The economy and horses!

Neither myself or my neighbours are giving up but it’s certainly a little tighter than usual.

The grass isn’t growing as well as I’d expect at this point. The horse is a very good doer so it’s not a disaster but worrying all the same as I’ll have to give hay sooner than I’d like to if it doesn’t improve.
 
Vodkagirly said:
Im horse shopping at the moment and prices arent as bad as I expected and horses dont seem to be going as quickly - though that could be because there is something wrong with them...
There seems to be less entries in the local competions with a few cancelled because of it.
My farrier mentioned that lots of people are removing back shoes and going longer between appointments.
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And then presumably farriers will have to put their prices up to cover their own costs
My own farrier mentioned that the insurance for his van is huge - Gas + nails = a bomb on wheels
 
Another one to who hay this winter is a worry. Wasn't able to get a solid supplier last year (as new to my area so bottom of the pile) so spent most of winter topping up poor quality hay with small hayledge bags that cost the earth and I'd easily use more than 1 per day in the end in with the hay. The expense did weigh on me but the worst part was the stress of not knowing where the next hay net was coming from and trying to dash out to places like mole valley twice a week to load up the car due to not having any proper haystore.

This winter storage won't be an issue but it means little if you can't get hold of the hay in the first place.

We are getting some growth in the fields but I have patches where its just dusty mud because the winter obliterated our big field. Didn't have stables last year so couldnt do any resting of the field so at least this year they can come in and be shut onto the hard standing with shelter to try and save the field when things get bad, but that doesn't solve the hay conundrum.

Was talking to a local supplier last week who said even if they get good cuts all summer the price of diesel means the cost will still be huge.

Love the idea of online dressage - can anyone recommend a site or place I can go to check that out. Have foals at foot so won't be riding outside the fields until weaning time but this would give me the chance to film and send off a test and get a taste for something more than just riding at home until we are out there doing it. If the funds can stretch that far!

I think another thing that has changed over the years is that there used to be more land, easier to do things like keep a pony at a local farm on grass livery in a cheerful rugged way with limited facilities but hacking and fields to school in in summer so the initial cost was never that steep. Seen lots of posts on here discussing the newer way of keeping them when turnout is limited and sacrificed for lots of facilities and livery owners have to start with a much higher baseline livery charge to compensate for the investment and still struggle.

Also there used to be places dotted on the edge of towns and kids could ride their bikes to the ponies and walk to the horses so rising fuel costs wouldn't have bitten so much. I was lucky enough when I was a teen to be able to do 10 mins on my bike to the stables twice a day which meant I was independent of my parents and the horse still got looked after. Now I drive 10 mins each way twice a day and can't pretend I haven't worried how id look after the animals if we ended up in a fuel shortage - regardless of cost.

Im also staring down the barrel of both girls needing a proper MOT before they come back into work and not relishing the prospect of 2x back and teeth and Saddler and and and all at once. And with the current climate you can't help but think hmmm maybe we'll just leave them as happy field ornaments a bit longer to see what pans out in the global context before spending all that money at once only to find its not feasible anyway.

Long message sorry - but do find the topic very interesting. Its not 1 thing but lots of factors compounding at the same time that for sure are changing the landscape of rural hobbies and lifestyles.
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I have had a few people ask me what I am planning to do with my 6yo this year, and the answer is nothing apart from school dressage and hack. I'd love to be out and about but there is a 0% chance of me affording my own transport or to run a towing vehicle with a 70 mile round commute 3x a week, and I just can't justify £120+ on a dressage test before I have even left the yard, esp considering it lasts all of 3 mins
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E-riders!

I should be sponsored by them the amount of times I recommend them but 1) film from home 2) marked by BD judges 3) can sit with your write up and watch the video back = learn lots 4) much better prizes than BD !!

Eta - I'm on my own so don't get to make a day of it but if you've got others on the yard then with prepping, filming, calling etc it could be a lot of fun. They also run team competitions which would be great for yards.
 
SEL said:
E-riders!

I should be sponsored by them the amount of times I recommend them but 1) film from home 2) marked by BD judges 3) can sit with your write up and watch the video back = learn lots 4) much better prizes than BD !!

Eta - I'm on my own so don't get to make a day of it but if you've got others on the yard then with prepping, filming, calling etc it could be a lot of fun. They also run team competitions which would be great for yards.
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Thanks! Im off to Google that now!!
 
