Help me cut down the costs of the horse

Kokopelli

Kokopelli

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Money is a lot tighter then it used to be, I used to pay for everything other than insurance which my mum helped me out with. If I ever got stuck and was seriously low my mum would help me out then I'd pay her back.

My student loan works out around £50 a week on top of this I earn £100 a week with p/time work but on a zero hours contract so I'm not guaranteed this pay. Hopefully (although I'm not holding out) I should get £50 on top of my mums pension whilst I'm in full time education.

So monthly costs for Louie are:

Livery (inc hay and shavings:) £180
Shoes: £65
Graze on: £11
D&H build up: £12
Insurance: £50

I have the saddler and back lady out every 6 months and the vet does his teeth once a year at the same time as his jabs.

I also need to cover half my car insurance and petrol and uni costs e.g books etc although I have asked for these for christmas from friends and family.

Although I'm sure I can find a cheaper yard we have worked out that it just about breaks even with hay and shavings included as it does add up. Surprisingly there aren't a huge amount of decent local yards. We have great grazing, amazing hacking and an arena.

I'm going to go to the yard either on the way to or back from uni to save on petrol. I could possibly take his shoes off and save money there although I'm a little uncertain of this. I have got a girl that comes and rides him twice a week who is amazing although she can't contribute financially so it may be worth getting a sharer who pays towards costs. I'm also thinking if we're no longer competing we can get his insurance a lot cheaper.


If anyone else can see anywhere I can save that would be great.
 
I think you have mentioned all the possible savings in your thread already, take off shoes and replace with hoof boots if necessary, look around for cheaper insurance, get a paying sharer, the only other option would be to look for cheap grass livery but you would have no nice facilities in most cases.
 
So iffy about moving as my yard is wonderful but will do it if I have to as a last resort.

How much are hoof boots? From my understanding they seem quite expensive and not sure I'll be able to afford it.
 
Can he go onto grass livery somewhere? I know it is a big adjustment but I have done it with the girls in order to cope with the current situation and they are absolutely loving it. I go down twice a day and they honestly wouldn't care if I didn't go for a week I don't think. They have shelter, great grass, loads of room and ad lib hay will be going in in a few days and my monthly bill for them has gone from £320 to £88, not including trimming teeth and vacs. It's odd, but I wish I had done it so much sooner. They are so happy now, much more so than they were on small turnout paddocks and stables and the saving has had a massive impact on us as we start up new businesses.
 
Does he really need his back and saddle done every six months? I'm not one got going this unless there is an issue and mind of my horses have suffered for it.

If he is not needing shod behind then remove them and then once he's comfy look at taking off the fronts if you need to save more.
 
I would definitely consider taking his shoes off, even if it's just his back ones.

Insurance you could probably get cheaper, maybe lower the cost he is insured for/just have him insured for vet fees and public liability.

Might be worth trying to get a sharer that can contribute financially (or speak to the one you have to see if there is anyway she could contribute)

Could he live out? Grass livery would be cheaper.

What about changing his feed? I always had my TB on branded feed but I actually find he is better off on the feed shops own brand stuff. I can get a huge bag of chaff for £5 and a sack of conditioning cubes for £8. He also has sugarbeet which is pretty cheap and good for condition.

Also don't buy loads of Uni books unless you can get them really cheap, just get them out of the library instead!
 
Does he definitely need shoes on? Does he hack a lot or mostly work in the school? That would be a big saving if he was ok without, or you could just take the back shoes off? Finding a sharer who could help with costs would be good even if it was only a small amount.
 
Kokopelli said:
How much are hoof boots? From my understanding they seem quite expensive and not sure I'll be able to afford it.
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You won't necessarily need hoof boots so don't let that be a deciding factor about taking his shoes off or not. I took my mares shoes off last year and she has managed fine without even though we hack on the road 5 times a week!

