Horse Owners! is there such thing as saving money?

clipclop_2

I would appreciate any tips that any fellow horse owners may have as we know its not cheap keeping our equine friends

Anything at all no matter how big or small... from fly spray to cheap rugs!

Thanks guys:money:

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi Clip Clop - I love your user name.

Been a while since I've had horses so I'll put my thinking cap on and have a think back .....

One thing we always tried to do was group together and try to bulk buy our hay & straw.

Depending on how much land you've got.... we used to section off the field and get one crop of hay off. As that part hadn't been grazed for a while, it helped a bit once the grass had stopped growing in the grazed part.

Will pop back if/when others pop to mind.

clipclop_2

Thanks the buying in bulk thing is certainly a money saver! I look forward to more suggestions

olias

Ebay - may sound obvious, but there are bargains to be had. The wife often buys stuff like £50 rugs for £15, £30 bridles for a tenner etc.

Also if their is a local riding club, they occasionally have members tack sales (you don't usually need to be a member to attend). They are usually set up like table top sales in a local hall or similar.You can get stuff for literally peanuts. e.g. wife bought a brand new Heather Moffat seat saver (about £45 new) for a fiver!

HTH.

Olias

clipclop_2

Thankyou Olias, thats definately a good idea about the table top sale type things...I will research into my local riding clubs

cally6008

There's a table top sale happening in Northants later this month. Details are here - http://www.tracingequines.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=18

cally6008

Also, if it's horse tack and equipment you're after, try posting on the likes of Chuck-it-my-way .. freegle .. freecycle etc to see if anyone has any spare ... good way of getting to know horsey people in your area as well

rising_from_the_ashes

There's also some really good online places now (which were very limited when I had mine).

This one is great (I've been to the store & it's fab!) - have really good sales at certain times of the year http://www.marshallleisure.co.uk/index.php?main_page=page_2

lostinrates

well, I think one of the most money saving things you can do is get the diet pared down and simple but right...now both my oldies are ...old...they don't rush food, and cutting chaff out has been a surprising saving and made their feeds smaller which is good, as even feeding several times a day keeping feeds small is vital for good health. Also, keeping the diet right keeps so many of the dietary illnesses at bay....and goodness knows vet bills are huge these days. we feed ad lib forage, and get through much less hard food than many others do for horses in low/medium work and while hay might seem pricey these days IMO its a false economy to stint on forage.

Also, although I might be biased as I own a yard, I'd get people to consider part livery/assisted diy rather than diy. Now petrol is so expensive its often cheaper to pay for a horse to be fed and brought in or fed and turned out than it is to go and do it yourself. Finding the right yard makes a huge difference. e.g. with wormers not all the horses on the yard need a whole tube, some need more, buying in bulk lets me keep the cost down and means the owner only pays for the bit of the tube they use rather than have a manky half tube. Also, although my charge for basic livery is not the cheapest in the area the horses are genuinely treated like my own (and with my own) and this includes maximum turn out minimising bedding. I ask my liveries not to risk driving in extreme weather and handle things free of charge for them in those circumstances and don't charge to provide full care for the horses on owners weekends away when the horses are out, because in reality its not much extra work for me, but a steady happy contended herd makes it easy...and part of that is created by treating my liveries well and considering things like bad weather!

gadgetry: there is very little horses ACTUALLY need. Some here winter without rugs entirely, some others wear second hand rugs. A saddle, a bridle, a headcollar, regular feet/teeth treatment and parasite control as needed. 9 times out of ten a few lessons are a better investment than a new pieace of tack...unless we're talking about getting the right fit. IMO, treating your horse well with things like correctly fitting saddle will give more reward and save money in the long term: a horse whose saddle fits will be easier and require less support from healthcare professionals. Same with riding well....if you ride well and sensitively you are less likely to need a vet or have other problems.

cally6008

lostinrates - you sound like a fabulous YO

lostinrates

cally6008 wrote: »

lostinrates - you sound like a fabulous YO

fabulous liveries make it easy to be a fabulous YO. :P) There are no problems that can't be resolved (yet!) with my wonderful clients.

I like to think my clients have the best of both feeling at home here and knowing they can go away feeling their horse is appreciated for being who it is. The best compliment is when a client asks to name you in their will as the person who ''gets'' their horse/s. I'm incredibly proud of that

I have a multi dimensional rural enterprise, the liveries have to run smoothly because they are not the most profitable thing I could be doing here!