Mrs Jackaroo

I used to go horse riding as a child (long time ago!) and would love to take it up again when we move to Oz in January - Richmond (Hawkesbury) NSW. I've been taking my little girl for the last couple of months and she loves it, but haven't gotten around to doing it myself yet (and probably couldn't afford it on a regular basis anyway!).

I was just wondering if any of you go horse riding and if so what sort of prices do you pay?

Another question I have is whether or not horse riding clothing etc is cheaper over there? We were planning on buying all the gear for our little one for Christmas but if its a lot cheaper over there we'll wait.

TIA!

Rach xxxx

Mercedes

Yes, even got myself a horse. I found it much cheaper than UK, but that was because I lived in Melbourne and found a farmer who let me keep him on his land. I even liked riding better over there, probably due to the weather.

The Johnstons

Hi Rach!

My daughter (she's 8) has been riding for a couple of years here in Scotland and I've been researching stables/riding schools in Perth for her as she's mad about horses. I've looked at equipment on the web too and it seems to be cheaper to kit yourself out in Aus. On this Aus site http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products_...20apparel.html a velvet riding hats costs $62.95 but in the UK it's around £60 from this site http://www.saddler.co.uk/acatalog/Ju...iding_Hat.html.

In general most things look a bit cheaper - might even take it up myself
TJ

Bella Donna

Can't help on the gear, and as we're in WA this may not help either, but we've started taking our dd to a school down near Golden Bay. She has no experience as such, but can go trail riding there for $20 per hour, or have a formal riding lesson for $25 per hour.

We think this is pretty reasonable - doubt it would have been so cheap in the UK.

Sue

Hutch

My big sister is an obsessive horse-rider. Keeps her own nag on this really nice ranch - www.horseriding.au.com/ - they do lessons and stuff too. Pretty amazing place.

paulb

The wife has a horse (used to have 3) and is devastated about leaving her, when we go to Oz next week. We hope to be able to have her flown over once we get sorted with some land or a yard for her to be stabled.

michelle-leicester-perth

hi all thats so weird i was just logged on to ask a similler question! i live in leicester now and ride a horse i have on loan nearly every day! had my own till the kids came along, but didnt want to buy another as i know i would hate leaving it behind and couldnt afford to ship over! i would love to buy another in perth as soon as we are settled, both my kids ride every other week and have private lessons, so would love a pony too!
the question i was going to ask is if anyone knows of any good stable yards for livery(diy) in south perth(near rockingham)?? and what the prices were like for keeping horses over there.
i will take all my horse riding gear over, but have been told by shippers to leave behind grooming kit etc due to customs being funny about things like that! any way nice new horse needs a nice new kit!! also wondering if there are local competitions and gymkanas for the kids??
will look at the links you have all put up, thanks for that, gave me a head start allready!!
i'm sure as all horse lovers will know, that its in the blood and no matter where on this earth i live, i will allways want horses and countryside around me! cant wait to gallop along the beach! cant do that in leicester! haha
bye for now
from michellexx

Fiona&malc

My daughter goes for riding lessons every week here and is in the Pony Club, we are in Victoria, so dont know about prices in WA but for her weekly lesson we pay $30 plus GST for an hours lesson which usually lasts 1 1/2 hrs !!!!
I get all Louises riding gear from Horseland , check out www.horseland.com.au its really good and you can also buy second hand saddles etc from them too, have a look
Its much more enjoyable riding over here because of the weather, but the dust is a killer !!!!

Wal10

Hi,

I'll try to be as objective as possible in giving you the run-down on horses in Aus. Obviously Aus is so big that different regions have different pros and cons, and also as riders we all have different aims and requirements from equestrianism. You'll make up your own mind when you get here I'm sure, and you might find that being around horses in Aus suits you if you can find EXACTLY the right place to live. Also, if you just want to ride for an hour a week at a riding school, that is a very different kettle of fish to keeping your own horse. I personally have struggled to find enough positives to outweigh the many negatives of keeping horses in Australia, and it can be a struggle to find the fun element.

I lived in Bridgend, South Wales 37 years, owned my own horses the last 26 years which I used for competing at show jumping and hunter trialling as well as all riding club activities. I would consider myself to have real staying power in the riding world having overcome major obstacles to be able to own, keep and compete my ponies and horses (non-horsy parents). I carried on riding when my children were born, and have continued riding and competing after acquiring a disability. Suffice to say - I'm no wimp when it comes to facing adversity!! I am also a BHS instructor.

