Are horses becoming unaffordable? “The hobby is destroying itself”

The high costs are no exception, the hobby of riding is becoming more and more expensive. 1,600 to 1,800 euros a month – that's how much horse owner Flemming Kreckel pays for his two animals.

Hamm – “Horses should be for everyone, right?” asks Klaus Gräve with doubt in his voice. But the costs for horse owners have increased significantly with the new fee schedule for veterinarians. The show jumper owns it Gräve equestrian center in Werries, his doubts are shared by many of his colleagues. “The costs have doubled,” says Vanessa Lödding from Gut Lödding in Hamm-Mitte. Parts of the increased Costs are not understandable for many horse ownerswrites calf.

Are horses becoming unaffordable? “The hobby is destroying itself”

The new fee schedule has been in effect for about a year, and now the President of the German Equestrian Association (FN), Hans-Joachim Erbel, has called for urgent changes. Erbel criticized the fact that the fees had not been increased by around 20 to 30 percent, but the costs are significantly higher. There were almost 100,000 signatures for the association's petition against the veterinary fee schedule.

The costs are rising, especially for horse owners, emphasized FN President Erbel: A home visit fee of 34.50 euros is now due per horse, even if several animals are examined in the same stable. And that's just the first fee. “If riding is supposed to remain a popular sport, then we are heading in the wrong direction,” says Maike Gahr from the active stable “HerzensGut” in Flierich.

Financial risk for horse owners – high bills for the vet

The increased costs increase the risk for horse owners of becoming financially overwhelmed. “We notice that the wrong people are being hit,” says Maike Gahr’s husband Henning Gahr. Small farms and individual horse owners do not have the opportunity to conclude framework agreements with veterinarians. In order to save fees, horse owners drive their animals to the vet themselves instead of using the home visit service. But that brings with it further problems. For transport, the owners need a trailer and the appropriate driving license, the veterinarians need the clinic rooms to treat the horses in their practice and the appropriate parking spaces.

Ricarda Müller from the veterinary practice in Rhynern confirms that more horses are coming to her practice – but there aren't many yet. Owners more often come with their slightly smaller farm animals such as alpacas or sheep. With 28 horses, Vanessa Lödding from Gut Lödding does not have the opportunity to drive the animals individually to the vet. “We organize collection appointments,” she explains, so at least some costs can be saved. She makes her trailer available to her stablers – the horse owners who keep their animals with her – so that they can drive to the vet. Nevertheless, Lödding estimates that the costs have roughly doubled.

Horse ownership soon no longer affordable? New fee schedule for veterinarians

In some respects they have multiplied even more significantly, confirms Maike Gahr. “We notice that the costs are becoming an increasing burden for many horse owners. Many people say, “If my horse is gone, I won’t buy a new one.” But equestrian sport relies on being accessible to a wide audience. “The feed has become moderately more expensive, as have the farriers and boarding houses. Only the veterinarians have increased their prices dramatically,” says Maike Gahr.

Horse owner Flemming Kreckel confirms that the hobby is becoming more and more expensive. He pays 1,600 to 1,800 euros a month for his two horses, which are kept at the Gräve equestrian center. As a show jumper and with a broodmare, he has a lot of workload because the animals have to be vaccinated and examined regularly. But everyday horse owners also complain about high costs. A rider stated that she would rather drive the animal from Werries to the clinic in Delbrück instead of calling the vet. “It’s just cheaper,” she says. Another rider doesn't even want to think about the vet bill that's still in her car.

With the new fee schedule, the horse will soon no longer have to be paid, says stable owner Klaus Gräve. He assumes that not only riding as a popular sport, but also breeding and competition sports will be attacked if no one can afford horses and veterinary treatment anymore. “The stable owners, the farmers, the farriers, owners and veterinarians, we all belong together to a healthy horse life,” says Gahr in a nutshell.