October 20, 2022

Money Saving Tips For Horse Owners

It’s no secret that owning horses isn’t cheap. From vets bills to destroying rugs there is (nearly) always something that we need to pay for. With the cost of everything rising, it makes it even more difficult to save those pennies, when it comes to our horses.

But it is definitely possible. We have 14 easy tips for saving money as a horse owner.

Use a hay box in the field and a hay bar in the stable

By putting hay in hay boxes or in hay bars, this should reduce the amount of forage your horse wastes. Whether that be from it blowing away on wintery days, being trodden into the ground or being used as a bed. By reducing the amount of forage your horse wastes, this then means you only feed what they need. You then have to spend less money in the long run (as you’re not having to buy extra to account for the amount your horse may waste).

Get a sharer to help cover the costs

For the busy horse owner who struggles to ensure that their horse gets exercised enough, whilst working a full-time job, this could be a solution. Getting a sharer to ride your horse in exchange for jobs and/or a monetary contribution towards their keep can be a great way of saving money. For example, you might ask the sharer to Not only cover the cost of a set of shoes, in exchange for rides. Also, by asking them to look after your horse on their days, you might save money on having to hire someone to do it!

Note: When looking for a sharer, make sure they have their own insurance and that it is someone you trust!

Look at livery options

If your horse is on a yard that offers a mix of DIY, Part and Full Livery, it may be worth looking at options. Could you drop to DIY on a weekend, for example? Or maybe you have time to turn out your horse in the mornings, or bring them in in the evenings rather than having the livery yard do it? If you have time, and there is the option to, this could be worth considering to save yourself a little bit of money!

Consult an equine nutritionist

Is there a chance you could be feeding your horse the wrong feed, or even the wrong amounts of feed? By booking an appointment with an equine nutritionist, you can evaluate exactly what feed your horse needs, and adjust accordingly. This way, you are ensuring you’re not buying more feed than your horse really needs.

Additionally, some feed companies do yard visits from a nutritionist, and if you are the one to organise it, there are often feed vouchers up for grabs from the company itself!

Get your rugs repaired and reproofed rather than buy new

Rather than buying your horse a new rug, why not get your current rugs repaired and reproofed? This is often a cheaper way of ensuring your horse stays dry and warm, as the cost of reproofing and/or repairs are less than that of a new rug. Additionally, it’s also better for the environment, as there is less waste from rugs being thrown away.

Check to see if your local tack/feed shop has a loyalty scheme

If they do, sign up and get points towards money off, every time you shop! You’ll soon save up enough points to get some money off your shop.

Buy your horse feed in bulk

If you are in a position to, buy your horse feed in bulk as many feed merchants will have a bulk discount. Yes, this might result in paying more upfront, but the cost per feed will be less (and you’ll have to visit the feed/tack store less, keeping you out of temptations way).

When buying in bulk, team up with friends to split a bulk buy

This will mean two things, the first being you all save on delivery costs. The second is that you won’t have to buy the full bulk order, so can make the most of the bulk discount without buying tonnes of feed that will take you ages to get through (and risk wasting).

Check your feed bags for coupons

Many feed companies have loyalty schemes that require saving coupons from your feed bags. Different numbers of coupons can then be redeemed for different products, including bags of feed, rugs and jackets. It’s worth checking to see if your chosen feed company does this, as there could definitely be savings to be had by saving these up.

Check to see if others want a riding lesson at the same time as you

If you are arranging a date for a riding lesson, see if you can organise a clinic on your yard with your instructor. Coaches often reduce a travel fee, or reduce the cost of the lesson if there are more than two people on the same yard having a lesson on the same morning/afternoon/day. It’s worth checking before you book as you could end up significant amount per lesson!

Organise vet visits when more than one horse needs to see the vet

For routine appointments such as vaccinations and dental checks, organising multiple horses to be seen at the same time can save you money on the call-out fee. It is also worth checking if your vet has “zone days” where certain areas have free callouts on certain days. If this is the case, make the most of it for these routine appointments. This might also apply to other equine professionals such as farriers and physiotherapists.

Help out your friends

If you keep your horse on a DIY livery yard and there are friends who keep their horses there too, why not help each other out? You could arrange for one person to do the feeds and checks in the morning, and the other to do the evening. This way, your horse still gets the best possible care, but you can save some money on fuel as you will use your car less.

Go through all of your tack, rugs and equipment and sell items you don’t use

Have you checked your collection of rugs and tack recently? Are there items you haven't used in a while? Are you likely to use them again? Take those items, and if you are not going to use them again, sell them. Then, put this money away as your new “horse fund”.

When you need new items, consider buying second hand

There are often great deals to be had on good quality, second-hand items. There are often Facebook groups and eBay pages dedicated to just for selling second-hand equine items. So the next time there is something you need, look on sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace first, before going to buy something new.

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There you have it, 14 tips you can utilise to help save some money as a horse owner during this cost of living crisis.