It is estimated that three quarters of Vermont's horse owners keep their horses at home. Boarding horses is significantly more expensive, more than twice the cost. The cost for boarding horses varies widely, depending on the services provided. Horse owners who kept their animals at home incurred expenses including hay, grain, supplements, pasture maintenance, bedding, and labor. Nine out of ten horse owners feeding hay purchased hay produced in Vermont.
Hay quality is very important for horse owners, with minimal dust and mold being extremely critical.
An estimated three quarters of the horses kept at home have pasture that is owned or leased by the household. About one third of the households with horses at home had existing barns or structures for their horses at the time they purchased the property. An Economic Profile of Vermont's Recreational Horse Industry, University of Vermont, 1987. This does not include revenue generated from horse shows held in the state. Much of the materials and services used in the equine industry are purchased locally, such as feed, tack, veterinary and farrier services, building materials, boarding services, trucking, and other related goods and services.