I've been talking to some of my horsie friends and have a few things we decided could be done if someone were in this situation. (I'M NOT….it's a hypothetical question)
What would you cut first?
I'm the first one to say, if you can't afford to take care of one right, you shouldn't have one…but anybody can find themself in a sudden but temporary pickle and need to save as much $$ a possible…I'm wondering what you'd cut, and in what priority.
1. Self-administer vaccinations to save the farm call
2. Learn to do a basic trim yourself
3. Switch from a branded feed to the cheaper local mix
4. Buy a lesser grade hay (not poor quality, perhaps last years' or first cut rather than second, grass rather than alfalfa)
5. Buy out of the field rather than delivery or out of the barn.
6. Discontinue supplements that aren't absolutely vital
Good point, buckinfun, about trailering in rather than a farm call.
Hmmm…..I can self administer vaccs, and working where I do, we're seeing a lot of that. It's understandable, but it's interesting….some of the same people that order their vaccs from elsewhere, are the same ones that expect to walk in and be handed prescription drugs without having the doctor see the horse. And some of them get really snotty when they get told no. Or they call up and want a health certificate to go somewhere, and the docs haven't even seen the horse. Joe Schmoe other vet from somewhere drew the coggins, but they can't get in touch with good ol' Joe….but they don't want to pay for a visit and exam so the doc can give out the H/C….they want something for nothing.
Basic trims?? Thank you….no. My farrier is very reasonable, and it's not worth the money I'd save to take on that task. I can do a passable job if I HAD to, but doggone it, that's HARD WORK.
I'm not beyond switching to suitable local mix feed, but one thing you didn't mention, is keeping an eye out for specials and coupons, and then stocking up. Or, as with the local feed store here, I go in with another person and buy a ton at a time, and we get a substantial break on the price.
Lesser hay…..yeah, to an extent. My horses ate grass this last winter rather than grass/alfalfa mix because there wasn't a whole lot to be found. But, as you said, it still has to be acceptable quality. And I do buy out of the field, and get my hay bought up early to mid summer so that I've got it stored and secured before quantities get scarce. Supplements…I don't feed supplements for the most part. With a good balanced feed ration, I really don't need any right now, so any supplements I fed would be "vital".
"Car pool" to trail rides when possible. In the past I've hauled people and never even thought about having the riders kick in on gas. The last few times, I've been offered $$$, and I took it gratefully.
Lessen the distance to trail rides. I used to go to TN, KY, and IL for trail rides, but haven't been recently due to fuel costs. There are nice riding opportunities within an hour or two of my house, and I've just accepted being satisfied with that.
Only shoeing the ones that are getting used the most. I used to keep at least four horses shod through riding season, now I've got two. And, I gave up on the borium. Probably better for their joints in the long run, and I detest road riding, so I can get by without it for the most part. I'm just very careful in rocky areas.
Lease out horses that aren't being used, if you can find a suitable place for them. Good for them, they're being used and kept in shape, good for the person using them, they don't have the outlay for purchase, good for you in that you aren't paying to care for them.
2
3
4
6
at our barn i did a summer job with the farrier and it saved us a120 bucks a horse
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2,3,4,6
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I have my own hayfield so that saves me loads of money. I have a guy hay it and I take half, he takes the other.
I have coastal and they do fine on it. No need for alfalfa or timothy (although I do miss the timothy when I lived in NH)
I do my own vaccinations
I only ride at a trail once a month (I have to trailer there) to save gas.
I trailer my horse to the vet.
No grain, only supplements..except the filly.
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i would do numbers 1,2,3 depending on if your horse has to be on special feed, 4 just be careful using last years hay you wouldn't want your horse to colic then you would be spending the big bucks!!! 6 is still necessary for the horses health.
my horses stay out on the pasture most of the time warning hay prices are going to be outrageous this year
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Oh boy, would I ever be in trouble if I had to cut out something. I already do all of that except trim my own horses. I would cut back in other areas like:
Do I really need a home phone and a cell phone?
Do I really need 100 cable channels?
I don't really need that new pair of shoes do I?
I can eat left overs for lunch rather than stopping for a hamburger.
No more bottled water from the store, I can just fill up from the tap.
Make sure I do everything I can in town while I'm there so I don't have to use up gas for another trip to town. etc.
There are hundreds of ways to cut back. We Americans are a very materialistic society and there are a lot of things that we "think" we "need" that are actually luxuries unheard of a generation earlier.
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I would rent out part of my horses field, stop showing, and sell my show gear, and stop having the man to do my horse, and donkeys in the moring and at noon.
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I board my horses, so some of this does not apply - but, I do my own vaccines, we already use the 'grade' feed, the hay is what they can get - hay shortage in my area. I only feed one supplement.
