What do you do to save pennies????

You Wont Forget Me

You Wont Forget Me

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As title really...Whats you tips for saving money (with the horse) Seem to never have any money as always buying stuff for my horse!! So hopefully with your tips i can save some and buy something nice......
 
I agree with the rug thing - imho its about the only thing you can save money on!
I wash my own and repair my own - i waterproof them with waterproof tent spray from halfords - fab stuff, £10 a can that does 3 rugs easily xxxx
 
Darkhorse123, how good is the halfords spray, i just bought a turnout rug and i think it could do with a bit more weatherproofing, i was going to buy the nikiwax rug proofer, but is this ok, bit concerned that its a spray and it wont apply equally?
 
Dont insure your horse. Most vets will let you pay in instalments if anything does go horribly wrong! Go barefoot or just in front shoes. I have ridden and hunted mine for years with only front shoes. Rubber matting in stables with only a sprinkle of bedding. Use outdoor rugs to double up as stable rugs. Feed less hard feed, most horses dont need it!
 
Dogstar said:
Dont insure your horse. Most vets will let you pay in instalments if anything does go horribly wrong! Go barefoot or just in front shoes. I have ridden and hunted mine for years with only front shoes. Rubber matting in stables with only a sprinkle of bedding. Use outdoor rugs to double up as stable rugs. Feed less hard feed, most horses dont need it!
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Oooh dear im currently doing the opposite to everything on this :o
 
jenz87 said:
Darkhorse123, how good is the halfords spray, i just bought a turnout rug and i think it could do with a bit more weatherproofing, i was going to buy the nikiwax rug proofer, but is this ok, bit concerned that its a spray and it wont apply equally?
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i used it last year after reading the tip on here and can honestly say its fab - give 3 or 4 light coats/ sprays - yes it works x
 
You Wont Forget Me said:
Oooh dear im currently doing the opposite to everything on this :o
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no matter how broke i am i keep up with my insurance - no 1 bills are insurance and livery - its not just about vets - what if your horse is silly hacking out and whacks a very expensive car???
#Our yard exit leads down past a big city golf course - very expensive cars -if he wasnt insured and kicked one i dread to think!
I dont skimp on insurance payments - i know my vet would deal with my reputable (but more expensive) insurance directly - dont try to economise on insurance
 
I have 4 horses, so that would to cost me about £1600 a year in insurance anyway. I have had horses since I was 6 and am now 41 so that would have been a LOT of insurance money- all gone. The biggest vet bill I have ever had was £600 and that was not all at once. I would rather pay my vet instalments for an actual bill than an insurance company instalments just in case I had a bill!! Plus, by the time a horse is in its teens it may well have many exclusions, so you will have to pay for the treatment yourself anyway- if you put £50 or something in an account every month it's there if you need it. Obviously I am a BHS member for 3rd party liability, that is essential.
 
Daisydo said:
No insurance !!!!! No way would I risk a £5000 bill for the sake of a £100 excess
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It's not just the excess though, is it? It's the monthly premiums too. If you've got a reasonably healthy horse you can pay hundreds and hundreds (thousands even) without any return. Better to save into an emergency account, surely?
 
Front shoes only.
Leave outdoor rugs on when they come in.
Horses only came in for 3 weeks last winter which saved loads on bedding & rubber mats in stables.
 
SAve money and own a horse - is this possible? :D

Buy the best gear. A good bridle really lasts - mine are used as everyday and also used at shows. Quick clean after each use and strip cleaned weekly.

Feed straights - really cheap - Don't by branded feeds, try and find a feed merchant that crushes their own grains, here I pay $22.50 for a bag of crushed barley - this does the same for my horse as a $45 bag of processed feed.

Only feed if your grass is not sufficient to maintain condition.

If you don't ride then don't feed.

Remove covers in summer - they don't really need them.

Allow forelock to grow long or just make a fly fringe with a browband and baling string - no need to buy a fly mask or heaps of fly spray.

