What do you do to save pennies????

buy a cross cut shredder & shred newspapers etc, this has cut my bedding bill to nothing as we have rubber mats & they`re only in overnight if its realy bad
sudocrem is a great sun block for noses plus all its other uses
pig oil if you have a hairy, fantastic for feathers keeps manes & tails great too
 
All great tips - fly spray this year has been one of my savings as I now make my own. Recipe is probably the well know one of cold strong tea, citronella oil, tea tea oil, white wine vinegar, olive oil and a little bit of washing up liquid. This has really worked on my delicate gelding this year that has a nervous breakdown if a horsefly comes near him. I must of spent a fortune on shop bought sprays over the years at an average of £10-12 a go and they do NOT work!
 
Have a sharer who pay me towards her keep.

Have rubber matting and only put one bale of shavings down a week.

Vet does group visits to the yard which means not charged for call out.

Turn her out in summer so I don't have bedding and feed costs.

Look after tack so it lasts longer.

Only feed her what she needs, a small amount, and only one supplement that she has to have. I consulted spillers so I know what I'm feeding her is ok.

Rarely have lessons.

Shod on front only.
 
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i try to do everything as well as possible, constantly monitor horses health etc. prevention is better than cure, and cheaper! usually.

at the mo all have fly masks and cotton sheets on against the flies, to prevent nasty bites, and conjunctivitis, i use the masks that are shaped and do not touch the eyes and rub,, so they can stay out most of the time, giving me a break and using less bedding and hay, not to mention the effort saved! only use the very expensive repellent for riding

if they have any gunge in their eyes, i bathe them in slightly salted water
and rinse fly masks to get rid of dust.


in winter i bring in and feed corn then a little hay then give the bulk of hay around 9 pm so its spread out.

damp all hay fed, saves on allergies and vets, put them in the longer grass on damp dewy morns to wet the feet and use oils 1 -2 times a week in summer, or lead them through dewy grass to rehydrate the hooves.
 
Superglue was first invented specifically for keeping cuts held together in the war wasn't it? Or have I imagined that?

The insurance debate always bugs the hell out of me! Yes, not having 3rd party cover....of some kind....is irresponsible because horses could cause someone life changing damage....not talking a broken wong mirror or dented car here! But not insuring your horse is ONLY irresponsible if you have no contingency, surely?

I mean...someone with so many horses that they would be paying out £100's, even £1000's to fully insure, are surely better to put that money to one side and pay vets bills from that....because you're paying an amount, in m onthly premiums, that would cover most vetinary eventualities!

Those with fewer horses, living on a tighter budget, are unlikely to afford a vet bill, so insurance is a godsend!

I was very lucky for the first years of horse ownership, my old mare was arthritic and should have been a vetinary regular, but never cost me a penny that insurance would have paid anyway (not insured as she was 30) and the same with my shetland pony, though he was young enough to insure.

My next horse, Dan, no problems....

Then we come to Snip. A healthy, supposedly baggage free youngster, I did insure him, thank god, as he has had ulcers to the cost of £5000 insurance, Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis to the sum of £4,500 insurance, a badly cut leg to the sum of £1,500 insurance....as well as many other smaller amounts that I have covered myself, couple of colics (minor) couple of tying up episodes once the insurance cover had run out for that condition, and once where he had a strange heat stroke episode and ended up staying in on fluids for a couple of days....my insurance owes me nothing! lol

I don't have loss of use on him, but have been told by NFU that with all his issues they would have paid out LOU without question.

I have Rhythm now too, and have taken out LOU on him, but hope (like crazy) that I've had my bad luck quota and he'll be another healthy one! All of Snip's issues are either genetic, or as a result of the other genetic problem....or due to his own clumsy uselessness!

For me, I can more easily afford the £133.00 per month for the 3 horses (Snip, Rhythm and I pay for the Shetland insurance whilst he is out on loan) also including personal accident, tack theft for my good saddles and of course 3rd party, than I can another £5000 bill....and I'm NOT in a position where I have to skimp on spending.

So, back to my original point (forgive me I'm bored and got rambley!) it's only irresponsible to not be able to afford the care for your horse....whether that's through insurance or savings sat in the bank!
 
things that makes me save money:

turn your horse out 24/7 or as long as you can (yes, they will survive, even in the winter!), to save on shavings and fuel.

make your own fly spray

wash/reproof your own small rug (fleece and rain sheet etc., I bought a £10 wash bag so that hair, hay stay in the bag and wont break your washing machine

do the sales, ebay, free delivery, second hand (you'r probably better off buying a very good second hand item than a cheap brand new one sometimes)

if you're horse got a day off, why dont you ask a friend to do it for you and when your friend gets a day off you do her horse, to save on fuel

if you are competing, look at venues that are close to you and entry fees, is it really worth going affiliated if you just want to have a bit of fun?

and finally DO NOT look at what other people (richer than you) have or buy, there is nothing wrong with not wearing Jack wills and Dubarry boots at the yard!
 
i'm sure the superglue that they use in surgery etc is not the same as you buy over the counter in a shop:confused: last time i stuck my fingers together with the damn stuff it burnt :eek:
I have 4 horses and 3 dogs and i don't insure any of them, always managed to pay my vet bills and never skimped on vet treatment for any of them, even paid for treatment for a rope burn and back check on a pony that got dumped on me so i can't see how not insuring is 'irresponsible':confused:
Think the best way to save the pennies is to only have what is essential rather than keep up with the latest fads and fashions. luckily for me my horses prefer to live out and are all barefoot, saves me a small fortune :)
 
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