I also cut back on horse shows, doing unrecognized instead of recognized. I found a place to keep my gelding for free (hoping to find him a permanent home eventually).
I am considering cutting back my cable - I need my internet for school. I drive as little as possible - my only mode of transportation is my truck, ugh. I have my own trailer so I am making up for some of the shows with taking her to the nearby park about once every other week - it is only about a 10 min ride.
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First thing to go would be convenience foods - we're all quite capable of cooking a reasonable meal so it's not like anyone would starve without a microwave meal.
Take a car off the road
sell a car
sell all that junk that's hanging around waiting to be useful
actually collect all that petrol money people owe me
Edit: we already do our own haylage and use the local feeds and the only supplements we use are oil, garlic and Marmite !
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1. Already do.
2. No way, might cost more in the long run if I screw up:)
3. No way. Only the best for them. Could cause problems to switch which could cost more money.
4. No way. Another thing I wouldn't change.
5. Yes.
6. Yes, except joint supplements.
The other things I would do is have my daughter quit showing for a while or only pick one or two a season to go to. Look for deals on tack and only buy when needed. Drive my car to the barn instead of the truck (which we do now). Try and work off lessons if possible to cut down that expense (which we do now).
I wouldn't change any feed or hay on my horses or shoeing because what works now works great BUT I can change the things that I do. I have cut out eating out to save money each month, I try to wait for sales to buy anything I need etc.
This was an excellent question, thanks for posting it.
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id do all of those and if you have the oppertunity, you could rent out a spare stable or paddock if you can.
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1. Already Self Administer
2. My horse has hard slow growing feet, last time they were done it was $10 because she just needed the fronts done.
3. We get our grain from local farmers and only sweet feed in the winter.
4. Again, going to the farmer.
5. see above
6. We have good pasture, hay, and grain, so we already do a bare minimum.
I trail ride around the house, so no trailering.
I "board" at my mother in laws, so my fair share of chores pays for my mares stay.
And my area isn't having to hard of a time for hay, the farm we get from is a mile away and will deliver for no extra cost.
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Great question!
1) Since we live on a farm, and have well over 100 animals (mostly goats, horses and working farm dogs), I've been doing a LOT of my own Vetrinary care for years. Vaccinations are one of the easiest things I do. I will also state that I worked in the medical field (humans) for years, and was a sugrical assistant for over 8 years. Lots of medical background for me. So shots are easy.
2) No, wouldn't trim the horses myself. I do trim the hooves of the goats all the time, but not the horses. My horses go barefoot 24/7. I actually rarely need hoof care for them (five of my nine have never been touched by a farrier, because they simply do not need it). Their hooves are kept naturally worn down. When I do have farriers out, they complain about my horses hooves, because they are hard as steel. I have an elderly horse who is a chronic founder problem. I wouldn't have anyone but a farrier I trust touch his hooves.
3) Highly unlikely to switch brands of feed. What I do is buy in bulk, to get the lowest price possible. For example, the Purina Senior Horse chow….$17.85 a bag. Or I can buy ten bags and get it for $14.85 a bag (even less if I buy more). So I always try to buy in bulk.
4) We are moving our farm, from Idaho, to Washington. We hope to once again buy enough land, to grow our own hay…a bit more of a problem in the rainy Pacific Northwest. However my husband has a CDL (commercial drivers license). As part of our move, we will be buying a used semi truck and trailer. Hubby will use the truck and trailer to drive to Eastern Washington where they grow a lot of alfalfa, buy it by the semi load dirrectly from the farmer, and dirrectly from his field, and bring it back to our farm. We may make a couple of trips, and sell the extra hay. We actually hope to pay for our own hay and the fuel used to bring it over, by importing more hay than we need.
We also have tractors, and can feed one ton bales of hay…this too cuts down on cost. I will also state, I have zero problem feeding last years hay that was stored under cover.
We also feed high quality oat straw in one ton bales. The horses and goats can munch on the oat straw when-ever they wish. Alfalfa can then be fed once a day. So the horses and goats have their intestines filled with all the healthy roughage they need, and are still meeting all of their calloric, vitamin, and mineral needs with the lesser amount of alfalfa.
5) We always buy out of the field….have for years.
6) I don't feed any supplements that are not needed anyway. Horses and goats have access to pasture nearly year around in Washington. They get 4 different types of mineral/salt blocks at all times. I buy them in 50 pound bricks, and deposit them about in pastures and corrals. 50 pound mineral/salt bricks are cheap….usually no more than $8. Each brick usually last at least one year, if not two years. I don't see why someone would bother to feed a supplement that was not needed….a waste of money, and possibly bad for the horse. Too much of a good thing can also harm health.
