hurry, it will cost 10,000 rubles ($100) per month. «Now they will bring me hay that is specially mown for me in Karelia, 50 bales for 20,000 rubles ($200). That should last until about October,» Alisa says.

In addition to hay, compound feed and dietary supplements are needed. Alisa uses the same classifieds site to get brewers« grains for Lorentsiya. Supplements and compound feed cost 2,500 rubles ($25) per month.

Once every three months, the horse needs to be dewormed — that costs 600 rubles ($6). And once a year, it needs vaccinations; before moving to a new home, that cost 3,000 rubles ($30) including tests.

Another substantial resource that has to be spent on a horse is time. At least an hour a day: to give exercise, socialize, and walk. A «horse sitter» helps out — a girl who walks the horse for free, just for the opportunity to ride it.

«Now you have to plan your life — business trips and vacations — with the horse«s interests in mind,» Alisa says. «But I have a neighbor who got a dog, and it seems she spends about the same amount of money on the dog»s care and training as I do on the horse, plus she has to walk it for 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 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, Lorentsiya gets a »refueling in midair« — everyone vies to treat her with a carrot. The longest ride we»ve had so far took 3 hours 25 minutes: we went to the lake, swam, walked in the forest, and on the way back stopped at the store and returned home. But if fuel suddenly disappears altogether, Lorentsiya can fully cover all my transportation needs.»

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

«Overall, my story with Lorentsiya 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»m already grown up, I«m 38. Can I have a horse now?\» And I allowed myself this horse and became a million times happier than I was without her.»