Make your own fly repellant - see recipes in the sticky threads.

If you are checking your horse twice daily then see if you can share duties with another grazer that you trust - saves petrol.

If your car is anything like mine - empty it out of all the horse stuff and only carry what you actually need.

Make ropes and haynets from baling string. Be good and cut the string at the knots when you start a new bale.
 
I use aqueous cream as a hoof conditioner (99p per pot), no shoes (native), very few rugs (again, native), weigh all hay (fatty native) and keep hay really really tidy - put every last scrap in haynets. Deep litter (one bale of shavings per week, also super speedy before work!). Sign up for the Derby House mailing list and make the most of their sales - I just got a fly rug for £20! Generally go sales shopping: I bought my tweed jacket off a sale rail at Burghley (£75, reduced from £225), full set of travel boots for £15, Caldene show breeches £25 all because I bought them in the sale.

Apart from that, what is the saying......how to get a small fortune - start with a large one and buy a horse!! :D
 
Dogstar said:
I have 4 horses, so that would to cost me about £1600 a year in insurance anyway. I have had horses since I was 6 and am now 41 so that would have been a LOT of insurance money- all gone. The biggest vet bill I have ever had was £600 and that was not all at once. I would rather pay my vet instalments for an actual bill than an insurance company instalments just in case I had a bill!! Plus, by the time a horse is in its teens it may well have many exclusions, so you will have to pay for the treatment yourself anyway- if you put £50 or something in an account every month it's there if you need it. Obviously I am a BHS member for 3rd party liability, that is essential.
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Agreed, third party is essential, but vets fees, if you can save what you would have spent on insurance you're better off not to have full insurance - provided you have a big enough cushion in your bank balance if the vets fees come before you've saved enough!
 
Dogstar said:
Dont insure your horse. Most vets will let you pay in instalments if anything does go horribly wrong! Go barefoot or just in front shoes. I have ridden and hunted mine for years with only front shoes. Rubber matting in stables with only a sprinkle of bedding. Use outdoor rugs to double up as stable rugs. Feed less hard feed, most horses dont need it!
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Be careful before deciding against insurance. My horse broke his leg last year and the vets bills added up to over £4000 (Thats excluding the livery costs for the 9 weeks he spent at the vets at £125 a week!)

My insurance company paid out straight away for each part of my claim with no hassles. I have paid £25 a month for my insurance for 4 years - which works out at £1200 ish, so I have definately ended up better off in the long run.

Agree on the front shoes and outdoor rugs as stable rugs however.
 
My £££ saving tips are ...

- Keep feed basic. Most people probably don't need all the expensive mixes etc that they feed.

- If possible look for a yard with lots of grazing (I'd go for this over some other facilities now). Ours is so good that in the winter our horses can happily stay out for 12 hours with loads of grass, hence cutting back on hay costs.

- Use 'human' products wherever possible. e.g. Avon skin so soft as fly / midge spray at £2 a bottle compared to £8 for 'horse fly spray'. Superdrug redhead shampoo at £1 compared to 'fiery chestnut' horse shampoo at £12 a bottle etc.

- Sell and buy things on ebay.

- Share transport to events

- If you are a smaller size, buy kids clothing as its VAT free! Joules XL kids T shirts are probably equivalent to a size 12 I reckon.

- Repair things rather than throwing away. Hay nets can be fixed with bailing twine. Rugs re-sewn and re-proofed. If a rug is unreparable, keep it so you can cut bits off to use at patches to fix other rugs.
 
Im afraid the only thing i do is scour the internet for best prices on rugs etc.

As for insurance - I would NEVER consider NOT having any insurance - that is totally irresponsible - its not just vets bills but 3rd party liability as well.
 
Vets fees are unbelievably expensive , my horse has had lamenes investigations that have come to nearly 3000 pounds ,and I am very glad that I was insured. However as long as you have a few hundred pounds behind you you can save on insurance costs by having a high excess policy and by insuring your horse for a lower ammount.
 
