Equine money saving tips…

[SpotsandBays]

Following on from the other thread about the cost of things going up, I thought perhaps we could have a thread on things we can do to save money as horse owners.
Post your tips/tricks for keeping your horsey costs down…
(Like making our own xyz/more affordable brands or suppliers/practises to prevent waste etc)

 

[poiuytrewq]

Good idea. I was wondering this morning what is the most cost effective way of providing vitamins/minerals etc to horses and ponies who don’t need hard feed.
Anyone know?

 

[Follysmum]

For mine that do not require a feed I give spillers lite and lean balancer.

Fly spray as I have 8 I make my own which works quite well ( dettol antiseptic, apple cider vinegar, tea tree, citronella and a splash of washing up liquid.

 

[planete]

Stop browsing the internet and coming across all these amazing bargains! Well, that is what I should do.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

If you bed on straw (or dont but would swap) and have space to store a big heston bale its worth getting one. One big bale lasted me all winter (end of Oct to beginning of April) with horses being in at night and out during the day. Think it was about £50, at the end of winter I bought another one for this winter as thought prices might go up!

 

[milliepops]

Good idea. I was wondering this morning what is the most cost effective way of providing vitamins/minerals etc to horses and ponies who don’t need hard feed.
Anyone know?

Ive got some of mine on the blue chip super concentrated balancers. i wanted something i could feed by hand as I don't want the hassle of buckets in a herd of field kept horses. on subscription its £23 a month and you can get refil bags so not zillions of plastic pots. Not peanuts, may be cheaper to use a budget chaff and powder, but very convenient. eta. as they literally get a handful each.

 

[ihatework]

Stop buying ‘stuff’.
Most of us have pretty much everything we need but shopping can be additive!!
Matchy crap is not a necessity.
Buy quality, it lasts, look at secondhand quality.

Cut down on supplements. They aren’t needed as much as we seem to like to think.

Turn horses out in the field more. It’s better for them and saves a fortune on bedding.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Good idea. I was wondering this morning what is the most cost effective way of providing vitamins/minerals etc to horses and ponies who don’t need hard feed.
Anyone know?

If it's salt or similar then I have seen some people provide multiple buckets of water.. one salt water, one with clay, one with bicarb, one with apple cider vinegar - or whatever your preferences are.. not so much vits and mins but a way to get something into them without feed

 

[AntiPuck]

Ive got some of mine on the blue chip super concentrated balancers. i wanted something i could feed by hand as I don't want the hassle of buckets in a herd of field kept horses. on subscription its £23 a month and you can get refil bags so not zillions of plastic pots. Not peanuts, may be cheaper to use a budget chaff and powder, but very convenient. eta. as they literally get a handful each.

Thanks for posting this - sounds like it might be a good option for my fatty, she's on chaff and balancer powder at the moment, but I don't control how much chaff and I suspect it's a lot more than I'd like - at least with the concentrated balancer it looks like you're only ever feeding very small amounts

 

[Squeak]

GWF's one cup would also work if you're wanting to hand feed a balancer/ vits and mins and is £11 for a months supply:

OneCup for Horses | Horse Supplements – GWF Nutrition

 

[Squeak]

Stop buying ‘stuff’.
Most of us have pretty much everything we need but shopping can be additive!!
Matchy crap is not a necessity.
Buy quality, it lasts, look at secondhand quality.

Cut down on supplements. They aren’t needed as much as we seem to like to think.

Turn horses out in the field more. It’s better for them and saves a fortune on bedding.

Agree with all of this completely. Biggest cost saving is turning them out 24/7 even better if you have plenty of grass and then don't have to feed hay as well as not paying for bedding.

Also agree with buying quality rather than just fashion or cheap items. I've got some things that have been going for over 20 years.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Equine money saving tip #1: Don't have an equine.

That aside I agree with bot buying crap. I've become incredibly conscious about how much *stuff* I have and only buying what I need (feed, mostly).

