Budgeting and Planning for Horse Expenses

Ask The Horse

Do you feel like you can’t afford your horse? You’re not alone. Understand how to manage horse expenses to lessen the stress of horse keeping.

The cost of horse ownership varies from region to region, but even basic expenses such as feed, bedding, and routine veterinary and farrier care can be very costly. Emergency veterinary expenses can soar depending on the illness or injury. Preparing for routine expenses and potential emergencies by budgeting can help horse owners obtain financial security for costs associated with horse ownership. In this episode of Ask TheHorse Live, two experts join us to answer common questions about budgeting and planning for horse expenses.

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About the Experts:

Jorge L. Colón, DVM, MBA, is an associate professor of practice in financial and organizational management at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), in Ithaca, New York, and serves as the director of business education for the Cornell Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship. He received his BS and DVM from Cornell and his MBA from the College of Business at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins. Colón spent the first 25 years of his professional veterinary career as an equine ambulatory veterinarian in Lexington, Kentucky, concentrating in the areas of equine reproduction, neonatology, radiology, and Thoroughbred sales. He transitioned into academia in 2020, where he is now tasked with the development and implementation of the veterinary business educational curriculum at the Cornell CVM and with the management and administration of the Cornell CVBE Certificate in Veterinary Business and Management.

Wendy Krebs, DVM, is a partner at Bend Equine Medical Center in Bend, Oregon. She grew up in Western Oregon, where she participated first in 4-H and later in eventing. She graduated from Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine, in Corvallis, in 2002 and performed a yearlong equine internship, followed by a four-year American College of Veterinary Surgeons equine surgery residency. Her practice interests include surgery and performance horse care, as well as comprehensive preventive care. She lives on a small working ranch in Tumalo with her husband, two young children, and a bevy of animals, including nine horses. She enjoys riding her Oldenburg mare, Aria, emergency-schedule permitting.