Money saving tips!

[mr fields]

bedding this time of year is increasing massively. i have done this for years nd my whole yard now does the same, buy some decent mats ave 6 mats per stables at £20 a mat and buy cheap shavings or chopped straw nd put a strinkle down to soak the wet up, but make sure u always put a rug on when doing this type of bed because the urea from the urine burns the skin and make sure ur horses are kept clean on their legs i.e brushing often or bathing them. alot of people think this is cruel because they havnt got a comfy bed to lie in but a horse does not appreciate the bed you give them and its only the same as them lying down on hard ground in summer in the field, the only thing horses appreciate off you is their feed, haynet and water.

 

[lhotse]

But horses don't choose to lie in their own urine when lying on hard ground out in the field. They don't have a choice in a stable filled with p***. Bad advice.

 

[wingedhorse]

Overalls - I bought myself and daughter a pair each (£4), it saves me a fortune on stained jops/washing powder etc. I can do morning stable in my work clothes, its also very liberating not having to worry in the slightest about getting mucky, they are also lovely and warm without being sweaty and bulky. QUOTE]

GENIUS!

I've been struggling recently with going to yard in scruffs then having to get changed with clothes I've taken with me to work and then changed again after work.

Where is best to get nice but not too expensive overalls for ladies then?

I'd like to know this too!

F_H

 

[Horse_Crazy]

I brought a Hi Viz hat band, with two bands to go on your arms from Aldi for £1.99... they would cost about £8 at a tack shop. I also brought a Hi Viz Neck Band that connects to the girth for £1.99 for Aldi, which i was going to buy from the tack shop but it was £10 at the tack shop... so glad i went to Aldi.. it saved lots of money.

I also make my own Mane and Tail spray, fly spray.

To Make mane and tail spray =
-1 mug water
-1 mug human hair conditioner
-splash of sensitive fabric conditioner
-squirt of shaving foam

Put it all in a bottle and give it a good shake then put into a spray bottle and it's ready for use. Dont forget to shake before each use. It will make a lot put it in a number of spray bottles if you have to much... maybe you could sell it.

To make fly spray

-10 drops or a tea spoon of citronella
-1tbsp washing up liquid
-4tbsp vinger
-1/2 pint of strong cold tea
- fill with water

Mix all the ingrediants together apart from water, add to the spray bottle and fill with water.

 

[russian_charm]

remember when at saddlery sales (or any other sale for that matter); if you didn't need it or weren't going to buy it in the first place you are NOT actually saving ANY money by buying it now, just because its discounted

 

[mr fields]

But horses don't choose to lie in their own urine when lying on hard ground out in the field. They don't have a choice in a stable filled with p***. Bad advice.

you put enough down to soak the wet up and on mats most the urine drains away

 

[rhino]

you put enough down to soak the wet up and on mats most the urine drains away

Except in your post you said:

make sure u always put a rug on when doing this type of bed because the urea from the urine burns the skin and make sure ur horses are kept clean on their legs i.e brushing often or bathing them.

which would seem to suggest your horse is coming into contact with quite a lot of urine! False economy IMO, a deep bed mucked/skipped out often will not work out more expensive long term. And you will not need to be constantly bathing your horse and it will not stink of wee

 

[lhotse]

you put enough down to soak the wet up and on mats most the urine drains away

So the horse lies down on urine soaked bedding instead, and the urine that runs off out of the stable sits outside the door attracting flies, or pools under the mats and becomes a stinking mess, nice. Wouldn't want to be stabled next door to yours. I guess your wild stallion is quite lucky he's in a field unable to be handled, or maybe he has experienced your 'stable management' and wisened up!!

 

[mr fields]

you lot havnt got a clue about horses. i give my advice and it turns into a big debate on my stable management and my horses none of my horses are in poor condition and never will be. yes maybe my yard isnt the cleanest but when you have a yard as big as mine with all the liveries and horses to sort out there isnt enough time in a day to do stuff like that. all my liveries do the same kind of beds as me and none of them moan that there horses are lyin in their own urine, they choose their own kind of beds them selves.

 

[Charlie Bear]

Good tip! thanks

 

[wingedhorse99]

Pure Feeds have 50% off your first delivery if you friend them on Facebook.

I have bought my whole supply of winter feed. Will replace balancer, mix, foot supplement and chaff, and save me lots.

F_H

 

[saxonhorse]

Firstly regarding saving money.
1/ Take your old sleeping bag or Duvey and stich velcro to it and under side of NZ rug for those really cold nights. (never learnt to stich but seen it done)
2/ visit your Army surplus store for all sorts of stuff. Putties are exactly the same as leg wraps, only in karki. http://www.denbigharmysurplus.co.uk/army-stores/Putties.html
3/ Great place for coverals, even insulated type with zips up the legs & front. makes it easy to change without taking boots off.
4/ Army medical traumer pack, fits in large pocket and contains dressings with ties, but also contains a blood clotting agent to stem heavy bleeding.

