Money saving tips!

[Tnavas]

Saline solution for washing wounds - a teaspoon to a pint of previously boiled water - I keep some in an old Coke bottle so I have it on hand

Use salt on wounds rather than wound powder - they heal quickly and the flies don't like it

Make white sock paste/makeup from Curash baby powder with some warm water (Powder has to have Zinc in it) rub in with a sponge and allow to dry, rub off excess before going in ring.

Use Nizeral hair shampoo to treat Mud Fever, Greasy Heel or Rain Scald. Dilute with warm water lather up and leave. If you use an old facecloth to lather it up scabs come off really easily.

Go back to feeding basic feeds - cuts feeding bills dramatically. Crushed Barley, Meadow Chaff, Sugarbeet, ground Linseed and a good equine balancer is suitable for the majority of horses.

Buy Linseed whole and crush in a coffee grinder - feeding it freshly ground enhances all its great properties - shiny coat and healthy joints.

Book dentist with a group of friends - all go to the one place so dentist doesn't have to travel.

Same as above with farrier.

Travel with a friend to shows and split the costs.

Use a glue gun to seal small tears in rugs - glue edges together.

 

[Jenz]

Just bathed my boy in Alberto Balsam (or something) Tea Tree and Mint shampoo. Goes much further than horsey version and a fraction of the price. Also still smells a bit mentholly after rinsing out, so hopefully will keep flies away. The horsey version doesn't lather up, so harder to know when its rinsed out properly, I also end up using more expecting in to lather up eventually!

Also, a tiny sqirt of 98p Morrisons stain spray and his socks and tail are gleaming. That bottle will last for ages (the last bottle did). Better and cheaper than the certain 'three beat gait' named brand that I don't rate.

Tesco Value furniture polish is great. Repels dirt in tails and the best for getting grease off riding boots/jod boots. Also those last minute noseband/boots/quarter shine-ups before entering the ring.

 

[JustMe22]

Home made fly sprays!!

Human things like shampoo instead of special horse shampoo

Buy brushes at supermarkets and stuff, you'd be surprised how often you can find brushes exactly the same or very similar to specialised grooming equipment, and much cheaper.

Old car seatbelts from scrapyards and so on make really good replacements for straps on blankets and extra bits like that.

If you're handy with a sewing machine, you can make your own rugs, trucking sets, numnahs, and a whole bunch of other stuff that cost a lot to buy.

Browbands are really easy to make! I mean the ribbon ones you use for showing. Really, do not bother paying insane amounts for them. Just find a plain leather browband and cover it with the ribbon yourself. You even get the exact colours and pattern you want

You can also buy velcro etc very cheap, so its easy to fix boots and fastenings.

Bicarbonate of soda works really well to clean coats/green spots. It draws out all the dirt.

EBAY!!!

Bargain hunt...I love buying tack at second hand shops, jumble sales, random stalls at shows and stuff. You can get really good deals there.

Ok, I will stop now

 

[vallin]

I agree with that!

 

[kendra2705]

have an affair with the farrier , ha ha no not really x

 

[Aoibhin]

use rubber gloves to skip out stables by hand, a lot less wasted bedding.

 

[salee]

using lawn mowings **DRIED as chop in feed,

i mow and spread it all out straight away on a cheap blue tarpauling like cover (B&Q?) to dry well & check for anything that shouldn't be there (or i chuck it), then it gets added to feed to slow down a greedy horse and stretch the feed out too.

** must be dried well before use, fed while green risks choke & as it goes off far too quick you risk fermentation and colic,

I use builders plaster mixing rubber skips things as feed tubs,
they are big & have rounded corners and sloped sides - makes it easier for the horse to get every last bit of feed, also weigh a lot so dont get knocked over or bust,
give the feed spread out and thin that way they take longer to eat it and can't grab a big mouthfull to shower the stable floor with.

ask at a local food factory for old barrels, they often get ingredients delivered in those blue plastic barrels and when washed out they are just fine as they have to be food grade anyway.

black plastic dust bins as field waterers, ask for large sized tires to stand them in, safer than a bath with no sharp edges, easier for kids to handle or put in the back of a car to move, and you can put the lid on to keep leaves out while the field is out of use.

grow herbs in old busted buckets/wellies etc, makes the place look nice, repels flies too and you have some feed addatives or herbal dressings ready to use.

use a cement mixer to mix own course mix feeds, that way you can add what YOU want in it,
another use is mix cheap compost with midden poo and sell onto gardeners, if you can deliver it ask at the allotments, they may also give you spare veg free.

grow mushrooms on the poo pile.

cut all bale string at the knot, makes them better to use and you can sell bunches of them to allotments etc

ask at the local bakers if you can have stale bread etc, crumbled up you have the basis of most 'cool' mix feeds, a loaf a day is more than enough for most horses added to normal feed.

use water butts/dustbins, invest in a few bits of plastic guttering and you will be sirprised how much free water you will get.

