Irish Draughts, sport foals, cobs, broodmares - what they're making now, and the real costs behind the halter.
Ranges below are indicative, reflecting condition, breeding, vetting, and seasonality.
Typical Irish costs. Geography, forage quality, and wintering choices change the maths.
| Category | Typical Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feed (hard feed + forage) | €180-€300 / month | Winter bumps this. Easy keepers lower end; competition work higher. |
| Farrier | €50-€120 every 6-8 wks | Trim vs fronts vs full set dictates price. |
| Vet (annual + emergencies) | €300-€2,000+ / year | Colic, dental, lameness can spike costs overnight. |
| Bedding | €70-€120 / month | Straw cheapest; hemp/shavings cleaner, time-saving. |
| Livery | €250-€700+ / month | DIY vs part/full. Rural vs city rings. |
| Insurance & Transport | €200-€900 / year | Road tax/tyres/box maintenance not included. |
Reality check: A €4,000 horse can cost €8,000+ per year to keep, before upgrades, training, or competing.
It's pitch dark and the wind cuts through the yard like a knife. The rug's soaked again. The latch you swore you fixed is hanging by one screw. You're boot-deep in mud, and the mare that never kicks just planted one on the gate instead of your shin by half an inch.
You call the farrier; voicemail. "Back Monday." The shoe is hanging by a nail, clinking against the concrete like a bell that only rings when the bill is due. You hold your breath and tack it back together because there's a lesson pony waiting on Saturday and you promised she'd be safe.
You've walked colic in the rain, counted ribs under a rug that 'looked fine last week', paid for a scan on a mare that didn't take, and watched a bright foal stumble because that's what foals do when you've got a day job and a broken fence post. You love them. You pay for that love in hours, in diesel, in call-out fees, and always in the exact week the jeep needs tyres.
You're not quitting horses. Not today, not ever. But you need something on the farm that pays when the shows get rained off and the mart is quiet. Something that doesn't colic at midnight.
Hemp can be that ballast. It grows while you work. It's measured in days and kilos, not in the fragile moods of weather and withers. It won't jump a fence, kick a gate, or swallow a shoe. Ninety to one-twenty days, harvest, invoice, repeat. We'll help you plan it, grow it, and sell it - clean, legal, and simple.
Locks ammonia and moisture fast. Fewer full muck-outs, better air.
Better for COPD and stable staff. Horses breathe easier, so do you.
Pull the wet patches, leave the dry. Stable jobs take minutes, not hours.
Breaks down fast, returns to the soil. Fields like it more than shavings.
Fewer muck-outs + simple rotations = hours saved every week when you're short-staffed.
Predictable seasonal cheques to offset surprise vet or transport costs.
Low dust in stables helps sensitive horses and people alike.
Compost returns fibre and carbon to the ground. Less waste, more value.