SEL said:
E-riders!

I should be sponsored by them the amount of times I recommend them but 1) film from home 2) marked by BD judges 3) can sit with your write up and watch the video back = learn lots 4) much better prizes than BD !!

Eta - I'm on my own so don't get to make a day of it but if you've got others on the yard then with prepping, filming, calling etc it could be a lot of fun. They also run team competitions which would be great for yards.
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Thank you, another off to Google
 
SEL said:
E-riders!

I should be sponsored by them the amount of times I recommend them but 1) film from home 2) marked by BD judges 3) can sit with your write up and watch the video back = learn lots 4) much better prizes than BD !!

Eta - I'm on my own so don't get to make a day of it but if you've got others on the yard then with prepping, filming, calling etc it could be a lot of fun. They also run team competitions which would be great for yards.
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Friends of mine did this and I think another online series and really enjoyed it. It’s good for aiming for something and for getting feedback from an external source. My RC Rogate also does them a few times a year.
 
cauda equina said:
And then presumably farriers will have to put their prices up to cover their own costs
My own farrier mentioned that the insurance for his van is huge - Gas + nails = a bomb on wheels
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My farrier has already put his prices up!

I haven't got a lot to cut back on - I'm very lucky that I don't have to pay for livery nor hay because my husband makes it. I haven't competed for years and haven't even done a fun ride for about three years now, the only thing I do occasionally is go hunting if friends have a horse going spare. I sold my tow vehicle around this time last year when the tax came through and it had gone up to virtually double the tax for my VW. I could tow with my husband's vehicle but my trailer needs a new floor so..

We managed to pay off our mortgage a few years ago and thank god we did! Any money we have "saved" by not having to pay it anymore has now been swallowed up by everything else increasing and then some. If we still had that mortgage I think we'd be in the brown & sticky right now. I thought things were supposed to get easier as you get older :'(

If things carry on as they are, I might have to make some cut backs - I currently have another on loan as a light hack/companion after having my mare alone for a couple of years, I could send him back and have her alone again or find a livery. I could stick to just the cheapest feeds (cubes & beet, chaff is a lot of money for what it is), she is a good doer. I could take her shoes off and either not ride or just ride in the school (the track to our yard is very stony and unavoidable for hacking, of all the horses I've had here, only the Arab coped with it without shoes and as the mare is a daisy cutting oldie, I don't think hoof boots will suit her).

My mare will be 24 this year and hopes of being able to afford a nice horse to suit my aging self have long gone out the window. Hopefully things will improve but if they carry on as they are, I think my horse owning days are numbered.
 
Financially I’m struggling at the moment. I’m a single household on a decent above average but not amazing salary. I’d be fine without horses but paying all the bills alone is a lot.

The last two years since my yard of 14yrs closed down has been tough. So many yards in this area have closed in the last 5-10 years mostly to housing development (seem to be an easy target). I have two horses and had to go from DIY to part livery then moved again having the horses at two different yards one on DIY one on part. Then I managed to move the DIY to the same yard as the part and finally a second DIY space came up so both now back on DIY. Travel is further though and fuel prices have rocketed as well as the traffic being horrendous - I can on a bad day spend 2 hrs going to the yard and back twice 😢 ad-hoc services are expensive so it’s not an alternative. Then there’s the hay shortage and prices going up 😭

I’ve depleted all my reserves and am now trying to build a little back up. I have an older horse who I would not sell and a younger one who isn’t at all easy and has had colic surgery so isn’t easy to place. I’ve worked hard to get him into a better place but the strain has taken its toll on me financially, physically and mentally.

Another yard has recently been given notice of closure and DIY spaces are like hens teeth. I do live with an underlying current of fear in case it happens to this yard.
 
I'd come to realise over the last year that current pony will be my last, in the main due to mine and family members health problems. Financially it's the cost of living expenses going up and a change in our circumstances that has hit us the hardest rather than increases in the ponies costs. There are kept cheaply though, we own our field and haven't had any noticeable grass or hay shortages like other areas.

Online competitions scratch my competitive itch nowadays, mainly dressage but have started doing some trec and am loving it so these would be worth looking into for people not wanting or able to travel out to competitions. I would rather be out and about competing but it's about making the best of circumstances.

I have noticed over the last couple of years local competitions are getting fewer entries, in all disciplines and the county shows seem to have also been hit badly.
 