I brought all my gear to Aus with me, but not my horse as she would never have coped with the climate change. Buying all the kit is slightly cheaper than the equivalent in pounds, but once you start earning aus dollars at a lower rate it costs about the same.

You can buy run of the mill TBs at an obscenely cheap price here as there is such an overspill from the racing industry. You'll pay a lot more for stock horses, quarter horses, and anything with a talent or enough presence and quality to show.

If you don't own your own place basic agistment (diy livery) can be cheap, starting around $25 a week for your own bare paddock (approx 1/4 acre) with a sunshade area. You'll then have to feed hay and supplements. Shared agistment puts your horse on a bigger space, sometimes with a bit of grass to pick at, and can cost about the same, but can cause big problems when there's not enough grass and you have to feed hay. Decent agistment can cost up to $100 a week. And for the equivalent of British full livery you can pay a lot more. Spelling (grass tack / turned away) starts at $25, is likely to have many acres shared with many horses and sometimes as plenty of grass. Spelling tends to be further out from populated areas and it can be difficult to keep a horse in work.

The biggest shocker cost wise is THE PRICE OF HAY. And in many areas they feed a lot more hay here than in the UK, as there are many months of the year with no grass.

Another big cost is shoeing, and the hassle of getting a farrier to travel the distances make it that some Aussies trim and shoe their own!

Something that us Brits can easily under-estimate is the flies. Hats with corks on really don't seem that silly once you start messing around with horses. Also, the multitude of flies makes for a multitude of well-fed spiders in the horse sheds. Those of you who already keep horses in the UK, imagine the hottest UK summer day, your horse is sweating after work, and you're both being driven scatty by the flies on your way back to the yard. Well if you multiply that by 10 you can imagine the flies around horses in Australia. In the northern areas that's every day of the year, and further south that can be between 6 and 9 months of the year. Most people here work their horses at dawn, in fact where I am the racehorses are on the track at 3.30am long before it gets light.

Another thing to consider is that if you or your kids are going to be competing, the distances you have to cover can be enormous, and can equate to driving from Scotland to Cornwall to go to a standard show. There's a good reason why the top Australian riders spend so much time competing in the UK!! Perth, however, has a lot going on at the State Eq Centre in Brigadoon, and has enough going on within a 2 hour distance to keep you busy in show jumping, dressage and showing, but if you're on the eventing scene you'll need to prepare yourself for travelling the whole of WA, especially Perth and southwards. Victoria also has a big competition scene in a relatively small area (compared to other parts of Aus).

Beaches close to the cities tend to specify 'no horses', and the designated animal exercise beaches mean a drive in the float. There are places in Aus where green acres roll down to the sandy beaches, with few flies, but unfortunately the millionaires got there first!! There are affordable places like that in certain parts, but they will be miles from anywhere and with few of the facilities that many Brits take for granted.

Buying your own place to keep horses in Aus is a subject of its own which I could ramble on about all day, but my fingers will not hold out in typing that much right now.

All in all Australia is really not the ideal place to keep horses, unless you're right down south where the climate is more like the UK.

I am however digging deep to finish on a positive note here! You can learn many different styles of horsemanship in Aus compared to UK, and there is a great variety of competitions on offer here, giving a mix of English and Western style competitions (if you're prepared to travel the distances). Also, the horses here are more lethargic due to the heat, and can be quieter to learn on for those who are thinking of taking up riding for the first time. If you're taking lessons though be sure to check on their insurance details, as I've found that the Aussies are not as hot on insurance as in the UK.

Y.

michelle-leicester-perth

wow, that really helps so much, thankyou! certainly alot to think about, i never thought of all those downsides! but i can see where you are coming from! maybe wont be such a dream come true after all , maybe the kids and i will make do witht the odd trailride in stead of horse ownership!!
thanks again
michelle

kamm1

Many thanks for your honest opinion, we have talked about different options and it seems that you still need a lot of money and time if you want to have your own land! Although the yard that i ride at costs £460 a month for full livery so it does sound cheaper over there!

Welshie

Great..been looking somewhere to keep horses near the Gong... looks a great place!

woodyinoz

Thars a great price for lessons. I have been quoted $30 for 1/2 an hour. Where is it???

The thing that I hated on Sunday when I went riding was the flies

I reckon I wasn't hungry after as I ate soo many of the things. I still think that one is living in my ear

NJJ

No but I watch a lot of horse racing if thats any help