 

[salee]

to add to another posting...

Saline solution for washing wounds - a teaspoon to a pint of previously boiled water - I keep some in an old Coke bottle so I have it on hand

i do the same but put mine in ann old squeezy washing-up bottle that way i can squirt into hard to get at places like under the belly or girth,

i have another with pre very diluted hibiscrub, same idea used for the slightly more serious wounds or after 1st wash out with saline,
use those little vinegar packets given in resturants on bites and stings, ok so they hurt but so does the sting!

also does for humans... keep small amount of it in the car 1st aid, safe bet for anyone, if you are allergic to salty water then you are probably incurable!

 

[TinselTurkey]

use supermarket own brands (shampoo,baby wipes, baby oil)
go to cheap pound shops for boxes,brooms etc.
buy things from the market
ask your local supermarket if you can have all the vegetables that were goiing to be thrown away.
when you muck out don't take lots of usable bedding out
buy second hand items
buy things from foreign countries (whenever i go down to ireland i go to the nearest tack shop and have a hunt around!)
make your own Jumps! use drainpipes as poles and make wings out of wood, go to wickes or ask at a builders yard for scraps. works out cheaper than paying £350+ for a couple of jumps!
make your own horse treats, keep likit pots and make smoothies, pour the mix in and put in the freezer my greedy cob loves them!

 

[tazanotabza]

ok my big naughty money saving tip.

all cars have extensive first aid kits hidden in them, i raided mine and there were 10 crepe bandages in there, now only one. and lots of usefull stuff like that.

also make your own jumps its good fun and breaks into your creative side.

do stuff around the yard if you are a livery to get money off.

waterproof your own rugs.

learn how to use a sewing machine.

 

[Nannon]

one haynet inside another - saves wastage and my horse doesnt manage to eat as much so means using less hay! It takes them longer to get the hay out (or you could use a small hle haylage net)

 

[MadArabLady]

[ QUOTE ]
the bestest money saving tip of all..... don't have a horse!

[/ QUOTE ]

Bah humbug - they are cheaper than kids and you don't have to see them all day and night if you don't want to lol

 

[RomneyMarsh]

Hi, Ive saved a fortune by using shredded egg boxes for my 3 horses beds. I wouldn't change back to any other bedding its absorbent, the smell is reduced and it rots down really well. I have got rubber mats in my stables but it can be used without them. It acts like blotting paper. Absolutely superb. I pay £3 - £3.50 a bale and get them Harbour Bedding in Rye, East Sussex. 01797 223105 www.harbourbedding.co.uk

 

[zsmm4]

ahh beaten to it! I was going to post "sell the horse". then we'd all be rich in money but poor in other ways.

 

[JosieSmith]

I'd rather be poor in money and rich in other ways, though I dont think OH would quite agree, lol!

 

[michelleice]

i bought fly guard£40 for Benson and it evaporates in heat! at £40 i don't want that! so i bought citronella (6) sainsburys cheap vinegar (small) mixed them in fly-guard (empty) filled it up with water now have litre of fly spray that cost me £7 and it keeps flies of better

 

[rangerover]

Take sale in Reading horse sales tomorrow! Thimbleby & Shorland

 

[LadyJane]

I bought some rubber matting about 6 months ago from a company called stable-mats.com see link below and I have saved so much money not having to use much sawdust.

http://www.stable-mats.com/products.aspx?browseBy=category&productCategory_id=41

They are also really easy to clean and 17mm thick so they seem to be very hardwearing. All in all I think these have saved me a lot of money and will soon pay for themselves if they havent already!

 

[silvershadow81]

Return to my good old post! love all of the suggestions!!

My latest one:

I have bought a cross paper shredder which is in the barn and everyone is giving me their daily newspapers and paper. I shred on site and it costs me nothing. OK it probably takes ten mins to create as much paper as a normal bale of shavings - but its free!!

