Horsey money saving hints? (merged)

~Chameleon~ · 11 August 2008 at 11:07AM

Emmabeth wrote: »

My two tips...

Learn to trim (not shoe, thats illegal) your horses hooves yourself and take them barefoot

I'd be very wary of encouraging people to trim their own horses feet, unless you're advocating going on a proper training course, and I'm not talking about the workshop type courses that just last a day or two!

Horses' feet are very complex structures and need trimming at the correct angles to ensure all joints are correctly aligned. Get it wrong and your horse could end up lame for life!

And that's just a very simplistic overview. Many horses needed remedial trimming to help correct problems in the leg or foot and that needs a qualified and experienced farrier/vet to perform.

Remember - No Hoof, No Horse!

punkrock06 · 11 August 2008 at 1:42PM

hey people my fiend just give me 2 books bout saving money wit horses, ill post a couple of then when i get back from work n de horse 2night

punkrock06 · 11 August 2008 at 9:23PM

theres 1:
brittle feet can be improved by adding a sachet ofgelatine dissolved in a mugful of hot water to 1 of the feeds each day.

twine can be used as a sweat scraper by taking a doubled up length and drawing it down across a wet coat.
bike puncture repair kits can be used for repairing rubber riding boots.

Jellicat · 11 August 2008 at 11:12PM

What are the titles of the books, please?

naturally_2 · 12 August 2008 at 1:07PM

About time I saw a horsey thread on here! For those who think it is unusual to see horse people and moneysavers together, bear in mind that a lot of horsey people need to be money savers to afford their hobby! Tesco value for us, only the best for the horse!!

Hope nobody thinks of it as advertising, but I go on horse and hound forums and there is a brilliant thread on there about how to save money - its in the "stableyard" section.

You can make haynets from bailing twine, (google it for the how to) Horsey Xmas presents/treats from recipes similar to flapjack (feed in moderation!), if you are near to a reputable feed mill, switch to their own brand of horse and pony nuts rather than a branded one.

If you can find it, often even "wussy" horses will do better on grass livery 24/7/365 and its cheaper than DIY.

High viz tabbards etc often available in cheapo shops, pound shops etc. so are plastic boxes for storage, buckets, brooms etc.

Dog bowls help prevent you from over feeding minis

Got a feed theif? A black plastic lidded bin and a chain and a padlock are cheaper than them getting away with it!

Carrots that have gone black/mouldy on the outside are fine to feed if peeled.

Hang a swede from a bit of bailing twine as a cheaper alternative to a horselix

punkrock06 · 12 August 2008 at 5:31PM

201 handy hints for horse persons and 201 more..... by karen bush
just checked amazon 4 any1 that wants to buy them
201 second hand £0.01
201 more second hand £0.49
hope this helps

naturally_2 · 14 August 2008 at 4:21PM

I just remembered something else. They can eat most types of fruit and veg - so make sure you keep an eye on the reduced veg at the supermarket - e.g. when we see a whole or half sweede sufficiently reduced, we grab loads of them, because they keep for ages!!

Also check your suplements aren't doubling up on the same vits - and ask yourself does he really need them. Find out the active ingredient in them - my farrier loved farriers formula but knew we couldn't afford it, but told us to use whatever it was that was the main active ingredient, which we bought for about 1/4 of the price of FF.

Horse_Owner · 16 August 2008 at 6:17PM

I am almost ashamed to admit that mine is on full livery. However he is kept 10 miles away so it saves petrol costs twice a day and it allows me to go out to earn the money to keep him in the lap of luxury. I work shifts so this is the only way I can keep him at the moment.

Emmabeth · 16 August 2008 at 9:22PM

Chameleon - sorry should have clarified, i DO mean learn to trim properly over the course of several years, but if you have an EP or other trimmer, they can show you how to rasp edges between trims.

Watty1 · 17 August 2008 at 8:07PM

Money saving and horses - made me laugh! Was mortgage free till I decided it would be *nice* to have the boys live at home with me. Am now in debt and living on tesco value stuff whilst the horses have a great life! Anyway tips - don't buy anything in an equestrian/horse shop that you can find elsewhere. A rubber bucket is less than a £1 in a builders merchant but over £5 at a local horsey store - ok so for £5 you get a pretty colour but I can live with black! Cheap veggie oil is great for hooves. Cheap shampoo cleans coats and cheap conditioner detangles tails (comb thro whilst in tail and rinse off). High vis stuff can be found in work wear places much cheaper - have a fab high vis coat thats really warm and was less that £20. Buy in bulk if you have storage - I get my bedding delivered - its not cheaper but less hassel and I don't have to drive to pick it up. Insure for vets bills but not loss of use (thats expensive and difficult to claim). My vets do free call outs - if you book for a day a vet is scheduled to be in your area. No good for emergencies but great for routine visits. Always worth asking if you can share call out costs with someone local if they don't have this service. I've also rung and asked a vet if I need a visit - one was told yes its an emergency and once was given advice over the phone and a call back later ot check - and we were fine. But I'd never skimp on vets, farriers, food, tack - and they are worth every penny of debt I'm in (laughing)