There's no grass here, but having them out on the barren field with hay still makes a difference re bedding usage.

 

[milliepops]

Thanks for posting this - sounds like it might be a good option for my fatty, she's on chaff and balancer powder at the moment, but I don't control how much chaff and I suspect it's a lot more than I'd like - at least with the concentrated balancer it looks like you're only ever feeding very small amounts

Yeah. i looked at equi bites from D&H as an alternative for a portion you can literally count the nuggets for. but one of mine is pregnant and IIRC they are not suitable for her. It's a really small scoop, much smaller than standard pellet balancers.

 

[MereChristmas]

Stop buying ‘stuff’.
Most of us have pretty much everything we need but shopping can be additive!!
Matchy crap is not a necessity.
Buy quality, it lasts, look at secondhand quality.

Cut down on supplements. They aren’t needed as much as we seem to like to think.

Turn horses out in the field more. It’s better for them and saves a fortune on bedding.

Agree with all of this ihatework but would add
Sell stuff you don’t need
I have a settee full of ‘stuff’ that I am gradually selling.
I sold 3 girths last week.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ive got some of mine on the blue chip super concentrated balancers. i wanted something i could feed by hand as I don't want the hassle of buckets in a herd of field kept horses. on subscription its £23 a month and you can get refil bags so not zillions of plastic pots. Not peanuts, may be cheaper to use a budget chaff and powder, but very convenient. eta. as they literally get a handful each.

I’ve been looking at Blue Chip actually, a lady I work with swears by it.
Harry Hall have it with free postage but not sure how their price compares with buying direct. I’ll check that.

 

[milliepops]

I’ve been looking at Blue Chip actually, a lady I work with swears by it.
Harry Hall have it with free postage but not sure how their price compares with buying direct. I’ll check that.

the subscription option gives free postage. plus a 10 day free trial. i fed BC yonks ago before other more economical balancers came out, when i swapped elsewhere. but this is just so easy for my field gang.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Just off the top of my head:

Knowing whether something is an essential or a need will save a fortune
Check out Ebay or Facebook market place before buying as second hand is often much cheaper
Make your own flyspray and hoof spray
I use child shampoo to bath
I use watered down human conditioner as my mane and tail spray or pig oil in winter
Prevention is usually cheaper than cure
Feed the best quality you can - I'm not convinced feeding cheap supplements full of fillers or feed is any better or cost effective in the long run than
I buy a 15-20kg sack of high fibre nuggets to use as treats. So much cheaper than buying bags of horse treats
But the best quality you can afford at the time
Prioritise what is worth spending £££ on for horse's benefit and what isn't - my horse is quite happy in a bog standard unbranded headcollar and leadrope the more expensive comfort girth makes a big difference to his comfort being ridden
Look after the stuff you do have
Buy any necessities out of season where possible
Check if there is a non-equine brand available - I buy my fake tub trugs from ScrewFix or B&Q as miles cheaper than going to an equine store

 

[lottiepony]

Not saving money as such but good budgeting/saving - continue to put the money you would spend on hay/feed/bedding into a separate account over the summer months to use over winter, although spending the same it makes me feel like winter is cheaper lol.

Stop buying stuff or take the approach that if you buy something you have to sell something first.

Do buy good quality items as hopefully then they will last and don't be afraid to buy second hand.

 

[poiuytrewq]

the subscription option gives free postage. plus a 10 day free trial. i fed BC yonks ago before other more economical balancers came out, when i swapped elsewhere. but this is just so easy for my field gang.

Oh ok perfect. Which do you feed?
Originally I’d looked at the concentrated calming for new horse but I feel we’ve got over that and gone the other way ?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I've stopped buying stuff just for the sake of it. I had some nice matchy stuff but never really used it. I sold it all. I've decided to use my nice stuff for everyday and replace it when I need to. It's saved me loads. The horses have a basic diet, that's not due to money but to what is good for them. The great HHOers have saved me some money this morning regarding my fly mask question so that's pleased me!!