GoldenWillow said:
I have noticed over the last couple of years local competitions are getting fewer entries, in all disciplines and the county shows seem to have also been hit badly.
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The county shows break my heart if I am honest.

They were the highlight of my calendar when I was younger. Big showjumping in the main ring, the buzz the stands the showing classes and displays.

Our most local county show now does unaffiliated jumping in the main ring which is absolutely awesome as it does make you think wow I could do this and get to ride in this amazing arena, but it does take away the excitement of it. Getting to watch big classes and see the pros up close when they did 1m30 type classes was an absolute highlight for me and they still had unaffiliated jumping just in a smaller ring.

The county shows were the big jumping classes of bygone eras taking place all summer and were the big classes people aimed for - and on grass.

I guess big competition centres with all weather expensive surfaces has made showjumpers think its not worth risking legs on grass anymore which i can understand with the price tag of these horses and of course now people can compete all winter instead of no one having schools and riding less in winter and having to wait until summer to school in fields but it still makes me sad to see the decline of the prestigious competition element of these shows.

Last year I was really excited to watch the working hunter class at our county show and they only had 1 entry. There were more people there to watch than keen to do it and the judges came over to say how sorry they were and how shocked as it was a HOYs qualifier or something like that.

20 years ago that class would have been packed if my memory serves me correctly.

I wonder if this is to do with changing tastes more than economic factors - but the county shows used to be what people aimed for, usually not too far away and could reach 3 or so in neighbouring counties within an hour and then these were teamed with little locals shows you used for practice. Not sure this is economically any cheaper to do these days than affiliating so guess that is probably part of the lower number of entries too.

What do you think?
 
Little bit old-fashioned said:
The county shows break my heart if I am honest.

They were the highlight of my calendar when I was younger. Big showjumping in the main ring, the buzz the stands the showing classes and displays.

Our most local county show now does unaffiliated jumping in the main ring which is absolutely awesome as it does make you think wow I could do this and get to ride in this amazing arena, but it does take away the excitement of it. Getting to watch big classes and see the pros up close when they did 1m30 type classes was an absolute highlight for me and they still had unaffiliated jumping just in a smaller ring.

The county shows were the big jumping classes of bygone eras taking place all summer and were the big classes people aimed for - and on grass.

I guess big competition centres with all weather expensive surfaces has made showjumpers think its not worth risking legs on grass anymore which i can understand with the price tag of these horses and of course now people can compete all winter instead of no one having schools and riding less in winter and having to wait until summer to school in fields but it still makes me sad to see the decline of the prestigious competition element of these shows.

Last year I was really excited to watch the working hunter class at our county show and they only had 1 entry. There were more people there to watch than keen to do it and the judges came over to say how sorry they were and how shocked as it was a HOYs qualifier or something like that.

20 years ago that class would have been packed if my memory serves me correctly.

I wonder if this is to do with changing tastes more than economic factors - but the county shows used to be what people aimed for, usually not too far away and could reach 3 or so in neighbouring counties within an hour and then these were teamed with little locals shows you used for practice. Not sure this is economically any cheaper to do these days than affiliating so guess that is probably part of the lower number of entries too.

What do you think?
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Agree, people dont seem to want to compete on grass anymore. I had a couple of tries of working hunter at County 10 years ago and there was over 50 in the class. Last year there was 8
 
Vodkagirly said:
Agree, people dont seem to want to compete on grass anymore. I had a couple of tries of working hunter at County 10 years ago and there was over 50 in the class. Last year there was 8
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Tricky isn't it because I LOVE competing on grass but even I - who doesn't have a school, doesn't want a school and does all my work on grass in the field and always will, treats the field like road work when its as hard as it is already and certainly wouldn't want to jump on my field at home right now.

I suppose even low level events go out and airate (is that what is called) the XC tracks nowadays. Guess going back 20 years we probably had more rain and softer ground even in the height of summer which made competing on grass more feasible in summer.

Do county shows water/airate their arenas I wonder? Im too out of the loop after a 10 years+ break and just getting back into horses to know.
 
cauda equina said:
And then presumably farriers will have to put their prices up to cover their own costs
My own farrier mentioned that the insurance for his van is huge - Gas + nails = a bomb on wheels
Click to expand...

Commercial insurance is expensive anyway AND it doesn't cover you for driving other vehicles, or anyone else covered on your own.