I also buy paste wormer in bulk, from Jeffer's. I can use the paste wormer on the goats, and the horses. Vaccines of course are purchased by the bottle, and needles and syringes are purchased in bulk.
We also try to buy the best quality we can afford. I got my first horse over 30 years ago. I still have her water bucket. Other than where a Great Pyrenees puppy chewed on an edge, you cannot tell that water bucket is not more than a year old….and it's over 30 years old. Buckets, shovels, rakes, pitchforks, hoses, halters, leadropes, ect, we always buy the best quality possible. It saves money in the long run.
For our horse trailers, we also buy load rated tires. I cannot tell you how often we see passenger car tires on horse trailers. To me, it's nuts to trust the life and saftey of your horse to passenger car tires. Our load rated tires cost more, but last more than twice as long as a passenger car tire (but do not cost twice the price).
We back our fences with electric. Yes that costs more money, but over the years, it saves money, since horses are not leaning on them, or chewing on fences.
There are a ton of ways to save money and keep ones horses in the style to which they have become use too. I got my first horse when I was 13 years old. I have never sold one of my horses….I've paid for, and kept them, my entire life, even through my college years (no, my parents were NOT paying for them). I'm in my 40's now.
If someone really wants to keep their horse, they will find ways to make sacrifices, and adjust their lifestyle. I haven't had a professional haircut since I was 19 years old. At $30 a trip, I learned to cut my own hair, to have more money for my horses. I'm just giving that as one little example of things people can do.
~Garnet
Permaculture homesteading/Farming over 20 years
Horse owner over 30 years
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It sounds to me like you have answered your own question. Some of your ideas are so good, I may try them, myself.
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I would do 3,4,6 also try planting grass and fertalizing to save money on hay. I would not try trimming my horse's hooves myself because it is to easy to create a problem.
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I trim my horses feet.
I don't feed grain.
I only feed grass hay - round bales even.
No supplements.
No vaccinations.
And unless it is major - I take care of my own vet work.
I manage to keep 7 healthy horses on just $350 a month.
But I still feel a pinch lately. If it gets bad I will hobble my horses on the conservation district's land at night. I am not above breaking the law to keep my horses healthy.
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Very good question, I'm sure quite a few people have been in this situation!!! I'm a bit of a pain and buy things that arnt really needed. The best way for me to save money would be to cut out on those things( be quite hard though…) Love my horses matching fly rugs etc….
I would most of the above apart from the trimming as I think farriers train for years on end for a reason and a dogdy job could really mess up a horses legs.
You could.
1. make your own fly spray.
2. buy second hand rugs, tack etc
3. rent out stable and grazing
4. get a sharer for your horse to go halves on the bills.
5. buy feed/ hay in bulk and be cheeky and ask for a discount!! I do..
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Well, we don't give any supplements to our horses at the moment…so that's no probelm….
We already get a good deal on grain because the feed mill is about a 10 minute drive away and we just go pick it up right where they mix it…We help pick hay out of the fields and load it/unload it ourselves to save money on delivery….we give all the vaccinations ourselves, unless they HAVE to be given by a vet…
so really we already do the stuff on that list…lol.
But if I had to cut corners in other ways, I would definitely cut back on eating out. Probably get a smaller "package" for the tv (satellite), I would get rid of the landline phone and just use the cell but we get horrible-to-no reception where I live.
We have also swapped horses with my trainer so that my horse can be at a barn with an arena for me to work him…he puts one of his broodmares with us, and my show horse goes to his place.
We also will rasp down the hooves a little to stretch out the time between farrier visits, if necessary (none of our horses have shoes on at the moment, and our farrier really doesn't charge much anyway)…we haven't done this much, but sometimes you get stuck having to fix a lawn mower or car or whatever and just don't have the extra moolah.
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Well, one thing I do, just because I have had horrible luck with farriers, is I take my horses to a Research and Farrier school here in Northern Georgia to get their feet trimmed. My colt needs corrective trimming and it's only $5 a horse and I am getting the best trims done than I have ever seen in my life! The instructors are wonderful. I stayed to watch my horses get trimmed, I would never let a farrier touch my horses without me there, and they were great. Even though they were busy teaching, the instructor was happy to answer my questions too =) So I got a education along with the students.
Anyways, here in Northern Georgia, the hay is sh!t. And expensive, So I have switched over to alfalfa cubes so that my guys get the consistency they need instead of feeding the low quality hay that is available at high quality prices. The only negative part about that they don't get that grazing, so I am taking them for walks in the part of the pasture that hasn't been fenced and letting them graze for a hour each, not much time, but it's better than nothing and they seem to like it =)
Besides the trims and the hay, my list is the same as the one you have. But it's not just to save a couple $$'s, it's because it's easier to just to do it that way.
