Money saving tips!
- Thread starter silvershadow81
- Start date
Read through the whole lot before I got to this one. Discovered this today when I looked on ebay & someone was selling about 15 for 99p. Went out to the yard & dipped my fingers into the box of calf rings!
Mr sheen is a great tail detangler!!! Cheap would probably just as good as well 
- Joined
- 25 October 2007
- Messages
- 2,652
If feeding topline/competition type feeds try looking at the equivalent racing feed - generally the same thing pretty much just with no vat
Ooh my fav topic!!
Own brand baby shampoo instead of horsey shampoo, baby oil, wet wipes make good eye/bum wipes etc
Many things like cotton wool rolls cheaper from Chemist not saddlery
Wash rugs that don't need re-proofing in the bath yourself
Stock up on swedes from supermarket end of day reductions, they still keep for ages.
Learn to sew or make a friend who does - lots of things easily repairable instead of throw away, e.g. velcro comes off something.
Do an occasionall reccy shop around for best price/quality straw, hay, shavings etc. don't assume you are still getting a good deal from your current supplier
See something you like in your local tack shop? If you can wait a few days for it, go home and mooch the internet to see if you can get it cheaper
Ebay is amazing!!
Get together with others to buy feed/straw etc in bulk
Look after your things - maintain tack and rugs etc, and if you have a theft problem on a yard a lock and chain is cheaper than constantly replacing things
Visit the pound/cheapo shop for storage boxes, sponges, vaseline, dustpan and brush, cheap small brooms make good yard brooms if you don't have to sweep the whole yard, laundry baskets make good skips
... told you it was my fav subject
Own brand baby shampoo instead of horsey shampoo, baby oil, wet wipes make good eye/bum wipes etc
Many things like cotton wool rolls cheaper from Chemist not saddlery
Wash rugs that don't need re-proofing in the bath yourself
Stock up on swedes from supermarket end of day reductions, they still keep for ages.
Learn to sew or make a friend who does - lots of things easily repairable instead of throw away, e.g. velcro comes off something.
Do an occasionall reccy shop around for best price/quality straw, hay, shavings etc. don't assume you are still getting a good deal from your current supplier
See something you like in your local tack shop? If you can wait a few days for it, go home and mooch the internet to see if you can get it cheaper
Ebay is amazing!!
Get together with others to buy feed/straw etc in bulk
Look after your things - maintain tack and rugs etc, and if you have a theft problem on a yard a lock and chain is cheaper than constantly replacing things
Visit the pound/cheapo shop for storage boxes, sponges, vaseline, dustpan and brush, cheap small brooms make good yard brooms if you don't have to sweep the whole yard, laundry baskets make good skips
... told you it was my fav subject
No I like them! Please put more on! These are great
No I like them! Please put more on! These are great
x- Joined
- 26 April 2013
- Messages
- 11
This is such a good idea i've already saved money buying stuff online on equinecompare.com. Whats that website where people post stuff they don't want and all you have to do is pick it up and its yours?
thanks :*
thanks :*
gridwall plastic fishing rod tubes - 3 x 6'6 from the local fishing shop for a tenner!!!!! And they come with capped ends so you can put sand in them!
Someone else put on another thread recently that a poundland potty at either end of a pole make excellent cavaletti.
If, like me you have a shetland that likes to wander through the fencing, go buy some 1m scaffolders netting
Someone else put on another thread recently that a poundland potty at either end of a pole make excellent cavaletti.
If, like me you have a shetland that likes to wander through the fencing, go buy some 1m scaffolders netting
Last edited:
- Joined
- 25 November 2012
- Messages
- 3,992
Things we do at our yard are:
Sharing the jobs - one person feeds in the morning, another turns out, someone else brings in, then there is someone around to give evening feeds and nets. Means that even with a horse that is stabled overnight you can get away with one trip a day most days.
Also, a few of us feed our horses normal supermarket own sunflower oil, but with peeled garlic cloves in it to make garlic oil. The horses love it.
With tack cleaning, I put a teeny spot of cheap soap (fairy or shampoo) into hot water and give my bridle/martingale/girth/leathers etc a quick dunk and the grease and mud wipes straight off. Not necessary for day to day cleaning, but after hunting or a muddy or sweaty hack it makes light work of a normally tedious job! Just remember to give a good oil or soap afterwards.
Sharing the jobs - one person feeds in the morning, another turns out, someone else brings in, then there is someone around to give evening feeds and nets. Means that even with a horse that is stabled overnight you can get away with one trip a day most days.
Also, a few of us feed our horses normal supermarket own sunflower oil, but with peeled garlic cloves in it to make garlic oil. The horses love it.
With tack cleaning, I put a teeny spot of cheap soap (fairy or shampoo) into hot water and give my bridle/martingale/girth/leathers etc a quick dunk and the grease and mud wipes straight off. Not necessary for day to day cleaning, but after hunting or a muddy or sweaty hack it makes light work of a normally tedious job! Just remember to give a good oil or soap afterwards.
- Joined
- 23 August 2013
- Messages
- 6
actually an amazing idea... overalls-- no more horse muck smell on the bus!! you GENIUS you!!
