Anyone else's most expensive winter?

Tinsel Town said:
It's been my first winter as a horse owner, seriously worst possible first one!! So expensive! Fingers crossed it can only get better!!
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Mine too! It actually makes me feel slightly better to know others have struggled and this year has been particularly bad as I have been at breaking point on a few occasions. I was beginning to feel the relief of spring arriving, but obviously not to be just yet!
 
Very expensive this year.
I have five here (two not mine!) they have had to be in at night from September due to the wet although out 6 hours plus every day bar three so far. Never used so much bedding or haylage before; I've already used more this year than I did when I had far more horses here and it'll be at least another month before they can get out 24/7 (if it ever dries) and even then they'll still have to be fed which I've never had to do before in spring/summer.
 
Looks like it's going to be mine!
Our little horse has been a bit off recently and starting to lose weight so I had the vet in on Tuesday.She did all the usual tests and took some blood.
She phoned last night with the results. There is a problem with his liver - raised enzyme levels possibly due to toxins in feed,hay or pasture.They are going to do do a liver biopsy on Tuesday. We are absolutely gutted!
I daren't feed him any hay so have been out and bought lots of Dengie and horsehage. We have half a barn of hay approx 150 bales and I'm probably going to end up burning the lot!
 
Wow! I don't think I could afford a horse if I had to pay prices like you some of you. This winter I am on my fourth bale of haylage at £30 each, gone back onto straw as its free but I deep litter so don't use that much per day now, I get through a bag of hi fi and a bag of fast fibre a month so £20 for that and then probably £40 on supplements a month. I simply don't have the spare cash to afford much more.
 
Worst winter I can remember... Hay supplier has run out and there is no way my poor fields would suffice. Other local hay suppliers have realised that horse owners are stuck and have increased the price of their hay. Feeling rather down about it all tbh :-(
 
Most expensive by far. Mine are all in today as the field is trashed again.
What's more worrying is I've just spoken to our farmer again about dropping some more hay off and he has warned we might have no straw this year. His wheat crop never got sown and he drilled ready to put in the barley and now can't do that. Farmers on sandier soil may have managed but our clay area has been impossible. I fear worse is yet to come.
 
i bought another horse paid for him and then shipped him here from spain, then moved them on to a yard where the livery is £50pcm more expensive, you have to use certain beddings, her hay etc which made it so expensive as bales of hay are £40 a bale where as we were only paying £20 for bigger ones. They are in longer amounts of time and i have just over spent on everything tbh having two makes a massive difference but i already had 2 but one was a youngster who was a field buddy for taz and we sold her when we bought rio. having 2 horses that are in work is a lot more expensive also the yard is further from home so more fuel too :o i need summer to hurry up!
 
First winter as an owner here too and I guess it hasn't been too bad cost wise as I have been fortunate to have very good slopey land that still has quite a bit of grass, albeit rubbishy dead grass. I have just run out of hay annoyingly so thankfully going to pick some up tomorrow, one things for sure it wasn't a great winter to buy a horse but I have still loved it ;-)
 
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