5/ landrover for hauling all your goodies & trailer
www.witham-sv.com http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicles/,25,/Used_Landrovers.htm

 

[tashwilson]

Some more

I buy some of last years square bales of hay, they are still good but are alot cheaper

Colgate toothpaste works wonders on mud fever

Make up own fly spray

EBAY IS AMAZING

New facebook pages of things for sale in your area

Gumtree for finding good deals

For abcess wrapping , poultice with an incontinence pad to extract everything and then make up a ready made square from duck tape and apply over to make a duck tape boot

Communication within a yard to buy in bulk or split call out fees

Buy shavings directly from wholesalers

Pound and bargin shops

Lidl do some good equine ranges every now and again

Snow shovels are very handy to have, they are cheap last ages and i even muck my shavings bed out with them

Bailler twine is always kept as it is very useful

Codlivine cages from robinsons they are about three pound to cover light switches in the stable

Keep rug bags to keep rugs clean and fresh

Reproof rugs yourself

Asda trugg buckets are three pound but can be up to fourteen pound in tack shops

The man at my local market gets me very cheap carrots

 

[horsesatemymoney]

hi, some great ideas there, please can you tell me more about how you source last year's hay and also the shavings, thanks

 

[abbijay]

I love a good bargain, there's some great ideas here, so I'll add a few of my own:
If you happen to be a size 12 or smaller buy kids jodhs. There's no tax on them so they're much cheaper and basically the same as the 'ladies' versions.
Don't rely on horsey brands for everything. I use clothing from outdoor stores, human medical supplies, DIY shops for tools and various food stuffs (like oil) from supermarkets.
Mention to colleagues and non-horsey friends that you will happily take shredded paper (for bedding) and fruit and veg that's past its best off their hands. I regularly get bags of slightly shrivelled apples and bruised bananas, just make sure it's not putrid and truly off.
My favourite one is bulk buying where possible. I feed Biotin and a vit supplement and buy them in 15kg+ tubs and it works out half the price of buying them in 1.5kg pots. They usually deliever for free at these quantities so it saves the petrol costs and temptation of going to the saddlery.

 

[rucky]

save rugs that are old or too ripped to be worth repairing, then when your horse next rips his current rug (which will invariably happen) you can hack up your old rug to sew on as patches, rather than sending it to get professionally fixed.

Doing this will really save you a lot!

And get the nicer synthetic rugs rather than the cheapo ones (as weird as it seems, spending more to save money!)

You have a point there. Sometimes it's not about the price it's the quality that would count!

 

[rhiannonmeg]

Buy veg oil from supermarkets 3L for £2
Ebay- buy and sell
White shirt+ yellow duster in washing machine= yellow show shirt
Swap stuff with friends
If you don't need it don't buy it- simple
Keep old towels for bathing
Hi- viz wear go to £1 shop
Zip up pillow cover for washing boots, numnahs, coolers, fly rugs
If people leave buckets unclaimed when they move nab them
Kids cheap detanglers great
Sale bargains!!! I got a reflective martingale for £2
Peroxide from the chemists for thrush

 

[Mizzbecx]

I feed the soaked oats diet, I actually tried as my horse had a bad reaction to sugar and processed feeds but believe me it is so much cheaper and my horse has never looked so well and a perfect weight

 

[Miss L Toe]

Feed a barefoot diet and remove the shoes, £500 a year saved in one go.
an awful lot of posts about how to spend less at the tack shop: I suggest we all tear up the Credit Card and avoid going any where that allows debit card payment.

 

[Mizzbecx]

Feed a barefoot diet and remove the shoes, £500 a year saved in one go.

100% agree with this, best thing I ever did!!

 

[Miss L Toe]

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!

sml:
How much time is all that going to take, I suggest you look under the bed and remove all your old hair bobbles!

 

[claribella]

Agree with the barefoot comments! Saves so much money! I'm very blessed to have a horse with amzing feet and she barely needs trimming. We walk out on the roads as often as we can and it helps that she pads at her stable door of a morn too which keeps them trim. The transition can be tricky but worth it.

 

[annieapplecake]

if you have your horse on livery, look for any old or unwanted rugs lying about for your horse instead of buying new ones. Also if you have a turnout rug or fleece ripped at the front - turn it into an exercise sheet - just cut it to shape and sew on a type of fastener from hardware store!

For vet bills - you cant really COMPLETELY AVOID these but try to be careful to prevent accidents and next time your vet comes ask him/her to demonstrate simple medical treatments - changing a poultice, how to bandage a leg, etc. saves vet bills!

 

[wilplow]

Cut out the middle man buy direct from the farmer we get our haylage and Greengold direct

 

[headsupheelsdown]

An inexpensive yet effective treatment for all sorts of skin "grunges"/fungus:

Mix equal parts of baby oil, vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Shake well before every use. Use liberally. Works wonders!

 

[Ancient Hacker]

sml:
How much time is all that going to take, I suggest you look under the bed and remove all your old hair bobbles!

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! Pantyhose ties are much gentler on the hair, and you don't have to forage around under the bed for the bobbles. hey also don't get in the way when you put your headgear on.
Also useful for tying up climbing plants etc in the garden!

 

[Foxymumma]

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it! Pantyhose ties are much gentler on the hair, and you don't have to forage around under the bed for the bobbles. hey also don't get in the way when you put your headgear on.
Also useful for tying up climbing plants etc in the garden!

I use the old tights trick for hair ties too, Also and old pair of tights can be used to keep a tail clean for travelling! Put one leg inside the other slip over the end of the tail up to the dock, then bandage over for a tail kept clean and tidy till you get to the showground!

 

[mon]

Old pop socks, slouch socks to cover stirrups to protect saddle from scuffs and dirt.

 

[glamourpuss]

Scour car boots & charity shops for horse items & clothing.
Even if they aren't any use to you provided the price is right, buy them.
A good clean up & correctly listed on EBay they will return a good profit

 

[Sophskies]

I really need some tips! The lady who was loaning my horse has let me down and she's coming back to me, but I can't really afford it at the moment! Help!