Christmas Kia said:
Does he really need his back and saddle done every six months? I'm not one got going this unless there is an issue and mind of my horses have suffered for it.
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This ^^
 
Hoof boots depend a lot of brand but I personally use Cavallo ones on my pony and they cost around £70 a pair, but her last set lasted me 18 months (front ones, back ones nearly 2 years) and they were used for hacking most days so if you think of what you would save in shoeing over that time it definitely works out cheaper after the initial outlay.
 
my hoof boots were about £96 for a front set but has already massively saved me money as he only needs trimming every 8 weeks at £ 25 not shoes every 6 weeks at £80. deep litter bed if able - has saved massively on bedding - feels a bit skanky to start with but actually is a really nice bed now, check out am trust equine for insurance and dont have 3 rd party cover as well if you are bhs gold member. investigate cheaper rugs if needed my current boys total wardrobe cost less than one of my old boys rugs.
 
Kokopelli said:
So iffy about moving as my yard is wonderful but will do it if I have to as a last resort.

How much are hoof boots? From my understanding they seem quite expensive and not sure I'll be able to afford it.
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I don't really want to intervene and turn this in to a "barefoot" posting, but i will, [as is my nature]
Shoes cost £1.00 per day.
Hoof boots may not be necessary, but if you need them they cost from £70 to £130 per pair.
Budget for front boots only, or maybe start right now on a barefoot diet and take the hinds next time farrier comes.
Certainly would not leave a good yard or abandon a good rider unless desperate.
Re "barefoot" posting: the diet often needs adjusting, and it will often be cheaper I can't think it will be more expensive if you are careful about buying your minerals and your micronised linseed.
Main thing is NoT to feed molassed sugar beet nuts or chaff with moglo/molasses.
I have never had the back checked or a saddler out, I could not find a regular physio when I had a horse who was very "inflexible" I used to give him a "flat hand" massage and he enjoyed it. He did once have physio when he was getting his first taste of intensive schooling, but that was only one session and for a stiffness brought on by doing work he was not used to.
 
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I sometimes wonder if the increased use of haynets contribute to back problems, there were very few such problems years ago when we threw two leaves of hay in to a corner or in to a hayrack.
I prefer to feed off the floor.
 
I'm surprised you're paying £11 for graze-on, I pay £8 for mine so I would definitely be looking at different suppliers or alternatives if I was you. As it has been suggested, grass nuts would also be a cheaper alternative to chop.. the graze on pellets are made from exactly the same grass as the chop and they cost me £8 also but the bag is much heavier so is better value if you feed weight for weight
 
feed could be cheaper if you get own brand like mole valley or local feed merchants own make. i also bulk buy mine so it is a lot cheaper as wholesale price (obviously one off bigger cost but cheaper over time).
£50 a month insurance? that seems expensive i think, i pay £33 a month with £7000 vet fees and only a small excess (and she is covered for unaffiliated competitions) even that £17 saving is quite a bit
 
Grass livery is a possibility, definitely can't do it where we are but will have a look around. We mainly hack for a good amount of time on roads and tracks but getting up into the woods is very stony/ uneven and some of the tracks we ride on are stony.

The graze on is used as an alternative to chaff just to make him eat a bit slower and for the fibre will look for cheaper suppliers though as it is great stuff and probably lasts longer then a month I would rather over estimate then under atm. :)

I do feed off the floor as I didn't trust Andy with haynets so Louie gets the same treatment. With our livery we get our shavings included and adlib hay so don't need to cheap out here. I was paying extra for haylage as he coughs on hay but will just not be lazy and soak.

He currently doesn't have hind shoes on but was very footy without fronts. From my experience I couldn't find linseed cheap anywhere and it isn't very available so I stopped feeding it. Where do people here get it from?

Insurance we can cut down a lot cheaper now we are no longer competing, he was previously insured for affiliated competition, hunting, £5000 pay out and £7000 vet bills, so I think we could easily cut this in half. :)

I used to feed own brand stuff to him but felt it just wasn't as good, since being on build up he looks so much better and the graze on is great for bulking out feed. :)

I will speak to farrier about taking his shoes off completely and see how we get on, another positive of no longer competing there is no worry of him needing to transition.

I suppose without competing he doesn't need the back lady that often, could probably cut that down too but I'd rather he was comfortable and happy.
 
