Horsey money saving hints? (merged)

orlao

Great idea!

I keep my two....Welsh Cob and a Haflinger

1. Live out 24/7.....cheaper and they seem to stay healthier.
2. Unshod in winter ( I'm a very fair weather rider;) )
3. Buy the BEST hay possible....it saves money in the long run
4. Have natives, no hard feed needed, but you do struggle to keep the weight off in summer
5. Fal rugs, expensive to start with but they are very tough, never needed to repair one yet
6. Deal with any health problems sooner rather than later, saves a fortune in vet bills
7. Have public liability insurance as a minimum, ideally you would have full cover but if your horse is old or had previous problems it can be difficult to get, it's only £58 a year with BHS membership but if your horse causes an accident on the road it could cost you millions!!!!
8. Group together on the yard to bulk buy a years wormers, £48 instead of £68.50 at local tack shop

Countrygirl27, I haven't kept mine stabled for 10 years now and I've found that I've not only saved a fortune in money but with the hours I work now I would struggle to do stables twice a day and I doubt I could afford part livery for one let alone two:eek: As they live out I can check them at any time, they're not waiting to be brought in/fed( they live in hope though!:D )so they're so much more relaxed! Also my livery, in Essex, is £20 a week including hay with a stable if required for ill horses.Around here it's usually £20 for stable and grazing not including hay, bedding, feed etc

tishywish

Keep them out 24/7, all year.
Keep them barefoot.
Buy hay in off the field - it usually works out cheaper per bale. Even better if you've got storage is to buy big bales.
Repair your rugs etc.
Beg, borrow and steal (well, OK, not steal!) old car batteries - I've got 2 that I alternate that were abandoned at the field I rent.
Rent a field rather than being on a livery yard - saves a small fortune.

~Chameleon~

Some good ideas on this thread too http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=485219&highlight=cheap+horses

countrygirl27

Thanks Chameoleon I looked for ages and didnt find that!

Looks like Im doing what most people do already. On the shoe thing, my pony who has lived 'wild' on the New Forest for the first few years of his life has not had shoes for about three years and obvioulsy didnt for the three years he lived wild. It seems to have no bad effects (touch wood) and is vastly cheaper. He still sees a proper farrier who trims his feet and keeps an eye on him so I think it makes no difference whether they have shoes or not. He only hacks out on the road once a week so Im not grinding his feet away. What do other people think of the no shoes approach? One of my horses always has shoes cos his previous owner tried him without and said it played merry hell with his feet so Im not going to risk and injury or anything with him.

countrygirl27

orlao

are the fal rugs you mentioned fal pro rugs? Im probably being thick but thought Id check.

orlao

countrygirl27 wrote: »

orlao

are the fal rugs you mentioned fal pro rugs? Im probably being thick but thought Id check.

Yes they are.....fal pro viking are the best but they are expensive!!!! £200 and NEVER come up 2nd hand but they are only ones I've found that survive playful "games", been worn 24/7 all winter, never move or rub:D

My Welsh Cob has never been shod, in fact my farrier goes pale at the thought of trying to cos he's a bit of a nutter but he's never gone footsore no matter how much work he does.
The Haffy needs shoes when he's working because he'll tiptoe over rough ground otherwise plus as a breed they are known for having "bad" feet so I don't risk it. He only had fronts on this winter but he'll be shod all round for the summer because he'll be ridden and or driven at least 4 times a week to try and keep him in trim unlike the winter when he's lucky to be ridden once a week and only if it's not raining;) Next winter I'll try him unshod but I expect it to take quite a while for him to adjust and I'm prepared to have him reshod if he's not happy.

Personally, I prefer to keep them barefoot if I can because I think it prevents a lot of lameness and laminitis because their hooves and frog can work as they're designed to plus as a handy bonus it saves a fortune, £17.50 a trim instead of £60 a set. That's not to say it works for all horses or that I believe in the radical foot trimming like the Steiner method btw.A good farrier is worth his weight in gold ( but don't tell them that, they're big headed enough already:D :rotfl: :rotfl: )

IMO ( and that's all it is!) more horses could go barefoot but people are so used to shoeing them that they do it almost as a matter of habit and when they start to go barefoot they don't allow the time for the horse to adjust and harden the soles up gradually. Also where the old nail holes are in the hoof will split as it is the weak area and you have to wait for new hoof wall to grow down so their feet will look worse before they look better IYSWIM

Ok....I'll remove myself from the soap box now.....bet you're sorry you asked now:rolleyes:

Chesnut1

I have 2 horse and here are some of my tips.

Yes on Fal rugs but I buy mine on ebay from a company called Hollinline Equestrian (think thats the name) if you put in fal rugs it is always there is the sellers bit. They always have old models and excess stock and you can pick up a Fal Viking for up to £100 and thats in a 7ft. Good company, also try Pessoa rugs as they are excellent and a better fit on large cobs.

Go to sawmill and bag your own shavings, costs about £1.50 a bag and they normally deliver. Or better still use straw if no allergies and the best tip if at livery is work with your friends saves a fortune on extra charges for turnout ect or if you want a day off.

tishywish

My mare hasn't had shoes on for about 10 years, even when she was working quite hard she didn't need them and now she's semi-retired she certainly doesn't need shoeing.

penguin83

I must admit Ive never quite mastered the art of money saving where the horses are concerned - they have the biggest budget out of all of us!

My elderly mare is bare foot and I have cut down on the amount of rugs and stuff I buy - just get whats necessary.

I have to buy all the bedding, hay and feed from the livery but they are definately my luxery! x x x

JennyW_2

horses are expensive, there's not getting away from it. I've kept horses for 30 years and last year I sold my horse - I just couldn't afford it. Trying to find £200-£300 each month and still live myself is hard. Although I would budget my costs each month, there is always something unexpected that would happen.

I will do it again one day when we've moved abroad and I have my own land - it'll be much cheaper