The bed is lovely and deep and easy to muck out!

 

[Maizy]

Ok a bit random but here goes...

If you have hair long enough to tie it back for riding, then keep a pair of old thick tights on the yard, and when you can't find a hair bobble, cut off about 1cm of 'leg' and double it up to create a hair band!

You can get loads out of just one leg and no nasty metal bit. Just wash them first!

 

[SVMel]

Learnt this when sharing grazing with a rug tearer.
Put a cheap lightweight turnout over more expensive / heavier rugs to take the brunt of the abuse. I now have sole use of turnout with no tearing probs, but will still do this as it saves the heavyweights. Lighter rugs cost less to wash and dry quicker so I always have rugs ready to use!

Also, use a feed balancer. Yes it does cost more than the average bag of feed, but lasts longer and you know your horse is getting all his vitamin, mineral and trace element requirements. I use less hard feed when using this, so saving cash. I am lucky enough to have lots of grass left, but obviously it is losing its value, so will start feeding balancer alone to make sure I've got all bases covered! My lot do really well like this, even the veteran anglo arab who is still working and living out!

 

[piglet99]

Do you mean the nappies act as a poultice, or just hold the poultice in place? do they clean up the wounds? sounds like a really good idea!

 

[Phillamena]

Nappies act as a poultice in the same way as animalintex does, just cheaper! Still need to tape it on though or put a hoof boot on.

 

[pinkdiesel]

what great ideas,
use aromatherapy teetree oil from chemist, for thier ears if get bitten like my horse , rug few drops into ears with hand , oil is fast healing and the smell with stop more flies/midges going in, also can be used on sweat itch, or as general fly stray around eyes. or for any foot problems ,
good for human spots with dry them up, may sting tiny bit ,leave on over night and wash off droplet on spots off with water in morning an spots will have dried up, continue three times a week , bring on better skin,
sorry beauty therapist can help it.

 

[Vicki1986]

people saying use baby wipes to wash eyes, bums, noses - its actually a false economy really if nyou think about how many you get through - i know I get through a good few packs a month, tesco's own obviously!
If you buy a pack of 5 little sponges for £1 at the pound shop and have one for each thing that needs cleaning - just using a bit of warm water & your sponge will be cheaper. and I would have thought this is kinder to the environment possibly

im a baby wiper, going to get a new set of sponges instead having thought about it.

 

[tigerwithspots]

Daz - gets all those yellow stains out!

 

[Dubsie]

If you add oil to feed have you noticed how the more expensive (branded) ones eg NAF Linseed - just got some to try for our old dog's stiff joints and have been using for one of the ponies too - they have wide necks and do not have any pourer mechanisms like the (cheaper) supermarket oils do? If you usually add an unspecified gloop of oil from the bottle, either measure it with your feed stiring spoon rather than pour it out from the container, or keep it somewhere warm (indoors, or footwell of your car perhaps) so it is more runny and you use nearer the amount you intended rather than a big slug of it!
If you need new rugs, ask about amongst people you know. Chances are someone will have a stack of unused ones they bought in the wrong size for a horse they sold/grew too big or it didn't fit too well and has never been used. I acquired a light weight turnout and a cooler this way and got much nicer colour/better quality & brands than I'd intended for much less ££ than new - and neither had been used! Can also help an impoverished rug rich, cash poor, horse owner to offer if they see a new pony on the block.

 

[samanthap]

Epsom salts are great calmers and are also very cheap! A table spoon in their water/feed a day chills them right out, then then you slowly use less and less. Much better than any of the branded calmers we've used!

 

[Rebecca37]

I love this subject, OK here goes

Buy shampoo from you hairdresser it comes in 5 litre bottles and can get it in tee tree version if you horse suffers from sweet itch like mine, dirt cheap!

Shop arround for EVERYTHING! dont impulse buy use the internet even for the little things i.e.baby wipes! Also when it comes to insurance, deals can be found if you combine home, car and horse you can save in all areas!

When it comes to the first aid kit I swear by salt and suedocrem. Also human equivelents are ussually so much cheaper!

And finally talk to the oldtimers and read the old books! The older generations have a wealth of knowledge that can help cut costs and give us new ideas!

 

[Django Pony]

If your vet allows it and it's not too far away, hack to the surgery for routine injections. It saves the call out fee (£37 a time at mine!). For things like dectomax injections (for mites) where you need 2 injections 10 days apart it saves a fortune! x