Kokopelli said:
Grass livery is a possibility, definitely can't do it where we are but will have a look around. We mainly hack for a good amount of time on roads and tracks but getting up into the woods is very stony/ uneven and some of the tracks we ride on are stony.

The graze on is used as an alternative to chaff just to make him eat a bit slower and for the fibre will look for cheaper suppliers though as it is great stuff and probably lasts longer then a month I would rather over estimate then under atm. :)

I do feed off the floor as I didn't trust Andy with haynets so Louie gets the same treatment. With our livery we get our shavings included and adlib hay so don't need to cheap out here. I was paying extra for haylage as he coughs on hay but will just not be lazy and soak.

He currently doesn't have hind shoes on but was very footy without fronts. From my experience I couldn't find linseed cheap anywhere and it isn't very available so I stopped feeding it. Where do people here get it from?

Insurance we can cut down a lot cheaper now we are no longer competing, he was previously insured for affiliated competition, hunting, £5000 pay out and £7000 vet bills, so I think we could easily cut this in half. :)

I used to feed own brand stuff to him but felt it just wasn't as good, since being on build up he looks so much better and the graze on is great for bulking out feed. :)

I will speak to farrier about taking his shoes off completely and see how we get on, another positive of no longer competing there is no worry of him needing to transition.

I suppose without competing he doesn't need the back lady that often, could probably cut that down too but I'd rather he was comfortable and happy.
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How close are you to Gloucester centre? I only ask because the Countrywide own brand conditioning cubes are brilliant so that could be worth a try.
 
Countrywide is where we get all our feed from anyway :) used to use their own brand pony nuts but had no idea they did conditioning cubes too. Will definitely give it a go.
 
I've used mole valley farmers feeds before and they were good value for money, as well as being competition safe!

Personally I've found no difference in using cheap and cheerful pony nuts instead of conditioning cubes. Couple this with the cheap sugar beet you soak for 24 hours, and cheap feed ahoy!

You could also consider using a balancer, depending on how much work he's in. Bag seems expensive but they last a long time!
 
Have a look at BHS gold membership as it covers for public liability and is not expensive, that way you can dramatically reduce you insurance.
None of mine have shoes on and their hooves are like little rocks of granite. All I can put it down to is micronised linseed.
 
You say he isn't shod on the hind? So your shoes are £65 just for fronts and a tidy of the hinds!?
Find a new farrier. We are in Warwickshire, and pay £60 for a full set, and a job well done.
 
My farrier is incredible and is pretty much the going rate, I'm rather fussy about who shoes my horses and have never been disappointed by this one :)

Will look at BHS too, didn't think of that thank you.
 
Is there anything you can cut out in your own life rather than making all the cuts in the horses keep ? hair dressers, hair dye, use supermarket everyday toiletries and get a bike or walk instead of using the car when its short journeys
 
Kokopelli said:
My farrier is incredible and is pretty much the going rate, I'm rather fussy about who shoes my horses and have never been disappointed by this one :)

Will look at BHS too, didn't think of that thank you.
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I'm sorry by I'm 30 for a set of fronts and a hind tidy and 55 for a full set, no way would I pay a farrier £65 for a front set and trim no matter how good he was!! What is he for a barefoot trim? Anymore than 20 is a top off IMO.

They can be comfortable and happy without the back people. Mine haven't had a back person out for about four years and none of them are uncomfy not in pain in anyway :)

Not getting at you but I keeping on a strict budget and anything unnecessary or over priced just gets dropped. If bet told met horse needed the back man then yes but other than that I see that as a luxury not a necessity :)
 
Do you really need to feed chaff?
What about looking for grass livery, for summer months at least?
Ebay and Preloved good for hoof boots.
Don't buy new uni books - try Ebay or noticeboards at uni.
Car insurance - have you checked you've got the cheapest deal? 5 mins on moneysupermarket.com or comparethemarket.com can save £ lots. Same with the horse insurance, check other insurers. But do you need to drive to uni (assume you have to pay for parking as well)? Would a student travel card be cheaper?
 
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