I have two lots of insurance, nearly £100-worth of software, other van costs (luckily the purchase price is now paid off but when business is quiet I can't save for replacing it), business memberships etc all to pay before before I even book a customer in...and then the cost of fuel, hotel accommodation, food for the road etc, it's all a killer.
 
HopOnTrot said:
Lots of places near us (sw/midlands) have done a cut of haylage already (in April!) and grass is growing very well.

Still working on our house renovation and sending youngest to independent school so not sure how much of an effect that will have on me buying another horse, I have a gut feeling that this may be the last summer for my mare but I’m resigned to not riding until one goes. I think that’s just the thing with owning older equines.
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Think that’ll be silage, April grass is very unlikely to have headed up sufficiently for haylage (or hay).
We made some silage last month for neighbours who have their own, incredible, little micro climate, but even their grass didn’t have heads, while ours hasn’t yet grown enough for silaging (usually start early /mid May). Looking at some of the PX Farms YouTube videos (arable outfit, Cambridgeshire) and it’s dire - without all the other increased costs of production - so yes - fully expect costs of forage and feedstuff for leisure animals to rise significantly.
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Purely cost, he’s going as good as he’s ever gone but I can’t see how I’ll be affording this all in 15 years time with the rises in cost year on year. I am already in the top 8% of UK earners salary wise so I can’t just keep going up and up to meet it all. And call me selfish but I’d rather retire him earlier than is necessary than send him away anywhere where he isn’t my responsibility.
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Wow, well the top 10% UK salaries are c£70,000, so if you can’t find a way to finance your animal, hard to see how Ms Average who posts on here, could.
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
The prelim signs, in the south east where I am at least, is that we may have another difficult hay year - my livery has just gone up (which is fair, my YM held off for as long as she could) and coupled with my council tax going up, my mortgage looking like it will go up at renewal next year and the price of food and fuel rocketing, my years' for affording being a horse owner are numbered I think, there is a point at which the cost will outrun my earning ability and I will have to look at retiring Dex early most likely and finding him a retirement home where the cost is less than part livery. Especially as I am a home owner in the south east without a partner, so do have to shoulder large living costs and large livery costs for scarcity of land.
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Also in the SE and the last couple of days have been the first rain falls we've had in about a month. Grass already looks better but at this point we need a week of deluge to correct the concrete, cracked ground round here and most of the hay fields are already going to seed. I've even had less weeds to deal with and the nettles are wilted! The top end of the market will always be more resilient, just because the owners have more investments and can weather out difficult periods, but those of us with less savings are affected the most. Taxed to the hilt, ineligible for any aid, often with mortgage or high rent, kids/dependants. Local delivering suppliers have upped their delivery costs and I can't blame them. I certainly am spending less on running races (choosing to compete in UK Athletics events instead, which are free) and I haven't done an EGB or fun ride yet, this year, as the routes are the same as previous or too familiar, so I'm only going to new ones or areas I wouldn't hack in normally (but none have appeared as yet on my radar!).
 
Exasperated said:
Think that’ll be silage, April grass is very unlikely to have headed up sufficiently for haylage (or hay).
We made some silage last month for neighbours who have their own, incredible, little micro climate, but even their grass didn’t have heads, while ours hasn’t yet grown enough for silaging (usually start early /mid May). Looking at some of the PX Farms YouTube videos (arable outfit, Cambridgeshire) and it’s dire - without all the other increased costs of production - so yes - fully expect costs of forage and feedstuff for leisure animals to rise significantly.
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Around me, the purely haylage supplier has cut 4 fields. definitely haylage and not silage, he only sells tested haylage.

Our grass is growing like there's no tomorrow thankfully. I've cut down from 3 to 2 ponies purely due to time not cost, but it does make me feel better overall.
 
sbloom said:
Commercial insurance is expensive anyway AND it doesn't cover you for driving other vehicles, or anyone else covered on your own.

I have two lots of insurance, nearly £100-worth of software, other van costs (luckily the purchase price is now paid off but when business is quiet I can't save for replacing it), business memberships etc all to pay before before I even book a customer in...and then the cost of fuel, hotel accommodation, food for the road etc, it's all a killer.
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I don't have transport costs with my main job (I wfh) but professional indemnity insurance, membership fees, software fees etc etc etc all HAVE to be paid even when clients are pulling back. The NIC rise last year has proved a real killer for many of the smaller companies I work with and cutting back on professional help is easier for them than letting staff go. I'm not sure its the best long term solution but I can completely understand why they are having to do it.

