How Much Does A Thoroughbred Horse Cost?

In the 17th to 18th century, the Thoroughbred horse was developed in England. When the native mares and stallions of Arabians, Turkoman, or Barb crossbred, the Thoroughbred was produced.

In the 17th-18th century, the stallions were imported to England, Thoroughbred breeds were spread all over the world during the 18th-19th century, in 1730, they were imported to North America, and in the 19th century, they were imported to Europe, Australia, Japan, and South America.

How Much Does A Thoroughbred Horse Cost?

Generally, the Thoroughbred horse breed is so expensive. The cost of a Thoroughbred with championship quality is about $100,000 to $300,000 and more. The annual expenses after buying may go up to $45,000.

You can easily find the top Thorough racehorse at this range if the breeder guides you well. It is competitive to buy a Thoroughbred horse and the price varies depending upon their breed, age, health, body structure, performance, and where you buy from.

Buying a Thoroughbred horse is the most exciting deal for you. Seeing your horse leading the stretch is the best feeling.

If you join a crew like Little Red Feather Racing, you can buy 5% and distribute the above costs. This process is managed professionally.

With this partnership, you can get $15,000 upfront and you can spread your risk up to 5% yearly and you can purchase more than one horse at less price. 

Maintenance cost

The Thorough horse has gained so much popularity in the last few years because of its unmatched qualities. This breed is hot-blooded.

They are mostly used for show jumping, fox hunting, combined training, racing, dressage, and polo game. They have a good spirit, speed, and agility.

They are slim, tall, and flexible. Because they are a little different from other breeds, so they need extra care. To raise them is pretty expensive. This breed belongs to the most expensive horse breed and they are usually sold at auctions.

The upkeep cost of a Thoroughbred horse is so high because they are professional. The cost is different for each owner.

The rising cost would be around $40,000 to $60,000. The estimated cost includes medical expenditure, training, and other necessary charges. As you know, the medical charge is not the same all the time, so depending upon the fact, the maintenance cost may go up. 

Thoroughbred Horse Training cost

Good training is necessary to get them in the race. First, you have to hire a professional trainer for them. The trainer would charge you about $35000 annually to train your horse. 

Shoe cost

They need shoes for their race competition and the shoes are so pricey. You have to spend at least $4750 on the shoe

Medical cost

Like training cost, the vet cost is also uncertain. Because they are racehorses, they get injuries more easily than other horses.

They need minerals and vitamins when they get sick to keep going. The injection to cure tissue-damaging costs $60 each. In addition, they may suffer from a sore leg problem, internal damage, and congestion due to their lack of bed rest habits.

The vet cost is not cheap anyways. The annual vet cost goes up to $250 to $400 approximately. Besides this, the dentist’s cost is separately charged. 

Jockey cost

The minimum cost of a jockey is around $100 in the USA. If you want to get your Thoroughbred into a race, then it is compulsory to buy jockeys.

Thoroughbred Horse Food cost

As a racehorse, the Thoroughbred horse needs 35,000 calories a day, twice what a regular horse needs. They should be fed the typical grain (oats) twice or thrice a day. 

You have to add some supplements to their diet. Like other breeds, you can allow them to graze in grasslands. You have to spend around $60 to $120 per month about their supplements, hays, and grains.

Pasture cost

To reduce hay cost and better horse grazing, you have to provide them proper pasture on a small land.

Many horse owners prefer to provide pasture to their horses, but it is also necessary to maintain the pasture and provide high-quality foodstuff to your horse.

For a single Thoroughbred, approximately 600 square feet is the ideal pasture area. To make the pasture better, you have to cut grass up to 3-4 inches, use fertilizer, and install high traffic area pads.

If you do not have sufficient time or money to make a pasture, you should board a horse pasture. It will cost you up to $100 to $350 per month. With an aboard pasture facility, your Thoroughbred can stay at the pasture with water and food 24/7.  

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Others Cost

Unavoidable costs after buying a thoroughbred are commission, legal, transportation, insurance, and sales tax. State to state, the cost varies. 

Commission fee

Through the help of brokers, the thoroughbred horse can be brought from auctions. The brokers demand a commission fee. They charge 5% to 10% per horse about their actual price.

Sales tax

The sales tax cost depends upon the state you live in. The rules are different according to different states. The state government would charge you 10% of the total price of the horse. 

Legal fee

As you already know, you have to invest a high amount for buying a thoroughbred, people like to have a deal professionally for a discount. A relevant authority makes a legal contract, and both parties have to sign the contract. When you buy the thoroughbred, you have to pay the fee. The legal fee can’t be estimated. It depends upon the deal and the price of the horse. 

Insurance Cost

Firstly you have to ensure your horse gets a cover from the unpredicted event. Only the insurance provider can provide the estimate.

Partial sharing cost of a Thoroughbred horse

Many people invest money in partial sharing of Thoroughbreds because of the excess cost of this breed. Through partial shares, you can cut down the buying cost.

The cut-down cost depends upon the amount that you want to pay. For example, you have to pay $10,000 for an investment of 5%.  

Factors that affect the cost of Thoroughbred

Before you buy a Thoroughbred horse, you should do proper research about the breed and its market price.

There are few elements that can influence the cost of a Thorough horse like other horses. Age, Racing record, Trains or not, Pedigree, Reputation, Amount of prize money the horse has won yet are some of those elements that you should know about the horse.

Age and body structure

Age is one of the important elements that can affect the cost of a Thoroughbred. Compared to the baby horses and the older horses, the horse which is in its peak age for racing is more expensive.

According to research, the peak age of a racehorse is 4.5 years old. They have slim bodies, short backs, delicate heads, and broad chests.

For a long step, their short leg bone helps. They are highly spiritual and subtle. Generally, they are in white, black, grey, bay, and chestnut colors.

The Bay horses have darker manes and legs. Thoroughbred horses have white markings on their legs and faces. Their height is around 15.2 to 17.0 hands. 

Pedigree

The bloodline plays a very important role in influencing the cost of a Thoroughbred horse. Horses with the best hereditary are the most expensive ones.

There is a registry for all horses, where you can find their identity and hereditary details, which you can look after before buying a horse.

Racing record

For bringing the cost down or up, the racing record plays a very important role. With more race won records, the price of Thoroughbred horses would definitely be higher.

In the past, a Thoroughbred horse won the Guinness World record by running at the speed of 77.6km per hour. In 2007, a Thoroughbred horse earned $1,217,854,602, and an average earning of $16,924 per starter.  

Reputation

Comparing horses with an average and good reputation, the well-reputed Thoroughbred horse makes you get a huge amount of money. 

The amount of prize money the horse has own yet

As we know, these horses are meant for racing, their cost also depends upon their past plays and ranking. The more prizes they win, the cost increases more.

Trained or not

Obviously, the trained horses have an extra chance of winning. A hired professional trainer charges a lot. So the high selling price occurs.    

Conclusion

The Thoroughbred horses are so expensive because they are known as professional racing horses. To buy one Thoroughbred horse, it can’t be possible to estimate the cost you have to pay. An Auction purchased by Thoroughbred may cost you above $300,000. Their rising expenditure is also expensive. Attempt horse racing is expensive as well as financially risky. Another hand is a rewarding sport and the most exciting game. Although you have to spend a lot of money to buy a Thoroughbred. But you can also make a huge amount of money. Only you have to be patient, believe in luck, and gain knowledge about the racing industry.