What It Costs To Keep A Racehorse In Training
The Short Answer
Keeping one horse in training means paying a trainer's daily rate plus farrier, vets, gallops, transport, entries and jockeys' fees. The ROA's last owners' survey (2015) put the average at £22,595 a year for a Flat horse and £16,325 for a jumps horse. Today's figures are likely to be higher. Looking at what syndicates charge: scaled up to a whole horse, the monthly fees on shares for sale in our feed have a median of about £3,400 a month.
ROA figures from its costs of ownership page, read 10 Nov 2026; the survey is from 2015, so treat it as a floor rather than today's price. Scaled figures: monthly fee ÷ share size × 100, for 34 sterling ownership shares with a published monthly fee in our Live Shares Feed (checked 5 Nov 2026).
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Where The Money Goes
| Cost | What it is |
|---|---|
| Training fee | The trainer's daily rate for feed, bedding, staff and exercise. What it includes varies, so the ROA advises checking and putting it in a training agreement. |
| Farrier, vets, physio, dentist | Routine care, plus any treatment. Big vet bills are a common extra. |
| Gallops fees | Charged on top where a trainer uses shared gallops, for example in Newmarket, Malton, Epsom or Lambourn. |
| Pre-training and time off | Breaking in, pre-training and spells out of training still cost money. |
| Race entries | Each race has its own entry fee, plus a BHA entry handling fee of £29.17 and small levies for equine disease services and former racehorses. |
| Jockey | £173.54 a ride on the Flat or £235.90 over jumps in 2026, plus 6% for the riders' insurance scheme, £4 a ride for career-ending insurance and VAT if the jockey is VAT registered. |
| Transport and race-day expenses | Getting the horse to the course and the stable staff's expenses, usually shared between owners with runners on the same card. |
| Registration and admin | BHA fees, colours and the horse's name: small next to the rest. See colours and naming. |
| Insurance | Optional cover for the horse, quoted individually. See racehorse insurance. |
From the ROA's costs of ownership and the BHA's owners' fees (entry handling fee), read 10 Nov 2026. Our summary.
What Syndicates Charge Per Horse
A syndicate's monthly fee is your share of the horse's running costs, usually with the syndicator's own costs and margin built in. Scaling each share's monthly fee up to 100% gives a rough idea of what a whole horse costs to run through a syndicate:
- Median: £3,400 a month, or about £40,800 a year.
- Middle half of shares: £2,950 to £4,400 a month.
- Full range: £2,300 to £5,000 a month.
These aren't training fees: some monthly fees are all-in, some don't start until the horse is in training, and some leave out vets or entries. But they show why a 1% or 5% share makes ownership affordable: you pay a slice of a bill that would be thousands of pounds a month for one owner. Compare shares in Price Per 1% and monthly fees in monthly fees compared.
How To Keep Costs Predictable
- Ask for a written training agreement (or, in a syndicate, the contract) listing what the fee includes and what's extra.
- Agree that big extras, such as specialist treatment, are only incurred after talking to the owners. The ROA recommends this.
- Ask about trainer's commission on buying or selling a horse; the ROA says 5% is normal and should be in writing.
- Budget for time off: a horse that's injured or turned out still costs money.
Not Advice
This guide is general information from published rules, prices and official race results, not financial, tax or legal advice. We don't tip horses or recommend a deal. Racehorse ownership is a hobby, not an investment. Costs vary widely by trainer, region and horse; get a full written quote.
Sources
- ROA: costs of ownership (2015 survey averages, jockey fees and cost items; read 10 Nov 2026)
- BHA owners' fees (read 10 Nov 2026)
- Share prices: each syndicate's own site via our Live Shares Feed, checked 5 Nov 2026.
Questions People Ask
How Much Does It Cost To Keep A Racehorse In Training Per Year?
The ROA's last survey (2015) put the average at £22,595 a year on the Flat and £16,325 over jumps, and costs have risen since. Scaled up from syndicate share prices in our feed, the median is about £40,800 a year per horse, including syndicate costs.
How Much Is A Jockey Paid Per Ride?
In 2026 a professional jockey's riding fee is £173.54 on the Flat and £235.90 over jumps, paid by the owner, plus insurance contributions and VAT if the jockey is VAT registered (ROA).
General information from published prices and terms, not financial advice. Racehorse ownership is a hobby, not an investment. Always read the syndicate agreement before paying anything. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.