One of my best buys was a broom from pound land! It's lasted amazingly well! Also round our way we have a sort of hardware shop called proper job (they basically sell everything ) they are great for brooms, rakes, buckets, water canisters (great for taking in the trailer), torches, Yard gloves, all really handy around the yard and 100 times cheaper than anything associated with horses
) they are great for brooms, rakes, buckets, water canisters (great for taking in the trailer), torches, Yard gloves, all really handy around the yard and 100 times cheaper than anything associated with horses 
Buy hi viz from non equine sources. Also the cheapest quarter sheet:https://www.kramer.co.uk/Universal-...kraemer-pferdesport.47-GB&pi=340196&ci=262556
- Joined
- 16 July 2010
- Messages
- 3,821
Anyone buying woodpellets from white horse energy for the first time can use this code Macchr21736 for a 5% discount.
http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/laundry-products/liquid-soap/
Make your own detangler - 1/3 bottle hair conditioner, 1 tbsp baby oil, topped up with water - just give it a good shake.
Make your own detangler - 1/3 bottle hair conditioner, 1 tbsp baby oil, topped up with water - just give it a good shake.
My "top tip" if you like, is to studiously try and avoid buying anything specifically marked "equine" coz that just is an excuse to charge stooopid prices.
My cheapie tips:
Make your own fly-spray, I use a mixture of one capful of Dettol, mixed in with cold stewed tea and a splash of vinegar, add-in about a thumbnail's worth of liquid soap, then your oil of choice (I use Neem). PLEASE PATCH TEST if using on your own horses tho'
If horse on supplements, don't ever buy Brand Name ones. Look at what's in them and look-out for ingredients separately. E.g. mine has sweet itch, so I use Cider Vinegar, Brewers Yeast, Micronised Linseed, Clivers and Nettle (can pick your own and dry the last two on the list).
First aid kit: nappies and sanitary towels are excellent for wounds (and one helluva lot cheaper than Animalintex! - also because they're in a packet should be sterile). Sudocrem is a good fix-all, but don't buy from the Chemist, look at places like Lidls as much cheaper there!
Double-up products: like, I've used Sainsburys Tea Tree shampoo for me! AND the Neds. Ditto Udder Salve (fantastic for slapping on your face and hands in the winter), also does for the horses. Nice and cheap and cheerful. Ditto Sudocrem. Ditto mane & tail conditioners.
WD40 is fantastic for de-tangling manes and tails, and for spraying on feathers to keep them in good condition! Also if you apply on a sponge and go over the coat gives a lovely shine! (note: NOT if the weather is hot and sunny!). Ditto liquid paraffin which is what the Horse Masters of old used to do to get a nice shine on their draught horses for shows. But again (warning!) don't use on your Neds without patch-testing first.
Wormers: go on-line, or even better search out and find a good farmers agricultural unit i.e. one without the expensive shop surroundings, I've found one round here which is tucked up a side-road on an industrial estate - no shop, no frills, more like a depot/warehouse atmosphere, but much cheaper!
Riding clothes: if you're just a happy hacker like me, then you may find that hi-viz for runners & cyclists is much cheaper than specific "equestrian" stuff is. Lidls & Aldi are good places as they often have stuff in their bargains aisles. I bought a lovely comfy pair of cycling trousers (with padded bum!!) for a silly price, they were made of a special fabric that wicked away sweat but kept you cosy if you got caught in a shower.
If buying say a hat, by all means go to your equestrian outlet and let them "fit" you with something which suits; then excuse yourself (somehow!) go home on-line and get what you want a lot cheaper, naughty I know, but we've all done it surely.
Some good tips elsewhere on here!
My cheapie tips:
Make your own fly-spray, I use a mixture of one capful of Dettol, mixed in with cold stewed tea and a splash of vinegar, add-in about a thumbnail's worth of liquid soap, then your oil of choice (I use Neem). PLEASE PATCH TEST if using on your own horses tho'
If horse on supplements, don't ever buy Brand Name ones. Look at what's in them and look-out for ingredients separately. E.g. mine has sweet itch, so I use Cider Vinegar, Brewers Yeast, Micronised Linseed, Clivers and Nettle (can pick your own and dry the last two on the list).
First aid kit: nappies and sanitary towels are excellent for wounds (and one helluva lot cheaper than Animalintex! - also because they're in a packet should be sterile). Sudocrem is a good fix-all, but don't buy from the Chemist, look at places like Lidls as much cheaper there!
Double-up products: like, I've used Sainsburys Tea Tree shampoo for me! AND the Neds. Ditto Udder Salve (fantastic for slapping on your face and hands in the winter), also does for the horses. Nice and cheap and cheerful. Ditto Sudocrem. Ditto mane & tail conditioners.
WD40 is fantastic for de-tangling manes and tails, and for spraying on feathers to keep them in good condition! Also if you apply on a sponge and go over the coat gives a lovely shine! (note: NOT if the weather is hot and sunny!). Ditto liquid paraffin which is what the Horse Masters of old used to do to get a nice shine on their draught horses for shows. But again (warning!) don't use on your Neds without patch-testing first.
Wormers: go on-line, or even better search out and find a good farmers agricultural unit i.e. one without the expensive shop surroundings, I've found one round here which is tucked up a side-road on an industrial estate - no shop, no frills, more like a depot/warehouse atmosphere, but much cheaper!
Riding clothes: if you're just a happy hacker like me, then you may find that hi-viz for runners & cyclists is much cheaper than specific "equestrian" stuff is. Lidls & Aldi are good places as they often have stuff in their bargains aisles. I bought a lovely comfy pair of cycling trousers (with padded bum!!) for a silly price, they were made of a special fabric that wicked away sweat but kept you cosy if you got caught in a shower.
If buying say a hat, by all means go to your equestrian outlet and let them "fit" you with something which suits; then excuse yourself (somehow!) go home on-line and get what you want a lot cheaper, naughty I know, but we've all done it surely.
Some good tips elsewhere on here!