Edit…I so agree with those of you who said to change your own lifestyle before changing the level of care for you horses. I currently just do with the basics now, like we use a antenna to get 3 tv channels instead of paying for cable, I don't have a personal cell phone, but because my work provides me with one that I am allowed to use as my own. I don't go shopping for things I don't need and I cook at home.
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I would never ever compromise on the quality of hay I feed. That is not a place to cut costs.
If you are buying hay and can haul it yourself that is one good way to save money. Less trips where you are hauling your horse also saves.
I do my own vaccines and always have.
I have a great farrier and would not change that but I do file and trim lightly in between farrier visits if needed.
I would change the rest of my lifestyle rather than cut quality of feed. Like someone else said do I really need 100 cable channels. I would rather be out riding the horse than sitting watching tv.
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I don't know what you are taking about because I do all of that already. Not because of the cost but because our vets don't do farm calls, our farriers are busy months in advance, we have very few name brand feed dealers, we raise our own hay, no one delivers hay and none of my horses are really on a supplement program because they don't need it. I have just one horse on a joint injections I get from the vet and do my self. So I guess I'm a real country bumpkin. LOL I guess I know how I rank in the horse world.
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There would be no changes for my horse. This is the life I do live in order to have horses and I would change nothing at all. I do not buy clothes, do my nails or hair. Don't go anywhere so spend no $ on gas. No trips. Cut down on food at times. Lower the thermostat to 60. All things I do not mind doing at all to have my horses. Had horses for 40 yrs this yr and they have never gone without anything, ever.
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If your grain your horse, I would consider mixing your own grain. Its fairly easy to do just read the label on your feed and buy whats in that and mix it your self. Then you will have plenty of feed for quite a while for less per bag than the price of premixed feed.
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I do it this way and I have feed for 3 months or more per mixing.
I actually pretty well do all of the above any way….I guess most of the cuts these days comes off my account :
Not too many nights out(if any)
good second hand clothes
eat fairly plain fare
repair as much of my tack as possible myself
Tell myself i don't need five horses to one or two jobs
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Hmmm…..I can self administer vaccs, and working where I do, we're seeing a lot of that. It's understandable, but it's interesting….some of the same people that order their vaccs from elsewhere, are the same ones that expect to walk in and be handed prescription drugs without having the doctor see the horse. And some of them get really snotty when they get told no. Or they call up and want a health certificate to go somewhere, and the docs haven't even seen the horse. Joe Schmoe other vet from somewhere drew the coggins, but they can't get in touch with good ol' Joe….but they don't want to pay for a visit and exam so the doc can give out the H/C….they want something for nothing.
Basic trims?? Thank you….no. My farrier is very reasonable, and it's not worth the money I'd save to take on that task. I can do a passable job if I HAD to, but doggone it, that's HARD WORK.
I'm not beyond switching to suitable local mix feed, but one thing you didn't mention, is keeping an eye out for specials and coupons, and then stocking up. Or, as with the local feed store here, I go in with another person and buy a ton at a time, and we get a substantial break on the price.
Lesser hay…..yeah, to an extent. My horses ate grass this last winter rather than grass/alfalfa mix because there wasn't a whole lot to be found. But, as you said, it still has to be acceptable quality. And I do buy out of the field, and get my hay bought up early to mid summer so that I've got it stored and secured before quantities get scarce. Supplements…I don't feed supplements for the most part. With a good balanced feed ration, I really don't need any right now, so any supplements I fed would be "vital".
"Car pool" to trail rides when possible. In the past I've hauled people and never even thought about having the riders kick in on gas. The last few times, I've been offered $$$, and I took it gratefully.
Lessen the distance to trail rides. I used to go to TN, KY, and IL for trail rides, but haven't been recently due to fuel costs. There are nice riding opportunities within an hour or two of my house, and I've just accepted being satisfied with that.
Only shoeing the ones that are getting used the most. I used to keep at least four horses shod through riding season, now I've got two. And, I gave up on the borium. Probably better for their joints in the long run, and I detest road riding, so I can get by without it for the most part. I'm just very careful in rocky areas.
Lease out horses that aren't being used, if you can find a suitable place for them. Good for them, they're being used and kept in shape, good for the person using them, they don't have the outlay for purchase, good for you in that you aren't paying to care for them.
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Sell a car.
Persuade the man to sell a motorbike.
Stop going on holiday.
Go to Asda instead of Sainsbury's.
I think I'd cut back on an awful lot of things before I started cutting back on the ponies!
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