Plus HMRC owe me money which is driving me up the wall!

And I'm looking nervously at my hay stock and the light drizzle and thinking there is going to be a big bill in July because I just haven't got the grass growth.
 
Vodkagirly said:
Agree, people dont seem to want to compete on grass anymore. I had a couple of tries of working hunter at County 10 years ago and there was over 50 in the class. Last year there was 8
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The last 2 years in the SE have put paid to people actively entering competitions on grass - it is like jumping on concrete.

We struggled to get entries for the riding club dressage qualifier last June because it was on grass. I rode in it and the surface was terrible.
 
dorsetladette said:
I don't think our local NPS area group will be far behind. 0,1 and 2s in classes can't cover costs.
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Shame isn't it!
I saw a lot of people on the announcement post going 'Oh no, we were just about to enter' and along those lines. I'm guessing people are waiting until as close as possible to enter, to minimize the chances of the losing entry costs due to a lame horse, broken transport etc. But at the end of the day, the venue can't afford to keep taking the chance and absorbing the costs.
 
I know a lot of people choosing not to affiliate this year especially BE due to cost and less events being held within a reasonable travel distance. I think venues will have to pivot and run more unaffiliated stuff to attract the entries, which I'm seeing round here already - lots of places hosting more "have a go" and relaxed events to bump up entries which are popular. I think with the rising cost of everything - transport, diesel, lessons, entry fees etc. being competitive has become an expensive game for amateurs and a lot of us are taking a step back. Plus with the cost of hay, feed and livery up, competing 'for fun' has become a bit of an expensive luxury.
 
Exasperated said:
Wow, well the top 10% UK salaries are c£70,000, so if you can’t find a way to finance your animal, hard to see how Ms Average who posts on here, could.
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But a single income that is heavily taxed. Two people earning £35,000 will take home after tax and NI (not including work pension contributions) over £6,000 more than one person earning £70,000. If both of you earn say £40,000 your take home would be £13,484 more or at £50,000 each £27,884 more per year than a single salary of £70,000. Even £6000 makes a hell of a difference to your daily living when you are paying a mortgage and all household bills.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
But a single income that is heavily taxed. Two people earning £35,000 will take home after tax and NI (not including work pension contributions) over £6,000 more than one person earning £70,000. If both of you earn say £40,000 your take home would be £13,484 more or at £50,000 each £27,884 more per year than a single salary of £70,000. Even £6000 makes a hell of a difference to your daily living when you are paying a mortgage and all household bills.
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Its so true - and unfair. I went for a job interview (and subsequently offered the role) which would see me having a significant pay increase and putting me in a pay bracket not far behind you, but with all the extra responsibility and hours I would have been only around £80 a week better off. The tax and NI made the £15k a year increase look like pocket money. I value my free/horse time and mental health far more than such a small increase in the bank.

FYI - I turned the job down
 
Sussexbythesea said:
But a single income that is heavily taxed. Two people earning £35,000 will take home after tax and NI (not including work pension contributions) over £6,000 more than one person earning £70,000. If both of you earn say £40,000 your take home would be £13,484 more or at £50,000 each £27,884 more per year than a single salary of £70,000. Even £6000 makes a hell of a difference to your daily living when you are paying a mortgage and all household bills.
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I was having this rant to a friend literally yesterday, it's a depressing state of affairs when my earning potential is at about its ceiling and the only prospect of me having a material improvement in terms of being able to afford the things I would love to do is by finding a partner that I could eventually split the house bills with, otherwise this is my lot - actually the inverse with the cost of living out pacing my pay rises. I would support some sort of tax break for people who are in single households above a certain age, albeit I realise a) this tax hole this would cause would be insurmountable to the government and b) it would be easily and largely abused as a policy.
 
I’m Suffolk. Essex border. My summer paddocks look better than they did last year. They are on winter fields until June. Which have gone from mud pits to rock hard concrete. Bringing in at night. Haying in the fields. My local farmer hay supplier is cutting hay next five weeks. He says grass is better than 2025 but definitely need rain. As otherwise , no second cut again. Costs will rise due to price of diesel. So yes, another expensive winter. My horse feed keeps rising. Farrier has increased (fuel). Livery risen due to electric prices. I can’t justify 60 quid on a lesson. Plus diesel. I’m even considering selling my 3.5 ton lorry cheap. As I’m not using it enough.
 
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