 

[Polos Mum]

Now (or coming into winter when the ground is soft) might be a good time to consider barefoot transition. Especially if you do less road work in the winter.

It's not whip off shoes and ignore - careful feeding, regular trimming, work to help them transition and likely boots but if you can it would definitely save cash.
For £50 you could have a second hand set of boots which would last 12 months and a specialist trim is £35 not £100+ for a set of shoes and gap between trims can be longer if you do roadwork

Or back shoes off only
Or give them a 3 month break from shoes over the winter (like eventers used to have)

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Check out buying in bulk prices, perhaps sharing a delivery or collection with others?
I saved a bit by sharing a load with an adjacent yard owner one year. Worked out cheaper than collecting 40٪ of the load, plus it was delivered so saved me fuel.

 

[DizzyDoughnut]

Don't buy stuff just for the sake of it. Some of my grooming kit and tack is nearly 30 years old but it all works perfectly well. If you do need something check on ebay, Facebook or ask around at your yard before buying new. My ponies don't care what brand or colour they have or if someone else has used it before them as long as it fits them and they're comfy we're all happy.

My biggest saving is in leaving them out as much as possible and buying my hay and straw in big round bales, they're more awkward to deal with but worth it for the huge saving. Last year I used 4 round bales of hay at £30 each and 2 of straw at £20 each. This year the farmer has put the price up by £5 a bale for both.

They have a simple diet and one bag of chaff lasts me about 3 months between 2 of them.
Both of mine are barefoot simply because they don't need shoes, I have hoof boots for the very rare occasion we need them that are still going strong after 5 years. Even if you don't think you could go completely barefoot you could maybe have fronts only.

I basically only buy what they actually need and they don't really need that much to be happy and healthy. I save a bit each month ready to pay for the vet when needed as one of mine is reaching the age where we'll be starting to see more of the vet and this way it doesn't seem so painful when the bill arrives.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

Make sure your offspring take up ballet/piano/football instead .

 

[lynz88]

Ugh it's not letting me insert quotes but Squeak, that looks very interesting from GWF but those sugar and starch levels look terrifying....?

ETA I only had a quick peek but upon initial scroll-through....

 

[MarvelVillis]

GWF's one cup would also work if you're wanting to hand feed a balancer/ vits and mins and is £11 for a months supply:

OneCup for Horses | Horse Supplements – GWF Nutrition

Thanks for this suggestion! Just ordered. Much cheaper than the balancer I'm feeding at £29 a month and will suit my good doer

 

[ponynutz]

Don't have them

 

[GreyDot]

Definitely make your own fly spray, weigh their hay, use straw as a bedding, look after your stuff, fix your yard tools, clean your tack to keep it safe and well, omly compete for points/qualifications, school in a field on a hack rather than an arena hire, don't over feed - on a livery yard, I have yet to see a poor horse, they are all 'well'.

 

[Squeak]

Ugh it's not letting me insert quotes but Squeak, that looks very interesting from GWF but those sugar and starch levels look terrifying....?

ETA I only had a quick peek but upon initial scroll-through....

They’re a really knowledgeable company that do a lot of research and were way ahead of the curve in terms of stomach health for horses and low sugar/ low starch so I’d really struggle to believe they’ve got a product that would be bad for them.

Possibly it’s due to the small quantity that’s fed - I don’t actually know though.

I’ve got enough faith in this company that I’ll email them to ask and let you all know the response.

Out of curiosity I compared it to some other balancers:

19g sugar and starch in one cup compared to
15g in saracens essential balancer, which they're stating is low sugar and starch
88g in Spillers Ulcer Care balancer
140g in approx 1 scoop of ease and excel (recommended feed rate would have 616g)

so in reality it doesn’t have much sugar and starch in??

 

[lynz88]

Thanks Squeak for that perspective. I feed the FP Hoof & Skin balancer only but am always open to finding something that is equivalent for cheaper. Mine is also barefoot and have been staying away from sugar and starch as much as possible.