this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2025
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I wonder what's the break-even cost of gas when it's more affordable to go back to horses again.
To people who had never known any other way to travel than on foot, the horse was a major upgrade. To people accustomed to mechanized transportation, the horse is a major downgrade. Maintenance costs are one thing but the time requirements are what really makes it not affordable.
I think I'd you get a horse it'd be because you're into the 'hobby' of taking care of animals and everything that entails.
There’s a reason we have the term ‘horse money’, let’s put it like that.
You take a chihuahua to the vet, it’s going to cost you a couple hundred bucks. But a horse isn’t a chihuahua. The bills scale exponentially. Then there’s the stabling costs, transportation, farrier, tack, etc. Etc. Buying a horse is the dumbest thing you can do except for buying a boat.
Basically, all in, figure on something between 8k and 10k per year. Assuming good health, you can ride a horse daily, but they’re not exactly convenient for your grocery shopping. Though I have done a drive through on one :D
So a horse is cheaper than a car. The average yearly cost of car ownership in the us is around $12k in the US.
This includes car depreciation, insurance, maintenance ...
.. and you cannot eat a car after an accident!
True! Not to mention depreciation. But I guess you'd also have to consider the horse has a hard limit of working time before you have to replace them.
Ok, so 15K miles/year isn't uncommon, 3USD/gallon is close to average, 25 mpg is optimistic.
So currently the average american is paying 1,800 for 600 gallons a year. So roughly 5x, without considering cost of maintenance and depreciation.
But then you have bikes. A Honda Wave gets like 160 mpg.
Fuck, I forgot about bikes. You're right, bikes are the real deal breaker for horses.
Hell, forget motorbikes, even bicycles would make it hard to justify horse costs. And I bet they are superior for range and speed (average, at least, not so sure about max, and obviously it requires a rider in good enough shape, but I think you'll get there if you ride regularly, assuming no disabilities).
But they don't nuzzle you happily when they see you.
From what I recall horses require:
Keep in mind that I'm not involved with horses at all, this is just what I've learned with my exposure to them on the Internet
Picturing you riding a horse that is riding another horse. Extended range upgrade?
Though on a serious note, there's also the horse itself and its training (to be ridden and not freak out about things, training it to ride another horse or series of horses optional).
I mean, to be fair, you also have to learn how to ride bikes and motorcycles. But those would be much cheaper too.
There's a family near me in the UK which rides a horse and trap round town. See them parked at the supermarket all the time.