Dunlop wellies and thick socks will keep your feet warm and dry. For just under 20 quid in boots you can get very good insoles that make walking in wellies comfortable and when i used them last year, only needed one pair of socks in the coldest weather.
 
I do other peoples horses on the yard when they are away and muck out for a very busy lady mon-fri and bring in or turn out another horse which pays my livery and hay costs. :)
 
Dancing Queen said:
Im afraid the only thing i do is scour the internet for best prices on rugs etc.

As for insurance - I would NEVER consider NOT having any insurance - that is totally irresponsible - its not just vets bills but 3rd party liability as well.
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But I and many others are covered for 3rd party liability through BHS Gold membership - I do agree that is absolutely essential. Can't see how not having insurance can be described as irresponsible, as long as you have a plan/funds...
 
I agree on the insurance, we have 17 welsh cobs. How much would that little lot cost in insurance? BHS gold membership and crossed fingers!
Here are a few tips.
Washing rugs, use a cement mixer and hot soapy water, a little effort required with the rinsing but they come up like new.
Show sheen we use coat conditioner from peasridge, last time I bought some £28 for 5 litres, does exactly the same thing.
Horse shaves buy medical prep razors, last time I bought some £10 for 50 The same thing but no picture of a horse and white not purple.
Feed we buy in bulk from a local supplier, £160 (ish) fro a half ton sack. They all get it from stallions to foals.
Wormers club together and buy in bulk, use things like riding clubs etc to get the numbers right up to bring the price down.
I have some friends who buy shavings by the lorry load and organise a group of people to distibute it, effectvly they are buying it at the same rate as the merchants.
Most importantly get organised and co-operate.
Don't buy things with pictures of horses on them if you can find an alternative that does not include a picture of a horse.
 
I buy rugs secondhand off ebay - I got a stable rug for £7 two years ago and it was in perfect condition. Wash and reproof them at the end of the season rather than leaving them to fester then having to throw them out - I'd far rather spend £25 on repairs, cleaning and reproofing a t/o and get it back in shiny new condition than have to buy a new one!
Lots of the DIYs at my yard clubbed together last winter to get big bale hay delivered which worked out cheaper and more convenient than going and buying small bales from the farm shop individually.
I would NEVER not have vets fees insurance. I've had my horse 12 years and in that time paid £350 a year on insurance so £4,200 total. Not counting any other claims I've had in the past (and I have had them, she's had laminitis and a stint in hospital with a virus along with kicks in the field and so on), in the last year she's had a chip fracture and arthritis and I've claimed over £8,500 on two claims. So in the last year 12 years of insurance has just paid for itself not counting the other claims. Thank you Petplan I would say having insurance has definitely been a moneysaver. My horse is 21 by the way.
In winter my yard charges 50p a day to put in breakfast so I make sure I get there early to do it first.
I bought some old secondhand clippers so I could clip my own horse instead of paying someone else to do it for me. I've had them a few years now (they are 30 years old and really heavy and noisy but work just fine) and for the £70 they cost me they've saved me £160 in paying someone else to do the job (minus £30 for servicing). Also I can do my friends' horses too.
Make sure your tetanus vaccinations are up to date. Just saw a horse on my yard strike into herself - the owner wanted to leave it as he felt he could deal with the cut himself, but as the horse hadn't been vaccinated he had a nasty bill for an emergency weekend call out for a tetanus vaccination.
Rubber matting is a lifesaver in winter. I have EVA mats which I think are nice and soft for my arthritic mare. Also they save so much bedding. My pony boxwalks so we would go through three bales of shavings a week with a full bed - with mats and just banks we just use one bale.
Don't buy expensive molassed horse treats. I use fibre nuts as treats - £6 for 20 kg is a much better deal than £1.50 for 500 grammes and they are much better for your horse as well.
 
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